Sophia University and ICU Admissions for IB Diploma Students: Routes, 2027 Deadlines and Fees

Sophia University and ICU (International Christian University) are two Tokyo universities that many IB families look at, and for good reason: both accept the IB Diploma in several admission routes, and both offer ways to study in English as well as in Japanese. But the routes are quite different from each other. If you are a parent trying to make sense of them, you are not alone.

This guide walks you through each route at both universities for 2027 entry (April 2027 and September 2027): who can apply, what the IB requirements are, which tests are needed, when applications open and close, how selection works, and what the first year costs. Everything here comes from the universities’ official pages and 2027 guidelines, checked on 26 September 2026; where something is not published, we say so.

How the routes work: a quick overview

It helps to think of the routes in two groups. The first group is English-based: you apply in English, and the IB Diploma counts as your standardised test. The second group is Japanese-based: the application is in Japanese, and the universities check your Japanese through IB Japanese courses or other evidence.

Sophia has three kinds of route: English-taught degree programmes (FLA, SPSF and the new DGTech), a Japanese-taught IB Entrance Examination in two periods, and an IB quota in its Public Recommendation. ICU has two: the Japanese-based IBDP route for April entry and the English-based ELBA for April or September entry.

As Figure 1 shows, the right route depends on your child’s school type (international, overseas IB, or an IB high school within Japan’s formal “Article 1” system), their Japanese and their preferred language of study.

Sophia: the English-taught programmes (FLA, SPSF and DGTech)

Faculty of Liberal Arts (FLA)

FLA takes students in both April (Spring) and September (Autumn), for first-year entry and third-year transfer entry. Sophia’s page says the decision is made on the basis of screening of the documents you submit; there is no written exam or interview listed.

For IB students, the key points from the 2027 Application Procedure booklet and FAQ are:

• Eligibility: holding, or expecting to hold, the IB Diploma before entering Sophia is one of the listed qualifications. Sophia requires a full IB Diploma (six subjects); an IB Certificate is not acceptable
• Standardised test: applicants submit one of SAT, ACT (with Writing), the IB Diploma or GCE A-levels (three subjects). The FAQ states that an IB Diploma candidate or holder does not need to take the SAT or ACT, and that there is no minimum standardised test score or GPA for application
• Predicted grades: if the Diploma has not been issued by the deadline, the IB coordinator submits predicted grades. An offer based on predicted grades is conditional. The booklet says it will be revoked if the student does not obtain the full Diploma or does not meet “the minimum total score set individually at the time of the offer”
• English proficiency: TOEFL iBT or IELTS (Academic), taken within two years before the application period. It can be waived if the student has studied at least five of the last six years at an institution where English is the primary medium of instruction, or holds Cambridge C2 Proficiency. We did not find a minimum TOEFL or IELTS score in the pages we checked
• Documents: a Personal Statement (up to 300 words), a Self-Reflective Essay, transcripts, two recommendation letters and test scores
• Application fee: 35,000 yen plus an online handling fee of 1,100 yen, with no fee waivers

One detail is easy to miss: students applying with November 2026 IB exam results in the Spring second period or the Autumn first period should request that the IB send their “Transcript of Results” to Sophia by 18 December 2026. Sophia says these applicants will be screened with their final results and the acceptance will not be conditional.

FLA’s 2027 application periods (Japan time) are:

Sophia allows reapplication in a later period and applications to more than one English-taught programme (a fee for each).

Sophia Program for Sustainable Futures (SPSF)

SPSF offers English-taught degrees in Journalism, Education, Sociology, Economics, Management and Global Studies (the SPSF 2027 booklet lists a BA in International Relations and a BA in Area Studies under Global Studies). For 2027, SPSF has September entry only. The IB Diploma is again accepted as the standardised test, TOEFL or IELTS is required (with the same kind of waiver), and selection is by document screening. The first period runs from 11 November to 4 December 2026 (first-year entry only, documents due 11 December, results 5 February 2027), and the second from 10 to 31 March 2027 (documents due 7 April).

Department of Digital Green Technology (DGTech), new from April 2027

If your child is interested in science or engineering in English, note that Sophia’s older Green Science and Green Engineering programmes took their final intake in autumn 2026 and no longer accept applications. Their place is taken by DGTech, an English-taught programme starting in April 2027 with April and September intakes, on the same four application periods as FLA. For IB applicants, DGTech sets subject conditions: Mathematics (Analysis and Approaches or Applications and Interpretation) at HL, and at least one of Physics HL, Chemistry HL or Biology HL. It also asks for a handwritten essay in English on the official form.

