Applicants must meet the requirements laid out by the specific graduate school / faculty they wish to join (e.g. Economics, Law, Social Sciences, ICS, etc.) 

For MEXT Scholarship applicants, selection begins via the Japanese embassy/consulate in the applicant’s home country; thereafter documents are submitted to the corresponding Hitotsubashi graduate school. 

Documents required typically include:

  • Application form

  • Academic transcripts / graduation certificate (bachelor’s degree)

  • Statement of purpose / research plan

  • Letters of recommendation

  • Japanese language proficiency evaluation (or JLPT, if available) 

Some graduate programs offer a Research Student status (non-degree) for those who do not yet meet full requirements. For example, for such status:

  • Completion or expected completion of 16 years of education abroad, or

  • Holding (or expecting) a degree equivalent to a bachelor’s degree from a foreign institution, or

  • Being recognized by the graduate school as having equivalent academic ability. 

For certain doctoral programs (e.g. in Social Sciences), eligibility may also include:

  • Having completed a master’s program (or equivalent) by the time of admission

  • For non-master’s holders with special cases: passing individual qualification reviews based on research experience or academic performance. 

Admission generally involves a two-stage process:

  1. Document screening (application review)

  2. Interview / oral examination assessing research plan, subject knowledge, language ability, etc. 

Applicants must also pay an application / examination fee (e.g. ¥9,800 for research student application) when relevant.