Maybe if you're looking for easy credits to complete a requirement?

depends on the school, but for the most part, i think even the most advanced classes would reach up to N2 max. However, it can still be helpful to get daily practice, and you will probably get better at speaking, writing, and learn some new words still. If your school offers japanese language tables, i think those would be more helpful.

You could bolster your GPA and earn an easy minor. Little things like that help to set you apart on paper. Hell, tutor your classmates for a fee.

One class I found really cool was Classical Japanese. The higher your base modern Japanese level, the better.

I've done this before and was in your exact situation!

Like what another commenter here mentioned, I volunteered to tutor my classmates and ending up making new friends.

I initially regretted it, as most of the students were below my level and could only do boring conversations.

However, all of the japanese faculty and TAs were native speakers. So I reached out to them for further guidance and that was my opportunity to practice with language experts and learn N1 material beyond the typical curriculum.

It very much depends on the school. Some have minimal Japanese classes. The best schools have dozens of Japanese classes. Consider University of Hawaii, for example.

https://eall.manoa.hawaii.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/JPN-BA-Prereq-7-2025.pdf

Their advanced courses would be beyond N1, not to mention specialist courses in classical literature, etc.

Other schools might stop at the Genki textbook.

So you should assess what your school has available and see how it fits your needs.

I was taking upper university courses for a while, but stopped because I wanted to focus on reading, which I can do by myself.

It depends heavily on the university.

I started uni in Canada with N2 level, I "skipped" 1st and 2nd year classes (sat the exams, got credit) and went straight into year 3 level classes. Still quite an easy level, but I then did 4th year classes in my second year and was able to challenge myself with some higher-level literature projects and translation units. I did a year abroad for my 3rd year and passed N1 during that time.

My final year I focused on linguistics with a few graduate-level translation units.

But I was at a uni with an excellent Asian Studies department, which not all institutions have.

Until recently I was teaching Japanese at a university in the UK and most of our students attained N2 at best, but on the flip side have excellent spoken Japanese.

Aren’t there Japanese classes on speaking, Classical Japanese, novel reading…?

You might not be allowed. My school would not award a degree if you had N3

See you if you can volunteer as a tutor or TA. You're Japanese will be better than most students. And student's will usually come to you for more difficult parts of the language which can help you 'review' more difficult parts of the language.

Bro I wasn't even N3 level yet and the uni classes were still WAY below my level. Where have you heard that college Japanese goes up to N2 level???

Not really. You'll be stuck with a bunch of cringe students, not all, but enough. You will be bored. Most likely they won't let you unless you pretend to know nothing and take 101. Or you tone it way down to test into a higher class. But either way, you'll get found out and also not enjoy it.

Best you could do is talk to the coordinator or department head and ask if they have some way of creating an elective or specialist class. Do a bit of research in novels or current issues and see if they'd be wiling to make a course for you out of that.

But outside that... Not really worth it over just continuing to study yourself.

Edit: I guess another idea would be to take Japanese history not the language, if that or an East Asian course is offered. And you have any interest in it. But unless you really like history it would be the wrong direction too.

Look up the specific class info, they should have a syllabus with specific grammar, goals etc. See if it matches what you know/don't. Also, you could email the Prof in charge and ask

Once you’re past N3, I think the biggest thing that’s going help you improve is immersion. Courses at a university can get you plugged into conversation groups, which is very valuable. In general, the coursework can help you get your reps in or be a good refresher on grammar and vocab. Unless your specific courses can do very advanced studies? But I’m not sure how common that is in the U.S. It wasn’t when I was in university there.

If it's the only way you can become a transfer student to a university in Japan or if after all this time your beginner/intermediate Japanese has started to faulter or you just want to throw money around in hopes that your certifications in japanese classes specifically might one day be more useful than your N2 cirtification, definitely worth it.

If it's because you think you'll make friends/learn something you haven't learned before/it'll be worth the money, not worth it.

I would recommend looking for a conversation meet up

See if it's possible to do independent study. When I was in university, I had experience living in Japan and placed out of the highest level of Japanese classes, but my advisor allowed me to meet her regularly and discuss novels and video games that I was playing while I would write occasional essays, and I was able to work out a curriculum with her where she would give me credit.

I wouldn't suggest taking low-level classes just for the credit because it would occupy your time and not really give you anything, but if you can work out an independent study arrangement to get credit while self-studying and challenging yourself, I say go for it!

I don’t usually participate in this sub because of how toxic it is, but I have wondered why you would take Japanese courses in university to begin with? Isn’t it much cheaper anyway to do one on one tutoring even? There are so many online tutors that offer extremely low rates when compared to university. It’s unclear what your goal is. If you want to work in Japan obviously being able to speak Japanese is barely even a qualification since every Japanese person can already do that. I would and did use university as an opportunity to gain some relevant skills for a career.

I think at that level you could just do an actual japanese medium class or advanced topic, like japanese literature.

This kind of comes off less like a question and more like listing credentials. If you’re already N2+ and lived in Japan, you probably know whether beginner-to-intermediate college classes will help you or not.

The obvious recommendation is to sit down and talk with the professors of these classes. They will be able to answer exactly what content they teach and see if there is any value based on your current level of knowledge. 

Additionally, a lot of universities will have opportunities to do “for credit” independent studies. Where you can work directly with a professor to learn material beyond the scope of the regular classes. 

First two years are typically genki 1 and 2.

Then Tobira or J301.

4 years of Japanese should get to N2

But yeah if you’re already there it’s going to be review. I might do it if I needed an easy A/GPA boost.

You could also just test out if you want the credits without sitting through the classes.

At that level, you might be better off trying to get a gig as a TA for the Japanese classes. You would get paid, can up some resume experience, and basically get all the perks of continuing to practice and develop as if you were taking a class. Depending on the teacher, you will also get a lot more 1:1 time to practice at a more advanced level that's probably more suited for you.

The language courses may not be too helpful, but the cultural ones will. High level courses that involve writing papers in Japanese and having them corrected can also help, if your school has them. 

This is information from 2015, but at the time I was told by a professor of Japanese at an American university that's ranked highly for its Japanese department that a diploma with a Japanese major is roughly equivalent to a high score on the N3 test. So if you already have N2, you're already beyond undergrad Japanese courses. By that logic, anyway. You might be more interested in "Japanese" courses that are aimed at grad students, but those are more like researching a topic in Japanese rather than studying the language.

Hope this comment helps

Basic test of if it's worth it is if you can actually speak, listen read and write. Not just test materials, but out in the world. If you can't, you need to work on it somehow. If you do take classes, they might have some way of proficiency-ing past the basic classes, but doing the in class exercises and homework might help at a certain level.

Depends on the university. Some have limited offerings and some have a lot more. If it's important to you, look for the universities that have bigger departments. But obviously prioritize whatever subject you actually plan to major in. Take the placement test when you get there and try it out. You can always drop it if it isn't what you are looking for.

I’d assume if you already had N2 university level Japanese in the US would probably be a super easy way to boost your GPA! It would be foolish not to leverage the system to your benefit. It will be like N5/N4 level maybe

ultimately only you can decide if it's worth it or not, but i would always say go for it.

having access to a teacher should be reason enough, and classroom settings are great ways to meet like-minded people to practice or even just chat with. and if you're a university student and you're confident that you'll get good grades, it's an easy way to boost/maintain your GPA