Four-Year Doctoral Course
HIGO Program for Graduate School
Application Information for International Students
Enrolled in April or October 2014

The applicants must take TOEFL, TOEIC or IELTS.

Graduate School of Medical Sciences
Kumamoto University

The Student Affairs Section, School of Medicine, Kumamoto University
1-1-1 Honjo, Chuo-ku, Kumamoto 860-8556, Japan
TEL: +81-96-373-5025

FAX: +81-96-373-5030

E-mail: iyg-igaku@jimu.kumamoto-u.ac.jp

The Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kumamoto University recruits international students whowish to enroll in the four-year doctoral course of the HIGO Program. The English language is used
for all classes and research instructions in this program.

-1-Number of Students Accepted for Admission
About four (4)Qualifications of Applicants
1) Educational Background:
All applicants should have completed 18 years of education period and research experience if
any by the entrance date of Kumamoto University. Thus applicants must satisfy at least
one of the following six education backgrounds and research experience if any.
① Applicants must be graduates of a six-year medical, dental, pharmaceutical or veterinary schooloutside of Japan, or be expected to graduate from such a school by March 2014 to be eligible toenroll in April 2014, or by September 2014 to be eligible to enroll in October 2014.
② Applicants must be graduates of a five-year medical, dental, pharmaceutical or veterinary schooloutside of Japan, and must have conducted research for at least one year in a university or a
research institute outside of Japan after completion of formal education, or be expected to finish
such a process by March 2014 to be eligible to enroll in April 2014, or by September 2014 to beeligible to enroll in October 2014.
③ Applicants must be graduates of a four-year medical, dental, pharmaceutical or veterinary schooloutside of Japan, and must have conducted research for at least two years in a university or a
research institute outside of Japan after completion of formal education, or be expected to finish
such a process by March 2014 to be eligible to enroll in April 2014, or by September 2014 to beeligible to enroll in October 2014.
④ Applicants must hold a Master’s degree from an institution which has two-year education
programs outside of Japan, after completion of 16 years of formal education outside of Japan, orbe expected to meet this requirement by March 2014 to be eligible to enroll in April 2014, or by
September 2014 to be eligible to enroll in October 2014.
⑤ Applicants must have conducted research for at least two years in a university or a research
institute, after completion of 16 years of formal education outside of Japan, and be recognized ashaving an education that is equivalent to a Master’s degree.
⑥ Applicants must be recognized by the Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kumamoto
University as having attainments equal to or greater than a Master’s degree.
Persons who intend to apply under categories ⑤ and ⑥ must undergo apreliminary qualification screening prior to formal registration. Their prospective
supervisors must contact the school affairs section, Graduate School of Medical
Sciences by December 13.
2) Health:Applicants must be in a good physical and mental health.

-2-3) Language:
Applicants must have earned the minimum required score in any one of the following:① TOEFL-iBT(50 or higher) ②TOEFL-PBT(463 or higher) ③TOEIC(480 or higher)④ IELTS(4.5 or higher)
4) Visa:
Applicants must have a student visa when coming to Japan

Period of Study
Four (4) years from April 2014 to March 2018 or from October 2014 to September 2018

Scholarship Benefits
Successful applicants are eligible to receive a stipend while in school (200,000 JPY per month forthe 2013 academic year).
Note that the amount of scholarship is subject to change each academic year.
Also note that the qualifications for this privilege may be reassessed during mid-term evaluations.

Screening Procedure1)

Applicants must choose one of the research leaders in the Graduate School of MedicalSciences, Kumamoto University as his/her prospective supervisor, and must obtain permission
to apply for this program from the supervisor beforehand.

2)

Applicants must obtain all application information and forms through Internet by themselves.
After filling in all the forms, they must send them to their prospective supervisor of theGraduate School of Medical Sciences.

3)

Their prospective supervisors must submit all application forms to the committee for thisprogram before the deadline for application.

4)

The committee will have examinations for those who apply to the program. The main parts ofthe examination are the English test (TOEFL, TOEIC, IELTS), essay and interviews.

