Our Alumni

Stepping Out Into the World
 

Like all international schools, NIS students enter and leave at a variety of times during the academic school year, at a variety of ages and after varying lengths of stay. Whether the student is a child of an expatriate employee, a local foreign resident or a Japanese “returnee,” the goal is the same: a smooth transition to another school, a school "back home", entrance to a college or university, or sturdy footing along a pathway towards a passion or dream of their choosing.

NIS graduates earn an NIS diploma - recognized as a high school diploma in the U.S., and in addition, have the option to obtain the International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma. A majority of graduates continue their education in colleges or universities in the U.S., U.K. or Canada, and some at a growing number of universities in Japan that offer programs based in English. Graduates of the Class of 2020 are the 11th cohort of students eligible to obtain the IB Diploma.

In the past few years, students have been coming from increasingly diverse backgrounds, and the school is striving to meet the demands of these international students as they return to their non-English based school systems. Parents are encouraged to work closely with both their school systems and/or governments in their home country as well as the Principal to determine an appropriate course of study for their unique situations.

All courses are taught in English, with the exception of Japanese language courses. The NIS program therefore offers excellent preparation for university entrance in the US and Canada, the UK, Australasia and South Africa. NIS students also matriculate into English/Bilingual-speaking university tracks here in Japan well as to similar programs elsewhere. However, although there is increasing interest in the IB curriculum among Japanese universities, the mainstream university system in Japan still largely requires students to sit a university entrance exam. Since this exam is best-prepared for via schooling within the Japanese school system, students hoping to matriculate to one of the more conventional majors in universities in Japan are not recommended to apply to NIS.