This Q&A primarily applies to the Regular Examination. The answers may not apply to all types of examinations. Please make sure to check the Application Guide, and the Entrance Examination Guide that are enclosed with the Examination Admission Card.

Application Guide

Q1. What should I do to obtain the Application Guide?

A. Please download it from our website. (Admissions > Application Guide) Please note that we do not issue a printed booklet of the Application Guide.

Eligibility Requirements

Q2. Do I need to take the Judgement of Eligibility?

A. First, please confirm the eligibility by yourself by reading the “II. Eligibility Requirements” in the Application Guide.
Applicants satisfying at least one of the eligibility requirements (1)-(6) are not required to pass through it.
Applicants who wish to apply under the eligibility requirement (7) or (8) must be screened by JAIST prior to applying. The forms and the guide are available from our website (Admissions > Application Guide > Judgement of Eligibility), an applicant who needs to take the Judgement of Eligibility has to fill in, print out and submit them with the other necessary documents by the deadline which are described in the Application Guide.

Q3. I graduated from a medical school of Japanese university. Could I apply for the doctoral program?

A. No, you could not. We do not regard the graduation of medical, dentistry, pharmacy, or veterinary schools as the completion of Master’s program. You must take a Judgement of Eligibility. After we recognize that your ability is equivalent to or greater than that of Master’s degree holders, you will be able to apply for the Doctoral Program.

Multiple Applications

Q4. Can I apply for other examinations conducted by JAIST at the same time?

A. Applicants are not allowed to apply for other examinations conducted by JAIST until they receive the result of the one they took. After knowing the result of the examination, you can apply for another examination. You need to start an application procedure again from the beginning each time you apply.

Consent of acceptance

Q5. Do I have to contact an intended supervisor?

A. Yes, you have to. Since the “Consent of acceptance” is one of required documents, you need to contact an intended supervisor to obtain it. This consent is informal, therefore, it does not mean you succeed in the examination.

How to input the data

Q6. What kind of face photo data should I prepare?

A. Please prepare your color photograph data (jpeg, jpg, png, bmp) (max:2MB) which shows your full head and shoulders facing the front without a hat or any material covering your head and face, has no background and was taken in the past 3 months. The photograph taken with a smartphone is acceptable. The photograph should be clear. Please do not edit the photo, as it will be used for identity verification on the day of the examination.

Q7. Should I fill in the same address as that in my Certificate of Residence?

A. In the case that you reside in Japan, please fill in your current address accurately including a building name and a room number. This address is very important because we use this for mailing your Examination Admissions Card.
In the case that you reside outside Japan, please enter the information such as your country’s name, etc. into the Online Application Registration page.
If you would like to change your address after having finished the Online Application Registration, please email the Admissions Section (nyushi@ml.jaist.ac.jp).

Q8. Do I need to enter my mobile phone number?

A. Yes, please. We need your phone number for an urgent call during the examination.

Q9. What should I fill in as the most recent educational background, which satisfies the Eligibility Requirement?

A. Mostly it is about a Master’s program/course in graduate schools or professional schools.

Q10. What should I do if I need more space for writing my educational (or professional) background?

A. Please write it on a separate sheet of paper and email it to the Admissions Section (nyushi@ml.jaist.ac.jp). The form is unspecified.

Q11. I am an international student. How should I fill in my name?

A. Please use English alphabet letters that is the same as shown in your passport. Even in the case that you are expected to graduate or already graduated from a Japanese university, please write it in English. Regarding FURIGANA, Japanese phonetic guides, if you know it, please fill in. If you do not know FURIGANA, please fill out your name in English alphabet letters.

Q12. How should I describe the name of a university outside Japan? I graduated (am expected to graduate) from a university outside Japan.

A. Please use English alphabet letters to fill in the name of the university, department and major. Even if your official transcript and/or (expected) graduation certificate are written in languages other than English, please use English alphabet letters. If you graduated (are expected to graduate) from a Japanese university, please use KANJI, Chinese characters, to fill in the name of the university, department, and major.

Q13. In which cases do I need to submit Curriculum Vitae?

A. Not only applicants who have studied in university, but also all the applicants who have received education in any kind of school in countries other than Japan need to submit a curriculum vitae. If you have a master’s degree or a professional degree from a Japanese university, there is no need to submit it.

Online Application Registration

Q14. I noticed mistake in my input after making the payment. What should I do?

A. Please contact the Admissions Section of JAIST (nyushi@ml.jaist.ac.jp) within the application period.

Q15. Do I have to complete the online registration application within a specified period?

A. Yes, you must complete it within the application period. During the application period, you can register 24 hours a day. Please note that you must complete the online registration and payment of the screening fee within the application period.

Q16. Is there any specification for the file format when I upload the application documents?

A. PDF file is preferable to prevent layout collapse.

Q17. Do I need to print out the Application Form and submit it to JAIST?

A. You do not need to submit it to us. Please keep it for yourself.

Certificates (official transcript, proof of (expected) master's degree)

Q18. Do I need to mail certificates?

A. Applicants for the Regular Examination must upload them on the online application registration system. If admitted, they must mail them (orginal paper) to JAIST within one month of the notification of admission decision. Failure to submit them will result in the cancellation of admission. For other types of examination, applicants are required to mail them to JAIST at the time of application.

