Application Requirements and Procedures

Nominated students will complete the exchange application using the "SpeedVisa" system.
An invitation email to enter the required information into "SpeedVisa" will be sent in early October for spring semester enrollment and early April for fall semester enrollment.
* "SpeedVisa" is NOT a student visa application site; it is an online platform through which APU applies for a Certificate of Eligibility (COE).

Application Deadlines

Enrollment Period	Invitation from “SpeedVisa”	Application Submission Deadline
Spring Semester	Early October	October 22
Fall Semester	Early April	April 22

Application Requirements

Applicants must meet the following requirements in order to apply for the exchange program at APU.

・Applicants must be enrolled in a partner university overseas and must have completed at least 1 semester at their home university.
・Applicants must be nominated officially by their home university.
・Minimum GPA requirement: 2.00 on a 4.00 scale
・Applicants whose first language is not English or Japanese must meet the language requirements as below.

Important Note! The language proficiency requirements are different for Spring and Fall 2026 Enrollment. Please follow the correct enrollment period.

For Spring 2026 Enrollment:

For English-basis students:

IELTS	6.0
TOEFL®iBT	79
TOEIC® L&R Test	780
PTE Academic	50
Cambridge English FCE	Grade B

For Japanese-basis students:

JLPT Level N1	100
JLPT Level N2	135
EJU-Japanese	250 *Not including the writing section

For Fall 2026 Enrollment:

For English-basis students:

Linguaskill	169
IETLS / IELTS online	6.0 *A minimum of 5.5 is required for each section
TOEFL®iBT	75
TORIC Ⓡ L&R / S&W	1600
Duolingo English Test	110
Cambridge English Qualifications	169
PTE Academic	60
EIKEN	2304

For Japanese-basis students:

JLPT Level N1	100
JLPT Level N2	120
EJU-Japanese *both minimum scores must be met	・Reading Comprehension/Listening and Listening-Reading Comprehension: 250 ・Writing: 30

Application Documents and Procedures

The below describes the basic information regarding the application procedures and the documents that are needed.

Step 1. Read 2026 APU Student Exchange Program information Sheet

Step 2. Preparation of Required Documents

Before starting online application through “SpeedVisa”, prepare the following documents digitally as you are required to submit the information via online.

All documents must be written in English or Japanese
* if documents that are written in neither English nor Japanese, please attach an official translation with the translator’s name, contact details and signature.
Some documents, such as a passport, a certain type of financial statements, and language proficiency score, may take time to obtain, so applicants are advised to allow plenty of time to prepare.

1. Official Academic Transcript (issued by applicant’s home university)

2. Certificate of Enrollment Verification (issued by applicant’s home university)

3. Valid Passport Copy

If you are a Japanese citizen and have a Japanese passport, you will need a copy of your Japanese passport

4. Digital Colored Photo *must be a jpeg format

Must meet the photo requirement on the Immigration Services Agency website.
This will be used for your Certificate of Eligibility application

5. Financial Statement – bank balance certificate issued by bank, scholarship letter etc. *must be a PDF format

Required minimum amount: 500,000 JPY for one semester or 1,000,000 JPY for one academic year
Must be an official document(s)
Must be dated within three months from the date of application
Bank balance (account holder’s name, bank name, and issued date must be appeared on the document), scholarship letter, or other financial documents
If the document was issued electronically, the electronical version will suffice
If the document was issued on paper, it is required to send via international courier or registered mail after completing online application
Balances of mutual fund, stock market, credit card, life insurance policies are NOT acceptable
Screenshots are not acceptable

6. Language Proficiency Score

The language proficiency score must meet the requirements and submit a proper document accordingly
Only scores for examinations taken within two years from the date of application will be accepted
For exemptions from submitting a language proficiency score, see below:

→For 2026 Spring Applicants:

If you do not have a valid score sheet, we can instead accept an official letter certifying your English or Japanese proficiency issued by a professor or instructor at your home university who can evaluated your language ability.
Proof of English language proficiency will be EXCEMPTED if:
1. Applicants whose first language is English or Japanese
2. Applicants enrolled in our partner universities in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Singapore, UK, and U.S.A.

→For 2026 Fall Applicants:

We will only be accepting score sheets, and will no longer be accepting letters.
Proof of English language proficiency will be EXCEMPTED if:
1. Applicants whose first language is English or Japanese
2. Applicants enrolled in our partner universities in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Singapore, UK, and U.S.A.

7. Other things applicants will be asked to submit/enter in “SpeedVisa”

Essay about your motivation to study at APU (about 500 words)
College Choice at APU
Preferred option for residential (dormitory) options
Educational history
History of visits to Japan (exact arrival and departure dates will be needed)

Step 3. Complete Online Application

The nominated students will receive:

1. An invitation from “SpeedVisa” to enter CoE and application information
*The link will be valid for only 10 days.
2.An email from APU coordinator about SpeedVisa instruction.

If nominated students experience not receiving any emails regarding application by the following date, please contact at inbound@apu.ac.jp

Spring Enrollment	October 5
Fall Enrollment	April 5

Important Notes for Application Submission Process

1.If submitted document(s) is found incomplete, applicants will be notified by APU Inbound Team. In that case, applicants will be required to revise and/or resubmit it as soon as possible.
2.Screening result will be informed to the applicants within 6 to 8 weeks following the application deadline.
3.Change of college will not be allowed after acceptance.
4.Your acceptance to APU will be revoked if any false information or forgeries are found within a submitted application, even after enrollment. Any evidence of plagiarism will result in rejection of the application.

Application Requirements and Procedures | Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University

Application Requirements and Procedures

Application Deadlines

Application Requirements

Applicants must meet the following requirements in order to apply for the exchange program at APU.

For Spring 2026 Enrollment:

For English-basis students:

For Japanese-basis students:

For Fall 2026 Enrollment:

For English-basis students:

For Japanese-basis students:

Application Documents and Procedures

Step 1. Read 2026 APU Student Exchange Program information Sheet

Step 2. Preparation of Required Documents

Step 3. Complete Online Application

Important Notes for Application Submission Process

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