Application FAQ

Early Departure JETs will depart sometime between April 2025 and July 2025.

Summer Departure 1 (“Group A”): Saturday, July 26th, 2025
Summer Departure 2 (“Group B”): Saturday, August 2nd, 2025
Summer Departure 3: After August 2nd, 2025*

*Exact date will be determined later. This date(s) are reserved for alternates who are upgraded and JET participants who could not depart in the 1st or 2nd wave due to extenuating circumstances (e.g. contracted Covid-19).

Yes, if you will be graduating from an accredited university with a Bachelor’s degree by June 27th, 2025, you are eligible to apply for the 2025 JET Program. Please bear in mind that your degree must be officially conferred by that date; simply completing all requirements for graduation is not sufficient.

When applying, you must also provide an official statement from your college or university stating that you are currently enrolled and your expected date of graduation. We will accept a statement or certificate of expected graduation from the registrar’s office, from a dean’s office, the National Student Clearinghouse, or an academic adviser.

NOTE: If the date listed is too vague to determine that you will graduate by June 27th, 2025 (e.g. Summer 2025, etc.) it will not be accepted as adequate proof of expected date of graduation. It is the applicant’s responsibility to check that the date is correct.

TESOL/TEFL certification is not a requirement for participation on the JET Program but such certification will be an asset during the selection process.

Yes, you need to obtain official transcripts from all post-secondary institutions you have attended. There is only 1 exception to this rule, and that is when your current institution’s transcript lists all of the following: the course title, date (e.g. semester/year), and number of credits received for all individual courses taken at previous institutions.

If even one of these is missing from the transcript, you must obtain an official transcript from the transfer institution.

No. You must apply to the JET Program via the country of your citizenship. Thus, only US citizens can apply for the US JET Program. You can check the JET Program’s list of participating countries here: http://jetprogramme.org/en/countries/.

Applicants to the JET Program in the U.S. must:

• Be a U.S. citizen
• Complete a Bachelor’s degree by June 27th, 2025
• Have native-level English speaking proficiency
• Not have lived in Japan for a total of six years or longer in a 10-year period prior to the departure year

To see full descriptions of eligibility criteria, please go to Eligibility Criteria page.

The JET Program application has three medical documents associated with it. Not every applicant has to submit all three, so read the following explanation carefully:

The Self-Report of Medical Conditions form is required for every applicant. On this form, you will disclose your medical history as well as any medications or other medical needs you may have.

The Statement of Physician form is only required in the following cases:

If you are consulting a physician or other professional on more than one occasion regarding a physical/mental health issue

If you are taking medication to alleviate a condition, illness or injury such that the prescription is re-filled on one or more occasions

If you are undergoing hospitalization (including surgery) to alleviate a condition, illness or injury (not including dental surgery)

If you answer yes to questions 1, 2a, 2b, or 3 as found on the Self-Report of Medical Conditions form.

The Certificate of Health form is the third and final health form associated with the JET Program application. Only those who are applying for Early Departure should prepare and submit this form by their interview date to their interview location.

The JET Program welcomes all majors! We are always seeking well-rounded candidates who are flexible, open-minded, and enthusiastic about the goals of the Program: internationalization and people-to-people exchange.

If you would like to become a stronger candidate while still in university, we recommend seeking out opportunities that will evidence your interest in the above. For example, volunteering at a Japan-related interest group, tutoring international students, studying abroad, and gaining real-life work experience are all excellent ways to increase your standing as a candidate.

The application for the 2025 JET Program will open in mid to late September of 2024. The 2025 JET application will close on Friday, November 15th, 2024 at 11:59pm HST. Applications for 2026 departures will begin in September of 2025.

JET Program USA has 19 offices across the United States which act as interview sites and departure locations. Candidates are encouraged to choose whichever location is most accessible for them.

For the 2025 JET Program application cycle, interviews will be virtual. As with our 2021-2024 JET Program Interviews, candidates will be allowed to interview from their home in the US and from abroad.

