REP_AY2021/22_1.4

Guidelines for the AY2021-2022
Research Exchange/Laboratory Internship Programat Shibaura Institute of Technology

International Programs Initiatives Section(As of April, 2021)

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Index
1.

Program Outline

2

2.

Contents2

3.

Requirements/Eligibility

3

4.

Program duration

3

5.

Laboratory matching and acceptance4

6.

Academic calendar and course information

4

7.

Program Fee

4

8.

Scholarship opportunity

49.

Campus information

5

10.

Procedures

6

11.

Entry and the application deadline

712.

VISA process

813.

Accommodation in Japan

1014.

Facility of SIT

1115.

Total cost of expenditure in Tokyo

1216.

Arrival- from airport to your accommodation

131

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1. Program Outline
The Research Exchange/Laboratory Internship Program gives participants opportunities to work on
research projects under the supervision of a SIT professor.
The participants will be assigned to a laboratory based on their research topic and the lab capacity of SIT
professors. Participants can pursue their research topics and hands-on experience in a Japanese-stylelaboratory and culturally diverse vibrant academic/research environment.
The objective of this program is not to learn new academic fields from scratch, but to deepen theknowledge and areas you have already learned.
The program allows even the undergraduate students (Bachelor 3rd year or over) to participate in the
program so that the students can acquire the hands-on experience and practice the research skills fromthe early stage of their higher education.
The program is also suitable for the students in his/her senior year and graduate level utilizing the
program as part of their thesis work.

2. Contents- Laboratory activity
The selection of a host professor is done based on the application documents of participants and thecapacity of laboratory. Then research theme is finalized based on the discussion with the host professor.
The participants will belong to Japanese style laboratory* during the program period. The activity at thelaboratory depends on each laboratory and its research theme. The experimentation in the laboratory or
the field work may not be the main activities. The participants may be asked to examine the literature andto support the senior members of the laboratory.
*What is Japanese style laboratory?
It is composed of A professor, Senior students (Doctor or Master), and Final year students ofundergraduate program. The average number of students in a laboratory is 10 to 15 students.
Usually SIT student joins the laboratory at the end of 3rd year or from 4th year and start his/her research
activity. While assisting the senior students’ research work, the student will find his/her own research
theme.
The laboratory usually has a whole meeting once a week to share the work progress of laboratory
members. Some laboratories have events outside the laboratory, like summer camp, short trip, laboratory
parties and such. Students in the same laboratory get very close together like families.

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REP_AY2021/22_1.4- Courses (Optional)
It is optional. Program participants can take courses taught in English or the Japanese language course
offered by SIT if they stay in SIT for more than one full semester. The participants can take courses alongwith research activity during the program.
If the participants wish to take courses, it is required to :-register for the courses at the beginning of each semester (April or September).

-complete the course, can NOT partially attend the classes.

*Research Exchange Program participants are NOT allowed to take Japanese-based courses (coursestaught in Japanese), . (Japanese-based courses are NOT Japanese language courses.)
3. Requirements/Eligibility
The applicant must:- be Bachelor 3rd year or higher level who has basic/good knowledge to conduct research work
independently.
- complete the program at SIT and return to home university before graduation (at least 1 month before
the graduation) from the home university.
- have good English skills* (CEFR B2 equivalent or higher)- be physically and mentally healthy. (health checkup / certificate is required upon application.)- comply with the Japanese export control legal framework.
https://www.meti.go.jp/policy/anpo/securityexportcontrol1.html- *CEFR B2 is equivalent to IELTS 5.5-6.5, TOEFL iBT 72-94, TOEFL ITP Level 1 & 2 543-626, Cambridge
English FCE 160-179, Cambridge English CAE 160-179, and Cambridge English (CPE) 162-179. (Thefigures may change from time to time)* Native English speakers and English-based degree students are not required to submit English
proficiency scores.
* If the applicant has not taken an English proficiency test, his/her home university can issue a letterthat substantiates the student's English proficiency. Complete this program before the graduation ofhome university.
4. Program duration
Research work only: 8 working days – 1 year
Research work and Course: 1 semester or 2 semesters (up to 1 year)* The duration is finalized with host professor.
* The program end date can be freely set, however the first day of the program should be Monday. If theMonday is on national holiday or the host professor is not available, it will be shifted to the other day. Also,
please avoid starting your program in the holiday seasons as below.
Late Dec. to beginning of January (about 10 days) : New year holiday
Late Apr. to May 7 : special holiday in Japan (Golden week)
Middle of Aug. (about 2 wks) : summer holiday* The “working day” here means the day you actually do your research activity. It does not include thedays of traveling to/from Japan.

