The University of Tokyo

1. Summary

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Eligibility

Q1. My university is not listed on the USTEP site as a partner university. Can I still apply?: A1. No. UTokyo accepts exchange students only from partner universities with which the University has a Memorandum of Understanding concerning university-wide student exchange. Applications to USTEP will be accepted through the partner universities’ offices responsible for student exchange. However, your university may have College/Faculty-level exchange agreement(s) with UTokyo. Please consult your home institution.
Q2. I would like to participate in the Type U during my first (or second) year in a 4-year bachelor's program. Am I eligible?: A2. No. The Type U students will be registered in the Senior Division of UTokyo, which is for the 3rd and 4th year undergraduate students. Thus in a four-year degree program, students must have completed 2 years of study at their home institutions before coming to UTokyo. For students enrolled in three-year undergraduate programs, they must have finished at least 1.5 years of the program at the time of their arrival at UTokyo.

Letters of reference

Q3.I am an undergraduate student. Am I eligible for Type G?: A3. No. Only graduate students can apply for Type G. Please visit the Type G website for more detailed information.

Language and other requirements

Q4. I am a Type U (undergraduate) applicant. What is the language requirement?: A4. The Type U program requires exchange students to be proficient in English and/or Japanese, depending on the courses they wish to take.
Students who wish to take courses offered in English:
Unless they attend a university or have graduated from a high school where the medium of instruction is English, students must submit an official certificate of a minimum TOEFL iBT score of 90, IELTS overall band score of 6.5 or Cambridge English Qualifications "C1 Advanced". TOEFL iBT Home Edition, IELTS Indicator and IELTS Online are accepted. TOEFL iBT “MyBest scores” is not accepted. TOEFL iBT and IELTS scores are valid only if dated within two years of the USTEP application deadline.
Students who wish to take courses offered in Japanese:
Unless they have graduated from a high school where the medium of instruction is in Japanese, students must submit an official certificate of JLPT Level N1.
Q5. I am a Type G (graduate) applicant. Are there any language requirements?: A5. Each Graduate School has its own requirements for language proficiency and other conditions depending on your exchange student status, "Special Auditor" or "Special Research Student". For details, please refer to Prerequisites for USTEP Type G Applicants.

How to apply

Q6. How can I apply for USTEP?: A6. To apply for USTEP, You must be nominated by your home university. We can only accept applications from students who have been officially nominated by their respective home universities. Please make sure to follow the procedures and schedules at your home university. Then you will need to meet the eligibility criteria, indicated on the Type U or Type G website.

Credit System/ Credit Transfer

Q7. How are the credits defined?: A7. We do not apply the ECTS credit system at UTokyo. We ask partner universities to decide the conversion of credits earned at UTokyo to their home institution, referring to the following class information at UTokyo.
At UTokyo, courses worth 2 credits consist of 13 weeks of 105-minute classes. The length of each class period may vary depending on college/faculty or graduate school. Please consult with your home university to see how those credits would be counted and whether the courses you wish to take would be transferable.

Scholarships

Q8.Are there scholarships available for USTEP students? How do I apply?: A8. we are unable to provide scholarships to USTEP students. Please be well prepared to secure at least monthly funds of 120,000 JPY when you apply. Shortly after the announcement of the result, you will be asked to submit the bank balance showing that you have 120,000 JPY per month for each month of enrollment at the University of Tokyo. For those students who may encounter financial difficulties, we strongly recommend that students apply for scholarship in their home university or their home country. When participating in an exchange program, it is common to receive scholarships from your home university or country of residence.

Housing

Q9. Is university housing guaranteed?: A9. No. Exchange students may apply for university housing. However, because of the limited number of facilities, housing cannot be guaranteed. The International Education Promotion Group at UTokyo will contact students with details about housing application after their admission is granted. For further information, please visit our Housing Office website.

Q10. Does UTokyo offer any short-term, non-degree programs held in English?: A10. Every year, there are some short-term, non-degree programs offered in English for a limited number of students (subject to change). See: https://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/prospective-students/special_programs.html
A new short-term program for summer called GUC (Global Unit Courses) started in the summer 2021.

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	Type U	Type G
Eligible Students	Undergraduate	Graduate
Students belong to	Center for Global Education	Graduate School to which they are admitted
Courses	Take regular English and/or Japanese courses across various Faculties and College	[Special Auditor] Take regular English and/or Japanese courses offered by the Graduate School to which they belong
Research guidance	N/A Type U is a program designed for taking classes.	[Special Research Student] Conduct research under the guidance of a faculty advisor
Language requirement	English and/or Japanese A minimum TOEFL iBT score of 90, IELTS overall band score of 6.5, Cambridge English Qualifications "C1 Advanced" or JLPT level N1. TOEFL iBT Home Edition, IELTS Indicator and IELTS Online are accepted. TOEFL iBT “My Best scores” is not accepted. TOEFL iBT and IELTS scores are valid only if dated within two years of the USTEP application deadline.	English and/or Japanese *Application requirements vary by Graduate School.
Detailed Information	Type U (For Undergraduates) \| The University of Tokyo (u-tokyo.ac.jp)	Type G (For Graduates) \| The University of Tokyo (u-tokyo.ac.jp)