Japan

Foundation requirements

If you do not have the qualifications, study skills or English language ability you need to take the degree of your choice, you can apply for one of our foundation programmes. We offer two types of foundation programmes: an honours degree with a foundation year and the International Foundation Programme (IFP).

For honours degrees with a foundation year, entry requirements vary depending on the degree you are applying to. You can check the requirements here.

You can study the International Foundation programme at the University of Kent International College (UK IC), run in collaboration with Oxford International on our Canterbury Campus. The International Foundation programme is for international students who may not meet the academic or English language requirements. You can check the entry requirements for the country you have studied in on the Oxford International College webpage. 

Undergraduate requirements

If you are studying, or have studied, the International Baccalaureate, European Baccalaureate, or A levels please see our general entry requirements for details.

If you are unsure whether your qualification will be suitable, please email our International Recruitment team.

To be considered for entry to Year 1 of a Kent undergraduate degree programme, Japanese students typically need to have completed one of the following:

• One year of a Bachelor degree (Gakushi) at a recognised Japanese university with an average grade of B/70%, or a GPA of 3.0/4.0
• Associate Degree (Jun-gakushi)/Vocational/Specialist Degree (Senmon-shi) from a recognised college in Japan with a final grade of B/70% or a GPA of 3.0/4.0

US qualifications

If you are studying, or have studied, US qualifications such as SATs, ACTs, Advanced Placement tests or an Associate Degree, please see our USA country page for details of the US qualifications we accept.

Second year entry

Students with very high grades in their Associate Degree (Jun-gakushi)/Vocational/Specialist Degree (Senmon-shi) may be considered for 2nd year entry to a Kent undergraduate programme on a case-by-case basis, if they have studied similar content to Year 1 of the relevant Kent degree.

Please see our general postgraduate entry requirements for detail or use our online postgraduate prospectus to check the entry requirements for the course you are interested in.

Some, but not all, postgraduate programmes require your undergraduate degree to have a related major. Some postgraduate programmes may require work experience in a relevant field or at a certain level.

If you are unsure whether your qualification will be suitable, please email our International Recruitment team.

For entry to a Kent postgraduate degree programme (Master’s), Japanese students typically need to have completed a Bachelor Degree (Gakushi) from a recognised Japanese institution. Exact requirements will depend on the postgraduate degree you are applying for and the institution you have studied at.

• For programmes that require a 2:1 we usually ask for a final GPA of 3.2/4.0, a B+ or 75%. Students from highly ranked institutions may be accepted with a GPA of 3.0/4, 70% or B.
• For programmes that require a 2:2 we usually ask for a final GPA of 3.0/4.0, B or 70%.

MBA

For details of our MBA programme, please see the MBA course page.

PhD

For entry to a Kent PhD programme, Japanese students typically need to have completed a Master’s Degree (Shushi) at a recognised institution with a final grade of at least B+/75% or a GPA of 3.2/4.0. Students need to have completed a thesis as part of their Master’s or be able to show other evidence of previous research experience.

If you would like to pursue a PhD at Kent, you should visit the relevant department website and our find a supervisor page to identify potential supervisors for your research and thesis. You are encouraged to then make direct contact with the appropriate academic to discuss your research proposal.

Applicants will also need to meet University of Kent's standard English language requirements. These are set at a level that meets both the academic needs of the University and the minimum requirements for a Tier 4 (General) student visa.

• English language requirements for undergraduates
• English language requirements for postgraduates

Applicants for the International Foundation Programme or pre-sessional English programmes are required to have a UKVI-recognised SELT (Secure English Language Test). These must be taken at one of the UKVI-approved test centres.

Pre-sessional course information

If you need to raise your English language skills, you can attend one of our intensive pre-sessional courses in English for Academic Purposes. Satisfactory achievement on one of these courses can be used to meet Kent's English language entry requirements in place of other external language examinations.