General Admission
* Important notice regarding the entrance examination conducted in the winter of FY2022 (January 2023)
* Notice regarding the English proficiency evaluation for the entrance examination conducted in the winter of FY2022 (January 2023)
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 admission 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. 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.
SOKENDAI will transition to a new system (Graduate Institute for Advanced Studies, 20-program system) in April 2023, in order to foster the next generation of researchers who can work flexibly across disciplines to address complex and interdisciplinary issues.
For more details, please refer to the SOKENDAI website: https://next20.soken.ac.jp/en/home
In accordance with this change, the schedule of entrance examinations for AY2022 are different.
Please see “Schedule of Admissions” for details: https://www.nig.ac.jp/nig/phd-program/admissions-top/admissions/schedule-of-admissions
- 1. 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. - 2. The campus guesthouse is available upon request for applicants taking the examination to stay the night before and the night of the examination. (Single room: 2,000 yen per night) There is no restaurant, but there is a well-equipped communal kitchen and a nearby supermarket. To make a reservation, please contact the Academic Services Division, General Affairs and Project Section by E-mail, FAX or postal mail. *Please note that there are only a limited number of rooms.
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
Our entrance examination is held in 2 days, composed of a written test (held on the first day) and an interview (held on the second day). The written test is for 3 hours and evaluates 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 a test of English language ability, 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 evaluation of English language ability
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 outstanding abilities, the interview may end in less than 30 minutes.
Please refer to a notice mailed before the examination day for the detailed schedule of the entrance examination.
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 Department of Genetics has a policy that “all faculty should be involved in the education of each student”. While students have two application opportunities whether entering in April or in October, the criteria for both exam periods are the same.
Past Exams
Past exams are available as a study aid.
