2025 (Spring/Fall Enrolment)

Application Procedures and Guidelines
for the International Course inPrimatology and Wildlife Research,
Division of Biological Science,
Graduate School of Science,
Kyoto University

Inuyama Campus, Kyoto University
41-2, Kanrin, Inuyama, Aichi, 484-8506, Japan
Center for International Collaboration and Advanced Studies
in Primatology
Tel: +81-568-63-0284
Email: cicasp_exam@mail2.adm.kyoto-u.ac.jp

CONTENTS
1. Program Description ··································································· 2
2. Eligibility ···················································································· 3
3. Application Requirements ··························································· 3
4. Application Procedures ·······························································55. Selection Procedures ··································································56. Admission Fee, Tuition and Admission Procedures ···················· 6
7. Support and Scholarships ···························································· 7
8. Handling of Personal Information ··············································· 8
9. Contact Information ···································································· 8Appendix
1. Payment Methods
2. List of faculty members and research areas represented on the Inuyama Campus/WRC
3. Form 4: Remittance Certificate of Application Fee*
*Only for the applicants who make payment from inside Japan1

1. Program Description
The International Course in Primatology and Wildlife Research is a graduate program of
Kyoto University that focuses on the study of non-human primates and other wild animals tounderstand evolutionary origins of human behaviors, promote their conservation, health andwelfare, and to advance our understanding of wildlife and human nature. Graduate students enroll
in either the MSc or DSc course with one of the existing sections at Center for the Evolutionary Origins
of Human Behavior (EHUB) of Kyoto University, related sections at the Inuyama Campus , oralternatively at Kyoto University's Wildlife Research Center (WRC). Both degrees offered areresearch-focused, but master’s students are also required to complete a set of courses and training
programs provided by the Department of Primatology and Wildlife Science . Students who
have successfully completed their master’s degrees typically progress to the DSc program. MSc
students are required to take a series of classes in Primatology and Wildlife Science from April toJuly. Classes offered in English are sufficient for students to obtain the credits necessary tocomplete their master's degree. On the other hand, students may also take classes not taught inEnglish, in which case slides and supplementary information in English are available from
instructors.
EHUB is home to over 1100 nonhuman primates of 12 species. It promotes research on theevolutionary origins of human behavioral traits through experimental studies on primates. The
Center for International Collaboration and Advanced Studies in Primatology (CICASP) is staffed byfaculty members and administrators fluent in English. They will be on hand to help you with theentrance procedure and with your daily life in Japan.
WRC aims to promote scientific research on wild animals and education. Its missions are:1) conducting basic research on endangered and threatened species of wild animals, 2) integrating
different areas of science to create new disciplines applicable to field settings, and 3) collaboratingwith zoos, sanctuaries, aquariums, and museums, etc., to promote environmental education
especially among young people. WRC now also employs faculty and administrators fluent in English
to support international students.
These MSc and DSc programs are recommended for anyone wishing to study primatology
and other areas of wildlife science.

Detailed and updated information can be found on the website:
https://cicasp.ehub.kyoto-u.ac.jp/

22. Eligibility
2.1 Annual Program Enrollment Limit:
Annual enrollment is limited to 5 students each for the MSc and DSc programs.
2.2 Eligibility1) Non-Japanese citizens➢ Japanese citizens are eligible only if they satisfy special conditions (contact us fordetailed information).
2) Students who are able to pay enrollment fee and tuition fees, as well as their living expenses
in Japan. (See Section 7 for details of potential sources of support and scholarships)
3) Those who have completed or are expected to complete their bachelor’s or master’s degreeby the end of March in the enrollment year to begin in April, or by the end of September inthe enrollment year to begin in October.
4) Applicants with fewer than 3 years of formal undergraduate education are not eligible.
Please contact us to confirm your eligibility if you are not sure.

