Graduate Institute for Advanced Studies, SOKENDAI[Particle and Nuclear Physics Program]
Application Guidelines October 2024 (SOKENDAI Recommendation)(Monbukagakusho: MEXT Scholarship Student)
1. General Prospectus
The Graduate University for Advanced Studies, SOKENDAI was founded on October 1, 1988 as
one of the national universities of Japan. The basic idea of SOKENDAI is to develop a new
system of postgraduate education in Japan. Its key features are as follows;
1)

SOKENDAI offers both three-year and five-year doctoral programs.

2)

SOKENDAI consists of 20 programs under one institute operated by 20 Inter-University
Research Institutes and Independent Administrative Institutions (“parent institutions”)

3)

Research and education are carried out in close cooperation with the parent institutions.

4)

Broad and international visions are fostered by enhanced interchange among various
institutions and other universities in Japan and abroad.

The parent institutions provide Japanese and foreign scientists with opportunities to conductadvanced joint research in various branches of science. They are equipped with extensive
research facilities and function as centers for advanced studies. At present, they are cooperatingin establishing a world-class program of postgraduate education in SOKENDAI.
[Admission Policy]<What SOKENDAI expects of our grad students>
The Graduate University for Advanced Studies, SOKENDAI, seeks students who have a strong
interest in research, who constantly hone their abundant intellect and sensitivity with the aim of
conducting research that will open up a new era, while taking a “bird's-eye view” of the entire
field of study, and who have the will and enthusiasm to be active on the international stage.
<Basic policy for the selection of our grad students>
In selecting students for admission, SOKENDAI places importance on basic academic ability
and logical thinking ability to actively promote research in the cutting-edge 20 research institutes
affiliated with SOKENDAI. In order to properly judge such abilities, various selections will bemade according to the respective fields of specialization.

2. Particle and Nuclear Physics Program Outline
Both particle physics and nuclear physics are the most fundamental areas of basic science,and they are the sources of new frontiers in physical concepts and methods that are the basis ofmodern science; these subjects involve the pursuit of the most fundamental principles of natureand the exploration of the basic structure and building blocks of matter.
In this program, we conduct both theoretical and experimental research in particle and nuclear
physics. The theoretical investigations include not only those in particle and nuclear physics but
also those in cosmology and astrophysics. The experimental investigations are conducted bymeans of colliding beam accelerators and various beams from high-intensity proton accelerators.
In addition, related research in physics, including the R&D of new devices, methods, and theirapplications, are pursued in a versatile manner.

3. Doctoral Degree Requirements
A Doctor of Philosophy degree shall be conferred on students who have satisfied therequirements of their respective doctoral programs as prescribed below.
[Three-year doctoral program]Students must be enrolled in SOKENDAI for at least three years in principle; additionally, theymust earn the necessary credits, receive necessary research guidance, and pass theexamination for a doctoral thesis. Students who are recognized as having achieved significant
progress may be able to graduate in a shorter time frame.
[Five-year doctoral program]Students must be enrolled in SOKENDAI for at least five years in principle; additionally, theymust earn the necessary credits, receive necessary research guidance, and pass theexamination for a doctoral thesis. Students who are recognized as having achieved significant
progress may be able to graduate in a shorter time frame.

4. Qualifications for Application[Qualifications for the three-year doctoral program]
Applicants must fulfill one of the following conditions;
1)

Applicants on whom a Master’s degree or a degree equivalent to a professional degree has
been conferred or is expected to be conferred in a foreign country by the month preceding
enrollment;

2)

Applicants who hold or are expected to obtain a Master’s degree or a professional degreeby the month preceding enrollment in Japan;

3)