Sophia: the IB Entrance Examination (Japanese-taught faculties)

If your child is comfortable studying in Japanese, Sophia runs a dedicated International Baccalaureate (IB) Entrance Examination (国際バカロレア（IB）入学試験) for April entry. Places are “a small number” (若干名) in each department, and your child can apply to only one department.

First period: international schools and overseas IB schools

• Who: students from international schools in Japan or abroad, or from IB-authorised schools overseas, who hold or expect to hold the IB Diploma. It covers the Japanese-taught faculties and departments; the English-taught degree programmes (FLA, DGTech and SPSF) are not included
• Grades: students who sat their final exams by May 2026 apply with final grades. Students sitting the November 2026 exams apply with predicted grades (this does not apply to Article 1 high schools in Japan); the 1 October 2026 result is then a conditional offer, confirmed after final results. The offer is withdrawn if the Diploma is not awarded or the department’s final-grade conditions are not met
• Japanese: one of the following: (A) an IB Japanese A or Japanese B course (the level and grade depend on the department), (B) a pass in JLPT N1, or (C) at least three years in schools following the Japanese education system during the six junior and senior high school years
• Selection: a document review of the IB transcript or predicted grades, the high school transcript, a statement of purpose, an EE summary plus the full EE, reports on TOK and CAS (the EE summary and the TOK and CAS reports are written in Japanese), and two recommendation letters. Some departments add a pre-assigned task, the English Literature department asks for TOEFL or IELTS, and 11 departments hold an interview
• 2027 schedule: online application 7 to 23 July 2026, interviews on 20 September 2026 (for the 11 departments that hold interviews; the others decide on documents only), results on 1 October 2026. This year’s application has closed

Second period: IB students at Article 1 high schools in Japan

The second period is for students at IB-authorised high schools within Japan’s formal school system (Article 1 schools, such as some public and private high schools that run the DP). The important difference is that the IB Diploma must already be held at the time of application; predicted grades are not accepted. Selection is by documents only. The departments taking part are Philosophy, English Literature and German Literature; Education and Sociology; and all departments of Law, Economics, Foreign Studies, Global Studies and Science and Technology. For 2027 entry, online applications run from 15 December 2026 to 5 January 2027 (documents postmarked by 6 January), with results on 26 January 2027.

Subject requirements are set by each department

Instead of a single minimum Diploma score, each department lists required IB subjects and, in many cases, minimum grades. A few examples from the 2027 first-period guidelines:

• Science and Technology departments: Mathematics HL with a grade of 5 or more, plus one of Physics HL, Chemistry HL or Biology HL with a grade of 5 or more
• Economics department: Mathematics HL, plus one subject from a listed group (History, Economics, Geography or Business Management)
• Japanese Literature: Japanese A (SL or HL) or Japanese B (HL) with a grade of 6 or more, plus History HL

Read this table with your child’s IB coordinator before HL subjects are finalised.

Looking ahead: Sophia announced on 31 March 2026 that from 2028 entry, the first-period exams move from late September to mid-October and some departments, including the Science and Technology departments, will add interviews.

Sophia: Public Recommendation (IB quota)

Sophia’s Public Recommendation (公募制推薦) has an IB quota, but it is only open to students expected to graduate in March 2027 from a high school under the Japanese education system, who make Sophia their first choice and can commit to enrolling if accepted. IB applicants must be expected to obtain the Diploma and must have taken the subjects the department specifies; if the final exams do not lead to the Diploma, the place is lost. For 2027 entry, the online application runs from 1 to 5 November 2026, with tests on 28 November and results on 10 December 2026.

ICU: the IBDP route (April entry, taught mainly in Japanese and English)

ICU has a single College of Liberal Arts (Arts and Sciences). Its IBDP route is one of three categories in the April-entry Holistic Admissions (総合型選抜〈4月入学専願〉), with 10 places for 2027 entry. The word 専願 matters: the route is for students who make ICU their first choice.

Eligibility

• ICU must be your first choice, and you must be able to commit to enrolling if admitted
• You have obtained, or expect to obtain, the IB Diploma between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2027
• You have taken, or are taking, Japanese A (HL or SL) in the DP
• You have never applied to ICU’s April-entry Holistic Admissions before

Students from any IB-authorised school can apply, whether it is an Article 1 high school or an international school, in Japan or abroad, and in either the Japanese DP or the English DP. Applicants expecting the Diploma may apply with predicted grades, but they cannot enrol if they do not obtain it. Families abroad should note that the online form needs an address in Japan.

