Hitotsubashi University Graduate School
Research Student Application Guidelines
Applicants seeking to enter Hitotsubashi University Graduate School as
Privately Financed Research Students (Research Students) should apply via
the following procedures. Admissions will be approved following a selection
process, provided there are no obstacles at the graduate school concerned.
1. Admission Requirements
Applicants must fulfill either of the following requirements:(1) Have completed or be expected to complete 16 years of school education
in a foreign country by the time of admission to the University.
(2) Have received a degree equivalent to a bachelor's degree from a foreign
university, or be due to receive a bachelor's degree by the time ofadmission to the university, or be recognized by the graduate school as
having academic ability equivalent or superior to a bachelor's degree.
Note: These guidelines do not apply to applicants who wish to enroll asJapanese Government (MEXT) Scholarship students. Refer to MEXT
Scholarship Students for details.
2. Applicant Types and Notes
Applicants must select one of the following Applicant types that apply to them.
(1) Applicant types
1. Those engaged in independent research as a researcher at a foreign
university or foreign research institution.
2. Those whose admission has been requested by a foreign university or
foreign research institution and who are recognized as particularly
suitable for the graduate school concerned at Hitotsubashi
University.
3. Those whose admission has been requested by a foreign government
or equivalent foreign public organization and who are receiving ascholarship from a public institution, or who will clearly receive ascholarship by the time of the admission process.
4. Those whose admission is requested by foreign universities that haveexchange agreements with Hitotsubashi University.*
5. Those who have passed or are expected to pass the Interchange
Association examination held by the Japan-Taiwan Exchange
Association for the applicable fiscal year.
6. Those whose admission is requested by the Japanese Government orequivalent Japanese public organization (including the Japan
International Cooperation Agency and the Japan International
Cooperation Center), and who are recognized as particularly suitable
for the graduate school concerned.
7. Among those who have been awarded a master's degree in themaster's course of this graduate school or those who have beenenrolled in the doctoral course of this graduate school for at least1three years (two years for those who have completed the course of thelaw school), have earned the prescribed subjects and credits, andhave passed the examination for the thesis for earning doctoral
degree credits, those who are recognized as particularly suitable by
the graduate school concerned.
*For Type 4, applicants to whom the clause on mutual non-collection oftuition and other fees in a student exchange agreement applies are noteligible for this application. Those who wish to participate in anexchange program should contact the international relations
department of their university.

(2) Notes
Applicants must agree to all of the following points before submitting
their applications.
i. In principle, the research period for international research students
is two years or less.
ii. A student cannot receive a degree as a result of being a foreign
research student.
iii. To enter a master's program, professional degree program, ordoctoral program, students must pass a separate entrance
examination for graduate school.
iv. If the documents, materials, or information provided to theuniversity at the time of application include any forgery,misrepresentation, plagiarism, etc., this will be deemed toconstitute fraud and the screening results may be invalidated.
v. The examination fee and documents, materials, etc. submitted will
not be returned.
vi. It is the responsibility of the applicant to confirm any restrictions onenrollment of research students at the graduate school before
applying.
vii. For Types 2, 6 and 7 in 2. (1) above, it is the applicant's
responsibility to obtain the informal consent of the faculty
member(s) that he/she wishes to provide research guidance before
applying.
viii. For Types 1, 2, 3, and 4 in 2. (1) above, applicants must be enrolled
or employed at a foreign university or research institution at thetime of application.
3. Application Procedures(1) Application period and submission address• Application period
For April 2025 admission: from Friday, October25, 2024 to Thursday,
October 31, 2024 (JST)For September 2025 admission: From Monday, April 14, 2025 to2

•Friday, April 18, 2025 (JST)
Notes:
i. The application must reach, Educational Affairs Division,
Hitotsubashi University no later than the due date.
ii. Applicants who wish to apply for an exceptional admission period
must confirm their eligibility with Educational Affairs Division,
Hitotsubashi University at least four months prior to the desired
admission period and submit the application documents at least
three months prior to the desired admission period.
Submission Address
Applicants must submit the application documents specified in 3. (2)to the address below by registered mail, EMS, DHL, etc.
Address:
Study Abroad Section (Inbound), Educational Affairs Division,
Hitotsubashi University
2-1 Naka, Kunitachi, Tokyo 186-8601, Japan(2) Application Documents• The application documents should be clipped together, not stapled.
• All documents must be originals issued within the last three months,
unless otherwise specified.
Documents needed for all applicants:
i. Application form set (fill out the form provided to those eligible toapply).
ii. Study Program at Hitotsubashi University
Free format. Write a specific and detailed description (about 2,000
characters in Japanese) of the content of your studies and research todate, and your future research plans.
iii. Certificate of graduation from the university (bachelor's program)from which the applicant graduated.
If the applicant is still enrolled in a bachelor's course, a certificate ofexpected graduation or a certificate of enrollment (state the expected
year and month of graduation).
iv. Latest academic transcripts from the most recent university attended
by the applicant (not required for Type 1).
v. A copy of the score of an official language test (TOEFL, TOEIC, IELTS,
Japanese Language Proficiency Test, etc.) that indicates Japanese or
English proficiency (if available; must be issued within the last twoyears).
vi. Proof of payment of the examination fee (JPY 9,800). Note: Not
required for Type 4. Refer to 3. (3) for details.