Applicants who have been recognized by SOKENDAI as having academic ability equivalent
to or superior to those who have a Master’s degree or a professional degree by theindividual screening of the Admission Qualifications of SOKENDAI, and have attained theage of 24 years by the end of the month preceding enrollment. (Note)
Notes:*The qualifications concern not the date of completion of the master’s course of study, but thedate of conferral of a master’s or equivalent professional degree.
*Applicants who intend to apply under the provision 3) above are required to have a qualification
screening to confirm “having academic ability equivalent to those who have a Master’s degree
or a professional degree” before the application can be submitted. If applicable, please contact
the Student Affairs Section by email in advance.
*Those who have completed or are expected to complete a master’s course before the time ofenrollment in the doctoral program, but are not expected to be granted a master’s orprofessional degree by that time must take extra screening procedures before the application.
*Other than the above qualifications 1) to 3), eligible applicants include those who otherwise
satisfy or will satisfy the qualification requirements for general admission to SOKENDAI. If you
have any questions regarding the qualifications for admission, please contact the Student
Affairs Section in advance.
[Qualifications for the five-year doctoral program]
Applicants must fulfill one of the following conditions;
1)

Applicants who have completed or are expected to complete a 16-year course of school
education in a foreign country by the month preceding enrollment;

2)

Applicants who have graduated or are expected to graduate from a Japanese university
specified in Article 83 of the School Education Law by the month preceding enrollment;

3)

Applicants who have been conferred or are expected to be conferred a degree equivalent
to a Bachelor’s degree by the month preceding enrollment by completing an educationalcourse of three or more years in a foreign university or a foreign educational institute;

4)

Applicants who have completed a 15-year course of school education in a foreign country
by the end of the month preceding enrollment; (Note)

5)

Applicants who have been recognized as having academic ability equivalent to a university
graduate or higher by the individual screening of Admission Qualifications of SOKENDAI,
and have attained the age of 22 years by the end of the month preceding enrollment. (Note)

Notes:
Applicants who intend to apply under the provisions (4) or (5) are required to have qualification
screening before the application can be submitted. If applicable, please contact the Student Affairs

Section by email in advance.
*Other than above the qualifications 1) to 5), eligible applicants include those who otherwise
satisfy or will satisfy the qualification requirements for general admission to SOKENDAI. If you
have any questions regarding the qualifications for admission, please contact the Student Affairs
Section in advance.

5. Application Procedures[Application Period]

September 1 to November 10, 2023, 5:00 pm JST **The application must arrive no later than the last day of the application period without fail.
[Contact the prospective supervisor]
Before applying, the applicant must contact the prospective supervisor and confirm whether
he/she can accept the applicant if the applicant passes the examination.
[Application Method]
The applicant must submit the complete set of application documents either by mail or email.
For the details, please confirm following 1) and 2). The application must reach SOKENDAI nolater than the application deadline, November 10, 2023, 5:00 pm JST.
1)

mail

The complete set of application documents must be submitted by registered express mail or asimilar service. If there are any problems with the submitted documents. SOKENDAI will contact
the applicant via email.
Mailing address;
Student Affairs Section, Division of Academic and Student Affairs
The Graduate University for Advanced Studies, SOKENDAI
Shonan Village, Hayama, Miura, Kanagawa 240-0193 JAPAN
Telephone number +81-46-858-1526
2)

email

The complete set of application documents must be submitted by email. If the attached files
contain more than 10 megabytes, please send them separately and number each email subject.
Also, when sending files, please attach them to your email directly, not using the uploaders.
After receiving the applicant’s email, SOKENDAI will send the applicant a confirmation email. If
the applicant does not receive our email within a week after submitting the documents, pleasecontact us.

Email address: gakusei@ml.soken.ac.jp (Student Affairs Section, SOKENDAI)
Notes: If the applicant will be accepted enrollment, the applicant must submit the original officialtranscript and certification of graduation.

6. Selection Schedule and Method
December 4 to December 8, 2023
Selection will be based on the submitted materials, as well as an interview via internet.

7. Announcement of Result
Preliminary admission and scholarship announcements will be sent in April 2024.
Final announcements will be sent by July 2024.

8. Contact details for inquiries
Student Affairs Section, Division of Academic and Student Affairs
The Graduate University for Advanced Studies, SOKENDAI
E-mail: gakusei@ml.soken.ac.jp

Application Guidelines for Japanese Government (Monbukagakusho: MEXT)
Foreign Research Student Scholarship 2024 (SOKENDAI Recommendation)

The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) offers a Japanese
government scholarship to foreign students who wish to study at SOKENDAI by its
recommendation as follows.