3. Application Requirements-Pre-application review by the Admission Assistance
Office (AAO)

Applicants should go through the AAO process prior to applying for the International
Course in Primatology and Wildlife Research. For detailed procedures, please refer tothe following link:
https://www.kyoto-u.ac.jp/en/education-campus/education-and-admissions/graduatedegree-programs/how-to-apply/for-graduates-of-overseas-universities

The process will take several months to complete, so please begin the process well inadvance.

-Applicants for the MSc and DSc programs Applicants should

submit the documents and information below written in English. If any of the official
documents are not written in English, English translations should be attached.
When making a correction to an already-issued official document, cross out words or sentenceswith a double line and write corrections above the cancelled contents. Note that general
information required for application (see Section 3.2) are to be completed via the online
application system. All other documents (see Section 3.1-3.11) must be prepared in advance anduploaded via the online application system when requested.
3.1 Graduation (expected graduation) certificate
Those who have graduated or are expected to graduate from a foreign university with abachelor’s or master’s degree must submit a certificate for prior verification.
3.2 General Information for Admission
 We require applicants to provide the general background information listed on the online
application form.
3.3 Academic Transcript
 We require an official academic transcript (digital copy sufficient) prepared by the university
you are currently attending, or from which you have graduated. Please also keep theoriginal document as we may require it upon enrollment.
 Applicants who have graduated or are expected to do so from the Faculty of Science, Kyoto
University, need not submit this item.
 Research students currently enrolled in the Primatology and Wildlife Course, Division of
Biological Science, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, who have alreadysubmitted an academic transcript also need to submit a photocopy.
3.4 Certification of English Proficiency
 We require certification of English proficiency such as TOEFL-iBT, TOEIC official score
reports, Duolingo English Test or an IELTS test report form (TRF) taken within the 53years prior to the application deadline. Those who have taken the SAT, GRE, GSCE, orcomparable test* may submit these test scores instead. Applicants who have completed or
expect to complete their previous university degrees at institutions at which English was
the official language may be exempt from submitting further qualifications*.
*contact us to confirm eligibility or suitability
3.5 Contact Details for Referees
 Applicants must arrange for two professional letters of recommendation to be submitted byreferees on their behalf. One of the referees must be your supervisor or advisor at theuniversity from which you graduated or are expecting to graduate. If that is not possible,
you must send an email to cicasp_exam@mail2.adm.kyoto-u.ac.jp with a letter explaining
why.
➢ The applicant must provide contact details for these referees via the online application
system. Shortly after the application deadline, we will contact them to request theletters of recommendation to be directly emailed to us before your exam date. Thus,
applicants do not submit the letters themselves.
* Note that if the email address for the referees is entered incorrectly, we may not be able
to contact them. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure all information is enteredcorrectly.
* In addition, to ensure a timely response, applicants should contact their referees well inadvance to inform them that a letter will be requested.
3.6 Letter of Support
 We require a letter of support from your prospective supervisor at Kyoto University, a faculty
member from one of the eligible sections (see Appendix 2).
➢ Letters of support should be supplied to CICASP directly from the prospective
supervisor by the application deadline, but it is the applicant’s responsibility toensure that the host agrees to support them and is prepared to send the letter to
CICASP at the following email address: cicasp_exam@mail2.adm.kyoto-u.ac.jp.
3.7 Statement of Research Interests
 A4-sized or letter-sized paper, 500-1000 words
3.8 Curriculum Vitae or Resume
 A4-sized or letter-sized paper
3.9 Receipt of Payment
 Enclose a copy of the receipt or other certification of payment in your application.
➢ Application fee: 30,000 yen➢ Refer to Appendix 1 for the payment methods
 As far as possible, please use the first option in Appendix 1 – EXSS (Examination
Settlement Service) – when making your payment.
*Payment can be made as early as 4 weeks before the application deadline, but no earlier,and must be made before the application is submitted**Please make sure to pay the application fee well in advance to avoid having yourapplication declined on account of failed or delayed payment.
3.10 Confirmation of Identity
 Following your application , be prepared to send us a copy of the identifying page ofyour passport upon our request.

