EJU Passing Score (2026): No Pass Mark, Only University Minimums

Key Takeaways

• The EJU (Examination for Japanese University Admission for International Students) has no passing score. JASSO (Japan Student Services Organization), which runs the exam, says it is not used to decide whether applicants are accepted or rejected.
• Each university decides whether it uses the EJU, which subjects it requires and what score it expects. Some publish a minimum required score, for example 680 or above out of 850 for Engineering Science at Yokohama National University.
• Japanese as a Foreign Language is scored 0–400, plus 0–50 for Writing. Science, Japan and the World, and Mathematics are each scored 0–200.
• In the June 2026 session, the average total for Japanese as a Foreign Language was 237.0 out of 400. An average is a reference point, not a pass mark.
• The EJU is held in Manila twice a year, in June and November. The examination fee in the Philippines is PHP 750.
• You do not mail your score to the university. You write your examination registration number on the university's application form, and the university requests your score from JASSO.
• Scores are valid for two years (the four most recent sessions), and there is no limit on how many times you can take the EJU.
• A score of 200 or more in Japanese as a Foreign Language is one of the eligibility requirements for the Monbukagakusho Honors Scholarship (a scholarship for privately financed international students), and it also appears in an Immigration Services Agency rule for students who go on to a university after language school.

This article covers EJU scores and how universities use them. For the visa you need to study in Japan, see Student Visa Japan for Filipinos: COE, Money Proof, A1 Rule. For the JLPT, a different Japanese test, see JLPT Philippines: Where, When, Fees and How to Register.

Is there a passing score for the EJU?

No. JASSO states that the EJU "is not an exam used to determine whether applicants are accepted or rejected." Results are given as scores, and schools use them mainly to judge the Japanese language skills and basic knowledge of people applying for admission.

In practice, a university contacts JASSO to get the EJU scores of the people who applied to it, and uses those scores as a reference when it selects students. Some universities do not rely on the EJU alone. They also hold their own entrance exam, an interview, or both. There are also universities, graduate schools and junior colleges that do not use the EJU at all.

So the useful question is not "What is the EJU passing score?" but "What does the university I want require?" JASSO itself advises applicants to contact each university directly to confirm whether the EJU is required, which subjects are designated, and in which language the questions must be answered.

The EJU has no English section. For this reason, a university may also hold its own English exam or ask for a score from TOEFL or a similar test.

What minimum scores do universities set?

JASSO publishes a list of "acceptance levels" and "minimum required scores" for pre-arrival admission. Pre-arrival admission means you apply to a Japanese university and find out whether you are accepted while you are still in your home country. Only universities that agreed to announce their figures are on the list, and the list is based on a survey carried out between July and October 2025.

Here are some examples from the list:

Each university writes its figure in its own way. One gives a single total, another sets a minimum for each subject, and another uses a share of the average. Read each figure in that university's own terms, and do not compare a number from one university directly with a number from another.

JASSO also notes that admission is judged not only on the EJU but also on documents, interviews and other steps. A minimum required score is the cutoff for applying, not a promise of admission. For details, JASSO tells applicants to contact the university.

Which EJU subjects should you take?

Take the subjects the university names. You choose your subjects from these four tests:

A few rules decide how you register:

• You cannot take both Science and Japan and the World.
• Science: you choose two subjects from physics, chemistry and biology on the exam day. If you select only one, your science answers will not be graded.
• Mathematics: Course 1 is for liberal arts faculties and for science faculties that need comparatively less mathematics. Course 2 is for faculties that need higher-level mathematics.
• Language of the questions: you can answer in Japanese or English, except Japanese as a Foreign Language, which is in Japanese only. You choose the language in your application.

Except for Writing, scores are not raw scores. They are shown on a common scale. JASSO uses score equating, a method that adjusts for differences in difficulty between exams, so that no session or test venue gives an advantage or a disadvantage. Writing is scored against a fixed standard and given one of these scores: 0, 10, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45 or 50 points.

What were the average EJU scores in June 2026?

JASSO publishes the averages for each session. These are the averages for the 1st Session in June 2026:

An average shows how examinees scored as a group. It is not a pass mark. Compare your score with the minimum set by the university you want, not with the average. If a university sets its minimum in relation to "the average," as the University of Yamanashi does, ask the university which average it means.

In the same session, 30,804 people applied and 26,888 took the exam in total. In Manila, 10 people applied and 9 took the exam.

How do you take the EJU in Manila?

The EJU is offered in 17 cities in 13 countries and regions, and Manila is one of them. It is held twice a year, in June and November. No specific qualifications are needed, so anyone can take the EJU.

