This page is general information from official sources. It is not education advice. For your own case, ask the Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s private school administration section or the school you are applying to.
In Japan, students enter high school (age 15 and up) by taking an entrance exam, and Tokyo has both public (metropolitan) and private high schools. The 2027 (fiscal 2027) entrance exams for private high schools in Tokyo start on January 22 (Friday) or later for the recommendation exam, and February 10 (Wednesday) or later for the general exam. Applications open on January 15 (Friday) or later for the recommendation exam and January 25 (Monday) or later for the general exam; each school sets its own deadlines and exam dates. If you aim for a metropolitan (public) high school and also apply to a private one, it is important to check how the private school’s enrollment fee is handled before the public-school results come out on March 1. Each school’s “special handling for dual applicants” tells you.
In short
- Recommendation exam: your first-choice school, with a recommendation from your junior high school principal. Applications from Jan 15, exams from Jan 22.
- General exam: applications from Jan 25, exams from Feb 10. Some schools offer a priority for dual applicants (heigan yūgū) if you meet their standard.
- Metropolitan high schools: written exam Feb 21, results Mar 1 (first round). How private schools handle the enrollment fee falls into 6 patterns, A to F, by school.
Checked with official pages on November 1, 2026 (Japan time).
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1. Recommendation and general exam dates compared
Private recommendation exams are held from January 22 and general exams from February 10, on different days from the metropolitan high schools’ recommendation exam and written exam. Each private school sets its exam dates within the range decided by the Tokyo Association of Private Junior and Senior High Schools. The guidelines for fiscal 2027 that the Tokyo Metropolitan Government announced on October 7, 2026 (Guidelines for Selection of Entrants to Private High Schools in Tokyo) contain these rules and a school-by-school list. Guidelines for selection of entrants to private high schools in Tokyo, fiscal 2027 (Tokyo Metropolitan Government, announced Oct 7, 2026) (Japanese)
| Type | Applications | Exam | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| Private, recommendation | From Jan 15 | From Jan 22 | By school |
| Private, general | From Jan 25 | From Feb 10 | By school |
| Metropolitan, recommendation | Jan 8-18 | Jan 26-27 | Feb 2 |
| Metropolitan, first round | Jan 29-Feb 4 | Feb 21 | Mar 1 |
All dates are in 2027. The private rows are a rule that schools may start “on or after” that date, so check each school’s list for its deadline and exam dates. Outline of entrance selection (reference document to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government announcement of Oct 7, 2026, PDF) (Japanese)
2. How many schools are recruiting for fiscal 2027
181 private high schools in Tokyo are recruiting for full-time courses, with 35,476 places in total. That is 2 more schools than the previous year and 349 fewer places. Of these, 164 schools (15,348 places) hold a recommendation exam and 181 schools (20,128 places) hold a general exam. Three part-time schools (286 places) and 8 correspondence schools (7,020 places) are also recruiting.
3. Recommendation exam: first choice, with a recommendation from your junior high school principal
You can apply for a private school’s recommendation exam if the school is your first choice and the principal of your junior high school recommends you. You must also meet the recommendation standard the school has set. Documents always include the principal’s recommendation letter and your school record (chōsasho), and some schools ask for records such as practical skills or personal characteristics.
Selection uses what the school needs from document screening, an essay, an interview, a practical test and an aptitude test. The combination differs by school, so check the application guide of the school you want.
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4. General exam: written test and interview, and priority for dual applicants at some schools
The general exam selects by written test, interview and school record, and some schools offer a “priority for dual applicants” (heigan yūgū) if you meet a grade standard the school has set. Schools that offer it are marked with “＊” in the metropolitan list. The standard itself (such as a guide for school grades) differs by school and is not in the list, so check it at the school’s information session or in its application guide.
Applications for the general exam open on January 25 or later, and exams are held from February 10. Exams for returnee students (kikoku-sei) are outside this rule, and each school sets those dates separately.
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5. How the enrollment fee is handled if you also apply to a metropolitan school
When a private school’s enrollment procedure deadline comes before the metropolitan results, whether you can get the enrollment fee back after paying it falls into 6 patterns, by school. The metropolitan reference document shows how the entrance payment is handled for people who apply to a metropolitan school as well in the general exam, using the codes A to F below, and the school-by-school list shows the code in the column “special handling for dual applicants”. The metropolitan results day here means the first-round announcement date, March 1, 2027.
| Code | Payment before the metropolitan results | Refund if you ask |
|---|---|---|
| A | None (procedure deadline is on or after the results day) | — |
| B | Full amount | Full refund |
| C | Full amount | Partial refund |
| D | Part of the amount | Full refund |
| E | Part of the amount | Partial refund |
| F | Part of the amount | No refund |
Code A also includes schools that will wait for your enrollment procedure if you tell them you are taking a metropolitan exam. For schools whose column is blank in the list, the guidelines say to ask the school directly. For the metropolitan recommendation and first-round application and exam dates, see our page Tokyo Metropolitan High School Exams 2027.
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6. Points to know when choosing in Tokyo
- 181 private schools (full-time) are recruiting. Recommendation exams are in late January and general exams from mid-February, so private exams fall between the metropolitan recommendation exam (Jan 26-27) and the first-round written exam (Feb 21).
- If a metropolitan school is your first choice, the assumption is that you apply to a private school through the general exam, not the recommendation exam (which requires the school to be your first choice).
- For tuition, the national tuition support (up to ¥457,200 a year for full-time courses) and the Tokyo tuition reduction subsidy together give support of up to ¥501,000 a year in fiscal 2026, regardless of income. The Tokyo subsidy assumes that the student and the parent or guardian live in Tokyo.
The application timing for tuition support and how enrollment fees are handled are covered on our page (in Japanese), Tuition support for private high schools in Tokyo. The basis for the support amounts is the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Bureau of Citizens, Culture and Sports information page. About the high school tuition support (private high schools) (Tokyo Metropolitan Government Bureau of Citizens, Culture and Sports) (Japanese)
7. Contact
For the guidelines for private high school entrance exams in Tokyo, the contact is the Private School Administration Section, Private School Division, Tokyo Metropolitan Government Bureau of Citizens, Culture and Sports (03-5388-3194; Japanese-language line). Because each school’s exam details can change, the metropolitan announcement also says to check the exam content, the standard for priority for dual applicants and how the enrollment fee is handled with the school you want.
Common questions
When do private high school exams start in Tokyo?
From January 22, 2027 for the recommendation exam and from February 10, 2027 for the general exam. Applications open on January 15 and January 25 or later.
Can I apply to a private school and a metropolitan school?
Yes, through the general exam. Before the metropolitan results on March 1, check how each private school handles the enrollment fee (codes A to F).
Where do I find each school’s dates?
In the school-by-school list attached to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government announcement of October 7, 2026, and in each school’s application guide.
Sources
4 pages we checked
- Tokyo Metropolitan Government: Guidelines for selection of entrants to private high schools in Tokyo, fiscal 2027
- Tokyo Metropolitan Government: Outline of entrance selection (reference PDF)
- Bureau of Citizens, Culture and Sports: High school tuition support (private high schools)
- Japanese version of this page (日本語版)
Checked with official pages on November 1, 2026 (Japan time).
