Q1.

How much do you normally spend for the monthly cost of living in Japan? How my daily life will be if I receive 180,000 yen every month as a scholarship?

In 2015, the graduate students of the University of Tokyo spent 128,900 yen for the monthly cost of living in average. The master’s students spent 113,600 yen and doctor’s students spent 142,500 yen. The average monthly housing cost is 58,500 yen.

Q2.

What is the difference between GSGC Scholarship and other government-funded scholarships for international students?

The GSGC Scholarship program provides a student 180,000 yen per month as a scholarship while he/she is taking the course, two years for the master's program and three years for the doctor’s program. Repayment is not required.

The information for the MEXT(goverment-funded) scholarship will be posted on the website of Special Selection every year as fixed.

Q3.

What am I required for the admission exam?

You are required to submit an application form, designated documents and test scores. We will then have a screening process based on those documents.

Q4.

How many faculty members belong to the Department of Physics?

The Department of Physics, The University of Tokyo consists of approximately 130 faculty members from diverse institutions covering a whole range of research fields for physics.  All faculty members are leading researchers playing important roles internationally. The Department of Physics is recognized as world's top-class both qualitatively and quantitatively.

Q5.

How do I decide my academic supervisor?

When you are applying to the GSGC program, you need to choose one prospective supervisor. You cannot choose one who is not listed in the GSGC List of faculty. We recommend you contact the prospective supervisor by e-mail well in advance to see if they can accept you.

Q6.

How do I decide my laboratory?

We believe that "research" will be your main activity in graduate education, not like in undergraduate education. You will belong to your academic supervisor's laboratory and continue studying to take a degree finally. So, it is extremely important for you to see the details of the sub-course, the research group and the institution which the academic advisor belongs to before submitting your application.

On our website, you can get useful information related to our faculty members, guidance meetings, open laboratories, etc. We also recommend you to contact and communicate with a laboratory which you are interested in by e-mail actively.

Q7.

How many international students are enrolled in the Department of Physics?

As of May 1, 2019, there are 61 international students enrolled in the Department of Physics. Of these, there are 24 master’s students, 29 doctoral students and 8 research students. They comprise 12.8% of total number of the students in our department.

Q8.

I do not have a good command of Japanese. Do I have any difficulty in following the graduate course?

As long as there is a student who do not understand Japanese sufficiently in a class, a professor will give a lecture in English. So you don't need to have a good command of Japanese. Also, your daily research activities can be done mostly in English. However, we recommend you to take Japanese classes to make your life in Japan easier. We are offering various Japanese classes.

Q9.

Do you conduct a Qualifying Examination (Q.E.)?

Master's students must pass the Qualifying Examination (Q.E.) with completion of their thesis.  Doctoral students must pass the Final Examination (F.E.) with completion of their dissertation.  Details of the Q.E. and F.E. will be announced as fixed.

Your academic advisor, who will be determined when you are entering to a master's course, will remain unchanged until you complete your master thesis. However, you will be able to change your academic advisor when you are entering to a doctor’s course if you have a reason such as you are changing your research topic, etc.