Documents and selection

Stage 1 is a document review. Documents include final or predicted grades, two recommendation letters (one from the IB coordinator, homeroom teacher or a similar school staff member), a summary of the Extended Essay in Japanese of up to 1,500 characters (a copy of the full EE is optional), an 800-character self-analysis of CAS and activities linked to the IB learner profile, and proof of English. The English score is optional for students who have taken English A (Literature or Language and Literature). Stage 2 is an in-person individual interview in Japanese and English, including a 10-minute presentation in Japanese on the EE. The application fee is 35,000 yen plus a 1,100-yen web system fee.

For 2027 entry, the online application ran from 1 to 8 September 2026, so it has already closed. Stage 1 results are due on 9 October, successful candidates submit their presentation slides by 12 October, interviews take place on 17 October, results come out on 2 November, and the enrolment deadline is 11 November 2026 (Figure 2). If your child is in DP1 now, these dates give a good idea of the rhythm for 2028 entry, but please wait for ICU’s new guidelines for the actual dates.

How competitive is it? ICU publishes numbers: for 2026 entry, the IBDP route had 35 applicants and 7 were admitted. Treat this as background, not a prediction.

ICU: English Language Based Admissions (ELBA), April or September entry

ELBA is ICU’s route for students who apply in English and plan to build their Japanese after entering. There is no Japanese requirement at the time of application, but ELBA students must complete ICU’s Japanese Language Program (JLP) to graduate. For beginners this can take up to six terms (two years).

• IB applicants apply as “Type A”: holders of the IB Full Diploma (and Japanese or US high school diplomas, or UK A-levels) must apply under Type A, which is decided by documents only, with no interview. IB Course Certificates and the IB Career-related Programme are not accepted on their own
• Predicted grades: accepted. The school’s report must include bonus points and the total out of 45. Final results must be sent as soon as they are released, and admission may be cancelled if the Diploma is not obtained
• No minimum IB score: ICU states there is no minimum for the IB, SAT or ACT. For reference only, the 2027 Admissions Guide gives the average IB Full Diploma score of admitted applicants in 2022 to 2026 as 38.3 out of 45
• English minimum: IELTS 6.5, or TOEFL iBT 79 (tests taken before 20 January 2026) or 4.5 (tests taken on or after 21 January 2026). Students taking IB English A, or with six continuous years in English-medium schools, are exempt. ICU says these minimums will rise from the 2028 admissions cycle
• Documents: a Personal Statement (500 to 600 words), a Short Essay (400 to 500 words), activities, transcripts, the ICU School Report, two recommendation letters and proof of English
• Fee: 30,000 yen plus an 880-yen system fee

The 2027 ELBA schedule is:

ICU’s rules: one entry term (and, for September, one period) per year, no deferral, and a one-year wait before reapplying. In 2026 entry, ELBA had 225 applicants and 33 admissions for April, and 697 applicants and 239 admissions for September (these figures include a small number of transfer applicants).

Sophia and ICU compared

What about IB scores?

Parents often ask, “What score does my child need?” The honest answer is that neither university publishes a minimum total IB score for these routes. Sophia sets department subject conditions for its IB Entrance and may set an individual minimum total in a conditional offer for its English-taught programmes. ICU gives the 38.3 ELBA average for reference only. Essays, the EE, recommendations and interviews all count alongside grades.

2027 application calendar

As of 26 September 2026, Sophia’s September window for April entry and ICU’s IBDP route had closed, while several others were still ahead.

The next deadline in Figure 3 is ICU’s ELBA for April 2027 (1 to 8 October 2026).

Tuition and first-year costs

ICU’s 2027 Admissions Guide lists the fees for students entering in 2027: a matriculation fee of ¥300,000, tuition of ¥1,203,000 a year (¥401,000 per term, over three terms) and a facilities fee of ¥354,000 a year (¥118,000 per term). The guide gives the first-year total as ¥1,857,000.

Sophia had not published its full 2027 fee table when we checked; the FLA and SPSF booklets say the exact amounts would be decided in September 2026. The table below uses Sophia’s official academic year 2026 fee table for reference, plus the 2027 DGTech amounts from its booklet. Sophia charges per semester (two a year); for FLA in AY2026, for example, that is an enrolment fee of ¥30,000, tuition of ¥586,000 and an education enhancement fee of ¥105,000 (¥129,000 in the first semester, including a ¥24,000 Orientation Day fee).

Please read Figure 4 with the years in mind: the Sophia bars (other than DGTech) are 2026 amounts, and Sophia revises tuition each year in line with inflation. Housing and living costs are not included.

On scholarships, ICU lets students apply for some awards together with the admissions application, including the ICU Peace Bell Scholarship (matriculation fee, tuition, facilities fee and on-campus housing, in principle for four years) and the ICU Torch Relay High Endeavor Scholarship (matriculation fee plus the first term’s tuition and facilities fee each year). Both are for applicants who make ICU their first choice and show financial need, and the deadline is the admissions application deadline.