-Foreign applicants who live in Japan

3.11 Status of Residence Foreign applicants who have resident status in Japan are further required to submit a copy of
their resident card (front and back) to CICASP in complement to their online application.
Be prepared to send this to us upon our request following submission of your application.
4 If you cannot provide a resident card at the time of application, submit instead a copy of the
VISA page in your passport in addition to the identifying page when requested.

-Applicants for the DSc program only
3.12 Master’s thesis
 Submit a copy of your master’s thesis. Please also provide the following:(1) The Abstract [written in English](2) A detailed summary of the contents in English of about 2,000 to 2,500 words,
excluding the Abstract(3) English translations of all Figures and Tables, including legends, and References in thedetailed summary.
*Please contact us if you have not yet completed or submitted your Master’s thesis.

4. Application Procedures Applicants should first contact a prospective supervisor from the list of faculty members at
the Department of Primatology and Wildlife Science provided in Appendix 2.
 Applicants must submit all required documents via the online application system before theappropriate application deadline.
➢ Online Application System url:
http://www.cicasp.pri.kyoto-u.ac.jp/program/application➢ Submission deadlines (Japan Standard Time, UTC+09:00)
1) October 1st, 2024 for an exam between November 5 ~ November 8, 2024
2) April 30th, 2025 for an exam between June 2 ~ June 6, 2025
*Two additional days are reserved for entrance examinations under exceptional
circumstances, if applicants or evaluation committee members are unavailable during theofficial exam week (for examination period 1), November 11 and 12, 2024, forexamination period 2), June 9 and 10, 2025.
➢ Contact us as soon as possible at cicasp_exam@mail2.adm.kyoto-u.ac.jp if you have any
problems using the online application system. We are unable to respond to inquiries
outside of our business hours on weekdays.
➢ Applications will be accepted as early as 4 weeks before the application deadline, but noearlier➢ Incomplete or late applications will not be accepted.
➢ Contents of the application documents cannot be changed after submission.
➢ The application fee will be returned to the applicant under the following circumstances
only (Contact the Graduate Student Section, General Affairs Section, Inuyama
Campus).
 If the applicant did not apply (application documents were not submitted, orapplication was declined without consideration), although the application fee waspaid.
The applicant inadvertently made a double payment of the application fee.
 Simultaneous applications for this program to multiple divisions/departments are NOT
allowed.
4.1 Government-Sponsored foreign students (MEXT)
 Government-Sponsored foreign students (i.e. those receiving the MEXT scholarship; see also
Section 7.2 below) are required to take the examination through CICASP, and must
therefore submit an application during the application period. Please pay close attention to
the following points:5

1.

Those who have passed the second screening by MEXT (excluding applicants for the
MEXT scholarship extension and special extension) and have been placed at Kyoto
University as MEXT Scholarship Students (Embassy Recommendation) are
exempted from paying the examination fee.

2. The application fee will be refunded in cases where the applicants are selected as
MEXT scholarship students and pass the CICASP exam. Therefore, please inform us
if you expect to receive the MEXT scholarship.
3. If neither of the above cases applies to you but you wish to enroll as a Japanese
Government Scholarship student, please pay the application fee.
*

Note that in the majority of cases, applicants with MEXT scholarships will fall in
category 1 above. Please contact us if you are unsure of your status.

