Academic Course Access Program (ACAP)

Period of Study
From 1 quarter to 4 quarters (1 year)
Start in April, June, October, or December (Starting month of each quarter)
Student Status at Science Tokyo
International Exchange Student (non-regular, non-degree-seeking student)
Application Deadline
November 10 for spring Semester for 1st quarter (April)
February 10 for 2nd quarter (June)
May 9 for fall Semester for 3rd quarter (October)
August 10 for 4th quarter (December)

Overview

Under the Academic Course Access Program (ACAP), Science Tokyo waives the application, enrollment, and tuition fees of undergraduate (second-year or above) and graduate-level International Exchange Students from participating partner universities [LIST of agreements]. ACAP students are accepted for a period of one quarter to four quarters (a year) – for JASSO scholarship recipients, a period of two quarters (a semester) to four quarters (a year) – and are able to study alongside Science Tokyo students in regular courses offered on a quarter or semester basis.

*ACAP students are not permitted to take courses offered by the faculties/graduate schools of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Care Sciences.

Eligibility

Applicants must be enrolled at partner universities with which Science Tokyo has a tuition waiver agreement.
Those with student status at their home university, enrolled in the following programs at the time they start coursework at Science Tokyo:

- ・Doctoral program
- ・Master’s program
- ・Bachelor’s program (at least one year of study)*

*: Except for undergraduate students in their final year, an official Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) result or equivalent document is required as students are supposed to take courses conducted in Japanese.

Applicants must carefully consider what they wish to study at Science Tokyo and prepare an ACAP Course-Oriented Program Sheet, which will be submitted to Science Tokyo through the partner university at the time of nomination.

Period of Study

From 1 quarter to 4 quarters (1 year)*
Start in April, June, October, or December (Starting month of each quarter)

*For JASSO scholarship recipients, the period of study must start in either April or October and last from 2 quarters (a semester) to 4 quarters (a year).

Program Outline

1) Take course(s) offered at Science Tokyo (required): Mandated to take 6 classes (600 minutes) or more per week to maintain student visa status. *1 *2*3*4
- (a) Master's and doctoral students can take all courses offered by the graduate school (conducted in English/Japanese).
- (b) Undergraduate students in their final year can take courses for undergraduates (most of which are conducted in Japanese) and courses for graduates also open to undergraduate-level international exchange students (conducted in English).
- (c) Undergraduate students other than those in their final year can take only undergraduate courses mostly conducted in Japanese. *5
- (d) Students may take Japanese language courses at any level and are not allowed to take language classes other than Japanese.
2) Engage in at least one of the following activities (required):
- (a) Take at least one of the following courses.
- - Recommended Courses for International Exchange Students
- ENT.G451(LAW.X451*)Advanced Course of Traditional Technology and Intercultural Collaboration
- ENT.G452 Advanced Course of Innovative Product Design with Traditional Technologies
- ENT.L457 Global Leadership Practice
- LAW.X416 Modern Japan
- LAW.X419 Study on Japanese Companies and Industries II
- - Japanese language
- (b) Participate in one of the monthly events organized by Science Tokyo.

*1: Course Numbers and Indicated Levels; 100-level, 200-level, 300-level: Undergraduate Level / 400-level, 500-level: Master's Level / 600-level: PhD Level
*2: Any courses conducted in English in the 100 and 200 levels cannot be taken.
*3: Before applying to this program, be sure to carefully check the information regarding course timetables and syllabi, and the list of courses from the previous year which details available graduate courses conducted in English, and confirm that a study plan matches course availability.
*4: There may be cases where your request for course registration is not permitted, as some courses have specific requirements for registration. In addition, some of the courses involving exercises/research training are not open to international exchange students.
*5: There are courses conducted in English in the 300-level, but those numbers are limited. If you are undergraduate students other than those in their final year and your Japanese language ability is not sufficient to take courses in Japanese, please confirm well in advance if you can achieve your study plan by taking the 300-level.
*6: ACAP students are not permitted to take courses offered by the faculties/graduate schools of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Care Sciences.

