If you are looking at Aichi International Academy, you are probably weighing a Japanese language school in Nagoya as the doorway to studying or working in Japan. This guide walks an international student through what the school actually offers, what it costs, who can apply, and how the visa and admission process fits together, so you can decide against the school’s own published information rather than hearsay.
First, the basics. Aichi International Academy is a Japanese language school based in Nagoya, Aichi, in central Japan. Japanese-language instruction there began in April 1990 and the school is operated as a limited responsibility company. Its language-school capacity is around 394 students across a double-shift schedule. The school’s core job is not to award a degree but to bring international students’ Japanese up to the level needed to continue into a Japanese vocational school, university, or graduate school, or eventually to work in Japan — alongside guidance on Japanese society, customs and culture.
The two main courses
Aichi International Academy runs two main longer-term courses. The 2-Year Advanced Education Course starts in April and runs about 78 weeks (around 1,560 class hours); the 1.5-Year Advanced Education Course starts in October and runs about 59 weeks (around 1,170 hours). Classes run Monday to Friday, with a morning shift from 8:50 to 12:40 and an afternoon shift from 1:10 to 5:00. The curriculum is centered on Japanese — grammar, exercises, conversation, listening, reading and composition — plus preparation for the Japanese-Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) and the Examination for Japanese University Admission for International Students (EJU), with optional subject classes (such as liberal-arts mathematics or science subjects) depending on your target. Holidays run to roughly 40 days in summer, 14 days in winter and 20 days in spring.
The two courses are different in rhythm: the April-start 2-year course gives more time and suits a lower Japanese starting point, while the October-start 1.5-year course is more compact and suits students who already have some Japanese and want to move into study or work more quickly. It is worth asking the school which course matches your starting level and target.
Costs and fees
Fees are itemized rather than a single flat number, and Aichi International Academy sets out the figures on its course page as published in the current year (2026-08). For the 1.5-year course, the application fee is ¥22,000, the enrollment fee ¥88,000, miscellaneous expenses ¥50,000, first-year tuition ¥660,000 and the half-year tuition ¥330,000. For the 2-year course, application ¥22,000, enrollment ¥88,000, miscellaneous ¥60,000, first-year tuition ¥660,000 and second-year tuition ¥660,000. A separate published figure from the Nisshinkyo registry gives combined totals of around ¥1,329,000 for the 2-year and ¥1,024,000 for the 1.5-year course; the two sources line up on the application fee but differ slightly in detail, so it is best to confirm the itemized breakdown directly with the school. Dormitory rent is around ¥27,000 to ¥52,000 per month by the registry figure, and booking is arranged through the school once a place is offered.
When budgeting, add the one-time items (application, enrollment, miscellaneous) to tuition for the full course length, then layer on living costs for the time you plan to be in Japan. Nagoya rents are generally friendlier than those in Tokyo, which helps with monthly costs. It helps to split the plan into two blocks: tuition, which is known up front, and living cost, which you estimate as a monthly range times the number of months you intend to stay. Past both, leave a buffer for the first weeks of settling in, before regular part-time income is a realistic assumption.
Eligibility and admission
Eligibility for admission to Aichi International Academy is that you have completed 12 years or more of formal school education in your home country, or an equivalent recognized by the school, and that you are in good health, clearly motivated to study, and able to cover the cost of studying abroad. Selection is by document screening plus an interview, usually with a parent or guarantor, and an aptitude check. Because this is a language school, the admission emphasis is not on academic exam scores so much as on genuine motivation and on being able to support yourself financially during your stay.
Application timeline and the student visa
The application windows at Aichi International Academy are fixed. For the 2-year course starting in April, the application deadline is November 20 each year, with the school’s submission to the immigration bureau in early February. For the 1.5-year course starting in October, the deadline is May 20, with submission in mid-June. If the capacity is reached, applications may close earlier, so do not wait to the last day.
After you apply, the school applies to the Japanese immigration authorities for a Certificate of Eligibility for the “student” residence status, and that certificate underlies the student visa you use to enter Japan. So the sequence is: submit your documents to the school → the school obtains the Certificate of Eligibility → you complete visa formalities → fly to Japan and start the course. Flights are booked only after the visa path is settled, and it is usually wise to confirm current deadlines with the school each year, since exact dates can shift.
Life and outcomes
Aichi International Academy is in Nagoya’s Naka-ku, about eight minutes on foot from Yabacho Station on the Meijo Line, with easy transfer to stations like Sakae and Kanayama. Nagoya is Japan’s fourth-largest city and a center for manufacturing such as cars and machinery, which gives international students a reasonable range of part-time options and a moderate cost of living. The school also provides dormitories, which streamlines early accommodation for incoming students.
On outcomes, the registry shows 2024 graduates totaling 72, including 23 entering universities and 31 entering specialist (vocational) schools; the same year 355 students sat the JLPT and 94 passed. The school frames graduate paths by level: JLPT N3 or higher for specialist/junior colleges, N2 or higher for universities/graduate schools, and N1 with a home-country university degree for work in Japan. That makes the school a bridge into Japan rather than a terminal qualification, and your target Japanese level should be chosen with that in mind.
For current fees, deadlines and dormitory details, the authoritative sources are the school’s own site and the Nisshinkyo registry. Confirm the itemized figures directly with Aichi International Academy before committing, and treat any third-party summary as a starting point rather than the final number.