General Admission

u003ch3u003eGeneral Admissionu003c/h3u003ernGeneral 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.rnPlease see “Schedule of Admissions” for details:rnhttps://www.nig.ac.jp/nig/phd-program/admissions-top/admissions/schedule-of-admissionsrnrnu003ca href=u0022https://www.soken.ac.jp/en/admission/application_info/u0022 target=u0022_blanku0022 rel=u0022noopeneru0022u003eApplication Guidelinesu003c/au003ernrnu003cspan style=u0022text-decoration: underline;u0022u003eDesignated 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.u003c/spanu003ernrnSome of the designated forms attached to the booklet of Application Guidelines (hard copy) can be downloaded and filled out electronically.rnWhen 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.rnrnAcademic Services Division, General Affairs and Project SectionrnNational Institute of Geneticsrn1111 Yata, Mishima, Shizuoka 411-8540 JAPANrnEmail: info-soken@nig.ac.jprnu003ch3u003eEntrance Examinationu003c/h3u003ernThe 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.rnrnWritten Exam (on the first day)rnApplicants take exam at home or equivalent location.rnApplicants 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.rnAfter 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).rnrnOral Exam (on the second day)rnApplicants participate from home or equivalent location. The oral exam will be conducted online via either Zoom or WebEx and is attended by all faculty.rnFor the first 5 minutes, the applicant makes a presentation summarizing either their past research or a future research proposal, followed by a Qu0026amp;A session on the applicant’s presentation, written exam, and proposed research. A total of 30 minutes is allotted for each applicant interview.rnApplicants 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.)rnrnPlease 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).rnWhen 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.rnPlease inform us ahead of time of the location where you will take the examination.rnConnection 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.rnu003ch3u003eAdmission Decisionu003c/h3u003ernThe 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.rnu003ch3u003ePast Examsu003c/h3u003ernu003ca href=u0022/en/students/exam/past-exams/u0022u003ePast examsu003c/au003e are available as a study aid.rnu003ch3u003eFinancial Support during a PhD Programu003c/h3u003ernStudents will be offered a monthly stipend of approx. 60,000 JPY for working as a Research Assistant.rnTuition may be waived if students with financial difficulties and outstanding academic records pass the screening.rnFor more information, please refer to u003ca href=u0022/en/students/program/student-aid/u0022u003eVarious Aids to Studentsu003c/au003e.