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Okinawa International School — IBDP or ILA Determines the Eligibility Route

Okinawa, Japan

Opened in 2003 as an international preschool in Naha. Reportedly became Okinawa's first and only full IB continuum school with DP authorisation in 2020.

Researched by William Prep from published sources. Not yet verified by the school. — Last reviewed by William Prep: 2026-09-24

OIS reportedly opened in 2003 as an international preschool in Naha, later expanding through high school. IB authorisation proceeded in stages — PYP (2011) → MYP (2016) → DP (2020) — reportedly making this Okinawa's first and only full IB continuum school. It operates across two sites: a Naha campus and a Nanjo campus (Tamagusuku).

At a Glance

Opened	2003 (as an international preschool in Naha) (not independently confirmed)as of: 2026-09-24
IB Authorisation Timeline	PYP (2011) → MYP (2016) → DP (2020) (not independently confirmed)as of: 2026-09-24
High School Tracks	IBDP (leads to IB) or ILA (does not) (not independently confirmed)as of: 2026-09-24
Tuition (IBDP track)	¥1,738,900/yr (not independently confirmed)2026-27 · as of: 2026-09-24

IBDP or ILA Determines the Eligibility Route That Follows

OIS's high school reportedly offers two tracks: IBDP (leading to the IB Diploma) and ILA (International Liberal Arts, which does not). The two tracks even carry different tuition (IBDP ¥1,738,900/yr, ILA ¥1,510,000/yr) — the assumption "attending OIS means earning the IB Diploma" doesn't hold across the board.

William Prep’s Analysis

This is a good example of how a school's institutional status ("full IB continuum school") and what any individual student actually walks away with can diverge. A family counting on the individual-credential (IB Diploma) route to Japanese university eligibility needs to understand that the ILA track doesn't provide it, before deciding which track to pursue.

Fees: ¥1.51M-¥1.74M Tuition (High School, by Track)

Third-party sources report 2026-27 high-school tuition of ¥1,738,900 (IBDP track) or ¥1,510,000 (ILA track). On top of that, an annual learning-environment/facilities fee (¥360,300) and capital fee (¥90,909) apply, plus one-time charges of a ¥50,000 application fee, ¥50,000 interview/testing fee, and ¥240,000 enrollment fee (first child). A high-school tuition support fund reportedly offers up to ¥396,000 in assistance. The school's own fee page (ois.ac.jp) was unreachable this session (a 404 error).

University Entrance Eligibility in Japan

School-accreditation route	No not publicly confirmedWhether OIS holds any of the six MEXT-recognised accreditations was not confirmed this session.
Student-qualification route (IB, etc.)	Yes

Whether OIS itself holds a MEXT-recognised accreditation was not confirmed this session. A student on the high-school ILA (International Liberal Arts) track, rather than IBDP, would not earn the IB Diploma and so the individual-credential route would not apply to them. A student completing the full IB Diploma qualifies via that route regardless of the school's own accreditation status.

Fees & Estimated First-Year Cost

academic year: 2026-27

Application Fee	¥50,000(not independently confirmed)
Interview/Testing Fee	¥50,000(not independently confirmed)
Enrollment Fee (first child)	¥240,000(not independently confirmed)
Learning Environment/Facilities Fee (annual)	¥360,300(not independently confirmed)
Capital Fee (annual)	¥90,909(not independently confirmed)
Tuition (High School IBDP track)HS-IBDP	¥1,738,900(not independently confirmed)
Tuition (High School ILA track)HS-ILA	¥1,510,000(not independently confirmed)This track does not lead to the IB Diploma.

What Makes This School Distinctive

Two distinct high-school tracks (IBDP / ILA)

A choice between the IB-Diploma-granting IBDP and the non-IB ILA

The two tracks reportedly carry different tuition, signaling they function as genuinely separate programmes.

Directly affects families counting on the individual-credential eligibility route.

Admissions

Cycle

未確認 not publicly confirmed

What Japanese Families Should Know

Who Might Find This School a Good Fit

Might suit — Families wanting flexibility in choosing between IBDP and ILA

Might not suit — Families assuming enrollment automatically leads to the IB Diploma

William Prep’s Analysis

What mattered in researching OIS is discovering that a school-wide label like "full IB continuum school" doesn't guarantee the same eligibility route for every student. Institutional status and an individual student's actual path need to be checked as separate questions.

Questions to Ask the School

1.What are the actual university outcomes for students on the ILA track?
Why this matters: Not confirmed this session.
2.When and how is the choice between IBDP and ILA made?
Why this matters: Not confirmed this session.

Sources & Verification

Search synthesis on Okinawa International School fees — Multiple (search aggregation)third-party source · as of: 2026-09-242026-27年度、報告されている年間授業料: 2歳児¥1,169,500、幼稚園¥1,306,800、Grade 1–5 ¥1,636,000、高校IBDPコース¥1,738,900、高校ILA（国際リベラルアーツ）コース¥1,510,000。学習環境・施設費（年額）¥360,300、資本金（年額）¥90,909が別途発生すると報告されています。出願料¥50,000、面接・試験料¥50,000、入学金¥240,000（兄弟姉妹¥120,000）、ESL費（該当者のみ）¥140,000。高校授業料支援金制度で最大¥396,000の支援があると報告されています。学校公式サイト（ois.ac.jp）の学費ページに今回のセッションでは直接アクセスできませんでした（404エラー）。
Search synthesis on Okinawa International School history and IB timeline — Multiple (incl. IBO school registry reference)third-party source · as of: 2026-09-24Founded 2003 in Naha as an international preschool, later expanding through high school. IB PYP authorised 2011, MYP 2016, DP 2020 — reported as the first and only IB Continuum School in Okinawa. Two campuses: Nanjo (Tamagusuku) and Naha. Bilingual (English/Japanese) team-teaching model. Not independently confirmed against the school's own history page directly this session.
大学入学資格について — 文部科学省 (MEXT)official source · as of: 2026-09-23Sets out the routes to 大学入学資格: MEXT-designated schools; graduates of 12-year programmes at institutions accredited by WASC, CIS, ACSI, NEASC, Cognia or COBIS; holders of the IB Diploma, Abitur, Baccalauréat, GCE A-Level, International A-Level or European Baccalaureate; 高等学校卒業程度認定試験 (age-18 gated); and individual university review at 18+.

Last reviewed by William Prep: 2026-09-24

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