Basic information
FAQ

Application FAQ

If your question wasn't answered in the Frequently Asked Questions below please e-mail to our office.

  • Ranking
  • TOEFL test
  • Transcript, GPA
  • Publications
  • Reference letter
  • Research proposal
  • Choosing and contacting laboratories
  • Selection process
  • MEXT Scholarship
  • Continuing application as a private student

    • Ranking

    Since my study is still on-going, the university will not issue me a ranking certificate yet, what should I do?

    • You can indicate what you believe is your ranking in the application form.  If you are selected, an official certificate will be required for submission to MEXT.  Proper explanation will be needed if there is a discrepancy between what you indicate in the application form and what is shown in the official certificate.

    My university does not issue any ranking certificate, what should I do?

    • You should submit an official certificate showing the number of students in the graduation class and the highest mark obtained by student(s) in that class.

    I’m applying for admission as a private student/I have my own scholarship and my university doesn’t issue ranking certificate. What shall I do?

    • For students who do not apply for a scholarship offered through our program ranking certificate is a recommended document, but not mandatory. Please inform e3 office about your situation when submitting your documents.

    TOEFL test

    Can I request ETS to send the test score directly to e3 office? What it is e3 institutional code? Will I know that my score reached e3 office?

    • You can select our institutional code, 8648. Your score certificate will be directly posted to our office. We will send confirmation of accepting the score to the e-mail address specified on the certificate.

    I have taken the TOEFL test but I will not have the official certificate in time for submission together with my application before the deadline for submitting the soft copies.

    • You can post TOEFL score to the e3 office to meet the deadline for submitting the originals, please inform our office the dates of the test, the score if can already be checked on-line and the dates you expect to receive the certificate when submitting the soft copies.

    Transcript, GPA

    I have a Master’s degree /doing Master’s studies now and reapplying for Master’s program at e3, do I have to provide certificates transcripts for my Master’s in this case?

    • Yes, please provide us your diploma/expected graduation certificate and latest transcript even if you are applying for second Master’s degree. Your grades from the Master’s course will also be taken into account.

    Grading system and standard differ from university to university; applicants who graduated from universities with strict grading may be disadvantaged.

    • We keep a statistical data that provide us a reliable reference on academic performance of graduates of different universities.   For example, students with a GPA of 3.1 from A university are better than students with a GPA of 3.9 from B university.

    Publications

    I'm a bachelor student and not yet published any paper, am I eligible to apply?

    • Having a published paper is an advantage during the selection process, as it shows your research ability, but it’s not a mandatory requirement. You are eligible to apply without any papers published and still have a chance to be selected. Please attach an abstract of your bachelor thesis or research project to the application.

    My study is still ongoing and I just started my senior graduation project/graduation thesis, what shall I write in the abstract of graduation thesis?

    • Please attach a plan and summary of you intended graduation project, specify the dates of beginning and the end of a project.

    Reference letter

    I have already graduated and started working. Can I submit a recommendation letter from my employer instead?

    • You are required to submit one recommendation letter, and it shall be from your (research) supervisor. 

    Research proposal

    Is there a format for the research proposal?

    • Research proposal format for MEXT e3 scholarship was introduced in 2015. It is compulsory for those applying for MEXT scholarship through e3 program.

    Do I have to use e3 specified research proposal format if I'm not applying for MEXT e3 scholarship?

    • Please use e3 designated format.

    What is the role of research proposal?

    • The proposal shows applicants ability to prepare research plan, his research interest and understanding of the research field of the laboratory he applies for. 

    How long is research proposal?

    • If you apply for admission to the master's program, a 1-2 page abstract is fine.  However if you apply for admission to the doctoral program, you proposal should be concrete and at the same time demonstrate your ability and potential to conduct research. Applicants for MEXT e3 scholarship shall strictly adhere to the maximum word count for each section.

    Choosing and contacting laboratories

    The website said that applicants need not contact professors in advance but some of my friends who were selected did contact in advance. 

    • Professors are very busy and often do not reply to the direct inquiries from the potential applicants, particularly those mass-mailed to the multiple institutions. Most of the professors prefer to review all the applications at the same time.  Doing so allows them to compare qualifications and choose the most promising applicant.  

