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To the sudents who are wishing to sudy in Japan

Bunka fashion college, as the first dress-making school in Japan, had made the base of the fashion educational foundation and has been one of the main leaders of the educational organs in the world for more than eighty years.

In this long school history, we has always been carrying on the innovative curriculum to adjust to the progressive fashion industry, and the students cultivated their skills have become the international fashion leaders and have been making great contributions to the richness and development of the fashion industry.

The dramatic development of IT and the globalization of the markets have made the world smaller and closer for this twenty years. Thanks to that, the fashion have spread all over the world. It is time to revalue the identities of the traditional technologies and the cultures of each country and it is essential to develop the students' own creativities at the schools and improve the environments to learn the international senses.

Our school, as the base of the information on the world-wide fashion, has established the function of gathering the trends from all over the world and sending the new creativities and technologies to the world through the education. For the future, we also believe that building up the closer relations with the fashion industry will make the world-wide network, which is based on the long history, closer.

Other language version

Various information for the international student : Consultation of entrance, application for visa, and life in Japan, etc.

overseas branch of Educational Foundation BUNKA GAKUEN

The number of international students in 2010 (the total : 609 students)

The UndergraduateSchool Admission Center for International Students, BUNKA FASHION COLLEGE

For the application for the International applicants

For the application form for the detailed information of the appication for International applicants

Qualification for Application

*Foreign students must follow the studying abroad qualifications stipulated by the Immigration Bureau of the Ministry of Justice of Japan.

• Applicants must not be of Japanese nationality, and must be of 18 years old by the end of March of the expected year of entrance into the college.
• Applicants are required to have completed a regular course of secondary education (more than 12 years full time) in any country and / or have qualified to apply for a university of their country by the end of March of the expected year of entrance to the college. Applicants designated by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, are also qualified to apply.
• If the applicant has attended a Japanese language school certified by the Ministry of Justice, attendance in said institution should be 80%* or more.
  *It is not the number of days, but the number of times.
  *It does not include attendance whose applicant attended a Japanese language school with temporary visitor visa or designated activities visa.
• Applicants must have a good enough command of Japanese to understand lectures held in Japanese at the college. To prove this, applicants must fulfill at least one of the following qualifications 1~5
  • Pass the Level 2 or higher of Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) given by Japan Educational Exchange and Services (JEES) and the Japan Foundation.
  • Achieve a score 200 or more in the subject“Japanese as a Foreign Language”by the Examination for Japanese University Admission for International Students (EJU) given by the Japan Students Services Organization (JASSO).
  • Achieve a score 400 or more on Business Japanese Proficiency Test (BJT) given by The Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation.
  • Have had Japanese education for 6 months or more in a Japanese language institution certified by the Ministry of Justice.
  • Have had an education for 1 year or more in a Japanese primary school, junior high school, high school, or university (including junior colleges).
• Applicants must prove their financial ability to live and study in Japan. Scholarships are not enough and the law limits financial supplementary income from part-time work.
• Applicants should have a reliable guarantor living in Tokyo or its vicinity willing to care for the student during his / her stay in Japan.

Schedule of Application and Examination (For the 2011 academic year)

*Applicants from overseas must take the 1st or 2nd Examination to ensure that they are able to get the Certificate of Eligibility from the Immigration Bureau. If a student needs to take the 3rd Exam, please consult with student affairs section in Bunka Fashion College in order to make sure that the results can be ready in time to obtain the Certificate of Eligibility.

