Glossary (60 terms)
Glossary of School Operations & Academic Affairs
Terms from enrollment, courses, grades, attendance, fees, international students, careers and school administration, A–Z and by category. Each term links to the official documents behind it and to related pages.
Last updated: October 24, 2026
Start with these terms
- Student record managementStudent record management accurately records and maintains student information — names, enrollment status, admission and graduation.
- Course registrationCourse registration is the process by which students register the courses they will take, based on the timetable, capacity and graduation requirements.
- CreditA credit is a unit measuring the amount of study in a course; it is awarded on meeting set class hours and study, and underpins graduation requirements.
- GPAGPA is an indicator of academic performance: grades converted to points and weighted by credits, used for progression, scholarships and career decisions.
- Attendance registerAn attendance register (shussekibo) records pupils’ daily attendance; school law requires the principal to keep one.
- Higher Education Support SchemeThe Higher Education Support Scheme is a national programme that combines tuition and admission-fee reductions with non-repayable grants for students at universities, junior colleges, colleges of technology and vocational schools.
- Residence statusResidence status is the legal status that lets a foreign national stay and act in Japan; there are types such as "Student", each with a period of stay.
- Cumulative recordA cumulative record (shido yoroku) records a pupil’s enrollment and the course and results of their education; school law requires the principal to keep one.
Browse by category
- Enrollment & admissions8 termsHow enrollment is recorded, from admission to graduation
- Courses & classes11 termsRegistering for courses, planning classes and teaching hours
- Grades & assessment10 termsHow learning is assessed and the documents that report it
- Attendance6 termsRecording attendance and how absences are treated
- Fees & financial aid5 termsBilling and paying fees, and public support
- International students7 termsResidence status and the school’s enrollment management
- Careers & next steps6 termsJob offers, hiring and career guidance
- School administration (K-12)7 termsK-12 administration and the records the law requires
Browse A–Z
All terms
60 terms
A
- Academic transcriptGrades & assessment成績証明書 (seiseki shomeisho)An academic transcript (seiseki shomeisho) is a document in which the school officially certifies the courses a student took and the grades earned.
- Accredited Japanese-language institutionInternational students認定日本語教育機関 (nintei nihongo kyoiku kikan)An accredited Japanese-language institution is one that the education minister has accredited as able to provide Japanese-language education properly and reliably.
- Admission reportGrades & assessment調査書 (chosasho)An admission report (chosasho) is a record of grades and activities that a student’s current school prepares for the next school’s admissions.
- Attendance registerAttendance出席簿 (shussekibo)An attendance register (shussekibo) records pupils’ daily attendance; school law requires the principal to keep one.
B
C
- Career educationCareers & next stepsキャリア教育 (kyaria kyoiku)Career education is education that supports career development by building the abilities and attitudes each person needs to become socially and vocationally independent.
- Career guidanceCareers & next steps進路指導 (shinro shido)Career guidance (shinro shido) is the school’s organised, ongoing guidance and support so students can think about their lives and choose their path for themselves.
- Certificate of Eligibility (COE)International students在留資格認定証明書 (zairyu shikaku nintei shomeisho)A Certificate of Eligibility (COE) is a document issued in advance for a foreign national to obtain residence status in Japan, used for visa applications.
- Comprehensive selectionEnrollment & admissions総合型選抜 (sogo-gata senbatsu)Comprehensive selection (sogo-gata senbatsu) is a university admissions method that combines document review with interviews to assess an applicant’s ability, aptitude and motivation in depth.
- Course registrationCourses & classes履修登録 (rishu toroku)Course registration is the process by which students register the courses they will take, based on the timetable, capacity and graduation requirements.
- CreditCourses & classes単位 (tan-i)A credit is a unit measuring the amount of study in a course; it is awarded on meeting set class hours and study, and underpins graduation requirements.
- Credit cap (CAP system)Courses & classesCAP制 (kyappu-sei)The credit cap, or CAP system, is an upper limit on the credits a student may register for in a year or a term.
- Credit transferCourses & classes単位互換 (tan-i gokan)Credit transfer (tan-i gokan) lets credits earned at another university count as credits at the student’s own university.