You must apply to the JET Program through the JET Program Office in your country of citizenship. Thus, only US citizens may apply for the US JET Program. For a list of JET Program offices worldwide, please see here: http://jetprogramme.org/en/countries/.

The JET Program has the following requirements for letters of reference:

• References must fall into 1 of 2 categories: Academic or Professional
  • Academic: Professors or academic advisers
  • Professional: Managers or supervisors who have overseen your work
• Applicants who have not yet completed a bachelor’s degree at the time of application must have at least one academic reference letter from someone affiliated with their college/university
• No personal references: classmates, coworkers, family/friends, and student tutors are not acceptable

Other than these criteria, who to choose as your letter of reference writer is one of your discretionary choices as an applicant. We recommend choosing writers who know you well and can speak positively about your skills and experience.

Yes, if you will be graduating from an accredited university with a Bachelor’s degree by June 27th, 2025, you are eligible to apply for the 2025 JET Program. Please bear in mind that your degree must be officially conferred by that date; simply completing all requirements for graduation is not sufficient.

When applying, you must also provide an official statement from your college or university stating that you are currently enrolled and your expected date of graduation. We will accept a statement or certificate of expected graduation from the registrar’s office, from a dean’s office, the National Student Clearinghouse, or an academic adviser.

NOTE: If the date listed is too vague to determine that you will graduate by June 27th, 2025 (e.g. Summer 2025, etc.) it will not be accepted as adequate proof of expected date of graduation. It is the applicant’s responsibility to check that the date is correct.

Yes. However, dual citizens of the U.S. and Japan must renounce their Japanese citizenship before departing for Japan if accepted. Japanese law requires that individuals choose either Japanese nationality or their other nationality. To apply for the JET Program, you must prove that you have U.S. nationality, therefore it is not possible to also hold Japanese nationality as a JET participant.

If you have dual nationality with the United States and another country, this does not affect your eligibility for the JET Program, however, if you have nationality with another country that also participates on the JET Program (such as Canada, Australia, etc.) you can only apply through ONE of these countries.

No. Regardless of experience, an applicant must have a Bachelor’s degree by June 27th, 2025 in order to be eligible for the 2025 JET Program.

No, to be considered eligible in the United States, you must have U.S. citizenship by the application deadline. Please contact the Embassy of Japan of your country of citizenship to learn more about applying for the JET Program. A list of countries currently participating on the JET Program is available at the JET Program international website.

No. To be considered eligible for the 2025 JET Program in the United States, you must hold at least a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited university by June 27th, 2025.

Applicants should read the information on disqualification listed under the eligibility requirements page. Applications with criminal records will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. It is important to honestly answer the questions regarding criminal history in the application and provide as full and detailed an explanation as possible. This includes any criminal history which occurred while the individual was a juvenile or which the individual believes to have been expunged from their record. The ruling law for the JET Program is Japanese law which requires full disclosure of all criminal history. Individuals with a criminal history will be required to provide an FBI background check (instructions for doing so are provided in the application).

In order to apply through the Embassy of Japan in the United States, you must have U.S. citizenship. Also, U.S. citizens are only allowed to apply to the JET Program through the Embassy of Japan in the United States. Citizens of other countries should visit the JET Program international page and/or contact the Embassy of Japan in their home country.

No. A photocopy of this document will suffice.

No. Accepted proofs of citizenship include a photocopy of any of these documents:

• • Current U.S. Passport (Book or card, both acceptable)
  • Birth Certificate (Sometimes called Certificate of Birth but NOT Certificate of Live Birth)
  • Consular Report of Birth Abroad
  • Naturalization Papers
  • Certificate of Citizenship

Yes. You must apply using your current legal name. Do not apply using a nickname. If your current legal name does not match the name which is on your birth certificate, passport, or naturalization papers, due to reasons such as marriage or legal name change, then you must submit additional proof, such as:

• Photocopy of marriage certificate if your legal name changed because of marriage
• Photocopy of legal name change paperwork if you legally changed your name

Applicants who list medical history in the Self-Report of Medical Conditions form should provide a Physician’s Form to clear them to live and work in Japan. A sample of the Self-Report of Medical Conditions form is available on the Required Documents page for your reference and to help you determine if you will need a Physician’s Form; however this sample form cannot be used for application purposes. The actual Self-Report of Medical Conditions form will print as part of the application form once you have completed it in the online application portal. We strongly recommend that applicants take the Self-Report of Medical Conditions form with them to the doctor’s appointment.