5. Selection Procedures
After the eligibility screening applicants will be notified whether they can take the examination ornot. Applicants for the MSc program will be selected following a comprehensive evaluation of: 1)
the submitted documents; 2) their English qualifications; 3) the results of an online examinationin general biological sciences; 4) the results of an online examination in the field of the applicant's
research interests; and, 5) an interview. Applicants for the DSc program will be selected on thebasis of: 1) the submitted documents, including their Master’s thesis (see Section 3.11); 2) theirEnglish qualifications; 3) a presentation based on their Master’s research and their responses toany questions following the presentation; and, 4) an interview.
5.1 Procedure of Examination**CICASP will conduct remote testing for both doctoral and master’s course applicants via Zoom.
Applicants are required to secure a private room with sufficient internet connection to allow clear,continuous communication during the examination sessions. Applicants for the DSc program who
are already in Japan may choose to give their presentation and have the interview either at the
Inuyama Campus or the Wildlife Research Center in Kyoto. If necessary, we will provide further
details about the procedure by mid-September 2024/May 2025 on our website. Master’s applicants
will be required to complete oral examinations for both the general biology and field of specialty
exams. Specific details about the examination content, as well as the testing procedures moregenerally, will be provided to each applicant once their application documents have been processed(normally within two weeks after the application deadline). Since it is impossible to control thetesting environment when done remotely this way, we will use the honor system to ensure fairbehavior from all applicants, and any acts of misconduct detected during the examination, e.g.,
photography and audio recording of the video call, use of on-screen or external devices to accessinformation to support an applicant’s responses, etc., will not be tolerated.
5.2 Date
The examination(s) and the interview will be held on one to two days during the following
periods: 1) November 5 – November 8 (or 11 or 12), 2024; or 2) June 2 -June 6 (or 9 or 10),
2025.

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Those who prefer to be enrolled in April 2025 must take the examination in period 1), while
those who wish to be enrolled in October 2025 may take the examination either in period 1) or
period 2). Each candidate will be informed of the actual date(s) within this period of their
examination after the application deadline has passed. Application and examination dates for
subsequent enrollment periods will be roughly similar to periods 1) and 2), though specific date
ranges will differ slightly.
5.3 Notification of Examination Results
The results of each examination in period 1) will be announced (to the applicant) by the middle ofDecember 2024, and that of period 2) by the middle of July 2025. Examination results will besent to each applicant individually via email and a hard copy will be posted to the supplied
address.
5.4 Enrollment Period
Applicants must declare their enrollment period at the time of application, either April 1 orOctober 1 in their year of enrollment.
5.5 CICASP Examination Restrictions
Unsuccessful applicants cannot take the CICASP examination a second time until one year (12calendar months) has passed since their original application to the program. In addition,
applicants considering attempting both the CICASP entrance examination and the Kyoto
University regular entrance examination must be aware that CICASP restricts applicants fromtaking the CICASP exam within the same 12-month period as other Kyoto University exams, i.e.,
at least 12 months must have passed since last taking a Kyoto University exam before the next
CICASP examination can be taken.
6. Admission Fee, Tuition and Admission Procedures
6.1 Admission fee and tuition
 Admission fee: 282,000 yen
 Tuition: 267,900 yen for the first semester (annual tuition; 535,800 yen)
*The amounts indicated above are tentative and may be revised in the future.
*If admission and tuition fees increase at or after the time of enrollment, the new amounts shallapply.
6.2 Admission Procedures
 Instructions for admission procedures will be mailed to each successful applicant.
 Notify the General Affairs Section, Inuyama Campus, of any changes in mailing address assoon as possible.
 Those who have decided not to enroll must immediately communicate with theadministration office of the respective division/department.
 Enrollment procedures will be conducted twice a year, in early March and in late August.