Student Status at Science Tokyo

International Exchange Student (non-regular, non-degree-seeking student)

Application Deadline

Students applying for a JASSO Scholarship can start their program in either April or October only, and their period of study may last from 2 quarters (a semester) to 4 quarters (a year):

Admission in	Deadline for Nomination	Contact Period with the ACAP Specialized Faculty Member	Deadline for Applicants
April, 2025*	October 15, 2024	October 21 – November 1, 2024	November 10, 2024
June, 2025	January 15, 2025	January 20 – February 3, 2025	February 10, 2025
October, 2025*	April 15, 2025	April 21 – May 1, 2025	May 9, 2025
December, 2025	July 15, 2025	July 18 – August 1, 2025	August 7, 2025

The deadlines for applicants indicated above refer to the deadlines by which materials must be submitted online to Science Tokyo. However, the preliminary application deadline at the applicant's home university may vary.

Language Requirements

High-level English or Japanese ability is required for taking courses.

*1: Submission of official test scores such as TOEFL, TOEIC, IELTS, etc. is required.
*2: An official Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) result or equivalent document is required for undergraduate program students except for those in their final year.

Application Procedures

Once you have decided to apply

Step 1. Contact the Student Exchange Officer (or equivalent) at your home university

ACAP Course-Oriented Program Sheet

ACAP applicants must be officially nominated to Science Tokyo by their home university, and Science Tokyo must be informed of the nomination BEFORE applicants are invited to apply online. At the time of nomination, the "ACAP Course-Oriented Program Sheet" prepared by each applicant should be submitted to Science Tokyo by their home university.
After receiving the official nomination from your home university, Science Tokyo will directly send you the necessary information for logging in to the online application form via email to you.

Step 2. Find an academic supervisor at Science Tokyo

Science Tokyo's Schools

Within the "Contact Period with the ACAP Specialized faculty member", applicants are required to contact an ACAP Specialized faculty member by directly referring to the list of the ACAP Specialized faculty members which will be provided by Science Tokyo, and obtain their approval. Please do NOT contact outside of the set time of period. On the online application form, applicants need to submit evidence such as an email message or a letter indicating that the ACAP Specialized faculty member agrees to accept them. Note that there are some Departments with many applicants which may exceed their limit and not accept any. If more than two students are recommended for the same Department, there is a possibility that we may not be able to accept them.

For those who apply for the Department of Architecture and Building Engineering, this process is done by the Global Education Division on their behalf, and they are not allowed to contact their desired supervisors directly.
Currently, no applicants are accepted to the Department of Innovation Sciences.

Step 3. Submit the required application materials online.

Three months to one month before enrollment

Step 4. The Certificate of Eligibility (COE) will be sent to you from the Global Education Division of Science Tokyo.

Two months to one month before enrollment

Step 5. Apply for your visa on your own with the COE which you have received.

Visa application processing time is expedited when you submit a COE with your visa application.
Click HERE for information on applying for your visa with a COE.
Information about Science Tokyo dormitories will be sent from the Student Support Division of Science Tokyo.

One month to two weeks before enrollment

Step 6. Information about an orientation will be sent from the Global Education Division.

Arrival in Japan – Enrollment

Step 7. Entrance, Orientation

Enjoy your studies at Science Tokyo!

Documents necessary for application

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Documents necessary for applicationOpenClose

The required application materials listed below must be submitted to the Global Education Division, Science Tokyo by the designated Application Deadline.

1. Institute of Science Tokyo Application Form
To be completed online. Science Tokyo will directly send you the necessary information for logging in to the online application form via email to you.

2. Official Transcript in English(PDF)
● Include the guidelines of the grading system in English.
● Submit transcripts for the last twelve months.
● Science Tokyo reserves the right to verify the authenticity of your transcript.

3. Recommendation Letter from your Academic Supervisor (*) at your Home University (Free format)
● Associate Professor or equivalent and above.
● Unfortunately, we cannot regard language teachers as academic supervisors.

4. Verification of Student Status at your Home University(PDF)
● This document, issued by your home university, must verify that you will maintain student status at your home university during your exchange period at Science Tokyo.
● If your university's verification does not certify your enrollment period at your home university while at Science Tokyo, please use our format for your verification. The period of your enrollment on the submitted verification needs to be exceed the period of enrollment at Science Tokyo.
*Refer to the example

5. Application for Certificate of Eligibility (COE)(Excel)
*Refer to the example

6. Copy of your Passport (page(s) that verify name, nationality and photo)(PDF)
● If you do not have a passport at the time of application, submit a copy of the relevant pages to the Global Education Division by email as soon as it is issued.

7. Official Test score report from TOEFL, TOEIC, IELTS, or equivalent document(PDF)
● The submission of the official test scores is required.
● Native speakers of English are exempt from this requirement.

