KOMSTEP (Graduate School of Arts and Sciences / College of Arts and Sciences Student Exchange Programs)

2. Application Procedures

Exchange students need to be nominated by their home universities. Please contact the office responsible for student exchange at your home university and check the application procedures and documents necessary for the exchange programs to study or to research at the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences/College of Arts and Sciences of UTokyo.
All applications must be submitted to the International Research and Cooperation Office (IRCO) via the office responsible for student exchange at the applicant’s home university.

2-1. Undergraduate Students

(1) Student status at UTokyo
KOMSTEP undergraduate students will be registered as Special Auditors in the Senior Division (3rd and 4th year undergraduate) of the College of Arts and Sciences. Students must have completed at least 2 years of undergraduate studies to participate in this program.
 
(2) Application documents

• Application Form for Special Auditors – Undergraduate
• Study plan (A4 size, 1-3 pages)
• 2 letters of recommendation (dated and signed by a professor from your home university)
• Official academic transcript (issued within the last three months) from your university or other institution of higher learning attended
  * If the transcript is issued in a language other than English, it must be accompanied by an English translation
• Certificate of Enrollment (issued within the last three months)
• CV
• Photocopy of passport (page with photograph and name of applicant)
• English Proficiency Certificate and/or Japanese Language Proficiency Certificate
  * For students who wish to take courses conducted in English, they will be required to submit an official certificate of English proficiency (TOEFL/IELTS/Cambridge Certificate) unless they attend universities where the medium of instruction is English or have graduated from high schools where the medium of instruction is English.
  ** For students who wish to take courses conducted in Japanese, they will also be required to submit a certificate of Japanese language proficiency.
• Certificate of Approval
• ID Photo (Plain, light-coloured and uniform background, JPEG format)

2-2. Graduate Students

(1) Student status at UTokyo

Status	Definition	Credit awarded
Special Auditors	Students registered for courses	yes
Special Research Students	Students conducting research under the guidance of a faculty member and who do not earn credit	no

(2) Application documents

• Form A: Application for Special Auditors – Graduate(21.1 KB)
• Form B: Application for Special Research Students - Graduate
• Research proposal (A4 size, no more than 5 pages including references)
• 2 letters of recommendation (dated and signed by a professor from your home university)
• Official academic transcript (issued within the last three months) from your university or other institution of higher learning attended
  * If the transcript is issued in a language other than English, it must be accompanied by an English translation
  ** If you are in your first year of a master’s course and you have not received any grades at the time of application, please submit your transcript for undergraduate studies.
• Certificate of Enrollment (issued within the last three months)
• CV
• Photocopy of passport (page with photograph and name of applicant)
• ID Photo (Plain, light-coloured and uniform background, JPEG format)

Courses available at each faculty and graduate school can be searched at the following URL:
https://catalog.he.u-tokyo.ac.jp/?interface_language=enJapanese language courses for credit are offered to undergraduate students at Komaba Campus.
If you wish to register for the courses, you must respond to the survey and also take the placement test, which will be provided after your admission to the exchange program is confirmed.
Course information: https://webpark2405.sakura.ne.jp/nihongo/courses/courses03/

Non-credit Japanese courses are open to all KOMSTEP students at Komaba Campus (in-person) and Hongo Campus (online).In accordance with the memorandum on student exchange, exchange students will not be charged for examination fees, admission fees and tuition fees. Exchange students may apply for university housing. Application details will be provided after you have been admitted to the exchange program. However, because of the limited number of facilities, university housing is not guaranteed.
Further information about university housing is available on the following website:
http://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/administration/housing-office/index.htmlAll students are required to obtain a student visa to study at a university in Japan. After students have been officially accepted to the exchange program, IRCO will provide information about the process for obtaining a Certificate of Eligibility (COE). Students will then need to take the COE and other required documents to the nearest Japanese Embassy or Consulate to obtain a student visa. International Research and Cooperation Office (IRCO)
Graduate School of Arts and Sciences/College of Arts and Sciences
The University of Tokyo
Email：irco-komaba@adm.c.u-tokyo.ac.jp