Admission Information

a. Overview

The Biology department welcomes applications for Master's and Doctoral programs from both local and foreign students. Prospective students are generally required to have the necessary qualifications for their program of choice and pass the admissions requirements specified by the university for their application year. Since the admission process can change every year, applicants are advised to regularly visit the Graduate School of Science ( link ) and the International Affairs Office ( link ) for detailed application procedures, deadlines, and relevant links on individual scholarships for guidance.   

b. Past Entrance Exams 

Entrance exam questions from previous graduate admission rounds have been made available to the public. They are posted and updated regularly every year after the exams conclude and can be accessed from the Biology Department website. Entrance exam questions are provided in both Japanese and English.

Past Entrance Exams
(Japanese)

c. Graduate School Information Session

Applying to any graduate school requires careful preparation. At TMU, we want our prospective students to have the most up-to-date information on admissions and provide them the space to ask questions related to the applications in advance. With this intention, the Graduate School of Science and the Biology Department conducts regular information session for admissions. At the moment, while the information session is only held in Japanese, non-native Japanese speakers can directly contact Rei Narikawa (narikawa.rei[at]tmu.ac.jp), chairperson for the entrance exam, for individual requests for information in English. For more information, information session schedules, and other updates, please visit the Biology Department website.

Graduate School Information Session
(Japanese)

d. Prospective Research

Research is the core of graduate education at TMU. It is therefore important to find a professor who can support you in your work and to whom you can communicate well with. Prospective students are thus encouraged to thoroughly browse through the research profile of their faculty member of interest, then politely but clearly communicate their research interests and their desired language of instruction. Afterwards, professors can provide guidance on the best course of action for gaining entry to your desired program and recommendations to good funding opportunities. While prior contact to prospective supervisors may not always be required, applicants are still encouraged to look through the list of research labs in the Department to scout prospective research supervisors ahead of time. 

A complete list of the faculty members from the Biology department who are available for thesis supervision can be found in the Application Guidelines regularly posted and updated by the Graduate School of Science ( link ). Comprehensive research summaries of individual laboratories are also described in their respective pages.

Research Laboratories

e. Laboratory Visit

Part of the preparation for entering the graduate school is understanding what the applicant would like to do for research and who they would like to work with during their graduate program. We understand the importance of being well-matched to your research supervisor and the laboratory setting. TMU provides opportunities to conduct laboratory visits in labs of the applicant's interest, provided that they complete prior laboratory visit application and obtain approval from the department. The application form (in Japanese) can be accessed through the Biology Department's application portal ( link ) and can be answered in either Japanese or English.

f. Scholarship Information

Students requiring financial assistance for tuition fees and living costs can apply to many different types of scholarships offered by the Tokyo Metropolitan University, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, and the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. Depending on the scholarship, application procedures, channels, and deadlines vary. Some examples of possible scholarship options are the following:

• For privately-financed students – includes Japanese Government (MEXT) domestic scholarships, Monbukagakusho Honors Scholarship (c/o JASSO), scholarships from private foundations and public organizations, and tuition reduction or exemption ( link ).
  
• Japanese Government Scholarship Programs  – tuition fee subsidy and subsistence allowance awarded by MEXT for qualified applicants via Embassy or University recommendation ( link )
• Tokyo Global Partner Scholarship Program  – tuition fee subsidy and subsistence allowance awarded by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government for qualified applicants as recommended by their prospective supervisors ( link )

Detailed application procedures, deadlines, and relevant links on individual scholarships are posted by the Graduate School of Science ( link ) and the International Affairs Office ( link ) for guidance.  Further admission-related inquiries can be made by contacting the Academic Affairs Section of the Graduate School of Science either by email or in person (Building 8, 2F, Tokyo Metropolitan University Minami-Osawa Campus ( access map ))

g. Other Research Opportunities at TMU

Information for Post-Docs

We'd love to have you in TMU! Interested post-docs should get in touch with professors who they'd like to work with to explore hosting possibilities. Funding may be available for post-docs wishing to come to Japan through the Japan Society for Promotion of Science (JSPS) and you can find the relevant information  here .

Internships and Short-term visits

International internship and short-term visits may also be available. Please contact individual faculty members directly for more information.

Undergraduate Applications

Are you an upcoming undergraduate who is interested in applying to TMU for your Bachelor's? We would also love to have you in TMU!  Application guidelines for undergraduate are different from the ones you can find here, but you can head to the undergraduate Biology (English) program to read more ( link )