Japanese School Enrollment & Graduation Year Chart [2026 Edition] | Quick Reference for Resumes

When writing a resume or CV in Japan, accurately recalling your enrollment and graduation years can be surprisingly tedious. This article provides a quick-reference chart that lets you look up enrollment and graduation years from elementary school through university based on your birth year, following Japan's education system.

Enrollment & Graduation Year Chart [2026 Edition]

Each row shows the enrollment and graduation years for a given birth fiscal year. Tap a decade group to expand the table.

• Enrollment is in April; graduation is in March
• Early-born students (born January 1 – April 1) should look at the previous fiscal year's row
• If you took a gap year or repeated a grade, add those years to the values shown

Key Academic Events in 2026

Here are the birth fiscal years corresponding to major academic milestones in the 2026 academic year:

Elementary and Junior High School Years

The charts above focus on high school and beyond. For elementary and junior high school years, use these formulas:

For example, if born in fiscal year 2000: elementary entrance = 2000 + 7 = April 2007; elementary graduation = 2000 + 13 = March 2013.

Converting to Japanese Era Names

The charts above use Western calendar years. If you need Japanese era names (和暦) for your resume, use these conversion formulas:

What Does "Early-Born" (Hayaumare) Mean?

In Japan's school system, children born between April 2 and April 1 of the following year belong to the same grade. Those born between January 1 and April 1 are called "hayaumare" (early-born).

Why is April 1 the cutoff? Under Japanese law (Act on Calculation of Age), a person's age increases by one on the day before their birthday. So someone born on April 1 turns the required age on March 31, making them eligible for school entrance that April.

Examples of Early-Born Classification

Tips for Writing the Education Section on Japanese Resumes

Once you've confirmed your enrollment and graduation years using the chart, here are tips for writing them correctly on your resume.

Use Consistent Year Format

Either Western years or Japanese era names are acceptable, but you must be consistent throughout the entire document. Don't mix Western years in the education section with Japanese era names in the work history.

Use Full Official School Names

Write "高等学校" (kōtō gakkō) instead of the abbreviation "高校" (kōkō). Write the full department and major name for universities.

List Entrance and Graduation on Separate Lines

Withdrawal or Leave of Absence

For withdrawal, write "中途退学" (chūto taigaku) with a brief reason (e.g., "due to financial circumstances" or "for change of career path"). For leaves of absence, note the period and reason as well.

FAQ

I was born early in the year. Which fiscal year row should I use?

If you were born between January 1 and April 1 (hayaumare/early-born), use the previous fiscal year's row. For example, if born in March 2001, use the "2000 fiscal year" row.

How do I calculate if I took a gap year or repeated a year?

Add the number of gap/repeated years to the chart values. For one gap year (ronin), university entrance delays by one year, and graduation delays by one year. For example, someone born in fiscal year 2000 with one gap year would enter university in 2020 and graduate in 2024.

Should I use Japanese era names or Western years on my resume?

Either is acceptable, but you must use one format consistently throughout the entire resume. For private company applications, either is fine; for government submissions, Japanese era names are more common.

What birth year graduates from a 4-year university in 2026?

Students born in fiscal year 2003 (Heisei 15) graduate from a 4-year university in March 2026. For 2-year junior colleges/vocational schools, graduates in March 2026 were born in fiscal year 2005 (Heisei 17).

How do I calculate graduation for junior college or vocational school?

A 2-year program graduates 2 years after high school; a 3-year program graduates 3 years after. The formula is "birth fiscal year + 21" (2-year) or "birth fiscal year + 22" (3-year).

Summary

Enrollment and graduation years can be calculated by adding fixed numbers to your birth fiscal year:

• Junior high graduation / HS entrance = Birth fiscal year + 16
• HS graduation / University entrance = Birth fiscal year + 19
• University graduation (4-year) = Birth fiscal year + 23
• Early-born students (hayaumare) should calculate using the previous fiscal year

Bookmark this chart so you never have to search for these dates again when writing a resume. When you need to convert to Japanese era names, use sakutto's era converter tool.