Study in Japan from India — process, costs, visa, work rights

The Certificate of Eligibility (CoE) must be obtained by the accepting school before a visa can even be applied for — factor this extra step into your timeline.
EJU and English-test requirements are set per university, not nationally — confirm each target university's specific policy rather than assuming one applies everywhere.
The 'Student' residence status caps continuous stay at 4 years and 3 months — check this against your programme's length, especially for 5-6 year courses.

The basics

Bachelor's: 4 years (6 years for medicine, dentistry, veterinary science and pharmacy)
Master's / PhD: Master's: 2 years; Doctoral: 5 years (sometimes split 2+3 years)
Intakes: April intake (April) — main · Autumn/September intake (September/October)
Exams — bachelor's: EJU (Examination for Japanese University Admission) — required by 60%+ of Japanese universities; Japan/world studies, science, maths, Japanese language; held June & November, valid 2 years · English proficiency: TOEFL, IELTS, TOEIC or Eiken, per university policy · Japanese-language proficiency, per university/programme
Exams — master's: English proficiency: TOEFL, IELTS, TOEIC or Eiken, per university policy · Japanese-language proficiency for Japanese-taught programmes
Your Class 12 marks: For the MEXT undergraduate scholarship route, applicants must have completed 12 years of schooling — source: studyinjapan.go.jp MEXT scholarship page.

for the main intake

Well before applicationCheck whether the target university requires the EJU (Examination for Japanese University Admission, held in June and November, scores valid 2 years) — used by over 60% of Japanese universities for undergraduate admission — plus an English test (TOEFL/IELTS/TOEIC/Eiken) and/or Japanese-language proficiency, per the university's own policy
After admissionThe accepting school applies for your Certificate of Eligibility (CoE) at a regional immigration bureau in Japan, submitting financial-capacity documents (savings certificate, income certificate, source-of-funds documentation) on your behalf
After CoE issuedApply for the student visa at a Japanese embassy/consulate in India using the CoE
On arrival / within 14 days of settlingEnter Japan, receive a residence card (for stays over 3 months) at the airport or later, and register your address at the municipal office within 14 days

rupees at ECB rates of 2026-09-25

Tuition — bachelor's: JPY 820,000–3,800,000 / year · about ₹5 lakh–23.1 lakh (National ~JPY 820,000; local public ~JPY 910,000; private ~JPY 1,300,000; private medical/dental/pharmacy ~JPY 3,800,000 — source: studyinjapan.go.jp Academic Fees page)
Tuition — master's: JPY 820,000–1,100,000 / year · about ₹5 lakh–6.7 lakh (National ~JPY 820,000; local public ~JPY 900,000; private ~JPY 1,100,000 (private medical/dental/pharmacy graduate ~JPY 870,000) — source: studyinjapan.go.jp Academic Fees page)

Visa: Student visa, via Certificate of Eligibility (CoE) ↗
Money to show: Savings-balance certificate, one year's income certificate, and documentation of the source of funds, submitted at the CoE and/or visa stage
Processing: Not stated on the official page opened; the 'Student' status of residence permits a stay of not more than 4 years and 3 months

Accepting school applies for the CoE at a regional immigration bureau
Apply for the visa at a Japanese embassy/consulate in India using the CoE
Enter Japan (Visit Japan Web can streamline airport arrival)
Receive residence card (stays over 3 months) and register address at the municipal office within 14 days

Study in Japan school search — Official government database of schools accepting international students
Study in Japan scholarship search — Official scholarship and tuition-reduction search tool

Japanese Government (MEXT) Scholarship — Research students (JPY 143,000-145,000/month, embassy recommendation up to 2 years, under 35), Undergraduate students (JPY 242,000/month per the official page; embassy route up to 5 years including Japanese-language training, under 25, 12 years of schooling required), Teacher training students (JPY 117,000/month); applied for via the Japanese Embassy in India or a partner university

by ARWU 2025 world rank