The information on this page has been extracted from the KIST Admissions Handbook. Please read the complete handbook for more detailed information on admissions policies.
Information for applicants from outside Japan
As an international school, KIST welcomes applications from students and their families currently living outside of Japan. We ask that families in this situation consider the following factors when seeking admission to KIST for their children:
- KIST is a day school and does not offer boarding facilities. We are also unable to assist in arranging host families.
- Students are not permitted to live alone, even for short periods of time.
- Applicants may visit Japan to participate in admissions interviews and testing on a tourist visa but must have secured an appropriate visa to live and attend school in Japan prior to formal enrollment.
- It is the responsibility of individual families to apply for appropriate visas through the relevant government authority. KIST is not able to assist with the process of securing visas.
- Students living without their parents are required to submit a copy of their visa as part of their application documentation. For students whose applications are successful but have not yet been issued with an appropriate visa, enrollment will be granted on a conditional basis only.
We offer multiple options in our admissions process for families applying from outside Japan, some of which may be a better fit depending on each prospective family’s circumstances and the child’s educational background. For a full description of our admissions policies, please refer to the KIST Admissions Handbook.
Provisional enrollment
Students whose home language is English who are not currently in Japan at the time of application may apply for provisional enrollment for Grades 1 and above only. If granted, this allows families to save a seat for their child until they are able to sit for the on-site admissions interview and/or test; however, it does not guarantee final enrollment which is only possible after the interview and test have been successfully completed. If the interview or test bring to light new information which shows that the student or parents/guardians do not meet the school’s admissions criteria, the offer of provisional enrollment will be withdrawn.
To apply for provisional enrollment, in addition to submitting the regular Application for Admission and related supporting documentation and paying the application fee, the following documents must also be provided:
Provisional Enrollment Application Form
This includes contact details for the applicant’s teacher or school principal in case we need to contact them for further information.
A sample of writing in English
The sample should be of a length which clearly demonstrates the applicant’s ability as a writer. It should be a task completed as part of the applicant’s regular schoolwork, not something prepared specifically to apply to KIST. It may come from any curriculum area but should be related to subject content rather than being a narrative.
Provisional Enrollment Writing Sample Questionnaire
To be completed by the applicant’s teacher to describe the conditions under which the writing task was written. This includes any directions given by the teacher relating to the task, and what support or conferencing, if any, was provided by the teacher or other adults.
Mathematics recommendation
To be completed by the applicant’s current or most recent mathematics teacher. Please be sure to use the correct form according to the grade you are applying for.
- Mathematics Recommendation Form (G1–G5) – Use this form if you are applying for admission to Grades 1 to 5
- Mathematics Recommendation Form (G6–G8) – Use this form if you are applying for admission to Grades 6 to 8
- Mathematics Recommendation Form (G9–G12) – Use this form if you are applying for admission to Grades 9 to 12
These must be sent to KIST separately from the online Application for Admission. Additionally, applicants must indicate that they are applying for provisional enrollment on the appropriate page of the online Application for Admission.
In addition to written documentation, applicants may also be required to participate in English and/or mathematics testing prior to arriving in Japan. The English test is an online test available through the Duolingo English Test platform (charges apply). The mathematics test will be arranged through the applicant’s current school. Additionally, applicants and their parents/guardians may also be required to participate in an online interview in English through Skype.
Not all applicants are eligible for provisional enrollment, and conditions apply. For complete information about provisional enrollment, please check the KIST Admissions Handbook.
Regular enrollment for overseas applicants
For applicants whose home language is not English, we are unable to accept applications for provisional enrollment. English speakers are also welcome to apply for regular enrollment if this method is best suited to their situation.
We ask such applicants to complete the first steps of the application process as outlined in the KIST Admissions Handbook by submitting a complete application package and paying the 20,000 yen application fee. After receiving the result of the screening process, applicants who have successfully proceeded to the interview and testing stage may choose from the following options:
- Make arrangements to visit Japan temporarily to complete the interview and testing process in advance. In this case, the enrollment process may be completed prior to moving, and for successful applicants, a space may be saved in the student’s class until the family moves to Japan.
- Wait to participate in interviews and testing and interviews until after moving to Japan. We are happy to hold applications until prospective families are able to come to Tokyo, but we are not able to save seats in the appropriate class for these applicants.
Please keep in mind that we are not able to schedule interview and testing dates until after families have submitted a completed application—including all required supporting materials—and the application has completed the screening process. As such, we ask that prospective families do not make travel arrangements to visit KIST until they have received communication from our Admissions Office with a definite date for the interview and testing.
In some cases, we may ask overseas applicants who are not native or near-native speakers of English to complete an online English test through the Duolingo English Test platform before visiting our campus for the admissions interview and testing process. These applications may be unsuccessful based on the results of the online English test.