Application Documents

• Application forms (2 forms).
• Letter of guarantee on the prescribed form signed and sealed by the applicant’s guarantor in Japan.
• Address sheets (with the applicant’s mailing address).
  If applicant moves residence, he / she must inform us of his / her new address.
• A certified of the student’s graduation certificate of the last school attended (high school, college or university) and / or the certificate of qualification to apply for university.
  *If applicant has attended any schools in Japan, he / she must submit graduation certificate of all school he / she went to in Japan.
  *These certificates must be translated into Japanese or English.
  *Copy of certificate is not acceptable.
  *If applicant downloads certificate on the website, he / she must receive official seal on the certificate at embassy or official organization.
• Certified academic records of the last school attended (high school, college or university).
  *If applicant has attended any schools in Japan, he / she must submit records of all school he / she went to in Japan.
  *These records mustbe translated into Japanese or English.
  *Copy of certificate is not acceptable.
  If applicant downloads certificate on the website, he / she must receive official seal on the certificate at embassy or official organization.
• Evaluation certificate of Japanese ability.
  If the applicant has attended a Japanese language school, he / she must submit certification of academic records and attendance. Applicants must also include certification of passing the “JLPT (Japanese Language Proficiency Test)” or “EJU” (Examination for Japanese University Admission for International Students) if they have done so. If the applicant applies without certification of Japanese ability but that they can get a Level 2 or higher on the “JLPT” or a score 200 or more on the “EJU” (or more), they must submit a document of qualification for admission regarding Japanese or a score 400 or more on the “BJT”(or more), they must submit a document of qualification for admission regarding Japanese.
• Income certificate of someone who pays applicant’s tuition.
• Application form for dormitory (if needed).
• Copy of passport
• Copy of “Certificate of Alien Registration”.
• Copy of "Certificate of National Health Insurance"
• Application fee (33,000 yen).
  *
  • If any application documents are in any language besides Japanese or English, applicants must attach a translation in Japanese or English.
    If applicant attaches a translation, she must ask company to translate it or receive an official seal on the translation at embassy or official organization.
    Translation is not acceptable if applicant or applicant’s friend or Japanese language school translates certificate.
  • Documents must have been issued within 3 months of application. But if they are issued outside Japan, they must have been done within 6 months.
  • Submitted documents cannot be returned.
  • No application will be accepted unless all documents mentioned above, fully and correctly completed, are submitted.

Application Procedure

• The entrance time is only April .
• All forms and documents mentioned should be submitted altogether. Applicants ought to visit and submit them directly to the staff of student affairs section. Or the guarantor should act for the applicant if she/he doesn’t come to Japan yet.
• Application forms and documents should be submitted at the office during the designated period. All courses have the limitation of acceptance.
• Applicants should take the examination of our college. The subjects of examination are Japanese (Writing-Vocabulary, Reading-Grammar, Listening), Composition (needed to write in Japanese), Interview.
• If the applicant is approved to admission, she/he should pay the all expenses (see the table of tuition and other costs) by transferring to the college’s bank accout by the time set by the admission office. The admission certificate will be issued on the receipt of the total account of them.
  *The payment must be done by cash of Japanese yen.
  **Payment by mailing to the admission office is not permitted.
  ***If the payment is not done by its deadline, it will be reckoned as abandonment of admission.
• If applicant should abandon the admission to the college by the reasons caused by an official matter, all accounts paid for the college will be refunded. They are not refunded if the reason is the applicant’s private matter or intention. They are not refunded if the reason is the student’s private matter.
  But, if applicant completes cancellation for college before the day of entrance ceremony, accounts except for entrance fee will be refunded.
• Application for the college’s dormitory is accepted with the application to the college. The boarding cost and other expenses for dormitory accommodation should be paid simultaneously with the college expenses.

Dormitory

• The dormitory has the limitation of capacity. So the applicant for the dormitory is not always permitted.
• In the dormitory, foreign students live with Japanese students.
• One room is available for each student.
• Foreign students who intend to live in our dormitory, must make up mind to obey the dormitory’s rules, and to accept the Japanese life style, common sense and custom.

Cautions and Information

• You must make sure before submitting your application that you can expect substantial sum of financial support from someone, or that you have prepared enough money to pay all expenses and living cost necessary to complete the course you wish to enroll and live in Tokyo during the period. Do not make an optimistical estimation of the cost of living in Tokyo, well known as the most expensive city in the world. It is forbidden by the Japanese immigration law to earn much money by doing any job (including private or part-time job) during stay in Japan as the student.
  The Bunka Fashion College provides no scholarship or financial aid for foreign students.
• Japanese guarantor must be very reliable, confidential, and easy to contact with the college because the responsibility of the gurantor is heavy. To help you or represent you for the application procedure to the college and the legal procedures to the immigration office, the guarantor have to visit or make contact with us frequently, and also need to go Japanese immigration office sometimes. His / her responsibility also include monetary matter as well as the matters concerning to your living attitude and the level of achievement while you are in Japan as a student, So that, you and your guarantor have to become familiar, and you have to make firm connection with him/her constantly while you are a student of the college.
• The college’s administration officers can not help you obtain your passport and visa except issuing the admission certificate of the college and the student identification card. You have to get all necessary information yourself and do the all procedures for getting your passport and student visa of Japan by yourself with the help of your guarantor in Japan.
• The Bunka Fashion College has firm relationship with the Bunka Institute of Languages, both are the parts of the BUNKA GAKUEN educational organization. The institute is one of the reliable and famous institute to instruct Japanese language for foreigners, and we would like to recommend you the institute if you need to learn Japanese and wish to do it in Japan.
  For further information, please inquire to the following address.

The interview for the internationaol students

※This interview is as of March 2010.

