Tsukuba International SchoolTuition, Admissions & Curriculum
William Michihiko Akiyama
William Prep
Ibaraki, Japan
Founded in 1992 by Tsukuba's international research-community population — reportedly Ibaraki Prefecture's only full IB continuum school.
Last reviewed by William Prep: 2026-09-24
TIS was reportedly founded in 1992 to meet the English-education needs of Tsukuba's international research-community population. Reportedly Ibaraki Prefecture's only full IB continuum school (PYP/MYP/DP), with authorisation arriving in stages: PYP (2011) → MYP (2014) → DP (2017).
At a Glance
| Founded | 1992 (not independently confirmed)as of: 2026-09-24 |
| IB Authorisation Timeline | PYP (2011) → MYP (2014) → DP (2017) (not independently confirmed)as of: 2026-09-24 |
| Standing | Reportedly Ibaraki Prefecture's only full IB continuum school (not independently confirmed)as of: 2026-09-24 |
| Est. First-Year Cost | ≈¥2. 33M (not independently confirmed)2026-27 · as of: 2026-09-24 |
01Tuition & Fees
Fees: A Reported First-Year Total of About ¥2. 33M
Third-party sources report 2026-27 fees of a ¥20,000 application fee and ¥300,000 registration fee as one-time charges, plus an annual ¥210,000 facilities fee, ¥240,000 materials fee, and ¥1,560,000 tuition, totalling roughly ¥2,330,000 for the first year. Discounts are reported for lump-sum payment (¥90,000), younger siblings (¥240,000), and Tsukuba-based researcher families, but none of these figures were confirmed against the school's own site (tis. ac. jp) directly in currently available public information.
academic year: 2026-27
| Application Fee | ¥20,000 |
| Registration Fee | ¥300,000 |
| Facilities Fee (annual) | ¥210,000 |
| Materials Fee (annual) | ¥240,000 |
| Tuition (annual) | ¥1,560,000 |
| Estimated First-Year Total | ¥2,330,000 |
Includes: application, registration, facilities, other, tuition — Excludes: Excludes the lump-sum payment discount (¥90,000), younger-sibling discount (¥240,000), and the Tsukuba-researcher-family discount (only for eligible families). Not confirmed against the school's own primary document directly in currently available public information.
02Admissions
| Cycle | 未確認 not publicly confirmed |
University Entrance Eligibility in Japan
| School-accreditation route | No not publicly confirmedWhether TIS holds any of the six MEXT-recognised accreditations is not publicly confirmed. |
| Student-qualification route (IB, etc.) | Yes |
Whether TIS itself holds a MEXT-recognised accreditation is not publicly confirmed. The DP was only authorised in 2017, so its track record is still relatively young. A student completing the full IB Diploma qualifies via the individual-credential route regardless.
What Japanese Families Should Know
Questions to Ask the School
1.Can the 2026-27 fees be confirmed on the school's own site?
Why this matters: Public information does not establish this clearly; confirm it directly with the school.
2.What are the outcomes for students who have gone through the DP since its 2017 authorisation?
Why this matters: Public information does not establish this clearly; confirm it directly with the school.
03Curriculum
04School Features
A "Later DP" Pattern, Similar to FIS
TIS's authorisation order (PYP first, DP last) runs opposite to Fukuoka International School's (DP first, PYP later) — researched in an earlier batch — but both share the common thread of having become full continuum schools relatively recently. With DP authorised in 2017, TIS's Diploma track record is still under a decade old.
Key Point
"Ibaraki's only full IB continuum school" sounds like a strong selling point, but it also reflects a lack of geographic alternatives. With no other option nearby and the DP's track record still being built, that combination is worth weighing carefully rather than reading only as reassurance.
What Makes This School Distinctive
Reportedly Ibaraki Prefecture's only full IB continuum school
Founded 1992 by Tsukuba's international research-community population
PYP, MYP, and DP authorisation years are reported in sequence.
No geographic alternative exists for families in Ibaraki seeking a full IB continuum.
Who Might Find This School a Good Fit
Might suit — Families near Tsukuba (including researcher families) seeking IB education
Might not suit — Families prioritizing a long-established DP track record (the DP here is under a decade old)
Explore Other Schools
- American School in Japan (ASIJ)Chōfu
- Tokyo Metropolitan Kokusai High School (Kokusai-kō)Meguro-ku
- UWC ISAK Japan (ISAK)Karuizawa
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