A. Application Forms (2 pages)
Application forms should be filled out through the web application system (https://sophia.applyjapan.com/) and printed out after the application fee payment.

B. Official Transcripts
1. Freshmen
(a) An official transcript showing all courses taken and grades received in high school(s) including the dates of graduation (or expected graduation) must be submitted. The transcript must be certified by a school official and be officially sealed in a school envelope. Applicants who have graduated from high schools in Japan are required to submit official transcripts (chosasho) showing their grade average.

(b) Official results of examination/qualification: applicants coming from one of the educational systems indicated in (3. QUALIFICATIONS - Table 1 ) are required to submit an official certification of examination or qualification.

2. Transfer students
An official transcript showing courses taken and grades received from all academic institutions attended (high schools and universities/colleges) must be submitted. The transcript must be certified by a school official and be officially sealed in a school envelope. The university/college transcript should clearly indicate that an applicant have completed/will have completed two full academic years as a regular student or have completed/will have completed an associate degree at university/college before the prospective date of entering Sophia University.

Note:
・　Applicants who have not been issued an official result of examination or certification of qualification during the application period are required to submit a certificate of taking/receiving an examination/qualification. Such certification should be issued by the applicant’s high school or the board of education from his/her district or state.
・　Even though applicants may have been accepted to Sophia University, failure to provide the relevant examination or receive certification will result in cancellation of their acceptance.
・　If a freshman applicant has attended university, submission of the official university transcript(s) is recommended.

C. Certificate of Graduation (or expected graduation / early graduation) from High School 　　　　　　　
Applicants whose transcripts do not show the dates of graduation (or expected graduation) are required to submit an official Certificate of graduation (or expected graduation). Those who have graduated early, or have skipped a grade, should submit an official document issued by the school indicating this fact.

D. Standardized Test Scores for Freshmen / Transfer Students
ALL freshmen and transfer applicants are required to submit one or more of the following:
1) SAT (Reasoning Test) Scores
2) ACT with Writing Scores
3) IB (International Baccalaureate) Diploma

They must be delivered directly to Sophia University from the testing institution. If the official scores have not been submitted by the application deadline, the application will be considered incomplete. The scores can be sent to Sophia prior to the application period. Please see below for the instructions and conditions for the submission of each set of scores.

1) SAT (Reasoning Test) scores
SAT scores must be taken not more than two years before the application deadline, and delivered directly to Sophia University from the College Board by the application deadline. Be sure to indicate our institution code number, 0819, when registering for the test, to ensure that your official score is sent to Sophia University.　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

Note:
・　Applicants can report the highest individual subscores (Critical Reading, Math, and Writing) taken from multiple SAT test dates.
・　Applicants who have completed, or are expected to complete, two full academic years at an undergraduate degree/associate degree -conferring institution as regular students may submit scores which were taken more than two years before.

For Information about SAT and test registration, please refer to the College Board SAT Program website: http://www.collegeboard.com/

2) ACTwith Writing Scores
ACT scores must be taken not more than two years before the application deadline, and delivered directly to Sophia University from the ACT by the application deadline.
Be sure to indicate our institution code number, 5575, when registering for the test, to ensure that your official score is sent to Sophia University.

Note:
・ Applicants can report the highest individual subscores taken from multiple ACT test dates.
・ Applicants who have completed, or are expected to complete, two full academic years at an undergraduate degree/associate degree -conferring institution as regular students may submit scores which were taken more than two years before.

For Information about ACT and test registration, please refer to the ACT website: http://www.actstudent.org/

3) International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 　　　　　　　 　
Applicants coming from one of the educational systems indicated in (3. QUALIFICATIONS- Table 1 ) and having taken / expected to take a full IB diploma (six subjects) can submit it in place of SAT or ACT scores.
Applicants whose IB Diploma has not been issued by the application deadline are required to submit predicted grades. Request your school to issue predicted IB grades by using the designated form (INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE PREDICTED GRADES REPORT FORM). Once the final IB grades are issued, the applicant must submit them to Sophia University right away.

Note:
・ If an original document cannot be reissued, a copy certified by a school official (Principal or Registrar) is acceptable ; or if an original is brought to Sophia University, the Admissions Office can make a copy and stamp it with an official seal.
・　Even though applicants may have been accepted to Sophia University, failure to submit the final IB grades will result in cancellation of their acceptance.

E. Proof of English Proficiency (TOEFL or IELTS)
Applicants must prove their English proficiency by taking the TOEFL or the IELTS (Academic). It should be taken not more than two years before the application deadline. The official test score must be delivered directly to Sophia from each testing institution. When registering for these tests, be sure to indicate Sophia University to ensure that your official score is sent to Sophia University. For TOEFL, Sophia’s institution code is 0819.

Note:
・　TOEFL or IELTS can be waived if a student has studied at least five years out of the last six years in an institution where English is the primary medium of instruction, or holds a CPE on Cambridge ESOL Examination (Official test result is required).
・　If the official score has not been delivered by the application deadline, the application will be considered incomplete. Applicants are advised to order the delivery of the official scores in advance as it may take more than 4 weeks for the scores to be delivered to Sophia University. The scores can be sent to Sophia prior to the application period.
・　Other English proficiency scores will not be accepted, unless there are exceptional circumstances.

For information about TOEFL and IELTS and test registration, please refer to the following websites.
TOEFL Educational Testing Service　TOEFL Services http://www.ets.org/toefl
IELTS IELTS (International English Language Testing System) http://www.ielts.org/

F. Three Letters of Recommendation (use forms provided)
Letters of recommendation from three teachers and/or officials of the most recent school(s) attended by the applicant must be submitted. Each letter must be sealed in a separate envelope with the recommender’s signature written across the seal.

G. Essay
An essay of approximately 500 words in English giving the applicant’s reasons for wishing to study at the Faculty of Liberal Arts of Sophia University must be submitted.

H. Application Materials Checklist (use the form provided)
Check the items you enclose in your application.

*Medical attention
While medical certification is not required at this time, any applicant with physical conditions that might require special attention when undertaking university work should notify the Sophia Admissions Office in writing before the application period.