3Documents needed for specific applicant types:For Type 1
 A certificate of employment, verifying the applicant’s identity andcurrent position.
Note: in Japanese or English, issued by the foreign university or
foreign research institution concerned.
 Documents verifying that the applicant is conducting independent
research as a researcher.
Note: The applicant should use his/her own judgment as to whatmaterials to submit.
For Types 2 and 4 Letter of recommendation addressed to the President of theUniversity.
Notes:i.
Must be prepared by a foreign university or research institute.
ii.
If prepared by a university, the document must be prepared by
the Dean of the Graduate School or above, with his/her
signature and the university seal.
For Types 2, 6 and 7
 Letter or document that proves that the proposed supervisor has
given informal consent.
For Type 3
 Letter of recommendation addressed to the President of theUniversity issued by the government of the applicant's country or anequivalent organization, in Japanese or English.
For Types 3 and 6
 Documentation of (planned) scholarship receipt issued by thescholarship granting institution.
For Type 5
 Copy of the notification of acceptance.
For Type 7
 Certificate of Completion (master course) or Certificate of Course
Credit Acquisition (doctoral course)
For applicants who have completed their university education and have aresearch history
 Certificate of research engagement
Note: Proof of research theme, number of years, etc.
(3) Examination Fee
Amount: JPY 9,800
Note: Not required for Type 4.
Please make sure to complete the payment of the application fee inaccordance with the instructions on the "Fee for the graduate school
entrance examination" on the university's website, and attach theappropriate proof of payment to the application documents.
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(Fee for the graduate school entrance examination )For applicants residing outside Japan
Complete the payment by credit card through the above-mentioned
payment website. After payment, please print out the proof of payment(the “Result” page) from the confirmation of the application inquiry on
the above website and attach it to the application documents.
Notes:
i. You will be responsible for any transaction fees on the payment.
ii. For more information about the payment procedures on theexamination fee payment site, please check the FAQs on the site
before contacting the E-Service Support Center if necessary.
For reference(a) Admission fee: JPY 84,600
Note: Not required for applicants applying under Type 4.
(b) Tuition: JPY 29,700 per month
The student fees (admission and tuition fees) are subject to change.
4. Notification of Selection Results
Successful applicants will receive a notification from the graduate school
concerned, along with information on the admissions procedures.
5. Privacy Policy
Hitotsubashi University handles personal information appropriately inaccordance with the Act on the Protection of Personal Information.
1. Personal information obtained in the application process will be used
for the following purposes: (1) selection of applicants (application
processing and selection), (2) announcement of successful applicants,and (3) admission procedures.
2. Information such as test scores used in the selection of applicants may
be used for educational guidance after admission and for thepreparation of materials for consideration of future methods ofselecting applicants.
3. When using information for the purposes described in 1 and 2 above,some operations may be performed by a contractor engaged byHitotsubashi University to perform the relevant operations. In thiscase, all or part of the personal information obtained will be provided
to the contractor to the extent necessary for the contractor to performthe relevant work.
4. For admitted students only, personal information pertaining toprospective students obtained at the time of application will be used5

for the following purposes: (1) academic affairs (student registration,educational guidance, etc.), (2) student support (health management,career and employment support, tuition exemption, scholarship
application, etc.),(3) tuition fee collection,(4) promotion of research andeducation, and (5) other purposes as specified in the “Handling ofpersonal data” section of the University's website (https://www.hitu.ac.jp/eng/pi/privacypolicy.html).

6. Contact for Application
The Educational Affairs Division
Hitotsubashi University
2-1 Naka, Kunitachi, Tokyo 186-8601, Japan
E-mail: edu-gs.g3@ad.hit-u.ac.jp

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