7. Support and Scholarships
7.1 Housing
A student dormitory is available for those enrolled at the Inuyama Campus, subject to room
availability. The cost for an apartment is ca. 5,000 yen / month (Expenses for water, gas, andelectricity are not included). Please note that these are shared accommodations with amaximum of two students per apartment. For applicants to the WRC in Kyoto, please contact
us for information about housing options.
7.2 Financial Support
 Tuition exemption:
Regular graduate students who experience financial difficulties may be eligible for a full or
half tuition waiver depending on academic performance. Since the exemption may be
applied for by all degree-seeking students, the selection process is competitive.
7 Teaching and Research Assistantships:
CICASP offers a limited number of teaching assistantships each semester that can provide
a small amount of supplementary funding. All students are encouraged to apply, but we try
to prioritize students in need of financial support for these positions. Additionally, students
at the doctoral level who have no other sources of funding are qualified to receive research
assistantships provided directly by the Inuyama Campus or WRC of Kyoto University.
 Scholarships:
A limited number of scholarships are available for those wishing to study at Kyoto
University. It should be noted, however, that the selection processes for the scholarships
are very competitive, and in most cases, applicants are only accepted after entrance to theuniversity. It is generally necessary, therefore, to have sufficient financial resources prior toentering Kyoto University. For information on scholarships, please visit the Japan Student
Services Organization (JASSO) website:
https://www.studyinjapan.go.jp/en/planning/about-scholarship/➢ Japanese Government Scholarships for International Students
The Ministry of Environment, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) offers
scholarships to international students under their “Monbukagakusho” program. MEXT
scholarships provide students with a full tuition waiver and a monthly stipend (MSc:
144,000 yen; DSc: 145,000 yen) for the duration of their graduate studies. See thefollowing website for further details about this program: https://www.kyotou.ac.jp/en/education-campus/procedures/scholarships/mext• Note that MEXT scholars enrolled in the Department of Primatology and Wildlife
Science are required to fulfill all entrance requirements for the International
Course, including a field of specialty examination (for those entering the Master’s
degree program only), presentation of a Master’s thesis (for those entering thedoctoral degree program only), and an interview, all conducted in English; theonly exception is the general biology exam, which is waived for MEXT scholars
applying to the MSc program. Prospective applicants can contact us for more
information about the MEXT program.
• See Section 4.1 for more details on the application process for MEXT candidates.
➢ Research Fellowships for Young Scientists
The Japan Society for the Promotion of Science provides research fellowships for young
scientists, including students enrolled in doctoral programs at Japanese universities.
These fellowships have tenure of up to 3 years and provide a monthly stipend of
200,000 yen. Fellows are also eligible to apply for up to a maximum of 1,500,000 yen
per year to support their research activities. More information can be found here:
https://www.jsps.go.jp/english/e-pd/index.html.
• Note that students can apply for research fellowships before beginning their doctoral
studies or during any year of their doctoral program. Contact us for further details
about the application procedure and requirements.
➢ Foreign Government Scholarships
Foreign government scholarships are another scholarship option. For further
information, please contact the appropriate agency in your country.
➢ Monbukagakusho Honors Scholarships for Privately Financed Students
Privately financed international students currently studying at a university in Japan are
eligible to apply for an Honors Scholarship from the Japan Student Services
Organization (JASSO). As of April 2023, graduate student awardees receive 48,000 yen
per month. Information in Japanese only can be found on their website:
https://www.jasso.go.jp/en/ryugaku/scholarship_j/shoreihi/about.html. Please contact
us for further details.
➢ Scholarship from Private Foundations
The application process for the scholarships from private foundations varies. Some canbe made directly by the individual, and some must be made through the applicant's
8university. Please refer the following link for more information: https://www.kyotou.ac.jp/en/education-campus/procedures/scholarships* Currently, international students at the Inuyama Campus and WRC are being funded by
Monbukagakusho Scholarships (both regular and Honors programs), JSPS Research
Fellowships for Young Scientists, as well as private foundations.

8. Handling of Personal Information
Name, sex, date of birth, address and other personal information (including information
relating to performance evaluation) provided by applicants is used only for 1) entrance
examinations, 2) admission procedure, scholarship etc., and 3) preparation for accepting
students.
Personal information provided in application documents may be provided to outsidecontractors for electronic data processing. In such cases, Kyoto University will complete acontract with said outside contractor to ensure that personal information is managed andprotected properly, in accordance with the Private Information Protection Law.

9. Contact Information (for general inquiries)
Center for International Collaboration and Advanced Studies in Primatology,
Inuyama Campus, Kyoto University
41-2, Kanrin, Inuyama, Aichi, 484-8506, Japan
Tel +81-568-63-0284
Fax +81-568-61-1050
e-mail: cicasp_exam@mail2.adm.kyoto-u.ac.jp•

for inquiries specifically related to the application process or about the entrance
examination, please write to cicasp_exam@mail2.adm.kyoto-u.ac.jp.

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