IGPAS
FAQ
General Questions
- Q1. What is the difference between the Special Selection for International Students and IGPAS?
- Q2. Does IGPAS accept students in April?
- Q3. Do I need to take a Japanese language proficiency test?
- Q4. Do I need to submit a medical examination report?
- Q5. How do I pay my application fee of 30,000 JPY?
- Q6. Is IGPAS Pre-Application required before sending applications?
About a Prospective Supervisor
- Q7. How can I find information about faculty members and their research?
- Q8. I have contacted faculty members, but I have not received a response. What should I do?
- Q9. I have contacted faculty members, but they said they could not be my supervisor. What should I do?
- Q10. I may not be able to find a prospective supervisor by the application deadline. Can I send the application documents first and find a supervisor afterward?
- Q11. I have obtained consent for my IGPAS application from two different faculty members. Is it possible for me to apply for IGPAS with their names and take entrance examinations twice separately?
About Application Documents
- Q12. I am due to graduate by September 30 but my University will not issue a Certificate of expected graduation. What should I do?
- Q13. Should the academic transcripts be originals?
- Q14. Do I need to submit TOEFL® or IELTS scores? What else will be accepted?
- Q15. What is the minimum English proficiency requirement?
- Q16. Does IGPAS require GRE® TEST for international students?
- Q17. Can I send the application documents via email?
- Q18. Can I arrange to have the testing center send the test score reports of GRE®, TOEFL®, and IELTS directly to the IGPAS Admissions Office?
- Q19. I do not have my passport. Does IGPAS require submitting a photocopy of the passport for the application?
- Q20. My native language is English. Do I still need to submit a document proving my English ability?
About Examination/Screening
- Q21. Do I need to come to Japan for the entrance examination?
- Q22. What will the entrance examination be like?
About Financial Support
General Questions
Q1. What is the difference between the Special Selection for International Students and IGPAS?
The major differences between these two programs are the enrollment period, language, and financial support. In the case of the Special Selection for International Students, the examination is conducted twice a year for either October or April admissions, and the lectures are offered in either Japanese or English. On the other hand, IGPAS accepts October enrollment only, and lectures are provided in English.
Also, the MEXT (Japanese Government) scholarship opportunities are available to the IGPAS master's program applicants for 2023, 2024, and 2025 admissions, who pass the entrance examination with excellent performance as well as meet the designated eligibility by MEXT.
For more information, please refer to the website below:
https://www.sci.tohoku.ac.jp/english/prospective/index.html
Q2. Does IGPAS accept students in April?
No. IGPAS accepts new students for October enrollment (Fall semester) only.
Q3. Do I need to take a Japanese language proficiency test?
No. Japanese language proficiency test is not required to apply for IGPAS.
Q4. Do I need to submit a medical examination report?
No. Applicants are not required to submit the report, not even for the MEXT scholarship.
Q5. How do I pay my application fee of 30,000 JPY?
The application fee will be charged when they decide to enroll in IGPAS as privately-financed students. As for the payment method and time, instructions will be provided by IGPAS Admissions Office in due course.
Q6. Is IGPAS Pre-Application required before sending applications?
Yes. We ask all applicants to register via the Online Pre-Application. The IGPAS Admissions Office reviews the eligibility of applicants based on the information from the Pre-Application. Those who fall into certain conditions are required to take a preliminary screening prior to application. Please refer to "ELIGIBILITY FOR IGPAS" to see the conditions. Preliminary screening information will be provided by the IGPAS Admissions Office.
About a Prospective Supervisor
Q7. How can I find information about faculty members and their research?
The following websites should be helpful for finding your prospective supervisor:
・School of Science Website
https://www.sci.tohoku.ac.jp/english/
・Tohoku University Reserchers
https://www.r-info.tohoku.ac.jp/?lang=english
[Note] The website contains information on all faculty members of Tohoku University.
Make sure to select "Graduate School of Science" in the "Affiliation" for finding your prospective supervisor.
・Departments' Websites
Mathematics http://www.math.tohoku.ac.jp/english/index-e.html
Physics https://www.phys.tohoku.ac.jp/en/
Astronomy https://www.astr.tohoku.ac.jp/en/
Geophysics https://www.gp.tohoku.ac.jp/index-en.html
Chemistry http://www.chem.tohoku.ac.jp/english/
Earth Science http://www.es.tohoku.ac.jp/EN/
Q8. I have contacted faculty members, but I have not received a response. What should I do?
Faculty members of the Graduate School of Science may not respond to emails from a stranger because of the number of emails they receive every day. It would be advisable to provide as much information about yourself (academic background, interest, and goal in detail) when sending an email. Please refer to "How to Apply (Step2)". The IGPAS Admissions Office may contact the faculty member to verify the receipt of your email upon your request, only if you have tried every means possible and still have not gotten a reply.
Q9. I have contacted faculty members, but they said they could not be my supervisor. What should I do?
