NIG Global Scholar (NIG-GS) Selection

*Application Guidelines for next fiscal year are updated every summer.

Outline

The NIG Global Scholar (NIG-GS) Selection is an examination for applicants from foreign countries who wish to enroll in our 5-year PhD program. Applicants with nationality of any country that has diplomatic relations with the Japanese government are able to apply. Applying to NIG-GS requires the applicant to declare the Genetics Program, SOKENDAI as their first choice for graduate studies and to reside outside Japan at the time of application. Those who have already obtained a master’s degree are also welcome to apply through this application process.

A limited number of NIG-GS applicants who pass the Secondary Screening and satisfy certain conditions shall be recommended to the Japanese Government (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology – herein referred to as “MEXT”) by SOKENDAI as candidates for the MEXT scholarship.

Other applicants who pass the Secondary Screening will be offered partial financial support equivalent to students enrolled through General Admission.
Please see the “General Admission” and “Various Aids to Students” webpages for details.

Before Applying for NIG-GS

Before applying, the applicant must contact the prospective supervisor and confirm whether he/she is able to accept the applicant if the applicant passes the exams.
*Please note that faculty members who will retire within the standard period of study (5 years from the time of admission) cannot be appointed as supervisors.

Selection Schedule

Please see the “Application Guidelines” and “Schedule of Admissions” for details.

Application Guidelines and Forms

Application Guidelines
Checklist
(Appendix) About MEXT GPA
CEFR Equivalency Chart
Application Form (Form1-1)
Application Form (Form1-2)
Statement of Purpose (Form 2)
Books, papers, or lectures that were particularly interesting to you (Form14-1)
Field of Study and Research Plan

Online Examination, Admission Decision and Past Exams

Online Examination of Secondary Screening will be conducted simultaneously with the winter examination of “General Admission”. You can refer to “Entrance Examination”, “Admission Decision” and “Past Exams” described in the “General Admission” webpage.

FAQ

For frequently asked questions, please click here: FAQ

Outline

As a way to receive a scholarship other than the NIG-GS, you may apply for an Embassy Recommendation for a MEXT scholarship before applying to our graduate program. After passing the first screening conducted at the Japanese Embassy or Consulate in their home country, applicants can contact a prospective mentor at NIG and discuss their research interests and potential research topics. Successful applicants will be admitted as “research students (non-degree students)” of The Graduate University for Advanced Studies, SOKENDAI and will be able to initiate research as well as familiarize themselves with Japanese language and culture. To enroll as degree-seeking graduate students, research students must pass the entrance examination of our graduate program (“General Admission System”) within two years. The scholarship will be provided throughout the period of research student and graduate student, as long as the student is in good standing.
For details, please inquire at the Japanese Embassy or Consulate General in your country.
http://www.mofa.go.jp/about/emb_cons/mofaserv.html

The first screening at the local Japanese Embassy or Consulate will include screening of documents, language tests (Japanese and English) and interviews. However, education and research at NIG are conducted primarily in English, therefore Japanese language proficiency is not required at NIG.

The process of getting accepted as a research student with this scholarship is rather lengthy; please plan ahead to meet the various deadlines.
Please refer to the following URL for the detailed procedures:
https://www.soken.ac.jp/en/admission/mextscholarship/scholarship_jpn/

General Admission

General Admission is the most basic type of entrance into the Genetics Program, SOKENDAI. It is open to every applicant, regardless of nationality or place of residence. There are two enrollment periods per year: April and October. The admissions process starts with submission of an application package, including your CV, transcripts, a summary of your past research, and an outline of your proposed research at NIG. Then the Genetics Program conducts an entrance examination. There are two examinations held per year, each of which may be taken by students planning to enroll in either of the two enrollment periods following that examination. The summer examination may be taken by students for the upcoming October or April enrollments, and the winter examination may be taken by students for the upcoming April or October enrollments.
Please see “Schedule of Admissions” for details:
https://www.nig.ac.jp/nig/phd-program/admissions-top/admissions/schedule-of-admissions

Application Guidelines

Designated forms and envelopes are attached to the Application Guidelines booklet (hard copy). Please send a request to the Academic Services Division, General Affairs and Project Section by E-mail to obtain a copy of the Application Guidelines booklet.

Some of the designated forms attached to the booklet of Application Guidelines (hard copy) can be downloaded and filled out electronically.
When submitting the application documents, please print out the electronically completed forms (please do not fill them in by hand) and send them via postal mail along with the other designated forms which are available only from the Application Guidelines booklet.

Academic Services Division, General Affairs and Project Section
National Institute of Genetics
1111 Yata, Mishima, Shizuoka 411-8540 JAPAN
Email: info-soken@nig.ac.jp

Entrance Examination

The entrance examination for the Genetics Program is held over 2 days and is composed of a written exam (held on the first day) and an oral exam (held on the second day). Both the written and oral portions of the entrance examination shall be conducted remotely via the Internet. Please refer to the notification that will be posted prior to the examination for details on the schedule and how the examination will be conducted.

Written Exam (on the first day)
Applicants take exam at home or equivalent location.
Applicants receive a question sheet and an answer sheet as a password-locked electronic file via email prior to the day of the examination. On the exam day, applicants will be notified of the password at the starting time of the exam and must complete the exam within 3 hours. Answers may be entered directly into the electronic file (Microsoft Word or pdf), handwritten on a printed copy of the answer sheet, or a combination of the two.
After the 3 hours have concluded (the end of the written exam), applicants must submit their completed answer sheets by email within 20 minutes. (Handwritten answer sheets should first be scanned or otherwise converted to an electronic file).

Oral Exam (on the second day)
Applicants participate from home or equivalent location. The oral exam will be conducted online via either Zoom or WebEx and is attended by all faculty.
For the first 5 minutes, the applicant makes a presentation summarizing either their past research or a future research proposal, followed by a Q&A session on the applicant’s presentation, written exam, and proposed research. A total of 30 minutes is allotted for each applicant interview.
Applicants will prepare and submit in advance a 1 page (A4) document of resource text and/or graphics for faculty to refer to during the initial 5-minute presentation. (Refer to the notification that will be posted prior to the examination for submission deadline and other details.)

Please prepare an environment where you can use the Internet; receive and view the written exam question sheet (electronic file); complete and submit the written exam answer sheet (electronic file); and attend a Zoom or Webex web meeting (the meeting room URL will be informed in advance).
When taking the examination at a location other than your home, you must secure an environment where the contents of the examination cannot be known to anyone but yourself.
Please inform us ahead of time of the location where you will take the examination.
Connection tests will be conducted in advance. Please inform us of an email address and telephone number where we will be able to contact you at any time on the previous day and the day of the examination in case of any connection issues.

Admission Decision

The results of your examinations are determined by joint consultation of the faculty members who attended the examination. First, each faculty member evaluates your aptitude as a researcher based on the application forms, written test, and the interview. All faculty members get together and discuss “whether or not the applicant is likely to develop into a researcher who can successfully carry out a research project and write a doctoral thesis in the time frame of the doctoral course”. This is an absolute evaluation, rather than a relative one; therefore we usually admit more students than the official quota. All faculty members participate in the admission process because the Genetics Program has a policy that all faculty should be involved in the education of each student. While students may apply to enroll in either April or in October, the criteria for both exam periods are the same.

Past Exams

Past exams are available as a study aid.

Financial Support during a PhD Program

Students will be offered a monthly stipend of approx. 60,000 JPY for working as a Research Assistant.
Tuition may be waived if students with financial difficulties and outstanding academic records pass the screening.
For more information, please refer to Various Aids to Students.