- Criterion-based assessmentGrades & assessment観点別評価 (kantenbetsu hyoka)Criterion-based assessment (kantenbetsu hyoka) grades each subject on separate criteria, such as knowledge and skills, on a three-level A/B/C scale.
- Cumulative recordSchool administration (K-12)指導要録 (shido yoroku)A cumulative record (shido yoroku) records a pupil’s enrollment and the course and results of their education; school law requires the principal to keep one.
D
- Direct debitFees & financial aid口座振替 (koza furikae)Direct debit (koza furikae) collects fees or school-lunch charges automatically from a bank account registered in advance.
- Distance classesCourses & classes遠隔授業 (enkaku jugyo)Distance classes are classes taken outside the classroom where they are taught, using the internet or other media.
E
- Employment rateCareers & next steps就職率 (shushokuritsu)The employment rate (shushokuritsu) is the share of graduates seeking work who found it — not the share of all graduates.
- Enrollment management for international studentsInternational students留学生の在籍管理 (ryugakusei no zaiseki kanri)Enrollment management for international students means the accepting school tracking students’ enrollment and attendance and making the required notifications and reports.
- Excused absenceAttendance公欠 (koketsu)An excused absence (koketsu) is missing class for a reason the school recognises, such as a school event or an official exam, and is kept apart from ordinary absence.
- Extension of period of stayInternational students在留期間更新 (zairyu kikan koshin)Extending the period of stay (zairyu kikan koshin) means applying, before your period of stay ends, to stay longer for the same activity.
G
- GIGA School ProgramSchool administration (K-12)GIGAスクール構想 (giga sukuru koso)The GIGA School Program is a national plan to raise the quality of education by providing and using school ICT, such as one device per pupil and fast, high-capacity networks.
- GPAGrades & assessmentGPAGPA is an indicator of academic performance: grades converted to points and weighted by credits, used for progression, scholarships and career decisions.
- Graduation requirementsEnrollment & admissions卒業要件 (sotsugyo yoken)Graduation requirements are the conditions, such as the number of credits earned, that a student must meet before the school confers graduation.
H
- High School Tuition Support FundFees & financial aid高等学校等就学支援金 (koto gakko-to shugaku shienkin)The High School Tuition Support Fund is money the state pays toward tuition at high schools and similar schools.
- Higher Education Support SchemeFees & financial aid高等教育の修学支援新制度 (koto kyoiku no shugaku shien shinseido)The Higher Education Support Scheme is a national programme that combines tuition and admission-fee reductions with non-repayable grants for students at universities, junior colleges, colleges of technology and vocational schools.
I
J
- Job offerCareers & next steps内定 (naitei)A job offer (naitei) is an employer’s commitment to hire a student or other applicant, formally a “hiring offer”.
- Job postingCareers & next steps求人票 (kyujinhyo)A job posting (kyujinhyo) is an employer’s notice of an opening, showing the work, requirements, location and pay.
L
- Learning portfolioGrades & assessment学修ポートフォリオ (gakushu potoforio)A learning portfolio accumulates and surfaces a student’s outcomes, work and qualifications, used for reflection and career support.
- Leave of absenceEnrollment & admissions休学 (kyugaku)A leave of absence is a period when a student keeps their enrollment but stops attending, for example because of illness or money.
- LMSCourses & classesLMSAn LMS (Learning Management System) supports the operation of online learning — delivering materials, collecting assignments and recording results.
M
- Make-up exam and re-examGrades & assessment追試験・再試験 (tsuishiken, saishiken)A make-up exam is for students who could not sit the main exam for unavoidable reasons such as illness; a re-exam is a second attempt for those who did not pass.
- Missed classesAttendance欠課 (kekka)Missed classes (kekka) are absences counted per subject; the number of missed periods is the kekka count.
O
- Open BadgeGrades & assessmentオープンバッジ (opun bajji)An Open Badge is an international-standard digital credential that certifies learning outcomes or skills in a verifiable, shareable form.
- Overall gradeGrades & assessment評定 (hyotei)An overall grade (hyotei) sums up learning in a subject against the Course of Study goals and expresses it as a numbered level.
