Application

General admission is the most basic type of entrance to the Department of Genetics, 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 Department of Genetics conducts an entrance examination. The examinations held in summer are for those entering in the immediate October or in the following April. The examinations held in winter are for those entering in the immediate April or October.

Application Guidelines (PDF)

1. 1. Designated forms and envelops are attached to the booklet of Application Guidelines (hand copy). Please send a request to the General Affairs/Education Team by E-mail or FAX for obtaining the booklet of Application Guidelines.
2. 2. Guesthouse is available for applicants to stay for taking the examination on the day and the day before the examination upon request. (Single room: 2,000 yen per night) There is no restaurant but a well-equipped communal kitchen. To make a reservation, please contact the General Affairs/Education Team by E-mail, FAX or postal mail. *Please note that number of rooms are limited.

General Affairs / Education Team
National Institute of Genetics
1111 Yata, Mishima, Shizuoka 411-8540 JAPAN
Email: info-soken@nig.ac.jp
TEL: +81-55-981-6720
FAX: +81-55-981-6715

Entrance Examination

Our entrance examination is composed of a written test and an interview. The written test aims to look at basic abilities necessary for being a researcher, such as thinking and logic. The official languages of the entrance exam are English and Japanese. You may use either language for the written test, as well as the interview. Our department does not give an English language test, but requires applicants to submit their TOEFL-iBT, TOEIC, or IELTS (Academic Module) scores. For more details on English evaluation, please see the following link.
　Important announcement regarding English evaluation of entrance exam.

The interview lasts 30 minutes for each applicant, and is attended by all the faculty of the Department of Genetics. First, you will make a five minute presentation on either your past research or a future research proposal. The following Q&A session on the content of your presentation, written test, and proposed research will be an opportunity for the faculty to discover your qualities that were not adequately expressed in the written test or in your presentation. If we see that you possess wonderful abilities, the interview may end in less than 30 minutes.

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 admissions process because the Department of Genetics has a policy that “all faculty should be involved in the education of each student”. While those entering in April or October have two application opportunities each, the criteria for both exams are the same.

Past Exams

The past exams are available for study aid.