Guidelines for Application 2025 (Entrance)
Kobe Global Graduate Program for Agricultural Science (doctoral program)
The “Kobe Global Graduate Program for Agricultural Science” is conducted in English, andstudents are required to write their doctoral thesis in English.

If you are an international student and wish to take the examination, make sure to contact yourprospective supervisor before applying.

Graduate School of Agricultural Science
KOBE UNIVERSITY

Admission Policy
The Doctoral Program of the Graduate School of Agricultural Science aims to cultivate
individuals with a high level of expertise and broad perspectives in their respective fields,
outstanding creativity and innovative thinking. To achieve this goal, the Graduate School
admits individuals with fundamental academic aptitude in agricultural science or related fields
at the master's program level, with critical thinking and presentation skills, and with intellectual
curiosity and passion for agricultural science research, who wish to become researchers or
educators and those who are currently working in public institutes or in the industrial sector
and wish to advance their careers as professionals with advanced specialized skills.

Degree requirements
To obtain a doctoral degree, students are required to complete the doctoral program in
English, receive research guidance for a minimum of three years, earn at least 10 credits intheir major field of study, and pass the Doctoral thesis defense and final examination, bothconducted in English.

Degree Conferred
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Agricultural Scienceor Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

Application Guidelines
1. Divisions and Enrollment Capacity
Divisions and Research Fields available for the Kobe Global Graduate Program for Agricultural Science:

Departments and Divisions

Research Fields
Water Resources and Environmental Engineering
Geotechnical Engineering for Agriculture
Geo-Environmental Engineering for Agricultural Facilities

Rural Planning
Agri-Food Process Engineering
Mechanical Engineering of Bioproduction
Information Engineering of Bioproduction
Field Machinery and Plant Production
Food Economics and Policy Science
Food and Environmental Economics Farm and Rural Management
International Agriculture and Food Studies
Animal Breeding and Genetics
Reproductive Biology
Developmental Biotechnology
Animal Nutrition and Metabolism
Animal Science
Animal Molecular Morphology
Microbiology and Immunology
Animal Genetic Resources
Cell Signaling
Crop Science
Plant Breeding
Forest Resources
Plant Science
Horticultural Crop Propagation
Horticultural Crop Production
Tropical Crop Science
Plant Germplasm Enhancement
Biological Chemistry
Food and Nutritional Chemistry
Natural Products Chemistry
Applied Chemistry in Bioscience Phytochemistry

Agricultural Engineering
Agricultural Engineering andSocio-Economics

Bioresource Science

Chemistry and Utilization of Animal Production Resources

Agrobioscience

Plant Health, Environment andBiotechnology

Environmental Microbiology
Biochemistry Frontiers
Soil Science
Plant Nutrition
Plant Genetics
Crop Evolution
Cell Function and Structure
Environmental Chemistry
Cell Signaling and Regulation
Plant Pathology
Insect Molecular Biology
Insect Biodiversity and Ecosystem Science

Enrollment Capacity:

A few for doctoral program
2. Admission
April 1, 2025, or October 1, 2025

3. Eligibility Requirements for ApplicantsApplicants must meet both of the following requirements, 3.1 and 3.2.

3.1 Applicants must meet the following requirement
Those who have obtained the consent of a prospective supervisor at the Graduate School of Agricultural
Science (who will supervise their studies upon enrollment).
3.2 Applicants must meet at least one of the following requirements 3.2.1 to 3.2.8.
Those who do not fulfill any of these requirements at the time of application must meet one of theserequirements by the end of March 2025 for admission in April 2025, and by the end of September 2025
for admission in October 2025.
3.2.1 Those who have obtained a master’s degree or a professional degree in Japan.
3.2.2 Those who have obtained a degree in a foreign country equivalent to a master’s degree or aprofessional degree in Japan.
3.2.3 Those residing in Japan who have completed a correspondence course at a foreign-affiliatededucational institution and obtained a degree equivalent to a master’s degree or a professional degree.
3.2.4 Those who have completed their education at a foreign-affiliated university within a school
educational system of a foreign country in Japan and designated by the Minister of Education, Culture,
Sports, Science and Technology, limited to those who have obtained a degree equivalent to a master’s
degree or a professional degree.
3.2.5 Those who have been conferred a degree equivalent to a master’s degree from the United Nations
University, which was promulgated by the General Assembly of the United Nations on December 11,
1972, and in accordance with the Agreement between Japan and the United Nations concerning the
Act on Special Measures Incidental to Enforcement of the “Agreement between the United Nations andJapan regarding the Headquarters of the United Nations University” (1976, Resolution 72, Article 1,
Item 2).
3.2.6 Those who have completed the curricula at a foreign university, an educational institution which isdesignated under Item 4, or the United Nations University, and are recognized as possessing academic
abilities equivalent or superior to those given a master’s degree by passing the examination andscreening which are equivalent to those stipulated in Article 16, paragraph (2) of the Standards for
Establishment of Graduate Schools (under Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science andTechnology Ordinance No. 28, 1974).
3.2.7 Those who are approved by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology(under Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Public Notice No. 118, 1989).
3.2.8 Those who are 24 years of age or older and are recognized by Eligibility Screening as possessing
academic abilities equivalent or superior to those given a master’s degree or a professional degree.
* Those who are applying under the requirements of 3.2.7 or 3.2.8 must undergo a preliminary eligibility
screening process before submitting their application. Please contact the Student Affairs Section,
Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Kobe University (ans-kyomu@office.kobe-u.ac.jp) no later
than six weeks prior to the application deadline.