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5. Laboratory matching and the acceptance
The SIT international office will look for your supervisor at SIT based on your application form, and onthe availability of SIT professor. Please acknowledge that there is a possibility that you will not be
accepted depending on your research theme or the acceptance situation of SIT.
6. Academic Calendar and course information
Shibaura Institute of Technology has 2 semesters a year.
1st semester (spring semester) : from the Beginning of April to the end of July
2nd semester (fall semester) : from the end of September to the end of January.
If the participants wish to take courses, see the website for the Course Taking Sandwich program andAcademic Calendar for details as below link.
-Website for Course Taking Sandwich Program*Course schedule is also available from the link above.
7. Program Fee
SIT Partner University applicants:- Registration fee: JPY30,000- Admission fee: All waived- Tuition fee: All waived

Non-Partner University applicants:- Registration fee: JPY30,000- Admission fee: JPY40,000- Tuition (Course takers only): JPY15,000/credit
Payment schedule:-Registration fee: After officially admitted to the program when we send Letter ofAcceptance (LOA) to the students-Admission fee and tuition: Upon arrival *TBA
* You can check the link for SIT partner universities but the newly added universities may not be on thelist so please check with the international coordinator at your university to see if your university is SIT’s
partner university.
8. Scholarship opportunity
SIT offers a scholarship to the program participants. In the online application form, there is a place where
you can indicate that you wish to receive the SIT scholarship. By indicating “yes”, SIT acknowledge thatthe applicant is applying for the scholarship.
SIT offers JPY 40,000 per month during the program for students who passes scholarship screening.
This screening process takes at least 2 months. During this period, SIT will find your supervisor anddecide the scholarship amount.
After the screening, SIT provides a letter of acceptance (LOA) via the applicants’ university coordinator.
The amount of the scholarship is written on LOA ONLY IF you are a scholarship receiver.

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REP_AY2021/22_1.4*Those who are going to receive any scholarship(s) for the same or more amount than SIT scholarshipfrom other organization(s) during the program can NOT apply for SIT scholarship.
*The scholarship selection process will only be done once. Once we receive the application, additional
scholar won't be selected even if other scholars gave up.
*Although we provide scholarships to some students, the amount won’t be enough to support all living
expenses during the stay in Japan.
9. Campus information
SIT is located in the heart of Japan. There are 3 campuses and 2 campuses out of 3, Toyosu andShibaura campus, are located in Tokyo and Omiya campus is located to Saitama (next to Tokyo).
Being in Tokyo or close is one of the most attractive points for the students especially from othercountries and many students attended SIT have taken advantages of living in the central and enjoy theirlife in Japan.
Each campus has different colleges and a school as following picture show. When you search yourprofessor, please also concern to which department the professor belongs to.
In order to search professors, please visit the following page.
SIT Laboratory Page (Current Laboratory Information)*The website shows the current SIT’s laboratory information, including its department in SITand the location.

Toyosu campus (Tokyo): College of Engineering and School of ArchitectureShibaura campus (Tokyo): College of Engineering and Design
Omiya campus (Saitama): College of Systems Engineering and Science5

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10. Procedures1) Preparations:-

Check the website and program guideline to have a good understanding of the program outline.

-

Consult with the university coordinator who is in charge of overseas study programs at homeuniversity.

-Search for the laboratory and professor(s) to be supervised when you participate in the programfrom the SIT Research Laboratory list
Make sure that SIT has the field of study you wish totake a part.

-Be sure about your budget plan concerning the duration of study and living cost in Japan.

2) Applications:-

Apply via online system from the program website during the application period for the period
you wish to study.

-Complete the online application and submit the following documents through the system.
Required documents : CV, Research Plan, Motivation letter, Transcript* Check here for the formats of the required documents : Before you make CV, Research Planand Motivation-

During the online application, you make a request to your university coordinator to nominate you.
The request is made via online application system. (Without the nomination from the university
coordinator, your application cannot be completed.)3) After application-

Once SIT receive the applications, the screening will be held.

-Within 2 months after the application is closed, SIT will notify the result of screening.

-

While screening, SIT find a host professor based on the applicant’s choice and submitted
documents (CV, research plan).

-

The applicants who pass the screening will receive Letter of Acceptance (LOA) via applicants’university coordinator. * Those who pass the screening of scholarship will be notified on theLOA.

4) After confirming the acceptance-Pay the registration fee (JPY30,000) via online payment system (admission and tuition fee will becharged later for the students from non-partner universities).

