The American School in JapanTuition, Admissions & Curriculum
William Michihiko Akiyama
William Prep
Tokyo, Japan
Founded in 1902 in Chōfu, ASIJ is one of Tokyo's longest-established international schools. Two things rarely explained clearly elsewhere: why it uses AP rather than IB, and what a family actually pays in year one.
Last reviewed by William Prep: 2026-09-23
ASIJ enrols roughly 1,650 students across two sites — the main Chōfu campus and the Roppongi Early Learning Center for younger children — and has done so, in one form or another, since 1902. Its school year runs August to June, not the April-start calendar Japanese schools use.
At a Glance
| Founded | 1902 (not independently confirmed) |
| Legal Status | Kakushu gakko (not Article 1) (not independently confirmed) |
| Curriculum | US curriculum + AP Capstone (no IB)as of: 2026-09-23 |
| Accreditation | WASC (not independently confirmed) |
| Est. First-Year Cost (G9–12) | ≈¥5. 95M (school bus optional, extra)2026-27 · as of: 2026-09-23 |
01Tuition & Fees
"Tuition" Is Not the Same Number as "What You Actually Pay in Year One"
ASIJ's own 2026-27 fee schedule lists Grade 9–12 tuition at ¥3,826,000 a year. Separately, and non-refundably, there's a ¥50,000 application fee, a ¥300,000 registration fee, and a one-time ¥1,525,000 building maintenance fee — plus an annual ¥250,000 capital assessment charged alongside tuition every year. Added together, a genuine first-year total comes to roughly ¥5,951,000 — about ¥2,125,000 (55%) above the tuition figure alone. Add the optional school bus (¥390,000/yr) if you use it.
ASIJ's own site states that tuition "does not cover the full cost of educating a student at ASIJ" and separately solicits voluntary Annual Fund contributions. That voluntary fund is not included in the ¥5. 95M first-year estimate above — a fair basis for comparing against other schools.
academic year: 2026-27
| Application Fee | ¥50,000 |
| Registration Fee | ¥300,000 |
| Building Maintenance Fee | ¥1,525,000 |
| Capital Assessment | ¥250,000 |
| Tuition (Grade 9–12)G9-G12 | ¥3,826,000ASIJ's own site categorises this as "refundable. " |
| Tuition (Grade 6–8)G6-G8 | ¥3,699,000 |
| Tuition (Kinder–Grade 5)K-G5 | ¥3,498,000 |
| Tuition (Nursery–Pre-K)Nursery-PreK | ¥3,143,000 |
| Regular Bus Service (optional) | ¥390,000 |
| Estimated First-Year Total | ¥5,951,000 |
Includes: application, registration, capital, facilities, tuition — Excludes: Excludes the optional school bus (¥390,000/yr), required iPad/MacBook device purchases, uniforms, extracurricular costs, and the voluntary annual fund the school separately solicits (its own site states tuition "does not cover the full cost of educating a student at ASIJ").
02Admissions
| Cycle | 通年（ローリング入学） not publicly confirmed |
University Entrance Eligibility in Japan
| School-accreditation route | Yes (not independently confirmed) |
| Student-qualification route (IB, etc.) | No (not independently confirmed)Since ASIJ does not offer the IB Diploma, the student-qualification route (IB/A-Level/etc. ) does not apply here — eligibility runs through the school's own accreditation instead. |
Eligibility for ASIJ graduates most likely runs through the school-accreditation route (via WASC, one of the six MEXT-recognised bodies), not the individual-qualification route that applies to IB/A-Level graduates — since ASIJ does not offer the IB Diploma. This has not been confirmed against WASC's own registry directly.
What Japanese Families Should Know
Questions to Ask the School
1.Where did last year's graduating class actually matriculate — not just receive offers from? Could you share the cohort size alongside the destinations?
Why this matters: Public information does not establish this clearly; confirm it directly with the school.
2.Is the ¥1,525,000 one-time building maintenance fee charged per family or per enrolled student — and would it apply again on re-entry after a withdrawal?
Why this matters: Public information does not establish this clearly; confirm it directly with the school.
3.What is the current WASC accreditation cycle, and when is the next review due?
Why this matters: Public information does not establish this clearly; confirm it directly with the school.
03Curriculum
Why ASIJ Uses AP, Not IB
ASIJ's own High School page never mentions the IB Diploma Programme; instead, it explicitly states the school offers the AP Capstone Diploma, built from two courses — AP Seminar and AP Research — that function as an independent research programme structurally similar to the IB's Extended Essay requirement.
Key Point
Families comparing ASIJ against IB schools shouldn't read the absence of IB as a gap. AP Capstone asks students to design and defend an independent research project much as the IB's Extended Essay does. The structural difference is that IB is a single integrated diploma, while AP scores each subject independently.
University Pathways
This section should report matriculations (where students actually enrolled), not applications or offers — but ASIJ's own college matriculation report is not included in the available published evidence.
ASIJ's university matriculation figures are not publicly confirmed.
04School Features
What Makes This School Distinctive
AP Capstone — a research diploma structurally like the IB Extended Essay
A two-course, student-led research sequence: AP Seminar and AP Research
Stated directly on ASIJ's own High School page, which makes no mention of the IB Diploma.
Directly relevant to families comparing ASIJ against IB schools — the absence of IB does not mean the absence of an independent research requirement.
Who Might Find This School a Good Fit
Might suit — Students planning to use AP scores directly in US/Canadian university applications
Might not suit — Students who specifically want to earn the IB Diploma itself (not offered at ASIJ)
Might suit — Families able to plan for roughly ¥2. 17M in one-time first-year fees on top of tuition
Might not suit — Families budgeting from the tuition figure alone (¥3. 826M) — the real first-year cost runs about 55% higher
Explore Other Schools
- Tokyo Metropolitan Kokusai High School (Kokusai-kō)Meguro-ku
- Tokyo International School (TIS)Minato-ku (Mita)
- K. International School Tokyo (KIST)Kōtō-ku
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