4. Selection
Applicants will be selected through a comprehensive evaluation of their application documents, followedby an interview conducted via online meeting software or e-mail. The details of the interview will be sent
separately to the applicants by the prospective supervisor.

5. Documents to be Submitted
All application documents should be submitted in English. Documents in languages other than English
must be accompanied by an English translation. In addition, documents written in Japanese are also
accepted for the items (8)-(11).
To obtain the necessary forms, please send your request by e-mail to the Student Affairs Section, Graduate
School of Agricultural Science, Kobe University (ans-kyomu@office.kobe-u.ac.jp).
(1) Application form for admission (Form 1)
Applicants must complete all required items on the form.
Attach your photo (taken within the last 3 months, full-face from the shoulders up, with no background)in the designated section of the form.
(2) Detailed educational background and employment history (Form 2)
Provide your detailed educational background and employment history on the form.
(3) Application fee
Remittance period: From October 10 to November 1, 2024 (for April 2025 admission)
From April 10 to May 1, 2025 (for October 2025 admission)(A) Applicants residing in Japan
Payment of Application Fee by Post Bank Transfer
・The application fee of 30,000 yen can be paid at Japan Post Bank branches in Japan using the Kobe
University application fee payment form.
・After the payment, please submit part A of the form along with the required application documents.
(Please make sure that the remittance forms are properly stamped).
(B) Applicants residing outside Japan
Applicants residing outside Japan may pay the 30,000 yen by credit card or Alipay. Overseas applicants
are required to contact the Student Affairs Section, Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Kobe
University (ans-kyomu@office.kobe-u.ac.jp) before making the payment to inquire about the payment
procedure.
〔Note〕*Once the fee is paid, no refund will be granted under any circumstances except the following case.
*Kobe University will take special measures to waive the application fee for applicants affected by largescale natural disasters. Applicants who wish to benefit from these special measures should contact theAdmissions Office of Kobe University (Tel: +81-78-803-5230) even after paying the fee.

(4) Original certificate of graduation or expected graduation from the master’s course issued by
the current university of study.
(5) Original transcript/certificate of academic records from the undergraduate program (issued by
the head of the school/institute or the dean of the department)(6) Original transcript/certificate of academic records from the master’s course (issued by the headof the school/institute or the dean of the graduate school)(7) Abstract of master’s thesisa) For applicants who have completed a master’s course
An abstract of the master’s thesis in English (approximately 1,200 words). Use A4 size paper.
b) For applicants who are expected to complete the master’s course
A summary of the research progress in the master’s course in English (approximately 1,200 words).
Use A4 size paper.
c) Copies of published manuscripts, if any.
(8) Letter of recommendation 1
Submit a letter of recommendation from a supervisor or dean of the university you attend or graduated from.
(9) Letter of recommendation 2
If you are employed by a public agency or company at the time of application, submit a letter ofrecommendation from your immediate superior.
(10) Certificate of scholarship award
If you have received a foreign government or private scholarship for your research stay in Japan, submit
the scholarship award certificate from the director of the scholarship foundation.
(11) Letter of acceptance (Form 3)
Submit a letter of acceptance from your prospective supervisor in the Graduate School of Agricultural
Science, Kobe University.
(12) Research plan
Submit a research plan at Kobe University （A4 size paper, approximately 1,200 words）.
(13) Copy of official score of English proficiency test (TOEFL-iBT or IELTS)
Submit a copy of either a TOEFL-iBT Official Score Report or an IELTS Test Report Form (must include
your photo) dated to within 24 months of your application.
(14) Copy of passport or certificate of residence(15) Certificate of residence (Jūminhyō)Foreign applicants residing in Japan must submit an original certificate of residence (Jūminhyō) issued
by the Mayor of the municipality.