8. Official Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) result or equivalent document(PDF)
●Required only for undergraduate students except for those in their final year
●Considering that students will be taking university-level courses conducted in Japanese, we expect them to have N1 level of JLPT.

8. Photograph
● Photo requirements: taken within the past 6 months, shows upper body and full face with a closed mouth (no smiling), no caps or hats, taken in front of a plain background
● The photo must be taken within the past 6 months, upper body, full-face, no caps or hats, plain background.
● The same photo as in your passport will not be accepted. Please prepare a new one.

10. Portfolio of your previous work(Word, Excel, PDF, or text under 10240 KB)
● Required only if the applicant’s major is architecture

11. Consent of a Science Tokyo Faculty Member(PDF)
● Please submit evidence that a Science Tokyo faculty member has consented to be your academic supervisor.
● A PDF version of email correspondence with the faculty member is sufficient to fulfill this requirement.

In addition to the above documents, submission of the following document(s) might be required.

12. Documents verifying your financial status in English
● Financial status verification* might be required as part of the application process for the Certificate of Eligibility (COE), which is the documentation used to obtain a visa to study in Japan. You will be notified by the relevant contact person at Science Tokyo if you are required to submit the documents.

*For example, a bank statement (which verifies the available balance in the account) for you or your financial supporter; or a scholarship certificate (if any). If there is not an English version of these documents, you should attach a certified English translation with a signature of the translator and the date of translation.

Additional required documents before enrollment:

Health Certificate for Infectious Diseases

International students who have passed the entrance exam and whose registered enrollment period will be three months or longer are required to have the health certificate completed and signed by a physician within the three-month period before the designated date of enrollment at Science Tokyo (or within the three-month period before their planned date of arrival in Japan if their arrival will be later than the date of entrance). In addition, we request that it be submitted prior to the designated date of entrance (or prior to arriving in Japan if the arrival will be later than the date of entrance).
Note that all expenses for this shall be borne by students.
Please cooperate with our preventive measures against various infectious diseases that could cross international borders in order to protect the health and wellbeing of you and your colleagues.

For more details, please refer to the following website;

Measures to help control infection for international students

Course Information for International Exchange Students

ACAP participants are mandated to take 6 classes (600 minutes) or more per week to maintain student visa status. All participants are assigned to one of Science Tokyo's Schools or Departments. In principle, they should plan their course of study mainly around courses offered in the Department to which they are assigned. However, not all courses offered at Science Tokyo are available for International Exchange Students. Final-year undergraduate students should refer to previously approved 400-level courses and carefully consider the courses they can take while studying abroad at Science Tokyo. Please refer to the document “Science Tokyo Course Information to Help Develop Your Study Plan.”

Housing

For students who have submitted a request to move into a Science Tokyo dormitory through the online application, the Global Education Division will request that the department in charge of university dormitories will allocate a room for them. (Students are not required to apply for dormitories individually.) Students will be notified by email 1 to 1.5 months prior to enrollment whether or not they will be able to move into the dormitory. In that case, please follow the instructions in the email. We do not accept changes of dormitories assigned to applicants. Note that not all incoming students will be assigned a dormitory room as room availability is limited.

Cost of Living in Tokyo/Japan

It depends on where you live, but you will need at least JPY 100,000 per month as of 2024.

References:
・Science Tokyo Dormitory fees: JPY 27,500-65,000 (plus a separate move-in fee)
・Bottle of water: JPY 100-150
・Lunch at cafeteria at Science Tokyo: JPY 400-600
・Lunch at café or restaurant in Tokyo: JPY 1,000-1,500

Scholarship

Sponsor	Japan Student Services Organization (JASSO)
Name of scholarship	Student Exchange Support Program
Monthly stipend	JPY 80,000
Eligibility	Those starting their enrollment in either April or October and lasting from 2 quarters (a semester) to 4 quarters (a year)
Selection result	Notified by Science Tokyo by the end of February (for admission in April) or August (for admission in October)

*1: The number of JASSO scholarship recipients is limited, and recipient selection will be made by Science Tokyo.
*2: Students receiving more than JPY 80,000 per month in total from other scholarships to study in Japan are ineligible for this scholarship. Also, some scholarship foundations do not allow their recipients to receive a stipend from another scholarship foundation. Please confirm that receipt of a JASSO scholarship WILL NOT jeopardize funding which you already receive from another scholarship foundation.