Musashino Art University

BFA (Faculty of Fine Arts / Faculty of Design)

Special selection for international students: the Departments of Japanese Painting, Oil Painting (Painting course / Graphic Arts course) and Sculpture must submit a portfolio (A4-size document, about 10 pieces including photographs of works, brought and submitted on the examination day between 8:45 and 9:15; Oil Painting, Graphic Arts and Sculpture must additionally submit 5 copies of the portfolio). Other departments select via practical examination (pencil drawing, etc.) and do not require a portfolio. A 'name label for works' and a certificate of own production issued by the supervising instructor must be attached.

No English proficiency proof required (IELTS/TOEFL/Duolingo are not set). Japanese proficiency is evidenced by EJU Japanese (Reading plus Listening/Listening-Reading combined score of 200 or above) or JLPT N2 or above. The interview is conducted in Japanese.

For 2027 entrants: admission fee 260,000 yen; annual tuition 1,270,000 yen (635,000 x 2 terms); those with 'Student' residence status must additionally pay the 'International Student Educational Environment Maintenance Fee' of 363,000 yen per year; maintenance fee 20,000 yen; facility/equipment fee by department (about 190,000-220,000 yen). First-year total approximately 1,995,000-2,010,000 yen plus 363,000 yen.

Application period 29 October 2026 (Thursday) - 5 November 2026 (Thursday); examination 21-23 December 2026; results announced 25 December 2026.

Yes (an interview is held and conducted in Japanese).

MFA (Master's programme) / MA

Master's programme selection (Schedule A/B): most courses require a portfolio. For example, the Basic Design course requires one A3-size document (mailed, containing 3 or more works plus a portfolio; moving-image works submitted separately on DVD/USB); Oil Painting, Printmaking, Sculpture, Visual Communication, Craft and Industrial Design, Spatial Design, Architecture, Design Informatics, Imaging and Photography courses each have work/portfolio requirements that vary by course (see the guidelines for details).

Some courses have a 'foreign language (English)' examination (e.g. Basic Design, Art and Culture Studies) and allow an English-Japanese dictionary; IELTS/TOEFL/Duolingo English proficiency certificates are not required. Foreign nationals must meet EJU Japanese 200 or above or JLPT N2 or above (some courses prefer EJU 280+ / JLPT N1).

For 2027 entrants: admission fee 130,000 yen; annual tuition 1,270,000 yen (635,000 x 2 terms); those with 'Student' residence status must additionally pay the 'International Student Educational Environment Maintenance Fee' of 363,000 yen per year; maintenance fee 20,000 yen; facility/equipment fee by course (about 165,000-205,000 yen). First-year total approximately 1,865,000 yen (Fine Arts) plus 363,000 yen.

Schedule A: application 21-27 August 2026, examination 26-27 September 2026; Schedule B: application 24 November - 1 December 2026, examination 20-22 January 2027.

Yes (an interview is held).

Musashino Art University Private Foreign Student Scholarship: 100,000-500,000 yen per year (35 recipients); JASSO Student Exchange Support Programme (Scholarship for Short-term Study in Japan) reservation system (new undergraduate students, 48,000 yen/month, one year); plus several external foundation scholarships (Heiwa Nakajima, Yoneyama, Kamibayashi, Nitori, etc.).

The 2027 guidelines explicitly state 'Handling of Generative AI': works or articles generated by generative AI tools that are directly copied, reproduced or pasted are not regarded as the applicant's own work (merely changing sentence endings or reordering is also regarded as direct use); applicants must submit after fully considering and creating under their own responsibility. A 'Certificate of Self-Creation of Submitted Works' must also be submitted and certified by the supervising instructor, etc.