1. Qualifications and conditions
1)

Applicants:

The scholarship is offered to new foreign students who have earned the equivalent level ofa graduate with outstanding academic performance. The applicant must have a minimum
GPA 2.3 or higher and are expected to maintain the equivalent level during the scholarship
period.
2)

Nationality:

The applicant must hold a nationality of a country that is specified by MEXT. The applicant
who holds Japanese citizenship or a nationality of a country that is not specified by MEXT
at the time of application is not eligible.
To see the list of specified nationalities, please confirm the following webpage.
https://www.soken.ac.jp/en/admission/mextscholarship/university_recommendation_pgp/file/specified_nationalities.pdf
3)

Age:

The applicant must have been born on or after April 2, 1989.
4)

Academic Background:

The applicant for the five-year doctoral program must have completed a 16-year course of
study in the educational institutions of a foreign country or is expected to complete suchcourse of study by September 30, 2024.
The applicant for the three-year doctoral program must have been granted or be expected
to be granted a Master’s degree or a professional degree by September 30, 2024.
For the details, please see “4. Qualifications for Application” in the application guidelines.
5)

Study Area:

The study area must be in the same field as the applicant has studied or in a related one.
The field of study must be one available at SOKENDAI.
6)

Language ability:

The applicant must fulfill the following status.
a)Holds an English proficiency test score equivalent to B2 or above on the CEFR

(Common European Framework of Reference for Languages).
To see the CEFR Equivalency Chart, please confirm the following webpage.
https://www.soken.ac.jp/en/admission/application_info/ies/file/CEFR_1.pdfb)

Has completed an educational program whose primary language of instruction isEnglish that satisfies the entrance requirements to the Five-year doctoral program orThree-year doctoral program at SOKENDAIIn the fields which require Japanese language ability (Japanese linguistics, Japanese
literature, Japanese history and Japanese law), the applicant must fulfill the following
status.
a)

Has passed the JLPT (Japanese Language Proficiency Test) with a score of N2 orhigherb)

Has completed an educational program whose primary language of instruction isJapanese that satisfies the entrance requirements to the Five-year doctoral programor Three-year doctoral program at SOKENDAI

7)

Health:The applicant must not have any physical or mental conditions that would prevent his/her
graduate studies at a university in Japan.
8)

Arrival in Japan:

The applicant must be able to arrive in Japan on the dates designated by SOKENDAI in the
period between the middle of September and the beginning of October 2024 (the applicant
who cannot arrive in Japan within the designated period should decline acceptance. Those
who arrive in Japan before the designated date for personal reasons will NOT be provided
traveling expenses to Japan).
9)

Visa Requirement:

If selected, the applicant will be required to acquire a “Student (ryugaku)” visa in the homecountry prior to coming to Japan and enter Japan with “Student” status. Therefore, thesuccessful applicant who is already in Japan under a different residence status mustchange his/her residence status to “Student” by the end of September 2024 and re-enter
Japan with “Student” status. (The applicant who comes to Japan with a visa or residence
status other than “Student” will NOT qualify for the Japanese government scholarship. Also,
please note that the applicant who changes his/her residence status to any status otherthan “Student” after entry into Japan will lose his/her status as a Japanese government
scholarship student.) Please be informed that there is a possibility that your application forthe original residence status may not be approved after the period of MEXT scholarshipstudent.
10) Others:

The student under the conditions stated below, will NOT be considered as a candidate.
a)

Military personnel and military civilian employees registered on the active list;b)

The applicant who is not able to arrive in Japan on the appointed dates;c)

The applicant who has received the MEXT scholarship within the past three years(However, this restriction does not apply to those who have been enrolled as ascholarship student in a Japanese language and culture program or as a scholarshipstudent in the Japan-Korea Joint Undergraduate Course for Science andEngineering).

d)

The applicant will not be accepted if he/she applies for another MEXT scholarship.

e)

The applicant will not be eligible for this scholarship if he/she has enrolled in a
Japanese university with “Student (ryugaku)” status at the time of the application andhas enrolled/will be enrolled in a Japanese university as a privately-financed foreign
student between the time of application and the beginning of the scholarshippayment.

f)

The applicant will not be accepted if he/she has already won a scholarship fromanother institution (including the government of their home country) other thanMEXT.