6. Application Procedure(1) The application documents must be submitted by registered mail, such as simple registered mail of Japan
Post, EMS, DHL or FedEx (whichever is available), and they must arrive by the application deadline.

The application documents should be sent to:
the Student Affairs Section, Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Kobe University
1-1 Rokkodai-cho, Nada-ku, Kobe 657-8501, JAPAN(2) Applicants with physical disabilities who require special arrangements should contact the Student
Affairs Section, Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Kobe University (ans-kyomu@office.kobeu.ac.jp) beforehand.

7. Application Deadline/ Announcement of Successful Applicants
For admission in April 2025
Application Deadline: November 5, 2024
Announcement of successful applicants: Late December, 2024
For admission in October 2024
Application Deadline: May 7, 2025
Announcement of successful applicants: Late June, 2025
A notification will be mailed to all successful applicants.

8. Admission Fee and Tuition
Admission fee: 282,000 yen: *This amount may be revised at the time of enrollment.
Yearly tuition fee: 535,800 yen: *This amount may be revised at the time of enrollment.
(Japanese Government Scholarship Students are exempted from paying tuition fee.)
9. Admission Procedure
The admission procedure period is scheduled to be around mid-March 2025 for April 2025 admission
and around mid-September 2025 for October 2025 admission. The details will be mailed to eachsuccessful applicant along with the necessary documents for the procedure.

10. Notes(1) Admission Fee Payment Exemption
Applicants recognized as having extreme difficulties paying the admission fee who fall under any of thefollowing categories and make the relevant application may be exempted from the payment of all or
half the admission fee upon screening (low income does not automatically qualify applicants for the
exemption).
1. The person mainly responsible for paying school expenses for the applicant having passed away
within the year prior to admission.
2. The applicant or the person mainly responsible for paying school expenses for the applicant having
suffered from flood or storm damage within the year prior to admission.
3. The applicant having a reason equivalent to either of the above-mentioned that is recognized by the
University.

(2) Admission Fee Payment Deferral
Applicants who fall under any of the following categories and make the relevant application may beable to defer payment of the admission fee for a certain period upon screening (subject to confirmation
by Kobe University).
1. Applicants for whom payment by the payment deadline has become difficult due to financial reasons,and who are recognized as having excellent academic records.
2. Applicants for whom payment by the payment deadline has become difficult because the person
mainly responsible for paying school expenses for the applicant has passed away within the year
prior to admission.
3. Applicants for whom payment by the payment deadline has become difficult because the applicant
or the person mainly responsible for paying school expenses for the applicant has suffered from floodor storm damage within the year prior to admission.
4. Applicants for whom payment by the payment deadline has become difficult due to unavoidable
circumstances other than those indicated above.
(3) Tuition Fee Payment Exemption
Applicants who fall under any of the following items and make the relevant application may be
exempted from the payment of all or half of the tuition fee upon screening.
1. Applicants recognized as having difficulty in making the payment due to financial reasons and having
excellent academic records.
2. Applicants, except those who fall under (1), recognized as having extreme difficulty making thepayment due to any of the following circumstances:ⅰ The person mainly responsible for paying school expenses for the applicant having passed away
within a year prior to admission (when concerning the exemption from paying the tuition fee of theterm of the admission).
ⅱ The applicant or the person mainly responsible for paying school expenses for the applicant having
suffered from flood or storm damage within a year prior to admission (when concerning the
exemption from paying the tuition fee of the term of the admission).
ⅲ The applicant having a reason equivalent to either of the above-mentioned that is recognized by
the University.
(4) To select a research field, please contact the prospective supervisor of the field you wish to enter inadvance. Make sure to read the Outline of the Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Kobe University
carefully before doing so. If you have any questions about selecting a laboratory, please contact theStudent Affairs Section, Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Kobe University (anskyomu@office.kobe-u.ac.jp).
(5) The contents of the submitted application documents cannot be changed for any reason.
(6) The admission of applicants who fall under the following items may be revoked.
(A) Applicants who made a false declaration.
(B) Applicants who did not meet the qualification requirements.

(7) The admission fee once paid will not be refunded for any reason.
(8) Admission fee and tuition fee are not required for Japanese government-sponsored international
students who will continue to be government-sponsored after the enrollment.
(9) Handling of personal information
Personal information (name, gender, date of birth, address etc.) provided in the application
documents will be used only for the selection process (the entrance examination) and the preparation
for accepting students (the admission procedure, scholarships, accommodation).
(10) If you are an international student and wish to take the examination, make sure to contact yourprospective supervisor beforehand.