Why did you choose Japan to study abroad?
As I hane been interested in a “visual-kei” bands since I was around fifteen years old, I decided to go to Japan to truely learn the spirit of “visual-kei” after graduating the university of art in my country.

Why did you choose BUNKA FASHION COLLEGE among other fashion colleges?
After coming to Japan, I have been to the concerts of my favorite band and interested in stage costumes and then the fashion colleges. I had already known BUNKA FASHION COLLEGE since I was in China for its graduate Yohji Yamamoto. Then I visited the BUNKA FASHION EXHIBITION and there the fashion show was very stimulative, so I decided to go on to this college. In addition, the recommendation by a teacher at the Japanese language school is another reason.

What is the point you focus on most in your school life?
The lessons by Mr. Umashiama made me change on my work; the back of the designs, the choices of colors thinking about the meaning of their own and adding devices. I tried hard to make my works with my own view which can immediately change the mood there. In addition to that, in the Pangea Solarium Exhibition, I worked and represented our view on the design with Japanese classmates that had exactly the same thought.

What is your aim in your future?
I am going to play an active part as a free stage costume designer after returning to China. I want to be in charge of the costumes of the bands or the movies since I basically like music.

Please give some advices for the people who are thinking about studying abroad.
The most important thing is to find your originality and concentrate on what only you can do but the others, I think.

Why did you choose Japan to study abroad?
When I was working on fashion in Korea, I sometimes visited Japan on business and had interests in Japan. As I could not speak Japanese at that time, I learned Japanese at the Japanese language school in Korea. Futhermore, I wanted to learn about the Japanese culture and fashion, so I came to Japan for a working hoiday.

Why did you choose BUNKA FASHION COLLEGE among other fashion colleges?
BUNKA FASHION COLLEGE has been famous even in Korea for its long history and its high name value. Visiting and seeing around this school in fact, I was quite sure that I can learn about the Japanese culture from the tasks and the classes at school and the knowledge and the skills about fashion at the same time, including the facilities there. So I decided to enter the school.

What is the point you focus on most in your school life?
In my first year, I just made desperate efforts to get used to the life in Japan and working on my school tasks. I, however, became unsatisfied with those in my second year. So I challenged to many things spending the time systematically. I tried to take the licenses and the official approval of the pattern making, and it was very glad to me to get the grand prize awarded to the best toiliste in the contest of skills at school.

What is your aim in your future
I chose the Apparel Design Technique course to be a patterner, so my aim is to work as a patterner in Japan. In the first year, I saw the pattern-making by Mr. Kitamura, who was in charge of our class, and it was the first time I knew that the only one line would be able to change the clothes. So I want to be a patterner who can make a beautiful clothes by using even one millimeter different line.

Please give some advices for the people who are thinking about studying abroad.
You will have a lot of tasks at BUNKA FASHION COLLEGE.. What you should do during your studyng in Japan is to overcome those tasks and find what you really want to do. There are many wonderful teachers at school, and they teach you as possible as they can. So if you have the sense of purpose firmly, I'm sure you can spend the significant school life in Japan.

Why did you choose Japan to study abroad?
I have been interested in Japan since I was a high school student and I love fasion in Japan, so I had been wishing to live in Japan. I saved money after high school and came to Japan, and at first entered the Japanese language school. Then I decided to think on the course to take.

Why did you choose BUNKA FASHION COLLEGE among other fashion colleges?
I had aleready known BUNKA FASHION COLLEGE since I was in Finland for its graduate, the designer of my my favorite brand. Also the teacher at the Japanese language school told me that BUNKA FASHION COLLEGE had accepted the international students. In addition to the above, as there are various courses at school, I decided to go on to BUNKA FASHION COLLEGE..

What is the point you focus on most in your school life?
What I focus on most is to finish and submit the tasks till the due date to learn the knowledge and the skill about fashion. I'm also studying hard to progress my Japanese as I want to work in Japan in the future. As well as the study at school, I am working part-time as a staff of the shop. There I do feel that I am making use of what I learn at school.

What is your aim in your future?
I am not really sure because I has just started studying about fashion professionally, but I have a lot of things I want to do. I want be a fashion magazine editor or a stylist or a fashion press, and I also want to open my own shop and so on. Moreover, I want to work not only in Japan but also in all over the world.

Please give some advices for the people who are thinking about studying abroad.
First of all, I do recommend you to become friends with Japanese not only with the international students. It makes your Japanese progress and know about the Japanese culture! Next, I recommend you to use the library at BUNKA FASHION COLLEGE a lot which has the fashion magazines all over the world and the extensive literature and documents.