UWC ISAK Japan

Grades 11 and 12 follow the IB Diploma Programme: students take six subjects, three at Higher Level and three at Standard Level, together with Theory of Knowledge, the Extended Essay and CAS, which at ISAK often grows out of leadership projects started in Grade 10. Course options include IB Visual Arts, Theatre and Film, and languages such as Japanese and Mandarin. Grade 10 combines a Leadership and Innovation course with coursework approved by MEXT, Japan's education ministry.

UWC ISAK Japan is a high school only. Students normally join in Grade 10, at around 15 or 16 years old, for a three-year programme; the foundation year focuses on leadership, academic skills and outdoor education. Grades 11 and 12 follow the IB Diploma Programme, with new students also joining in Grade 11 through UWC selection. The school does not admit students into Grade 12 or mid-year.

As a member of UWC, the school shares the movement's mission of making education a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future. ISAK's own vision asks each student to realise their potential and act as a catalyst for positive change, and its leadership model encourages students to identify what matters, act despite discomfort, use diversity as a strength and support others in doing the same.

The campus in the forest at Karuizawa was designed around Japanese ideas of simplicity and harmony with nature. The Kamiyama Academic Center holds classrooms, a library and study areas; the Asama Building houses the cafeteria, science laboratories and a lounge; The Accord Center is a flexible hall for classes, exhibitions, assemblies and performances; and the Koshiba Innovation and Creative Center, opened in 2024, hosts film, theatre and art, a maker space and a student lounge. There are a gymnasium with a full basketball court and bouldering wall, a health and wellness centre with fitness and meditation rooms, four residences, a community garden, an athletic field and a school forest with a treehouse.

The annual fee is all-inclusive, covering tuition, boarding, three meals and two snacks a day with vegetarian, dietary and religious options, outdoor education, field trips, project weeks and clubs. The Health and Wellness Center provides nursing care, counselling and wellbeing support, and fees include national health insurance, an annual health check and medical visits. University advisors guide applications worldwide, and around 70% of students receive need-based financial assistance.

Boarding is central to life at ISAK, and all students live on campus. They share two- or four-person rooms in residential houses of 18 to 28 students, mixing roommates from different countries, and each house has a common area, a kitchenette and free laundry. Houses are mostly single-gender, with a blended option available with parental consent. Faculty House Mentors look after each house, supported by student Residential Advisors, and students run much of their own house management, which forms part of the school's leadership education.

Every student joins at least one student-led club, with options renewed each year. Recent clubs include theatre, band, art, pottery, photography, ballet, dance and music production; basketball, volleyball, swimming, badminton, football, tennis, climbing, track and field, cross country, table tennis, golf, triathlon, aikido and kyudo archery; and Model United Nations, debate, robotics, programming, astronomy, chess, tea ceremony and student media. An Outdoor Education programme runs through all three years, with seasonal trips for hiking, skiing or snowboarding, rafting and mountain biking.