Graduate School & School of Engineering Hokkaido University
Exchange Program Fact Sheet 2025-2026
1. Application Schedule
Application Period &Official Semester Period

Official Lecture Period

Deadline

Including summer/spring break *1*Including final exam week

1stMid Oct.– Nov. 1

Apr. 1 – Sep. 30

Apr. 1 - early Aug.

2ndMid Feb. – May 1

Oct. 1 – Mar. 31

Oct. 1 - early Feb.

Semester*1 Applying students must stay enrolled in their home universities throughout this period. Students who will graduate earlier than
this period are not eligible to apply. SRS students do not need to follow the above semester schedule, but they must stay enrolled
throughout the whole setting period.

2. Academic Information1) Programs
We offer two different exchange programs: Special Auditor (SA) and Special Research Student (SRS).
Student can apply for one of the programs.

SA<Eligibility> Graduate students and Undergraduate Students<What Students Do> Take courses and earn credits.
<Exchange Period> 1 or 2 semesters<Note> Students are required to attend courses at least 10 hours a week (7courses).
<Eligibility> Graduate students only
<What Students Do> Undertakes research relating to specialized area and receive supervision for research<Exchange Period> On a monthly basis, up to 1 year
<Note> SRS are not eligible to take courses.

<IMPORTANT NOTICE>
1)Due to the increasing number of students and limits in space, sometimes not all applicants can be accepted.
2) Language requirements
For undergraduate students, applicants are required to submit at least N2 level Japanese proficiency since most courses are offeredin Japanese. If undergraduate students are interested in taking courses in English, please also consider applying for HUSTEP.
(https://www.global.hokudai.ac.jp/about/publications/hustep-guide/)
For graduate students, applicants are required to submit test scores either in English or Japanese. There is no minimum language
proficiency requirement, but students should have sufficient language proficiency to keep up with the course.
3)It is our policy not to communicate directly with a student until they are officially accepted. Please advise your students to inquirewith us from the representative person of the home university.

2) Field of Study
We have 4 different departments for undergraduate level students and 13 different divisions for graduate school level students.
・Undergraduate
Applied Science and Engineering, Electronics and Information Engineering
Mechanical and Intelligent System Engineering, Socio-Environmental Engineering
・Graduate school
Applied Physics, Materials Science and Engineering, Mechanical and Space Engineering, Human Mechanical Systems and Design,
Energy and Environmental Systems, Quantum Science and Engineering, Field Engineering for the Environment,
Engineering and Policy for Sustainable Environment, Architectural and Structural Design, Human Environmental Systems,
Environmental Engineering, Sustainable Resources Engineering, Cooperative Program for Resources Engineering3) Courses
SA can find courses from the link below. They are required to pre-register for courses at the time of application. They can change
courses only if there are unavoidable circumstances. http://syllabus01.academic.hokudai.ac.jp/Syllabi/Public/Syllabus/SylSearch.aspx

4) Transcripts
We send transcripts of SA after their last semester in HU (After Oct. 1 for the 1st semester and Apr. 1 for the 2nd semester). Students
who study for two semesters can request their transcripts of the first semester while they are enrolled in HU.

5) Japanese Courses
We offer General Japanese classes for exchange students at Institute for the Advancement of Higher Education. The classes are free,and no credits will be issued. The course will be offered at three levels: Introductory, Intermediate and Advanced. Please see below
for more information.
https://www.global.hokudai.ac.jp/students/japanese-language-support/

3. Visa
Accepted international students are required to obtain a visa to study in Japan. After students’ admission has been approved,
Hokkaido University applies for the Certificate of Eligibility (CoE) which is a required document for student visa application. It will besent to partner universities with their official acceptance letter. Students will then complete the required procedures to apply for thevisa at the nearest embassy/consulate-general of Japan located in their home country.
<List of the Japanese embassies and Consulates>
https://www.mofa.go.jp/about/emb_cons/over/index.html

4. Campus Life1) Insurance <IMPORTANT!!><A. Health Insurance>
All students must be enrolled in Japanese National Health Insurance (NHI) after arrival. They only need to pay 30% of total medical
fees when they visit doctors with NHI.
<B. Personal Accident Insurance and Liability Insurance >All students must be enrolled in the insurances that cover personal injuries, injuries to a third party or damaging any property
belonging to a third party as a result of an unexpected accident during educational and research activities. We ask students to either
buy the insurances in Japan (JPY 1,340 up to 1yr) or submit a copy of such insurance policy which students are enrolled in their homecountries.

2) Residence Life
Students are eligible to apply for university dormitories. Accepted students can apply for several dormitories and they are allocatedto each room in a lottery. Dormitory open day is Mar. 25 for the 1st semester and Sep.25 for the 2nd semester and close day isSep.17 and Mar. 17 respectively. (Students who will study for two semesters can stay in the same room during the closure period
between the semesters. Please see below for more information.
https://www.global.hokudai.ac.jp/university-life/housing/student-dormitories/

Contact Us
kokusai@eng.hokudai.ac.jp
International Affairs Office of Engineering,
Hokkaido University
Kita13 Nishi8, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido JAPAN 063-0847+81-11-706-8089 Office Hours: Mon.-Fri.8:30-17:00 (JST)