2. Term of Scholarship1)

Three-year doctoral program

If the grantee directly enrolls in the three-year doctoral program after coming to Japan, thescholarship will be payable for three years (standard program term) (starting October 2024
and finishing September 2027.)
2)

Five-year doctoral program

If the grantee directly enrolls in the five-year doctoral program after coming to Japan, thescholarship will be payable for two years (the first two years of the standard program term)(starting October 2024 and finishing September 2026). In order for the grantee to extend
his/her scholarship till the end of the standard program term (till September 2029), he/sheshould make an application for the extension of the scholarship which must be approved by
MEXT. Please note that depending on his/her academic achievement and the budget
condition of MEXT, his/her application will not necessarily be approved.

3. Scholarship Benefits
1)

Scholarship amount:

The scholarship amount for 2024 has not been fixed yet.

For reference, the scholarship amount for 2023 is as follows.
Enrolled Doctoral Program

Amount of Stipend per month

1 and 2-year student of 5-year doctoral program

147,000 yen

3 to 5-year student of 5-year doctoral program,1 to 3-year student of 3-year doctoral program

148,000 yen

The amount for 2024 may change depending on the budget conditions.
The scholarship will NOT be paid to the grantee who takes a leave of absence from theuniversity or does not attend classes for an extended period of time.
2)

Transportation to Japan:

According to his/her itinerary and route as designated by MEXT, the grantee will be
provided an economy class air ticket from the international airport nearest to his/her homeaddress to Narita airport, or the international airport in Japan nearest to the campus of
SOKENDAI where the grantee is placed. Other expenses such as inland transportationfrom his/her place of residence to the international airport, airport tax, and any special
taxes on overseas travel, will NOT be provided. (The address stated in the application isconsidered as “home address of the grantee”.)*No air tickets will be issued to the grantee for a route from any country other than the
country of his/her nationality.
3)

Transportation from Japan:

For the grantee who returns to his/her home country by a specified date after the period of
his/her scholarship has ended, MEXT will pay for an economy class air ticket from Narita
airport or the international airport in Japan nearest to the campus of SOKENDAI where thegrantee is placed to the international airport nearest to his/her home address.
* The grantee should purchase air travel insurance at his/her own expense.
* The airports for departure and return should be in the country of the grantee’s nationality.
4)

Education fee:

The fees for the admission and tuition at SOKENDAI will be paid by MEXT.

4. Recommendation and Selection
1)

Scholarship Recommendation:

After screening at SOKENDAI, the President of SOKENDAI, recommends to MEXT
applicants who have shown academic excellence.
2)

Scholarship Selection:

Candidates are screened and selected by the selection committee from a pool of applicantsrecommended by presidents of all universities in Japan. Based on the results of screening
and selection by the committee, MEXT selects grantees and their terms of scholarship.
3)

Documents to be submitted:a)Application Form (Attached)b)

Field of study and Research Plan (Attached)c)

Photograph or digital image sized 4.5 cm x 3.5 cm taken within the past six months(Full-faced photograph. When photographed, the applicant must not wear a hat orcap hiding a part of his/her face or head. The applicant must write his/her name andnationality on the back of the photograph.)d)

Proof of nationality (A copy of the applicant’s passport is the most preferable.)e)Certified academic records (originals or certified copies)

The applicant must submit certified academic records of each academic year of all
universities attended (issued by the university attended.)

Applicants who apply for the three-year doctoral program must submit the Official
Transcript of all academic years from both undergraduate and graduate schools.

Applicants who apply for the five-year doctoral program must submit the Official
Transcript of all academic years from the undergraduate school. If applicants who havemaster’s or doctor’s degree must submit the Official Transcript from graduate schoolsf)Diploma or degree certificate (originals or certified copies)

The applicants must submit a diploma or degree certificate of all universities attended (ora document certifying that the applicant will graduate from the university by September
2024.)