    I have tried to send an e-mail to a professor on my own, but didn’t receive a reply. What shall I do?

    • You are not required to receive an approval from a faculty member prior submitting the application. Please carefully gather information about the laboratory of your interest, prepare a proposal and the rest of the application documents and submit to e3 office before the deadline.

    Do I have to put at least two laboratories on my application form? Can I select only one professor?

    • We recommend applicants to select at least two laboratories to ensure a proper placement, however if you are certain that the laboratory you have chosen is the best match for your research interest and/or the only one laboratory working in your field you can choose only one.

    What does it mean "I agree to be accepted by another laboratory"? Does it meant that you will find a match for me?

    • If you tick “I agree to be considered for acceptance by different supervisor/laboratory.” Your application may be forwarded to another laboratory in case it was rejected by the first two. By ticking this box you slightly increase your chances to find the right research match. However not in all cases we may have an alternative suggestion for the applicant. Please make sure to conduct proper background search and select the most relevant to your research topic supervisor in advance.

    I’m applying for A-division, but my degree at the bachelor’s level is not exactly in the same field, am I eligible to apply?

    • Appropriates of the applicant’s academic background is judged on case-by-case basis. Applicants shall have sufficient knowledge to carry out their proposed research.

    I would like to apply for the Electric Engineering, but I cannot find it in the Division’s list.

    • Our program doesn’t offer Master’s/Doctoral degrees in the field of Electrical Engineering. Please check out the Graduate School of Information Science and Technology: http://www.ist.hokudai.ac.jp/eng/ If you have any questions please inquire to them directly.

    Selection process

    How is the application processed?

    • After the application deadline, applications are sent to the laboratories that applicants indicated as their first choice.  If first choice professors are not interested in accepting, the applications are sent to the second choice laboratories.  Professors interested in accepting the applicants will contact him or her for ZOOM interview, then submit his recommendation to the admission committee.

    What criteria are used in the selection by the admission committee?

    • Various items are taken into account.  They include academic achievements through grades and publications, research potentials through research proposal (especially for Ph.D. applicants), recommendation from referees, recommendation from accepting professors.

    MEXT Scholarship

    I’m also applying for MEXT scholarship at another university. What happens if I was nominated by more than one university?

    • Please specify in the application form which other universities you are applying. In case you were selected in few universities, you will be asked to decline all other offers by the specified by the office date. In case you kept offers in few universities and your data was sent by them to MEXT, your application will be disqualified entirely.

    I also want to apply for MEXT scholarship through the embassy in my country. Is this possible?

    • Application deadlines, selection schedule and possible admission dates are different for these scholarships. If you have applied to embassy (during spring) you will know if you were selected before the application deadline for MEXT e3 (in November). Please make sure to inform our office on your embassy application result. In case you were double nominated and your data was sent to MEXT, your application will be disqualified entirely.

    I understand that after the final selection, the university has to submit a list of nominated candidates and their scholarship application to MEXT for approval.

    • Correct.  This step can be regarded as for formality sake.  It is also meant for MEXT to make sure that the same candidate is not nominated by another Japanese university.  

    When does MEXT send its confirmation to the universities?

    • In early July.  

    I'm not only applying to e3 and after selection to e3 may receive confirmed offer from other university.  When is the last day an applicant can decline e3 offer?

    • We will inform short-listed applicants about the dates before they should make a final decision. We expect you to make a careful choice. If the applicant chooses to go to other university and declines our offer after the university submits the nomination list to MEXT, e3 will lose one scholarship. As a result e3 will be more careful in checking whether the applicants come from the universities it had encountered regrettable experiences and who provided the reference letters.

    Continuing application as a private student

    If I’m not selected for the MEXT scholarship, I want to continue my application as a private student? Do I have to submit two sets of the application documents?

    • Most of the documents you have submitted for the scholarship screening can be re-used in case you decide to continue your application as a private student. However, if your study is still ongoing you may be requested to resubmit some of the documents at the later stage of enrollment process. Please make sure to confirm the required documents and schedule for the regular admission.

    If I tick “Yes” for the question “Do you wish to enroll even if you were not awarded MEXT e3 scholarship?”, will it be a disadvantage for the scholarship selection?

    • It doesn’t affect the selection.