[2][3] Students enroll for the purpose of becoming a comedian and the school is meant to be a systematic entry into the entertainment industry as a Yoshimoto Kogyo affiliated comedian after graduation.
Officially established as Yoshimoto General Comedy Arts Academy (吉本総合芸能学院),[4] both the Osaka and Tokyo branches have produced numerous successful comedians and television personalities.
In order to enroll, the applicant must have graduated middle school.
Each graduation class is considered as a generation, for example, the comedy duo Downtown were one of the first graduates of the school as the 1st generation at NSC Osaka in 1982[5] Students of the academy go through various comedy classes focused on manzai, conte and other modern owarai comedy genres.
The school often brings in established comedians as speakers and temporary teachers to further the students' development.