P
R
- Reasonable accommodationSchool administration (K-12)合理的配慮 (goriteki hairyo)Reasonable accommodation (goriteki hairyo) is the necessary, reasonable adjustment made — unless the burden is excessive — when a person with a disability asks for a social barrier to be removed.
- Regional rollout of school clubsSchool administration (K-12)部活動の地域展開 (bukatsudo no chiiki tenkai)The regional rollout of school clubs (bukatsudo no chiiki tenkai) moves pupils’ sports and arts activities from school clubs out to community clubs.
- Report cardGrades & assessment通知表 (tsuchihyo)A report card (tsuchihyo) is a document each school makes to tell pupils and parents how learning and attendance went in a term or year.
- Required and elective coursesCourses & classes必修科目・選択科目 (hisshu kamoku, sentaku kamoku)Required courses must be passed to graduate; elective courses are ones students choose to take.
- Residence cardInternational students在留カード (zairyu kado)A residence card (zairyu kado) is issued to mid- to long-term residents staying in Japan for more than three months and shows their status and period of stay.
- Residence statusInternational students在留資格 (zairyu shikaku)Residence status is the legal status that lets a foreign national stay and act in Japan; there are types such as "Student", each with a period of stay.
- RubricGrades & assessmentルーブリック (rubrikku)A rubric is an assessment standard laid out as a table of levels (the scale) and descriptions of what learning at each level looks like.
S
- School affairs support systemSchool administration (K-12)校務支援システム (komu shien shisutemu)A school affairs support system digitalizes and streamlines everyday administrative work — grades, attendance, report cards — mainly in K-12 schools.
- School collection feesSchool administration (K-12)学校徴収金 (gakko choshukin)School collection fees (gakko choshukin) are costs a school collects from parents, such as for materials, school lunch and school trips.
- School health examinationsSchool administration (K-12)学校健診 (gakko kenshin)School health examinations (gakko kenshin) are the regular yearly health checks schools must give pupils under the School Health and Safety Act.
- School non-attendanceAttendance不登校 (futoko)School non-attendance (futoko) is when a pupil does not, or cannot, attend school because of psychological, emotional, physical or social factors other than illness or money.
- School-recommendation selectionEnrollment & admissions学校推薦型選抜 (gakko suisen-gata senbatsu)School-recommendation selection (gakko suisen-gata senbatsu) is a university admissions method based on the high-school principal’s recommendation, assessed mainly on the admission report.
- Semester systemCourses & classesセメスター制 (semesuta-sei)A semester system divides the year into terms, such as first and second semesters, and completes and credits each course within a term.
- SISEnrollment & admissionsSIS (gakusei joho shisutemu)A Student Information System (SIS) centrally manages student information such as records, attendance and grades; the term is used mainly in English-speaking contexts.
- Student feesFees & financial aid学納金 (gakunokin)Student fees (gakunokin) is the umbrella term for money students pay the school, such as tuition, the admission fee and the facilities fee.
- Student ID numberEnrollment & admissions学籍番号 (gakuseki bango)A student ID number is the number a school gives each enrolled pupil or student to identify them.
- Student record managementEnrollment & admissions学籍管理 (gakuseki kanri)Student record management accurately records and maintains student information — names, enrollment status, admission and graduation.
- Suspension from attendanceAttendance出席停止 (shusseki teishi)Suspension from attendance (shusseki teishi) stops a pupil from coming to school for a period, for example to prevent infection; it is kept apart from absence.
- SyllabusCourses & classesシラバス (shirabasu)A syllabus is a course plan covering objectives, schedule, assessment methods and materials, helping students choose what to take.
T
- Teaching hoursCourses & classes授業時数 (jugyo jisu)Teaching hours (jugyo jisu) are the number of class periods taught in each year at elementary and lower secondary schools; the law sets a standard.
- TimetableCourses & classes時間割 (jikanwari)A timetable arranges classes by subject, day, period, room and teacher, and underpins attendance and grade management.
- Tuition reductionFees & financial aid授業料減免 (jugyoryo genmen)Tuition reduction (jugyoryo genmen) lowers or waives all or part of a student’s tuition, for example for financial hardship.
W
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