Ranking System

The ranking system developed by Education Japan is based primarily on recommendations made by students. We aim to maintain a ranking system relevant to the needs not of administrators or marketers but of the students themselves. We also aim to make the system as transparent as possible, so that all users can understand exactly how the rankings are determined.

There are 9 sections evaluated. Each section has points awarded on a linear scale, and an explanation of what would be given a score of 0%, 50% and 100% of the total points possible is shown. Thus, if the "50%" column contains the explanation "15 students per class" and the maximum points possible are 10, then an average class size of 15 students would score 5 points. The maximum possible point score over the entire rating sheet is 900 points.

The weightings below need to be considered in context. For example a lower tuition cost gains extra points, but providing superior facilities does too. Clearly those institutions that provide lower costs AND better facilities will do better in the rankings. However, providing such facilities is expensive, and prices will naturally tend to be higher. Students not requiring housing (for example those who plan to live with relatives in Japan) should weight the rankings differently to those dependent on school assistance for accommodation. Certain factors such as airport pickup are worth fewer points overall because they are less relevant after the student arrives - they have a one-off impact on the standard of your stay.

Comments and suggested improvements to the ranking system are always welcome.

The main factors considered:

A: Cost (average per year)	100 points
B: Courses	140 points
C: Facilities	130 points
D: Accommodation	130 points
E: Teaching/Faculty Support	100 points
F: Location/recreation	100 points
G: Visas	100 points
H: Student body	100 points
I: Support	100 points
Total	1000 points

The Education Japan Composite rating (J Score) is based on the addition of the above factors to give a total maximum score of 900. Over 600 would be excellent, but remember to check the component values too and that different people have different needs.

Special Section (Weighting 0% - No points)

Refusal to be audited on site by Education Japan.
Accepted on-site audit but refused to grant Education Japan auditors access to students.

Note: This special section does not result in points being added or penalized. This section is merely provided so that students have an idea of the openness of the school and the degree of confidence that the schools administrators have in exposing their organization to neutral independent auditing on behalf of students. Education Japan tries to inspect all schools in person and physically view facilities and support systems. For the same reason we ask for permission to speak directly and privately with the students of that school - as they are the best judge of quality.