Keio University Admission Guide for International Students

Why Keio and its campuses

Keio University is one of Japan's oldest and most established private universities, spread across several campuses in and around Tokyo and Yokohama — including Mita (economics, law, business and letters), Hiyoshi, and the Shonan Fujisawa Campus (SFC). Each campus and faculty has its own character and, importantly, its own admission process.

For international students without Japanese, Keio's two flagship English-taught undergraduate routes are PEARL in the Faculty of Economics (Mita) and the GIGA programme at SFC. Each runs a self-contained, document-based admission with its own tests and essays — so you apply to the specific programme, not to 'Keio' in general. This guide outlines both; confirm current details on Keio's official pages.

PEARL — Economics in English (Mita)

PEARL (Program in Economics for Alliances, Research and Leadership) is the Faculty of Economics' English-based degree. You study economics entirely in English and complete the four-year degree without needing Japanese to apply.

PEARL is a September-entry programme with its own application periods and an application fee. Admission is by document screening — you apply in English and submit academic records, standardised test scores (such as the SAT) and evidence of English proficiency. Exact accepted tests, score expectations and deadlines change each cycle, so verify them on the official PEARL admissions page.

• Faculty of Economics, Mita campus — degree taught in English
• September entry; multiple application periods (verify)
• Document-based screening; applications made in English
• Standardised tests (e.g. SAT) and English-proficiency evidence typically required (verify)

GIGA — SFC's English degree

GIGA is an English-based Bachelor's degree programme at the Shonan Fujisawa Campus (SFC), spanning the Faculty of Policy Management and the Faculty of Environment and Information Studies. It blends information technology, design, policy and governance, and can be completed entirely in English.

GIGA uses an AO (admissions office) screening. Applicants based overseas are typically encouraged to apply in an online-only screening round, where documents are submitted online without travelling to Japan for an interview; other rounds may require an in-person interview. Confirm the current rounds, required tests and deadlines on the official SFC/GIGA admissions page.

• Shonan Fujisawa Campus (SFC) — Policy Management / Environment and Information Studies
• Interdisciplinary: IT, design, policy and governance — taught in English
• AO screening; an online-only round is usually available for overseas applicants (verify)
• Required tests, essays and rounds vary — check the official GIGA page

How Keio's English-track admission works

The key thing to understand is that Keio does not run one central English-medium entrance exam. PEARL and GIGA each operate their own faculty-based screening on different campuses, with different documents, tests, essays and calendars.

That means you should read each programme's official admissions guide separately and prepare to its specific checklist. Both routes replace Japan's Japanese-medium entrance examinations with document review, so Japanese-language ability is generally not required to apply — but you must meet each programme's stated English and academic requirements.

Graduate and business study at Keio

Beyond these undergraduate tracks, Keio has a broad graduate offering, including English-taught master's and doctoral programmes and research-based study across many fields. Graduate admission is run by each graduate school and usually expects a clear research direction or, for a supervised route, contact with a prospective advisor.

Keio is also home to well-known professional and business programmes at the graduate level. Tuition and scholarship terms differ by school and year — including options connected to Japan's MEXT scheme — so always confirm current fees and funding on the official Keio pages rather than third-party summaries.

Applying to Keio — checklist

Decide first whether PEARL or GIGA (or a graduate programme) matches your goals, then work only from that programme's official admissions page. Prepare academic transcripts, the standardised tests it accepts, an English-proficiency score, and any required essays or statements — and note that PEARL and GIGA have different calendars.

No consultancy can guarantee a Keio place; admission is decided solely by each programme's screening, so treat 'guaranteed admission' offers as a red flag. Apply through the official channel by the stated deadline and re-check the page for cycle updates.