You apply through the EJU Overseas Representative, the local office that accepts EJU applications in each city. In Manila, this is:

• De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Research)
• Address: 2544 Taft Avenue, Manila
• How to apply: by e-mail (any day), or by phone (Mondays through Thursdays)
• Examination fee in the Philippines: PHP 750

The 2026 schedule was as follows:

The application period ends well before the exam date. JASSO posts the next year's schedule on its website from around November, so check the schedule page before you plan your year.

If you already live in Japan, you can take the EJU in Japan. The fee there is JPY 12,000 for one subject and JPY 23,000 for two or three subjects, including tax. Once payment is complete, cancellations are not accepted for any reason. For peso amounts, use the rates on the /money page instead of converting by hand.

Which session should you take?

Take the session the university accepts. Some universities name it. JASSO gives this example of a university's requirement: the applicant must take Japanese as a Foreign Language, Japan and the World, and Mathematics (Course 1); Japan and the World and Mathematics must be taken in Japanese; and the applicant must take the second session in November.

Keep these rules in mind when you plan:

• Scores are valid for two years, covering the four most recent sessions. However, some universities designate which years or sessions they accept.
• You can take the EJU as many times as you like. There is no limit.
• You choose which scores to submit, within the range the university allows. Scores are submitted by session, so you send all the scores from one session together.

How does your EJU score reach the university?

The university gets your score from JASSO. You do not send a paper score report, because none is issued.

1. Check your score online. Examinees who took the EJU outside Japan register a "My Page ID" on the EJU Online Score Confirmation Exclusive Page, and can view and print a Score Confirmation Report there. If you took the EJU in Japan, log in to the EJU Online Application/Score Confirmation Page with the My Page you used to apply; if a group registered you in the batch registration format, use the Score Confirmation Exclusive Page.
2. Fill in the university's application form. Write your examination registration number, your name in Roman letters, your date of birth and the other required details.
3. The university requests your score from JASSO after the exam.

Keep your examination voucher, the admission slip you receive for the exam. Some universities ask for a copy when you apply, so do not lose it before you have finished enrolling. Also note that JASSO does not answer examinees' questions about their results.

For pre-arrival admission, JASSO lists the steps in this order:

1. Get entrance exam information from the university's entrance exam bulletin, website and so on.
2. Find out the eligibility and other EJU-related requirements.
3. Apply to take the EJU.
4. Apply to the university.
5. Receive the notification of acceptance.

The order matters. If you forget to apply for the EJU, or do not select the subjects the university specifies, you may lose eligibility for admission. An EJU application cannot be changed once it has been submitted. And applying for the EJU is not the same as applying to the university; that is a separate application.

Can a good EJU score help with a scholarship or a visa?

Yes, in two ways.

The Monbukagakusho Honors Scholarship for Privately-Financed International Students (Reservation Program). Under this program, applicants whose EJU score is in the top rank among candidates become reservation holders, people whose place in the scholarship is reserved on the basis of their EJU score. For the November 2026 session, the monthly stipend is JPY 48,000, and JASSO notes that the amount can change each academic year. If you take the EJU outside Japan, you apply by circling the designated box on the EJU application form. If you take the EJU at an overseas exam site and get an especially high score, you may be selected as a reservation holder, and your scholarship period may be extended. People enrolling in a graduate school are not eligible. The scholarship's eligibility requirements also include a score of 200 or more in Japanese as a Foreign Language.

The rule for moving from a language school to a university. For students entering a university by the end of the 2029 academic year (March 2030), the Immigration Services Agency (ISA) lists a score of 200 or more in EJU Japanese as a Foreign Language as one of the scores it accepts as proof of enough Japanese ability. Other Japanese tests on the same list are JLPT N2 or higher, BJT 400 or more and JPT 525 or more. For how student visas work, see the student visa article.

How to check a university's EJU requirements

In my own projects, I have always decided the criteria first and then compared several sources before moving forward. When I worked on websites built to rank in Google search (SEO) and on affiliate sites, I checked the source URL and cross-checked more than one data source before I trusted a number. The same habit helps with the EJU, because the numbers that decide your application come from each university, not from JASSO.

Applied to the EJU, these habits lead to the following checks:

1. Write down the university's requirements before you apply for the EJU. List the subjects, the mathematics course, the language of the questions, the session, the minimum score and the sessions or years it accepts. This is your set of criteria, and you decide it first.
2. Read the minimum in the university's own terms. Is it a total, a minimum for each subject, or a share of the average? Note whether Writing is included.
3. Compare more than one source. Put the JASSO list next to the university's own entrance exam bulletin or website. The JASSO list is based on a survey from July to October 2025, so if the two do not match, ask the university.
4. Check the source page and the date. Fees, schedules and score ranges come from JASSO's pages. Open those pages yourself instead of relying on a figure you saw somewhere else.
5. Check your EJU application line by line before you submit it. Subjects and the language of the questions cannot be changed afterward.