-After SIT confirms the payment, receive the further information including the guidebook and takethe necessary steps to come study in Japan. . e.g. visa matter, accommodation, courses,
required documents
about visa application : see page 96

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11. Entry and the application deadline
Based on what month you want to participate in, apply for the program during the application acceptanceperiod.
(For example, if you are going to begin your study at SIT from June 3, you have to be nominated byyour university and your application has to be submitted during the 2nd Entry.)* SIT is closed for one or two weeks in mid-August and during the long holiday. Research can NOT be
conducted during this period.

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12. VISA Process Student visa (need CoE)
Students who will participate the program for more than 90 days, must have a “Student visa”. Once SIT
accepts applicants for the program, SIT applies for the Certificate of Eligibility (CoE*) of the program
candidates and send the original certificate to the program coordinator at your home university. Usually,
this process takes about 2-3 months to get the original CoE reaching you.

Visa procedures for Long-Term Stay(SIT)

Link: Application for Certificate of Eligibility (CoE)8

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 Short-Term Stay visa *in case the candidates is from the countries where require visa to enter Japan.
Applicants from certain countries will be required to obtain a short-term stay visa even if their stay period
is less than 90 days.
In order to get this visa, they must have an invitation letter from SIT.
Applicants must take this letter to a local Japanese embassy or consulate to apply for the visa. SIT will
prepare an invitation letter and send it to the applicants via home university coordinator.
To know whether you are subject to this requirement, please refer to the list of visa exemption countries
on this website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan.
If your nationality is not on the list, you must apply for the short-term stay visa. Please check to see
whether or not you need to apply for this VISA.

Visa procedures for Short-Term Stay(SIT)9

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13. Accommodation in Japan
Once applicants are accepted, SIT will provide accommodation information and help them findaccommodation in Japan. The following data/figures are from the surveys taken from the international
students actually studying at SIT. We hope these information help you find an accommodation.
As shown in the picture below, the accommodation and living expenses will vary by area.
So please decide the living location based on the campus you’ll mainly belong to, transportation fee andliving cost by area.
Also, SIT owns the dormitory for both Japanese and international students. This dormitory, “SIT GlobalDormitory” is located at Omiya Campus as a forum for cultural exchange between Japanese andinternational students. However, since we accept a greater number of applicants than the number of therooms in the dormitory. it is very competitive to enter. So, we share the list of the accommodations and thereal estate agencies to those who cannot live in the dormitory.

[Important] When looking for accommodation, please first check on which laboratory
you will be belonged.

APPROXIMATE ACCOMMODATION EXPENSES BY AREAPECENTAGE OF LIVING EXPENSES BY AREA

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PERCENTAGE OF LIVING EXPENSESPER ACCOMMODATION TYPE

(Omiya)(Toyosu)

Note:- TIEC (Tokyo International Exchange Center) is a dormitory for the students of Graduate level orover. It is located near Toyosu campus in the Odaiba district. Must pass the screening.

Picture of The Dormitory
Advices from International Students at SIT It's better to share accommodation with friends that you know. It helps you save all costs(accommodation, food, etc). Try to find a good, shared apartment between your friends next to yourmain campus, it helps a lot to mitigate transport expenses.
14. Facility of SIT
Toyosu and Omiya campus has its own cafeteria and store. The cafeteria serves traditional Japanese
food, curry, noodles and so on. If you suffer from food allergies, do not worry. Every food comes with adetailed list of the ingredients used. You can pay with cash, credit card or prepaid card.

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Toyosu’s Cafeteria

Omiya’s Cafeteria

15. Total Cost of expenditure in Tokyo
This is a result of survey of total cost of living per month in Tokyo area for SIT international students.
The following chart shows average expenses how much they need to spend per month.

more than
JPY140,000
20%less than
JPY80,000
15%

between
JPY110,000
and
JPY140,000
28%

between
JPY80,000 and
JPY 110,000
37%

PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS WORKING PART TIME
International student’s first priority is“Studying”, however they are allowed towork during their free time up to 28 hours per week.
Right figure shows the percentage of students
doing the part time job.
Sometimes, SIT international office calls
for part time jobs.
(ex. Airport pick up, supporter for event etc.)

Advices from International Students at SIT
 Confirm the cost for everything before you come. The initial cost of living can be very expensive.
 Cost varies upon location where you stay at.
 I think living cost can really vary depending on the people. But, as long as you take control on what
you spent (especially on food and transportation), it could be quite affordable.
 SIT is very convenient to study even though Tokyo is quite expensive to live but it's worth it.

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16. Arrival – Airport to your accommodation.
Since the Tokyo is one of the towns where public transportation is well developed, we are notproviding the airport pick up service. You can check the website of Haneda airport and Narita
airport to understand the access method from each airport to the city center. If you would like toknow the specific route to your accommodation, please refer the common Route search site.

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