Ask them to introduce someone else to you or try to find other faculty members by using the websites introduced above.
Q10. I may not be able to find a prospective supervisor by the application deadline. Can I send the application documents first and find a supervisor afterward?
No. Obtaining the consent of acceptance from our faculty members is required for the application. Applications without a copy of email correspondence with your prospective supervisor indicating that the prospective supervisor accepts you to study in their laboratory will not be accepted.
Q11. I have obtained consent for my IGPAS application from two different faculty members. Is it possible for me to apply for IGPAS with their names and take entrance examinations twice separately?
Even though you have obtained consent from more than one faculty member, you are not allowed to apply for IGPAS with two different supervisors' names. You have to decide on the preferred one by the time of your application.
About Application Documents
Q12. I am due to graduate by September 30 but my University will not issue a Certificate of Expected Graduation. What should I do?
It does not have to be a Certificate of Expected Graduation. We need any official documentation that certifies you will graduate by September 30. If your expected graduation date or month is stated in an academic transcript, it can be used as substitute material for a Certificate of Expected Graduation. A letter from a responsible official of your university with your expected graduation date or month is also acceptable as a substitute for a Certificate of Expected Graduation.
Q13. Should the academic transcripts be originals?
They must be digital copies of the official academic transcript when applying. Please note that the original academic transcripts need to be submitted at the time of the admission procedure.
Q14. Do I need to submit TOEFL® or IELTS scores? What else will be accepted?
Applicants whose native language is not English must submit the score of an English proficiency test. However, it does not have to be a TOEFL® or IELTS score. They are just examples. Please refer to "APPLICATION DOCUMENTS" to see other examples.
* TOEFL, TOEFL iBT, TOEFL ITP, and TOEIC are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service (ETS).
Q15. What is the minimum English proficiency requirement?
We do not have particular score requirements. Your English proficiency will not be judged solely by these scores but by all the application documents as well as the oral interview.
Q16. Does IGPAS require GRE® TEST for international students?
The GRE® TEST score is not required for the IGPAS application, except for the Geophysics applicants. Only for the Geophysics applicants, the GRE® subject test score either in Mathematics or Physics is mandatory to submit as a document to certify your academic ability .
* GRE is a registered trademark of the Educational Testing Service (ETS).
Q17. Can I send the application documents via email?
The application documents need to be submitted via the online form. If you have difficulty in sending the application documents online, please contact the IGPAS Admissions Office. Please note that some documents sent for the IGPAS application need to be submitted in original at the time of the admission procedures.
Q18. Can I arrange to have the testing center send the test score reports of GRE®, TOEFL®, and IELTS directly to the IGPAS Admissions Office?
Yes, the official test score reports sent directly from the testing organization are acceptable. In such a case, please explain so to the IGPAS Admissions Office.
[Note]
Institution codes (or DI code) of the Graduate School of Science Tohoku University are:
- 7115 for GRE® TEST
- 0373 for TOEFL® TEST
* TOEFL, TOEFL iBT, TOEFL ITP, TOEIC and GRE are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service (ETS).
Q19. I do not have my passport. Does IGPAS require submitting a photocopy of the passport for the application?
If you do not have your passport, submit an item proving your citizenship, such as a photocopy of your citizenship card, birth certificate, or census register.
Q20. My native language is English. Do I still need to submit a document proving my English ability?
Applicants whose native language is English are exempted from submitting a test score of English proficiency.
About Examination/Screening
Q21. Do I need to come to Japan for the entrance examination?
No. The entrance examination will be conducted by using internet-connected devices. The committee members will contact applicants to instruct the screening method after the IGPAS Admissions Office reviews all of the application documents.
Q22. What will the entrance examination be like?
The examination will be managed independently by the committee members of each department, and it will be in the form of a written examination and an oral interview. The examination will be conducted sometime between late December to January. The IGPAS Admissions Office is not in charge of the screening process and cannot provide detailed information on the examination.
About Financial Support
Q23. I heard that the IGPAS offers MEXT (Japanese Government) scholarships to master's program students for 2023, 2024, and 2025 admissions. How can I apply for the MEXT scholarship for the IGPAS?
We offer MEXT scholarship opportunities to master's program applicants who successfully pass the IGPAS entrance examination with excellent performance as well as meet the designated eligibility by MEXT. The result of the MEXT scholarship is announced on the IGPAS examination result page. Necessary paperwork instructions will be given by the IGPAS Admissions Office after the examination result announcement.
For the MEXT scholarship conditions, please click here.
Q24. Are there any financial supports other than the MEXT scholarship? How can I obtain information about other scholarship/financial aid?
Please refer to the following website for financial support information:
https://www.sci.tohoku.ac.jp/english/igpas/#05
You may want to refer to the website below for the list of scholarships for prospective students who wish to study in Japan.
[Scholarships for International Students in Japan (Scholarships for the Applicants Residing Abroad)]
http://www.jasso.go.jp/en/study_j/scholarships/brochure.html