Having a medical condition will not disqualify the applicant from consideration, however, failure to provide the Physician’s Form if one is required may delay or disqualify the application at the initial screening. We strongly encourage all applicants with any medical history to plan ahead by making an appointment with your physician in mid-October, as the application timeline is October-November, and it is easier to cancel an appointment than to try to schedule one in a short amount of time.

Ideally, a doctor or mental health specialist with knowledge of your condition should fill out the Physician’s Form. This doctor cannot be a family member. A Nurse Practitioner can also complete the form. A Physician’s Assistant cannot sign off on the form unless it is co-signed by the practicing doctor (M.D. or D.O.).

Applicants for the 2025 JET Program should not complete and submit a Certificate of Health until after interviews. However, if you have applied for Early Placement (aka Early Departure), you will need to have the Certificate of Health filled out and submitted to the JET Program Coordinator at your interview consulate. 2025 interviews will take place either late January or early February.

The Certificate of Health form should be completed by a doctor or a Nurse Practitioner with knowledge of your medical history. They should not be a family member. A Physician’s Assistant cannot sign off of the form unless it is co-signed by the practicing doctor (M.D. or D.O.).

No, you do not need to submit an FBI Background check with the initial application. However, two types of applicants need to submit the FBI background check (also known as an Identity History Summary) by the date of their interview:

• Those who wish to apply for Early Placement and/or
• Those who indicate a criminal history (having ever been arrested, charged or convicted of any crime, other than a minor traffic violations such as speeding or parking tickets, including incidents which occurred when the applicant was under 18 years of age or which the applicant believes to have been expunged from his/her record). Please note that regardless of U.S. federal or state policies regarding non-disclosure of past criminal history, this background check is for the purpose of employment in Japan, and all applicants are required to provide full disclosure.

If one or both of above applies to you, you must submit a result of FBI background check to your interview location by the time of your interview.

Please do not submit a background check with your application packet unless instructed by the JET Program Office.

Background checks completed before September 1, 2024 are not acceptable for the 2025 JET Program. Additionally, only candidates who have a criminal record or who are seeking Early Departure consideration should supply a background check at the time of their interview. All other candidates should wait until they receive their final acceptance notification and instructions from their interview location before starting their background checks. After you have passed the initial screening stage of the selection process, your JET Program coordinator will provide specific instructions for submitting the FBI Criminal History Check.

Yes. As JETs work in a variety of sensitive situations, such as at schools or in local government offices, we require a recent, cumulative background check. There are no exceptions to this rule.

No. Do not open, remove, or tamper with the envelope your Background Check arrives in. You must provide it to your Interview Consulate in its original envelope or else it will be considered invalid. Digital FBI Background checks are also acceptable and they must be sent to your Interview Consulate. Please follow the instructions of the JET Program Coordinator at that location about how to submit it.

For the purposes of the JET Program application, either option is acceptable. Please note that some channelers will not issue FBI background check for the purpose of employment abroad. Be sure to call and confirm that they will provide a criminal history for overseas employment. Please also note that the processing times and fees are different for the FBI background check and the FBI-approved channelers. These fees are the responsibility of the applicant.

The results are not due at the same time as the application. Background check results must be received by your interview location by the time of your interview, so please plan accordingly.

Applicants are solely responsible for sending the original application form, fingerprints, and payment for the background check to the FBI or FBI-approved channeler.

Early Placement applicants who do not have the results to the interview location by the time of their interview will be removed from Early Placement consideration but will be eligible for regular departure. Applicants with a criminal history who do not have results in time will be disqualified.

For hard copies, you should have your results mailed to your personal mailing address. When you receive the results, DO NOT OPEN THEM.

