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Admission

Application

Types of enrollment

Program Enrollment Duration Degree Application
Graduate Master’s Course (MC)
Student
2 years Master of
Life Sciences
July
October
*1 *2
Doctoral Course (DC)
Student
3 years Doctor of Philosophy in
Life Sciences
July
October
*1 *2
(Non-degree)
Research Student
1-2 semesters Non-degree *2
(Non-degree)
Special Research Student
1-12 months Non-degree *2
(Non-degree)
Special Visiting Trainees
3-90 days Non-degree *3

*1 The annual application and examination schedule will be announced on the homepage of the Tohoku University Graduate School of Life Sciences around April.
https://www.lifesci.tohoku.ac.jp/en/admission/schedule/

*2 Step1. Find a prospective supervisor
     Step2. Contact the Academic Affairs Section of the Graduate School of Life Sciences
     Step3. Submit your application documents

*3 This status is granted to students who study at Tohoku University for more than 3 days but less than 90 days. Students do not receive a student visa/student residency status. They are not "registered" students. Students from countries that don't have a visa waiver agreement with Japan are usually required to apply for a tourist visa.

Contact information (for inquiries) 
Academic Affairs Section of the Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University
2-1-1 Katahira, Sendai 980-8577, Japan
lif-kyom*grp.tohoku.ac.jp (Please change "*" to "@")

Eligibility for Application

Generally, a Japanese bachelor's degree (16 years of formal education (university degree) before entering graduate school) is required. For degrees from other countries to be considered equivalent to a Japanese degree, an equivalent number of years of formal education is required. However, the Japanese government and universities have established standards and systems to ensure that international students are treated equally to the Japanese educational system, taking into consideration the differences in the educational systems of other countries. Please contact the Academic Affairs Section of the Graduate School of Life Sciences for information on eligibility requirements before submitting an application.

Master’s Degree Program (MC)

Those who have a bachelor's degree from a Japanese university, or those who are recognized by the Admissions Office of the Graduate School of Life Sciences as having academic ability equivalent to or superior to that of a university graduate.

Doctoral Degree Program (DC)
  1. Those who have a master's degree or professional degree equivalent from a Japanese university, or those who are recognized by the Admissions Office of the Graduate School of Life Sciences as having academic ability equivalent or superior to a master's degree or professional degree through individual review of admission qualifications.

  2. Those who have graduated from a university (with a bachelor's degree) and have worked for a university or research organization as a researcher for more than 2 years, and who have been recognized by that graduate school as having academic ability equivalent to or superior to a master's degree or professional degree based on the results of the research.

Undergraduate (Graduate) Research Student

Those who hold a bachelor's (master's) degree from a Japanese accredited college or university, or an equivalent degree from another country, as determined by the Admissions Office of the Graduate School of Life Sciences.

Special Research Student

Exchange students are enrolled in the Graduate School as special non-degree special research students. The special additional requirement consists of a valid academic exchange agreement between Tohoku University and the student's home university (or between the academic advisors at the Graduate School of Life Sciences and the student's academic advisor at the home university). *The student must be enrolled in a regular graduate program at the home university.

Special Visiting Trainees

Those who are currently enrolled in a regular undergraduate or graduate program at their home university and wish to participate in the Tohoku University training program for more than 3 days but less than 90 days.

Application Procedures

Step 1. Find a prospective supervisor

Prospective applicants are encouraged to find a potential faculty advisor prior to submitting an application for enrollment. Please review our graduate school faculty members, contact those whose research you are interested in, and obtain permission to join their laboratory before applying. You can find all the necessary information, including the professors' emails, on our home page (HOME>Research>Laboratories).

You may also use the Application form to match with laboratories that accept international students.
This is the application form to help prospective applicants match them with laboratories that accept international students. You can select up to 5 professors, and after submitting this form, these professors will review your information and contact you directly if there is a chance that they will be able to accept you.
Please contact the Academic Affairs Section for more information.

Those who wish to apply for the MEXT Scholarship should contact the prospective supervisor as soon as possible by themself, as the application period is rather short.

If you have any problems getting in touch with professors, please feel free to contact Academic Affairs Section.

Academic Affairs Section of the Graduate School of Life Sciences:
lif-kyom*grp.tohoku.ac.jp (please change "*" to "@")
Step 2. Contact for detailed information

The enrollment process varies depending on the course and type of exam. After confirmation of acceptance to the laboratory, please confirm the following conditions with the prospective supervisor or contact the Academic Affairs Section.

・Application eligibility and schedule
・Entrance examination information and the necessary documnets
・When and how to pay fees

Step 3. Prepare the necessary documents
Step 4. Take an Examination

Qualification and Admission

The final selection is based on the results of the entrance examination, with reference to the documents submitted.
Admission for undergraduate students is based on the recommendation of the prospective supervisor. However, exchange students must have a recommendation from their home university.

The application process will begin once the application documents and the application fee have been confirmed. Application documents and the application fee cannot be returned. Successful applicants are required to follow the designated enrollment procedures and pay the enrollment fee and tuition after receiving notification of the results of the entrance examination. Tuition is paid in two installments each semester. In cases of financial hardship, some or all of the tuition may be waived. For details on tuition waivers and application forms, please contact the Academic Affairs Section of the Graduate School of Life Sciences. Japanese government scholarship students are exempt from tuition and other fees. Exchange students who have a valid academic exchange agreement with their home university are also exempt from tuition.

Enrollment Application Fee Admission fee Tuition fee
Graduate Student 30,000 282,000 535,800 (per year)
Non-degree Research Student 9,800 84,600 29,700 (per month)
Non-degree Spetial Research Student - - 29,700 (per month)