How to prepare: practical tips for IB families

• Choose DP subjects with the target route in mind. ICU’s IBDP route needs Japanese A; Sophia’s IB Entrance and DGTech set HL subject and grade conditions, decided at the start of the DP
• Plan the EE early. Sophia’s IB Entrance and ICU’s IBDP route both ask for an EE summary in Japanese, and ICU adds a 10-minute presentation on it
• Book English tests in time. Official scores must arrive by the deadline; check whether English A or English-medium schooling exempts your child
• Ask for two recommendation letters early, on the university’s own form where one is provided

Questions parents often ask

Can my child apply to both Sophia and ICU?

Sophia’s English-taught programmes and ICU’s ELBA have no first-choice condition, so applying to both is possible within each university’s own rules (for example, ELBA allows only one entry term per year). ICU’s IBDP route and Sophia’s Public Recommendation are different: each asks the applicant to make that university their first choice and commit to enrolling if admitted. The guidelines we read do not spell out a ban on applying elsewhere, but please take the commitment seriously.

My child is at an international school and takes Japanese B. Which routes are open?

ICU’s IBDP route requires Japanese A, so it would not be open. Sophia’s IB Entrance first period accepts Japanese B in many departments (often at HL, with a grade condition), or JLPT N1, or three years in Japanese-system schools. The English-based routes (Sophia’s FLA, SPSF and DGTech, and ICU’s ELBA) do not require Japanese at application.

We live overseas. Is anything different for us?

Sophia’s English-taught April second period is limited to applicants with a Japanese status of residence that stays valid until enrolment, so overseas applicants for April should look at the first period or at September entry. ICU’s IBDP route asks for a Japanese mailing address and an in-person interview in Japan. ELBA is designed to be completed in English and, for IB applicants (Type A), has no interview.

Summary

• Several routes, not one: Sophia offers English-taught programmes (FLA, SPSF, DGTech), a Japanese-taught IB Entrance in two periods and a Public Recommendation IB quota; ICU offers the Japanese-based IBDP route and the English-based ELBA
• Japanese matters for some routes: ICU’s IBDP route requires Japanese A; Sophia’s IB Entrance accepts Japanese A or B, JLPT N1 or Japanese schooling
• No published minimum total score: Sophia sets department subject conditions and individual offer conditions; ICU’s ELBA average for admitted IB students (2022 to 2026) was 38.3, for reference only
• Still ahead for 2027 entry (as of 26 September 2026, none yet open): ICU ELBA (opens 1 October), Sophia Public Recommendation (1 November), Sophia English-taught Spring 2nd / Autumn 1st periods (11 November) and Sophia IB Entrance second period (15 December)
• First-year costs: ¥1,857,000 at ICU for 2027 entrants; ¥1,408,650 to ¥1,952,650 at Sophia on AY2026 figures, and ¥2,078,650 for DGTech in 2027 by our calculation

Pick the one or two routes that fit with your child and their IB coordinator, read those official guidelines line by line, and contact the admissions office early if anything is unclear.

Sources and references

• Sophia: FLA, When and How to Apply (2027 intake)
• Sophia: FLA Application Procedure, Spring and Autumn 2027 entry (PDF)
• Sophia: FLA, Who can Apply
• Sophia: FAQ about Undergraduate Admissions (English-taught programmes)
• Sophia: SPSF, When and How to Apply (2027 intake)
• Sophia: DGTech, When and How to Apply (2027 intake)
• Sophia: DGTech Application Procedure 2027 (PDF)
• Sophia: Green Science and Green Engineering Programs, past admission information
• Sophia: IB Entrance Examination, 1st period (Japanese)
• Sophia: 2027 IB Entrance Examination guidelines, 1st period (PDF, Japanese)
• Sophia: IB Entrance Examination, 2nd period (Japanese)
• Sophia: Public Recommendation Entrance Examination (Japanese)
• Sophia: Changes to special entrance examinations from 2028 entry (Japanese)
• Sophia: Tuition and Fees for the Academic Year 2026, Undergraduate (PDF)
• ICU: Holistic Admissions, April entry (Japanese)
• ICU: 2027 Holistic Admissions guidelines, including the IBDP route (PDF, Japanese)
• ICU: Admissions results (Japanese)
• ICU: Undergraduate Admissions Guide 2027, English Language Based Admissions (PDF)
• ICU: ELBA Application Schedule 2027
• ICU: Tuition and Fees (Undergraduate)