The Immigration Services Agency reissued two university lists on 4 November 2026, both now built on world university rankings as of October 2026. One decides which graduates earn a 10-point bonus under the Highly Skilled Professional points system; the other decides who qualifies for the J-Find job-hunting status.
Neither reissue changes the rules; what moves is which universities the Agency currently treats as clearing the thresholds.
What appeared on 4 November 2026
Two entries went up on the Agency's updates page: a revised 世界大学ランキングに基づき加点対象となる大学一覧 for the points system, and a revised 未来創造人材制度の対象となる大学一覧 for J-Find. Both PDFs now carry the line 「令和８年10月時点」 — As of October 2026.
The bonus is worth 10 points, and the test is not the same for every university
In the ministerial ordinance table of evaluation items, graduating from, or completing a graduate course at, a university specified by the Minister of Justice in a public notice is worth 10 points. A Highly Skilled Professional application has to reach 70.
The public notice behind that row gives several ways to qualify, and the ranking test is asymmetric. A foreign university must sit in the top 300 of two or more of the QS, Times Higher Education and ShanghaiRanking ARWU tables; a Japanese university needs the top 300 of any one of them. A university also qualifies through a MEXT Super Global University subsidy (Top Type and Global Traction Type) or designation as a Foreign Ministry Innovative Asia partner school. The same table separately awards 10 points for a degree from a Japanese institution of higher education. Scoring detail for the status sits at /visa-types/work-visa/hsp-visa.
J-Find: top 100 in two rankings, within five years of the degree
J-Find, formally 未来創造人材 under Designated Activities, has been open since April 2023 to graduates of highly ranked overseas universities who want to job-hunt or prepare to start a business in Japan. Three conditions all have to be met: a degree from a university placed in the top 100 of at least two of the three rankings, awarded within the past five years, and savings of at least ¥200,000 at the time of application. The status allows a stay of up to two years.
The October 2026 list names just over ninety universities worldwide, the largest group of them in the United States. Only two Japanese universities appear on it: the University of Tokyo and Kyoto University.
If you live in Japan and hold a residence card
Both routes work from inside the country, and the reissued lists bear on an application filed here.
For Highly Skilled Professional, the Agency's procedure page is explicit that on a change of status application and on an extension application alike, the applicant submits the point calculation sheet with documents proving each scored item, and the review turns on whether the total reaches 70. The list that governs is the one in force when you file, not the one that was current when you graduated. J-Find has its own change of status and extension procedures, with the standard forms on the Agency's page; the general route is at /application-process/changing-status-of-residence.
If your university sits near a top-300 or top-100 cut, check the live ranking tables before filing rather than a PDF saved earlier in the year.
If you are applying from outside Japan
For a certificate of eligibility, the Agency calculates the points as part of the landing-conditions review, filed by the receiving organisation or an agent at a regional immigration bureau. The same ordinance table and public notice apply.
Filing J-Find online still needs a paper form
J-Find has been filable online since the residence application system was updated in January 2026, with input steps that differ from the old system. The Agency's page documents one trap: where the application is made under the 外国人本人 user category, the system's fields are not sufficient on their own and the paper application form for the receiving organisation must be attached.
The list is a guide; the rankings are the rule
Both PDFs carry the same footer: because the list is built on rankings as of October 2026, applicants must also check the latest three world university rankings when they apply. The public notice points the same way, limiting the test to the most recent edition of each table.
The gap cuts both ways. A university that has climbed into range since the lists were compiled is not shut out by its absence, and one that has slipped is not carried by its presence. Before filing, open the three tables the Agency names, QS, Times Higher Education and ShanghaiRanking's ARWU, and check where your university sits against the threshold that applies to it.
Sources: ISA updates list 2026, ISA points evaluation, 加算対象となる大学 (PDF), 特別加算 public notice (PDF), 評価項目・配点 (PDF), ISA J-Find (未来創造人材), J-Find university list (PDF), ISA Highly Skilled Professional procedures