If you are selected for an interview, the JET Program Coordinator from your interview location will provide you further information about how to submit the unopened results or electronic background checks.

It is very strongly preferred that applicants submit all documents through the online application portal. If your university registrar will not release official transcripts to students, you may have official transcripts sent directly to the JET Program Office at the Embassy of Japan in Washington, D.C. When received, they will be associated with the proper application. Please upload a PDF document to the transcript section of the portal explaining the circumstances.

Yes. Please scan your official transcript and upload it to each applicable area of the JET Application in the online portal.

Yes. The JET Program will accept secure electronic transcripts which are uploaded through the online application portal, however, it is important that the e-transcripts:

1. 1. will not expire or “lock” after a limited number of days or a limited number of views
   2. will not require JET staff to verify using any type of code or 3rd party website
   3. will not be sent to the JET Program Office’s email address

It is the applicant’s responsibility to confirm that the e-transcripts from their school meet these requirements. If your e-transcripts do not meet one or more of the above requirements, they are not acceptable and you must provide official hard-copy transcripts.

No. Only official transcripts will be considered when we review your application. If no such document is uploaded to your online portal account by the deadline, your application will be considered incomplete.

Credits earned through AP Exams or International Baccalaureate programs do not require additional proof.  College courses taken as a high school student do not need to be documented. However, please make sure that if these appear as transfer credit on your transcripts that it is clear that they were taken during your high school (e.g. showing a date prior to your stated high school graduation date).  If there is not a clear date on the credits earned in high school, they might be construed as transferred credit from a college and cause your application to be considered incomplete.

Yes. The JET Program requires documentation for all academic credit you received in your undergraduate career. Failure to provide transcripts from all college or university coursework will cause your application to be disqualified. However, photocopies are accepted in case of foreign institutions.

You may use the academic transcript from your current university to show proof of coursework completed at a previous university if it has the following information for all transfer coursework:

• Titles for each individual course
• Date or semester/year the courses were taken
• Name of the institution they were taken at
• Number of credit hours received for each individual course

If one of these is missing, you must get an official transcript from the transfer institution.

The JET Program application requires official transcripts. However, unofficial transcripts can be accepted if the applicant takes it to the registrar’s office and has it authenticated with the official embossed/inked stamp or seal/signature.

We are aware of this situation. Please ignore such warnings and remove the transcript from its envelope. Scan and upload the transcript to our online application portal as you would any other Required Document.

No. Our guidelines are quite clear that an applicant must have a Bachelor’s degree conferred before they can be a participant on the JET Program.

Yes. Many individuals apply in the fall of their final year.  In order to be eligible, you must complete your degree and have it conferred by June 27, 2025.  For Early Placement, you must complete your degree by March 1, 2025.  At the time of application, you will be required to provide the JET Program Office with proof that shows you will graduate in this time frame.  If you provide a proof of expected graduation at the time of application, you will have to provide additional proof that you have actually graduated before you can depart for the JET Program.

Proof of Expected Graduation is required for all applicants who are completing their Undergraduate degree (i.e. a Bachelor’s) at the time of application. We request this document as proof that you will graduate with your Bachelor’s by the June 27th, 2025 deadline for the 2025 Program cycle.

Acceptable: A letter written on university letterhead from your university’s Office of the Registrar, dean’s office, or an academic adviser stating your name and expected date of graduation(month/year).

Not Acceptable: Degree audits, screenshots of student portals, unofficial transcripts, letters written by the applicant

Applicants who are completing Masters or PhD programs do not need to provide Proof of Expected Graduation.

No. It must be no more than two pages long. You will need to copy and paste your essay into a text field in the online application portal to generate a standardized format. If your essay is more than two pages when pasted into the field, any additional pages beyond the second will not be reviewed.  It is your responsibility preview the essay and make sure that it fits within the required field.