FAQ

Q: What is a good EJU score?

There is no official "good score," because the EJU has no pass mark. A good score is one that meets the minimum of the university you want. As a reference, the average total for Japanese as a Foreign Language in June 2026 was 237.0 out of 400.

Q: Is 200 in Japanese as a Foreign Language enough?

It depends on what you need it for. A score of 200 or more is one of the eligibility requirements for the Monbukagakusho Honors Scholarship, and it also appears in the ISA rule for moving from a language school to a university. For admission, each university sets its own minimum, so check the requirements of the university you want.

Q: Can I take the EJU in the Philippines?

Yes. The EJU is held in Manila in June and November. You apply through De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde, the EJU Overseas Representative, by e-mail or by phone, and the fee is PHP 750.

Q: How long is an EJU score valid?

EJU scores are valid for two years, covering the four most recent sessions. Some universities designate which years or sessions they accept, so check before you apply.

Summary

The EJU has no passing score. JASSO reports your results as scores, and each university decides whether it uses the EJU, which subjects it requires and what minimum it sets. Some universities publish minimums on JASSO's list for pre-arrival admission, written as a total, a minimum for each subject or a share of the average. Japanese as a Foreign Language is scored 0–400 plus 0–50 for Writing, and the other subjects 0–200 each; the June 2026 average for Japanese as a Foreign Language was 237.0 out of 400. In Manila, you apply through De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde for PHP 750, and the university gets your score from JASSO using your examination registration number. A score of 200 or more in Japanese as a Foreign Language also matters for the Monbukagakusho Honors Scholarship and for the ISA rule after language school.

Start today: open the admissions page of each university you want, and write down its EJU subjects, session, language and minimum score. Then compare that list with JASSO's pages, and apply for the EJU session that matches it.

Sources

• JASSO, EJU FAQ: Using EJU: https://www.jasso.go.jp/en/ryugaku/eju/faq_eju/use.html
• JASSO, Acceptance Level · Minimum required scores, For Pre-arrival Admission: https://www.jasso.go.jp/en/ryugaku/eju/examinee/prearrival/required_score.html
• JASSO, Acceptance level and minimum required scores list (PDF): https://www.jasso.go.jp/en/ryugaku/eju/examinee/prearrival/__icsFiles/afieldfile/2026/02/17/202512meyasu_e.pdf
• JASSO, EJU subjects: https://www.jasso.go.jp/en/ryugaku/eju/examinee/procedure/subject.html
• JASSO, EJU FAQ: Scores: https://www.jasso.go.jp/en/ryugaku/eju/faq_eju/score.html
• JASSO, Language of the questions: https://www.jasso.go.jp/en/ryugaku/eju/examinee/procedure/language.html
• JASSO, Outline of Results, 2026 1st Session (PDF): https://www.jasso.go.jp/en/ryugaku/eju/about/data/result/__icsFiles/afieldfile/2026/07/24/outline_of_results_e_2026-1.pdf
• JASSO, EJU FAQ: Taking the EJU overseas: https://www.jasso.go.jp/en/ryugaku/eju/faq_eju/overseas.html
• JASSO, EJU Overseas Representatives (Asia): https://www.jasso.go.jp/en/ryugaku/eju/examinee/contact/asia.html
• JASSO, Examination fee: https://www.jasso.go.jp/en/ryugaku/eju/examinee/procedure/examination_fee.html
• JASSO, EJU schedule: https://www.jasso.go.jp/en/ryugaku/eju/schedule.html
• JASSO, EJU FAQ: About the EJU: https://www.jasso.go.jp/en/ryugaku/eju/faq_eju/about.html
• JASSO, Score report: https://www.jasso.go.jp/en/ryugaku/eju/examinee/procedure/score_report_soufu.html
• JASSO, Pre-arrival admission: https://www.jasso.go.jp/en/ryugaku/eju/about/prearrival_admission.html
• JASSO, Reservation Program for Monbukagakusho Honors Scholarship (EJU 2nd Session in November 2026): https://www.jasso.go.jp/en/ryugaku/scholarship_j/shoreihi/yoyaku_eju/202611.html
• JASSO, Monbukagakusho Honors Scholarship for Privately-Financed International Students: https://www.jasso.go.jp/en/ryugaku/scholarship_j/shoreihi/about.html
• Immigration Services Agency (PDF): https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/content/001461504.pdf
• JASSO, 2026 EJU Bulletin for Applicants for EJU Administered outside Japan (PDF): https://www.jasso.go.jp/en/ryugaku/eju/examinee/__icsFiles/afieldfile/2026/01/20/2026eju_bulletin_oversea_e.pdf