Basic information
FAQ

Application FAQ

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

1. Choosing and contacting laboratories

Where can I find the list of laboratories which belong to the e3 program?

Is it important which laboratory and professor I choose?

  • Yes, either in Master's or Doctoral program you will belong to the laboratory by which you are accepted and conduct your research under the guidance of the research supervisor.

 Is it important to which division the laboratory I choose belongs?

  • There is a minimum number of credits Master's course students are required to take from their divisions. Please check the course list to see what kind of course work if offered by each division. Some research supervision policies etc. may also vary depending on the division.

Do all the laboratories accept applications?

  • Most of the laboratories which belong to the e3 program accept applications. However, due to the expected retirement of a faculty member, laboratory currently being over the capacity etc. laboratories may suspend accepting new applicants for some time.  To find out the laboratory's acceptance plan please go to divisions and laboratory search and click [laboratory's profile] of the laboratory of your interest. If no acceptance plan is published by the laboratory, by default you can consider that the laboratory is accepting applications.

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 on-line. 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 and only match for your research interest 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?

  • Appropriateness 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.

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

2. 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.

3. Publications

I'm a bachelor student and haven't 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.

I could enter only 3 publication records in the system, but I have more. Is there a way to show them?

  • Yes, you can attach the full list at the end of your research proposal.

4. Reference letter

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

  • You are required to submit at least 2 recommendation letters, one of them shall be from your (research) supervisor. You can submit a recommendation from the employer as a second letter. If you have been out of school for a prolonged period of time, your supervisor has already retired etc. please consult with e3 office.

5. Research proposal

Is there a format for the research proposal?

  • Yes, please refer to the set of application forms for your category of application. Please strictly adhere to the page limit of the proposal. When applying for the e3 Special Selection, candidates already nominated for MEXT scholarship can use the MEXT proposal 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 the research proposal shall be?

  • e3 proposal format has page limit. Please strictly follow it.  Your proposal should be concise and at the same time demonstrate your ability and potential to conduct research.

6. TOEFL test

What is e3 institutional code? Will I know that my score reached e3 office?

  • For the e3 Special Selecion you shall request the test results to be sent directly to the e3 office. Institutional code, 8648. Your score certificate will be directly posted to our office. We will send a 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

7. Ranking

My university doesn't have a ranking system and doesn't issue a ranking certificate. What should I do?

  • Ranking is an optional document you can attach to your application.You can indicate what you believe is your ranking in the application form.  However, if you are applying for MEXT scholarship via the e3 program/university nomination having this document at the time of application is desirable. If you are selected for MEXT scholarship, an official certificate in some form will be required for submission to MEXT. Please refer to the MEXT section of this FAQ.

8. Selection process

How is the application processed?

  • After the application is completed in the system, applicant's qualifications are checked and applications are sent to the laboratories that applicants indicated as their first choice for the matching.  If the first choice professors are not interested in accepting, the applications are sent to the second choice laboratories.  Professors interested in accepting an applicant will contact him or her for Skype/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.

9. Applying for MEXT Scholarship via the e3 program/university recommendation

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 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?

  • Yes. 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). If you applied for the MEXT scholarship via the e3, by the time the applications are accepted by the Embassy you will already know your results from the e3.  Please make sure that you don't apply for another scholarship of you are already nominated.  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 the 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 the 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 the 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.

Currently I'm an international student and don't live in a country of my origin? Is it going to be a problem to apply for MEXT scholarship?

  • You can apply for MEXT scholarship if you are doing your degree in a foreign country (except Japan, please check MEXT application guidelines for the details of eligibility). However, the country of your origin (the country of your nationality) will matter if you are chosen for the scholarship. You will need to apply for the visa via the Japanese embassy at the country of your nationality and the arrival ticket to Japan will also be provided from the country of your origin.

10. Continuing application as a private student

If I’m not selected for the MEXT scholarship, can I continue my application as a private student?

  • Yes, please check the application guidelines and application timeline for the e3 Special Selection.. Applications are accepted twice a year, for October and April intake.

Do I have to create a new on-line application in the system?

  • Your account can be used only for one application. If you would like to re-apply for a different admission period or for a different category and your account is still active, we can reset it to be available for editing and application submission again. Please contact the e3 program’s office by e-mail during the on-line application period for the desired type of enrollment. If your account has already been disactivated by the time of new application (you can not log-in and access your old application anymore), you shall create a new one.

Can I use the same 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 updated versions of  some of the documents. Please make sure to confirm the required documents and application timeline for the e3 Special Selection.

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?

  • No, it doesn’t affect the selection for the scholarship.