Applicants who apply for the three-year doctoral program must submit the Certificateof Graduation both undergraduate and graduate schools.

Applicants who apply for the five-year doctoral program must submit the Certificate of
Graduation from the undergraduate school. If applicants who graduated from graduate
schools must submit the Certificate of Graduation from graduate schools.

Applicants who have not yet graduated from a university must submit an attested
document certifying that the applicant will graduate from the university before entering
the doctoral program.

g)

Proof of the applicant’s academic level, such as the academic ranking in his/her
previous university (e.g., GPA, ABC grading, ranking of academic achievement.)h)

A recommendation letter from the applicant’s home institution, addressed to the
President of SOKENDAI (original)A recommendation letter must be issued by the Dean or equivalent (or higher) ofapplicant’s current university or the most recent university the applicant attended if

he/she is not currently enrolled in any university. SOKENDAI cannot accept a
recommendation letter from the head of the department or your academic supervisor.


Please attach a document indicating the position of the person who wrote therecommendation letter.

i)

Abstracts of thesis
If the applicant has no thesis or publications, please submit a summary of his/hercurrent research project.

j)Certificate of English proficiency
The applicant must submit a certificate of English as follow.
i.

Official score report, such as TOEFL iBT, IELTS, proving that applicants have
English proficiency equivalent to CEFR (Common European Framework ofReference for Languages) B2 level or above. Please note that the applicant
must have taken one of the above tests after January 1, 2022

ii.

Applicants for the five-year doctoral program: a certificate that they havecompleted a bachelor’s course in English as the main languageiii.

Applicants for the three-year doctoral program: a certificate that they havecompleted a master’s course in English as the main language[How to submit score record]i.

TOEFL iBT

Please submit the original official score report by one of the following methods.
Applicants submit the original official score report by mail with application
documents

Applicants submit a copy of the official score report with application documents
and make arrangement for ETS to send the original official score report to
SOKENDAI directly.

The Institution Code and Institution Name are as follows.
Institution Code: 7564
Institution Name: SOKENDAI (The Graduate University for Advanced Studies)
The score must be submitted to us during the application period. Please note that it
will take for six weeks or more to receive the score since applicants ask ETS to send
it.
ii.

IELTS

Please submit a copy of the official score report with application documents.
If applicants cannot submit any of the above scores during the application period,

please contact the Student Affairs Section of SOKENDAI.
k)

Proof of the applicant’s specific knowledge and capability in his/her field, such as acommendation for research achievement (optional)

5. Additional considerations
1)

The documents above must be prepared in Japanese or English. If the documents areprepared in languages other than Japanese or English, the official English translationmust be attached.

2)

The documents above must be prepared using word-processing software. Print all
required documents on A4 size paper. (if possible)

3)

Admission may be withdrawn at any time even after enrollment if the application
documents are found to be invalid or contain false information.

6. Notes
1)

The recipient of the MEXT scholarship may have his/her scholarship revoked in thefollowing cases. In case the recipient wrongly receives the scholarship under thefollowing circumstances, he/she may be required to return the scholarship for theperiod.

a)

When the recipient has made false statements on the application;b)

When the recipient violates his/her contractual agreement with MEXT;c)

When the recipient has been the subject of disciplinary action at SOKENDAI;d)When it becomes definitive that the recipient will not be able to graduate (orcomplete the program) within the standard program term because of his/her poor
academic achievement or suspension;e)When the recipient changes his/her “Student” visa status to some other status ofresidence;f)

When the recipient receives other scholarships (excluding grants for specificresearch projects);g)

When the recipient proceeds to a higher course without approval for the extension of
the scholarship by MEXT;h)

When the recipient withdraws from SOKENDAI or transfers to a different graduate
school.

2)

If the recipient takes a leave of absence from SOKENDAI or does not attend classes
for an extended period of time, he/she will NOT receive scholarship payments during
the period.

3)

Security Export Control: Depending on the specifics of the education and research
instructions they wish to receive upon entering the doctoral program, applicants may
be subject to regulations on the export/transfer of controlled technologies based on theForeign Exchange and Foreign Trade Law. Please consult the Student Affairs Section
for further details.