5)Interviews by three committee members will be held over Internet. For details of theinternet-based interview, please refer to “Instruction for internet-based interview ofGraduate School of Medical Sciences, Kumamoto University” The essay exam will also beheld over Internet. As an alternative, if the foreign applicants are visiting Japan on the day ofthe entrance examination (February 4, 2014), they will be able to take the essay exam andhave interviews with three committee members in Kumamoto University.

6)

The total of scores of the English test, essay and interviews with three committee members
will be used to score the examination.

Date of Enrollment
April 1, 2014 or October 1, 2014
(Those who wish to enroll on April 1 must complete the admission procedures by March 27
following the examination results to be announced on March 3.)-3-

Degrees
After successful fulfillment of the four-year course of the HIGO Program, a Doctor of Philosophy
degree will be conferred.
Application Period
From 20 December 2013 through 26 December 2013.

The research leaders, or prospective supervisors, of the international students should collect andsubmit all documents required for application to the Student Affairs Section, School of Medicine.

Examination Date
Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Required Documents【Applicants must submit the following documents.】
1)

Application form for admission (Form 1)

2)

Photo ID card, examination card, certificate of residence (Form 2)

3)

One photograph (Paste a 4×3cm photograph taken no more than three months prior toapplication, upper frontal view without a hat, with upper body showing)

4)

A certificate of graduation (completion) or prospective graduation (completion) from theuniversity attended

5)

Academic record issued by the university attended

6)

Written Statement of Reasons for Application (Form 3)

7)

Examination fee (30,000 JPY)

8)

A copy of the applicant’s English examination score (Either of the following: TOEFLibt(Score should be 50 or higher), TOEFLpbt (463 or higher), IELTS (4.5 or higher) or TOEIC(480 or higher)

9)

A letter from the applicant’s employer indicating agreement with this application, if theapplicant is an employee.

Additional Statements:
1)

Applicants are urged to discuss a research plan with their prospective supervisors of theGraduate School of Medical Sciences, Kumamoto University beforehand.

2)

All documents should be typewritten on A4 size paper.

3)

Applications with incomplete information, or those submitted after the deadline, will not beaccepted.

4)

No application materials will be returned to the applicants.

Announcement of Results
Monday, March 3, 2014

-4-

Admission Procedure◎The details of admission procedures will be described in the letter of acceptance.
1) When and How to Pursue Admission Procedures
The details will be described in the letter of acceptance.
*The prospective instructors for the students who wish to enroll in April should familiarize
themselves with admission procedures (including deadlines) beforehand, and make sure that thestudents can complete the procedures before enrollment.
2) Important Point Regarding Admission Procedures
If a successful applicant does not complete the admission procedures before the deadline,
he/she will be considered to have declined enrollment.
3) Fee to Pay at the Time of Admission Procedures
Admission fee (scheduled amount) 282,000 JPY
4) Main Documents Required for Admission Procedures① Pledge ②Letter of Guarantee ③Color photo of face (4cm length x 3cm width)◎Tuition fee
Tuition for the first semester 267,900 JPY (535,800 JPY annually)
Attentions
1) Students will not be allowed to continue studying at Kumamoto University if any of thefollowing occur:
1. There are false statements in the application.
2. Student is expelled or dismissed from the university as a disciplinary measure, or determined
to be unlikely to complete academic requirements.
3. Student leaves the university or transfers to another university.
4. The status of the student visa is changed to another type of visa.
2) Applicants are advised to become familiar with Japanese culture, customs, climate, and theuniversity system before coming to Japan. Japanese language skills for daily life would also beadvantageous.

Inquiries
The Student Affairs Section, School of Medicine,
Kumamoto University
1-1-1 Honjo, Chuo-ku, Kumamoto 860-8556, Japan
TEL: +81-96-373-5025

FAX: +81-96-373-5030

E-mail: iyg-igaku@jimu.kumamoto-u.ac.jp-5-