Application guidelines ｜ HOKKAIDO UNIVERSITY FISHERIES SCIENCES

Creation date:2018/12/07
Update date:2023/11/22

Application guidelines

1 November, 2023 UPDATE

Master’s Course

Doctoral Course

Applicants must contact their prospective supervisor before applying.

Contact details of faculty members are listed on this website and PDF:
・List of Accepted Teachers (Master / Doctoral)

How to become a graduate student or research student

1	Find a supervisor	To enter Hokkaido University as a graduate student or research student, you must first find a faculty member who is willing to supervise your research. Be sure to contact a faculty member before you apply.
2	Apply	(See Sec. 2 and 3 below)
3	Take the entrance examination*	The entrance examination is held in Hakodate, but in some cases, the exam may be held as a video conference. Please consult with your proposed supervisor. If you are required to come to Hakodate, you will need to obtain a temporary stay visa at your local Japanese Embassy.
4	Begin the enrollment procedure	If you pass the application process, you must submit the necessary documentation, pay the entrance fee, and complete other necessary procedures to enroll. Once you receive a Letter of Acceptance from Hokkaido University, you can apply for a student visa at your local Japanese Embassy.

* Not required for research students.

International students entering the MS course can enroll in April or October. Applications are accepted during two application periods each year.

MS course	First application period	Second application period
Application guidelines become available at fisheries school website	Early June	Early November
Preliminary screening	Late June	Mid-November
Results of preliminary screening	Mid-July	Early December
Application period (pay examination fee)	Mid-July	Mid-December
Examination	About Aug 16 (2023)	About Feb 20 (2024)
Results	Early September	Early March
Enrollment	October or April	April or October

Students entering the PhD course can enroll in October or April.

PhD course	October enrollment	April enrollment
Application guidelines become available at fisheries school website (https://www2.fish.hokudai.ac.jp/)	Early June	Early November
Preliminary screening	Late June	Mid-November
Results of preliminary screening	Mid-July	Early December
Application period (pay examination fee)	Mid-July	Mid-December
Examination	About Aug 17 (2023)	About Feb 20 (2024)
Results	Early September	Early March

Research students	April enrollment	October enrollment
Application period	Early January	Early July

Required documents/fees:

	Research student	Master’s course	PhD course
Application Form and Resume (Curriculum vitae)	◯	◯	◯
Graduation certificate (diploma)	◯	◯	◯
Transcript from last school attended	◯	◯
Application essays（Master/Doctoral）		◯	◯
Score sheet of an English-language proficiency examination (TOEIC or TOEFL)		◯	◯
Letter of Recommendation from your academic advisor at the last school attended		◯	◯
Three copies of Master’s thesis			◯
Three copies of Master’s thesis abstract (about 3000 characters in Japanese or 1200 words in English)			◯
Examination/application fee	9,800 yen	30,000 yen	30,000 yen

Examination/application fees can be paid using a credit card:
http://e-apply.jp/e/hokudai-fish/

Master’s course	PhD course
Examination	Interview
	20-minute presentation of Master’s degree study

For those who do not speak Japanese, the examination can be conducted in English.

*One academic year = two semesters

【Important notice】 1 November, 2023 UPDATE

The following changes will be made to the entrance examination for the Master’s Course and Doctoral Course

at the Graduate School of Fisheries Sciences in August 2025.

Please click here.

【Important notice】 10 December, 2021

The following changes will be made to the entrance examination for the Master’s Course and Doctoral Course

at the Graduate School of Fisheries Sciences in August 2022.

Please click here.