School Graduation Year Table for Japan: Find High School and University Years From Your Birth Year

Graduation year = birth year + a fixed number

Japanese schools start in April and end in March, and a school year group consists of people born from April 2 to April 1 of the following year. So once you know your year group, the entry and graduation years for each school follow mechanically. Without gap years or repeated years, everyone uses the same addition.

"Birth year" here is the year you were born if your birthday is from April 2 to December 31. If you were born from January 1 to April 1 (an early-year birthday), use the year before your birth year. For example, May 10, 2000 is counted as 2000, and so is February 15, 2001. Both finish high school in March 2019 and university in March 2023.

Graduation years by birth year (born 1980–2009)

These are graduation years (all in March) with no gap or repeated years. The first column is the range of birth dates in the same school year group. For example, anyone born from April 2, 1995 to April 1, 1996 uses the same row. The year you enter high school is the same as the year you finish junior high.

Era years use the era in effect in March and April. As of October 2026, people born from April 2, 2004 to April 1, 2005 are in their fourth year of university and expect to graduate in March 2027 (Reiwa 9). On a résumé submitted before graduation, write the graduation line as expected graduation (sotsugyo mikomi).

3 years that are easy to get wrong when using the table

Even following the table, some years are confusing when converted to era years. On a résumé, the basic rule is to use the era in effect in the month of the entrance or graduation ceremony.

• March and April 2019: the Reiwa era began on May 1, 2019, so both March graduation and April entry are Heisei 31. "Entered in April, Reiwa 1" is wrong.
• May to December 2019: this is Reiwa 1 (written Reiwa gannen in Japanese). It applies only to those graduating in September or entering in October, for example. Writing the numeral 1 isn't wrong, but use one form consistently throughout the document.
• January 1989: January 1 to 7 were Showa and Heisei began on January 8, so events in January are generally written as January, Showa 64. March and April are Heisei 1.

You can write Western or era years, but use the same one throughout the document, across education, work history, qualifications and the date field. The consistency rule is covered in Western or era years on a résumé, and the education section, and conversions by era in converting Japanese era and Western years.

Calculating years outside the table, or with gap and repeated years

The table assumes no gap or repeated years. For any other path, just add to or subtract from the standard year.

1. 1

   Set your year group's base year

   Write down your birth year, and subtract 1 if you were born from January 1 to April 1. For March 20, 1999, the base year is 1998.

2. 2

   Find your high school graduation year

   Add 19 to the base year. 1998 + 19 = 2017, so high school graduation is March 2017 (Heisei 29). Add any years repeated or on leave in high school.

3. 3

   Find your next school's entry year

   Entry is April of the same year you finish high school. Add any gap years to get your entry year after them. With 1 gap year, it's April 2018 (Heisei 30).

4. 4

   Find your graduation year

   Add the program length (4 years for university, 2 for junior college, 6 for a 6-year university, etc.) and any repeated or leave years to the entry year. For a 4-year university with 1 gap year and no repeats, 2018 + 4 = graduation in March 2022 (Reiwa 4).

How to show gap years, repeated years and leave in the education section is covered in gap years, repeated years and leave on a résumé, and program lengths for technical colleges and graduate school in technical colleges, transfers and graduate school on a résumé.

Calculate your whole education history at once

In the Japanese Résumé Education Dates Calculator, just choose your date of birth and path to see the years and months from junior high graduation to your final education, in the order of a résumé's education section. It handles early-year and April 1 birthdays, gap, repeated and leave years, junior college, vocational school, 6-year university, technical college and graduate school, and it switches between Western and era years and between full-width and half-width characters.

• Graduations after the document date automatically become expected graduation or expected completion
• March and April 2019 are written as Heisei 31, and May onward as Reiwa 1
• You can switch between the "gannen" and "1" forms of the first year of an era
• You can copy the table in tab-separated form and paste it into an Excel or Word résumé template
• A table of entry and graduation years by year group (30 years' worth) is on the same page

For how to write the education section itself (where to start, school names, the final closing line), see how to write the education section of a résumé.

FAQ

When does someone born in 2000 finish high school?

If born from April 2 to December 31, 2000, high school graduation is March 2019 (Heisei 31) and 4-year university graduation is March 2023 (Reiwa 5). If born from January 1 to April 1, 2000 (an early-year birthday), it's a year earlier: high school in March 2018 (Heisei 30) and university in March 2022 (Reiwa 4).

How do early-year birthdays shift graduation years?

People born from January 1 to April 1 are in the same year group as those born from April 2 of the previous year. Compared with those born from April 2 of the same year, all their entry and graduation years are 1 year earlier. When calculating, subtract 1 from your birth year.

Is an April 1 birthday an early-year birthday?

Yes. You gain a year of age at the end of the day before your birthday, so someone born on April 1 turns 6 on March 31 and enters school that April. April 1 birthdays belong to the earlier year group (early-year), and the next year group starts from April 2 birthdays.

University graduation is birth year plus how many years?

With no gap or repeated years, a 4-year university is birth year + 23, graduating in March. Junior college (2 years) is + 21, and 6-year university and master's programs are + 25. For early-year birthdays, add to the year before your birth year.

Is graduating in March 2019 Reiwa 1 or Heisei 31?

Heisei 31. The Reiwa era began on May 1, 2019, so both March 2019 graduation and April 2019 entry are written as Heisei 31. Reiwa 1 applies from May 2019 onward.