Tohoku University Admission 2027: Deadlines, Requirements, Fees for International Students

Admission at a glance

Tohoku University is a national research university based in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, with a long-standing reputation in the natural sciences and engineering and a self-described research-first policy. Its previous English-taught undergraduate route, the Future Global Leadership Program, has closed, and the university now runs Gateway College from the 2027 academic year: an interdisciplinary undergraduate programme taught primarily in English that lets students explore multiple fields before choosing a specialisation, organised into a Humanities and Social Sciences track and a STEM track.

Gateway College runs two admission cycles a year rather than one. The April 2027 intake evaluates candidates mostly in Japanese through in-person document screening, a written examination and an interview held in Japan, while the October 2027 intake is conducted entirely in English and online, making it the more accessible route for an applicant applying from outside Japan. Tohoku University charges the same tuition to Japanese and international students, the standard national rate, and also admits international students through the general Examination for Japanese University Admission for International Students (EJU) route into its regular, Japanese-taught faculties, where each faculty sets its own minimum EJU scores.

Requirements

Bachelor's (Gateway College)

Applicants need to have completed, or be on track to complete, 12 years of school education recognised as equivalent to Japanese upper secondary school. The October intake does not require Japanese ability; the April intake is conducted mostly in Japanese and assumes stronger Japanese proficiency.

Bachelor's (general international admission)

Applicants generally need to sit the EJU in June or November of the year before entry and meet the minimum scores set by their chosen faculty, alongside any faculty-specific written test or interview.

Master's and PhD

A relevant Bachelor's degree (or Master's degree for doctoral study), recognised as equivalent to a Japanese degree, is required; each graduate school sets its own further requirements and deadline.

Full requirements and documents