The Statement of Purpose should describe all of the following:

• Why you wish to go to Japan and participate in the JET Program and why you are interested in the position for which you are applying (ALT or CIR).
• What effect you hope to have on the Japanese community and internationally as a result of your participation in the JET Program.
• What applicable experiences, professional skills, relevant interests and personal qualities you have, and how you feel these will be useful to you as an ALT or CIR.
• What you hope to gain, both personally and professionally, from your JET experience if you are selected and how participation will assist you in your future goals.

The essay is a place to showcase your ability to follow instructions in the prompt, express yourself and your motivation for applying, and your use of English grammar and spelling.

No. The online reference portal only allows for two requests to reference writers. If you request a letter and there is no response from the reference writer, the reference writer declines the request, or you want to change the person from whom you are requesting a letter, you can manage these issues in the online reference portal. You can delete a reference and send a request to a new writer or send a reminder to an unresponsive reference.

No. At no time should any JET applicant view the letters of recommendation themself. If your reference writer cannot provide you with the letter as the instructions state (i.e. they are experiencing technical difficulties with uploading their letter to the online portal) and instead wishes to send it directly to the JET Program Office, please have him/her contact our office directly first by phone or email.

No. Applicants should provide contact information for their reference writers in the online portal. The portal will send an email to the reference writer which will allow the reference writers to securely log in and provide confidential letters of recommendation. At no time should any applicant view the letters of recommendation themself. If your reference writer experiences technical difficulties with the portal, they should contact the technical support in the online portal or email the JET Program Office directly.

The JET Program has the following requirements for letters of reference:

• References must fall into 1 of 2 categories: Academic or Professional
  • Academic: Professors or academic advisers
  • Professional: Managers or supervisors who have overseen your work
• Applicants who have not yet completed a bachelor’s degree at the time of application must have at least one academic reference letter from someone affiliated with their college/university
• No personal references: classmates, coworkers, family/friends, and student tutors are not acceptable

Other than these criteria, who to choose as your letter of reference writer is one of your discretionary choices as an applicant. We recommend choosing writers who know you well and can speak positively about your skills and experience.

Letters of reference must be submitted via the JET Application Portal. We will not accept letters submitted via any other method. If your reference writer is having difficulties with the portal, please have them contact us at jetprogram@ws.mofa.go.jp.

The JET Program Office will accept letters of recommendation in either English or Japanese. The online application portal will accept Japanese characters in the body of the text-box for inputting the recommendation. The JET Program Office will not accept letters of recommendation in any language other than English or Japanese.

Although a transcript is most preferred (photocopied if not original), we will also accept a letter from the registrar’s office at your school or a study abroad office certifying your study abroad experience. Failure to provide proof of the study abroad will not disqualify your application unless you received a degree from a foreign institution. In this case, you must provide official transcripts as required.

If your proof of study abroad does not list all necessary information, your application will not be disqualified.  You can provide a letter from your registrar’s office or study abroad office to supplement the information in the transcript.

If you are providing separate transcripts, please list it in both places. If your study abroad appears on your home institution transcripts, you do not need to list it under Education History.

No. Uploading a scan of the original to the online application portal will suffice.

The proof of TESOL/TEFL certification will be accepted from any reputable source. We do not have a preference for one certifying agency over another. Be sure that it lists the number of hours of training you have completed.

Although it is beneficial to your application, applicants are not required to have teaching experience or certification in order to participate on the JET Program. If you have this experience though, it is helpful to document it for the application.

No. Uploading a scan of the original to the online application portal will suffice.

ALTs are not required to have Japanese language proficiency at the time of application or in order to participate on the JET Program. For those who are selected to become JET Program participants, it is expected that those who do not have experience studying the Japanese language will prepare by studying Japanese prior to arriving in Japan. If you do have this experience, it is beneficial to note it in your application.

CIRs must have at least semi-advanced to advanced level Japanese proficiency in order to qualify for the position on the JET Program. Please carefully read the proficiency guidelines in order to determine your level. Proof of language proficiency is not required at the application stage, though if you have passed a proficiency exam such as the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) it is helpful to document it for the application. CIR applicants must honestly self-assess their ability in the semi-advanced to advanced level on the application to be considered. This ability will be tested at the interview stage of the selection process.