How to Apply

Application Procedure

This application procedure is for the PhD program in collaboration with Institute of Science Tokyo and NIMS. The application guidelines that this program follows are provided by clicking “理工学系 20XX年X月入学 大学院博士後期課程", （If you click it, "Application for Admission to Doctoral Degree Program” PDF file will be open.

If you are current students in master’s course of Graduate School, Institute of Science Tokyo, please check the “ Schedule for Internal Students Applying for a Doctoral Degree Program” for application procedure.

Contact a possible prospective supervisor prior to apply

All applicants are required to apply for the NIMS Graduate Research Assistantship as pre-screening. Applicants who passed the NIMS Graduate Research Assistantship screening (document screening and interview) can submit the university application documents to the university.

University Application

Applications and admissions are by “大学院博士後期課程, Application for Admission to Doctoral Degree Program” category, regardless of nationality or place of residence

NIMS Junior (NIMS Graduate Research Assistantship) and University Application

In this program, all applicants are required to apply for the “NIMS Junior” NIMS Graduate Research Assistantship as pre-screening. Applicants who passed the NIMS Junior screening (document screening and interview) can submit the university application documents to the university.
Please be sure to check the following pages.

University Admission Guidelines

大学院博士後期課程 / Application for Admission to Doctoral Degree Program

Please refer the application for the detailed schedule.

Enrollment in September (For reference)Enrollment in April
大学院　募集要項

Appicaiton Guideline

2026年9月入学 大学院博士後期課程 公開予定(4月）* Application guidelines are written in both Japanese and English.

Appicaiton Guideline

2026年4月入学 大学院博士後期課程 公開中（10月）* Application guidelines are written in both Japanese and English.
Application for Individual Assessment of Admission Eligibility by mid-May
If you do not have a master's degree and may need to have your application reviewed for eligibility, please contact the possible supervising professor as soon as possible. 		by late November
If you do not have a master's degree and may need to have your application reviewed for eligibility, please contact the possible supervising professor as soon as possible.
Application Period (1) Registration in Online Application System :
mid-June to late June

(2) Submission by mail:　by late June

 (1) Registration in Online Application System :
late December to beginning of January

(2) Submission by mail: by the beginning of January

Application Documents

Payment of Entrance Examination Fee
  • English Proficiency Test Score Report (within the validity period, designated test types only)
  • Access the online application, then submit the original documents by mail.

Please check the details in Application Guideline “ 大学院博士後期課程 20XX年9月入学”
  • English Proficiency Test Score Report (within the validity period, designated test types only)
  • Registration in the online application, then submit the original documents by mail.

Please check the details in Application Guideline “ 大学院博士後期課程 20XX年4月入学”
Entrance Examinations

early July - late August

Please see the university website for the details. 

late January - early February

Please see the university website for the details. 
Result Announcement early September early March
Enrollment September 2026 April 2026

From Application to Admission

Contact the professor

Applicants are to have earned or to be expected to have a master's degree or an equivalent by the date of admission.
See “Program members” to find the matches between your interested research and the professor's research. Email the professor your CV with a cover letter expressing your interest in the research subject.

Prepare for the application documents to NIMS

All applicants are required to apply for “NIMS Junior” (NIMS Graduate Research Assistantship) as pre-screening. Applicants who passed the NIMS Graduate Research Assistantship screening (document screening and interview) can submit the university application documents to the university.

Please prepare for the following documents and submit to NIMS.

  1. 1.　Application form for the NIMS Graduate Research Assistantship (in Word format)
    * On the application form, please make sure to include the names and email address of at least 2 references. NIMS will directly contact the references regarding the applicant. The communication with the references is an important part of the assistantship selection, which is confidential and used solely for the purpose of assessing the applicant. The applicant must agree to waive the right of access.
  2. 2.　Academic transcripts of both undergraduate and graduate (in PDF format)
  3. 3.　PDF copy of the English test score certificate. The English proficiency tests should have been taken within 2 years from the end of the university application deadline. If you do not have a valid test score, please submit a previous one as our reference and plan to take a new English tests as soon as possible.
    Only the following test are acceptable:
    • ・TOEIC L&R
    • ・TOEFL iBT, TOEFL iBT Home and Edition
    • ・IELTS Academic
    *A scanned copy or downloadable version of the score certificate is acceptable for the NIMS Junior (NIMS Graduate Research Assistantship). However, the original score certificate must be submitted to the university during the application period.
    *Valid result scores for university admission: For example, if you apply for 2024 August NIMS junior application, we accept English test scores from the tests taken after 2024 mid-January.

  4. 4.　CV

University application submission

The application and entrance examination is “大学院博士後期課程, Application for Admission to Doctoral Degree Program” category, irrespective of nationality and place of residence. Please send the application documents to the university based on the information provided in the application guidelines. The package should arrive no later than the application period.

Enrollment

The university admission results will be delivered to the applicants after the university exam result. The successful applicants will complete the enrollment procedure with the university. Meanwhile, registration for National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS) needs to be completed before the enrolment.