Q19. Do certificates need to be sealed?

A. If the paper is anti-counterfeiting or special paper of the university with the official seal, there is no need to be sealed. However, certificates with an electronic seal but not in anti-counterfeiting paper are not accepted unless the envelopes are sealed by the university from which applicants graduated or are expected to graduate.
Certificates in languages other than English or Japanese must be accompanied with official translations in English or Japanese. (in this case, if the original certificate needs to be sealed, please submit the sealed envelope that contains the original certificate.)

*We accept translations translated by the public institution such as Embassy or Consulate General, Japanese language schools, or translation companies, and an official seal of the translation institution is essential in the translation. We do not accept the translation without the official seal or the translation translated by an applicant.

Q20. What should I do when uploading certificates, if they are sealed by the university from which I graduated?

A. Please open the sealed certificates, scan them into PDFs, and upload them. However, even in this case, if admitted, you must submit a newly issued, sealed certificates from the university.

Q21. Are copies acceptable?

A. No, copies are not acceptable. You must submit the original. If applicants cannot submit the original, please submit the Certified True Copy, which is proved by the university that applicants graduated from or a public institution such as an Embassy or a Consulate that it is the true copy of the original certificate.
We might cancel your admission or enrollment, if we knew that it was not the original.

Q22. Could you return the certificates that I submitted to me?

A. No, we could not. Regarding the proof of (expected) master's degree, please submit the certificate issued by the university you are expected to graduate or graduated from, NOT diploma. A university usually issues certificates when a graduate asks, however, in the case that the university never issues the certificate and you would like us to return, please submit the document telling us that the university never issues the certificate, and consult us at the time of application.

Q23. Do I need to submit two certificates, in the case that the certificate describes both of my transcript and my master's degree in one sheet of paper?

A. In that case, please submit one.

Q24. My transcript contains credits transferred from the previous university. Is it enough to submit the transcript from the university which satisfies the Eligibility Requirements?

A. No. We would like to know the points (grade) of each subject. In the case that a credit was transferred, please submit the transcript which describes the evaluation points/grade which were the basis of credit accreditation.
For example: in the case that you left A university and entered B university, then B university approved a credit you had obtained in A university, you need to submit both of transcripts from A university and B university.

Q25. I have a copy/an electronic version of the transcript and the proof of master's degree. I cannot go and get the original certificates in person. What could I do?

A. Issuing certificates may take some time, so please plan accordingly. Please consult with your university to see if it is possible to receive the original certificates by mail or other methods. If, due to international circumstances or university closure, there is no way to obtain the original certificates during the application period, please email us with a screenshot or other evidence from your university's website confirming this situation.
We will consider accepting copies or electronic versions only upon confirmation of this fact. However, even in such cases, you will still be required to submit the original certificates during the admission process after passing the examination.

Research Outline, Research Proposal

Q26. Could I ask questions to teachers in the laboratory to which I wish to belong after enrollment when I write the research outline and research proposal?

A. Yes, you could. Since the research theme you wish to pursue is closely related to the research contents of the laboratory, you could ask questions to them.

Examination

Q27. What should I prepare for the examination?

A. Selection is conducted by an oral examination about the applicant’s research outline and research proposal submitted at the time of application. Please bring your own PC, if you use it for the oral presentation. We prepare a projector. If you wish to distribute printed materials to the examiners, please prepare four copies (A4 size, free format).

Q28. What is the level of the examination?

A. It is a basic level that we consider the completion of Master’s program.

Q29. I am an international student. I do not have enough confidence in my Japanese ability.

A. If you have Japanese or English ability enough to study at classes and conduct your research, it is just sufficient. We value your specialized knowledge, ability, and aspiration necessary for carrying out study and research at JAIST. However, when it comes to the course for working professionals in Tokyo satellite campus, Japanese proficiency is necessary as well as the proper Status of Residence that allows you to do various activities in Japan. The Student visa is not adequate in that purpose.

Others

Q30. Is it hard to pass because my major at university was different?

A. We do not count your major at university as long as you have sufficient specialized knowledge, ability and aspiration necessary for carrying out study and research at JAIST. We accept students from a wide variety of backgrounds.

Q31. Could I decide the examination date?

A. You could not decide the venue. The venue is the campus where you are going to study after enrollment. The date must be one day during the examination period. You could consult about the date when you contact your intended supervisor to get the consent of acceptance.

Q32. Do I need to wear a suit and tie for the examination?

A. You do not always need to wear them. Casual clothing is acceptable as long as it is within the common sense. From May to September, the staffs in JAIST are allowed to wear summer casual clothes.

Q33. Do you release the details of the past examinations to the public?

A. No, we do not. Since the examination is a special oral examination that is conducted within 50 minutes per an applicant, we do not release them.

Q34. Where should I contact before enrollment?

A. First, please read the application guide thoroughly. All inquiries must be made by each applicant. As we hold information sessions and open campuses, we encourage you to attend. Regarding the application guides, examinations and admission procedures, please contact the Admissions Section (nyushi@ml.jaist.ac.jp). Regarding the university information sessions and open campuses, brochures and posters, please contact the Admissions Service Section (nyugaku@ml.jaist.ac.jp).