Tokyo Communication Arts College: Creative Design

Tokyo Communication Arts College: Creative Design

Tokyo

About

Tokyo Communication Arts College (TCA) teaches practical creative subjects in Japanese through industry-linked projects. This Creative Design page presents four three-year majors confirmed in the 2027 international guide, grouped into Design World and Illustration/Manga/Novel World. The qualification is the Diploma (senmonshi), subject to graduation requirements, not the four-year Advanced Diploma or a university degree. Employment and publication are not guaranteed.

Graphic Design
Manga
Comic Illustration
Light Novel & Scenario/Novelist

Tokyo Communication Arts College: Creative Design Available Courses

Design World

April intake; three years for each of these four majors. Japanese-medium, on-campus study. Confirm places and the timetable.

Graphic Design

Study typography, layout, color, photography, branding, packaging and web design. Practice with Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign, then develop UI/UX, industry projects and a portfolio. Prepare for graphic, advertising, editorial and web-design work. Product/spatial design is a separate four-year field, not an additional three-year major in this department.

2027 Fees: JPY

Item	JPY
Admission (once)	150,000
Tuition per year	710,000
Facilities per year	350,000
First payment A	1,210,000
Practical training per year	410,000
Career education per year	80,800
Second payment B	490,800
First-year main total	1,700,800

2027 international guide, same quotation for these four Creative Design majors: first payment A 1,210,000 within 10 days of the acceptance notice; second payment B 490,800 by March 15, 2027. First-year main total 1,700,800. Tuition alone is 710,000 per year. This is not an all-inclusive price or the total for three years.

Additional costs: first-year textbooks/equipment approximately 15,000-72,000 at actual, major-specific cost, due March 15, 2027; final amount by early March, with the list in late February/early March. Health management approximately 22,000 per year (accident insurance, health checks and guidance); screening 30,000 unless an approved exemption applies; qualification examinations separately; graduation costs 50,000 in the final year. Housing, living costs and other required insurance are separate. Obtain the final invoice and remittance-cost details.

In years two and three, the guide states tuition 100,000 and practical training 50,000 above the respective first-year amounts. Annual tuition, facilities, practical training, career education and health fees continue. Do not compound those increases annually or multiply the first-year total by three; request the full payment schedule.

Withdrawal procedures completed by March 31, 2027 permit refund of paid academic fees except admission. From April 1, the guide states no refund of admission, tuition, facilities, practical-training or career-education fees. Confirm separate conditions for books/equipment, screening and other charges before payment.

Illustration/Manga/Novel World

April intake; three years for each of these four majors. Japanese-medium, on-campus study. Confirm places and the timetable.

Manga

Develop drawing, composition, characters, backgrounds and storytelling, progressing to digital manga and finished works. Practice presenting work to editors and making publication-ready projects. Digital drawing remains part of this current major; the former independent Digital Illustration/Manga title is not presented as a current application option.

Comic Illustration

Learn drawing, color, digital production, commercial illustration and character creation through projects and competitions. Use CLIP STUDIO PAINT and Adobe tools for print, web and social media, and build a portfolio for company or freelance work. Graduate examples do not guarantee an individual debut or job.

Light Novel & Scenario/Novelist

Develop fiction and scenario writing, story ideas, manga original stories, game planning and game scenarios. Article writing, reporting, editing and written expression build foundations for author/editor careers. This current three-year major is listed in the 2027 guide; no renaming or successor relationship to an older major is assumed.

2027 Fees: JPY

Item	JPY
Admission (once)	150,000
Tuition per year	710,000
Facilities per year	350,000
First payment A	1,210,000
Practical training per year	410,000
Career education per year	80,800
Second payment B	490,800
First-year main total	1,700,800

Learning and Student Support

TCA's international support center lists consultation in Chinese, Korean, English and Japanese, assistance with life in Japan and visas, first-year Japanese communication and elective JLPT/conversation/employment preparation. Homeroom teachers and the Career Center help with study, resumes, interviews and career planning; COM advises on admissions, fees, scholarships and housing. Confirm languages, schedules, eligibility and charges. Visas, scholarships, dormitory places and jobs are not guaranteed.

W-major allows subjects outside the initial major from the first year without additional tuition, after consultation with the teacher and subject to class arrangements. It is not a double university degree. Overseas training and partner-school study are also introduced by the school; destinations, timing, participation, travel/visa conditions and charges must be confirmed for your major and year. Do not assume a guaranteed third-year trip to Milan, Los Angeles or Paris, or that this Japanese on-campus program can be completed remotely from overseas.

Other TCA Departments

Super Creator
Automotive Design
E-Entertainment

International Admission: 2027

Foreign nationals with 12 years of formal education completed or expected by March 2027, or an accepted equivalent route. The foreign equivalency-examination route requires age 18 by March 31, 2027. Consult COM for fewer than 12 school years or entry under 18. Japanese: JLPT N1/N2; EJU Japanese 200 or above excluding writing; BJT 400 or above; or a qualifying year at a Japanese-language institution plus an N2-equivalent entrance assessment. A qualifying year at an Article 1 school, excluding kindergarten, also requires that assessment. JPT is not listed as an automatic alternative in this school-specific 2027 guide.

Selection: documents, Japanese examination and interview. Attend a trial lesson or school briefing and confirm the school is your first preference under the chosen route. Guide schedule: AO entry June 1-September 30, 2026; formal AO application from September 1; general/school/designated-school recommendation from October 1, closing at capacity. AO and school-recommendation routes generally do not permit simultaneous applications to other schools. Attendance requirements depend on route: normally at least 80% for relevant Japan-based study; designated-school recommendation at least 90%. Exceptions and overseas procedures require school consultation. Screening is 30,000 yen; designated-school recommendation exemption is conditional. Academic, Japanese, attendance, financial-sponsorship and identity/residence documents vary by route. Admission and immigration approval are separate.

School Location

TCA general address: 5-3-1 Nishi-Kasai, Edogawa-ku, Tokyo 134-0088. The official access page indicates a one-minute walk from Nishi-Kasai Station on the Tokyo Metro Tozai Line. Confirm the assigned building and classroom for your major before visiting. Nishi-Kasai has shops, restaurants and local services; check actual routes for leisure trips rather than relying on old walking or Disney travel-time estimates.

Because our counselling is free, the tuition fees listed here will be the same as the schools original tuition fees