Mission Statement
The Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Information Studies (GSII) provides a unique interdisciplinary and practical learning environment in which students can develop the broad range of knowledge and skills necessary to fulfill the demands of an advanced information society. Through close cooperation with various departments across the university concerned with education and research on information, the curriculum provides both advanced technical skills for information processing and understanding of the significance and function of information in contemporary societies. Besides fulfilling society’s need for people with practical information literacy and providing retraining opportunities for professionals, the GSII also enables its students to become researchers and artists working at the cutting edge of interdisciplinary information studies.
Within the GSII, the “Information, Technology, and Society in Asia” (ITASIA) Program offers intensive graduate–level education designed to foster analytical strength and insight into Asian societies and international relations, at a time when information and communication technology is having an increasingly profound impact on the region. All instruction is conducted in English, and the academic year at ITASIA begins in October.
M.A.S. Program
The M.A.S. program of the Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Information Studies (GSII) seeks students with the following abilities: (1) sufficient academic ability to pursue studies in a specialized field, (2) a broad perspective on information and technology unconstrained by traditional disciplinary boundaries, (3) advanced abilities in specialized fields ranging from socio-information and communication studies to computer science, (4) the desire to further deepen such knowledge, and (5) the ability to think in innovative and creative ways. Students are expected to become leaders in the field of information studies, who will identify and formulate solutions to yet undiscovered problems in creative and interdisciplinary ways while contributing new knowledge to the field of information studies.
The following factors will be considered in the selection process:
The Ph.D. program of the Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Information Studies (GSII) seeks students with the following abilities: (1) a broad interdisciplinary perspective and curiosity about information and technology, (2) the requisite specialized knowledge to develop his/her proposed research topic, (3) the desire to further deepen that specialized knowledge, (4) the ability to think in innovative and creative ways, and (5) the steadfast ability to carry out ground-breaking research. Students are expected to become leaders in the field of information studies, who will identify and formulate solutions to yet undiscovered problems in creative and interdisciplinary ways, while making outstanding new contributions to the field of information studies.
The following factors will be considered in the selection process:
Prospective Students
This document is written for prospective students applying for admission to the ITASIA Program in October 2025.
The application deadline is December 4, 2024, 11:59 am JST (Japan Standard Time).
Applicants must take the GRE General Test and either the TOEFL or IELTS Academic Test as early as possible in order to ensure that official score/test reports arrive before the application deadline.
10,000 yen
* Japanese Government (Monbukagakusho: MEXT) Scholarship students are exempt from the examination fee as well as the admission fee and annual tuition.
* Those entering the Ph.D. program in October 2025 are exempt from the examination fee as well as the admission fee if they earned a Master’s or professional degree at a Graduate School of the University of Tokyo in September 2025.
282,000 yen
535,800 yen (M.A.S. program)
520,800 yen (Ph.D. program)
* The University of Tokyo provides a limited number of need-based exemptions of admission fee and tuition. For details, please see the following web page: https://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/prospective-students/tuition_fees.html
A limited number of applicants who have exceptional academic records will be awarded scholarships or tuition waivers through the courtesy of donors at the recommendation of the University of Tokyo. To those eligible, the scholarships will be offered simultaneously with the notification of acceptance into the program. The candidates will be requested to confirm their willingness to enter the ITASIA Program by a specified date.
The successful applicants for admission can also directly apply for scholarships from the University of Tokyo as well as private sources, as described at https://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/prospective-students/privateorg.html, but typically only after enrollment. We strongly recommend that those applicants seeking financial aid should also apply for other sources of funding that can be offered before enrollment by themselves.
To be eligible for admission to the M.A.S. program, you must be a holder of a Bachelor’s degree or an equivalent status.
To be eligible for admission to the Ph.D. program, you must be a holder of a Master’s degree or an equivalent status including Ph.D. candidacy.
Applicants who expect to earn the required degree(s) between the time of application and September 30, 2025 should submit with their application an official statement that certifies anticipated graduation.
Please note that those applicants intending to apply based on the following eligibility requirement must contact the ITASIA Admissions Office no later than 4:00 pm on October 21, 2024 JST before submitting their application:
“Those who are 22 years or older on September 30, 2025, whom this graduate school has recognized through individual screening of entrance qualifications, as having abilities that are at least equivalent to those who have graduated from a Japanese university.”
For further details, please see Appendix 1 and 2 below.
Applicants must be proficient enough in English to participate in lectures and receive academic guidance in English at the graduate level.
Students applying for the Ph.D. program should have already received extensive training that will have prepared them for pursuing advanced research. If the applicants for the Ph.D. program have received a Master’s degree in a field that is not directly related to the emphasis of the ITASIA Program or to the applicants’ proposed field of study, then it is strongly encouraged that they apply instead to the M.A.S. program.
Selection for admission is based on the evaluation of documents submitted by the applicants, and, if deemed necessary, some kind of interview. Applicants may be contacted for additional information, with final notification no later than March 31, 2025. Successful applicants will be requested to complete the entrance procedures within a specified period.
For enrollment in October 2025, the application period starts on October 2, 2024. Completed applications must be submitted electronically online through the Admissions page of the ITASIA website and any additional supporting documents must be delivered to the ITASIA Admissions Office by December 4, 2024, 11:59 am JST. Submissions in person will not be accepted. We strongly encourage applicants to submit applications and any other required materials early to avoid any delays or omissions in reception procedures to the ITASIA Admissions Office.
We will not accept applications after December 4, 2024, 11:59 am JST.
Please review the submission instructions on the Admissions page of the ITASIA website after October 2, 2024 and prepare the necessary documents according to the following list. Applications must be written in English. If the other supporting documents are not written in English or Japanese, an official English or Japanese translation should be attached unless specified otherwise. The University may retroactively cancel admission of any student who has falsified any of his or her application documents including personal information, academic records, and research achievements.
*These documents are not necessary for applicants who are currently enrolled in the ITASIA Program or are graduates of the ITASIA M.A.S. program applying for the ITASIA Ph.D. program within two years of graduation.
**Payment of the application fee is required for all applicants applying, including those applying within two years of graduation from the ITASIA M.A.S. program, but not for those who are Japanese Government (Monbukagakusho: MEXT) Scholarship students or who expect to earn a Master’s or professional degree at a Graduate Program in the University of Tokyo (including the ITASIA Program) in September 2025 and enter the Ph.D. program in October 2025.
Application Documents |
Submission Process |
||
Online Application for ITASIA Program |
Completed online by applicant |
||
(2)* |
Two Evaluations for ITASIA Program |
Requested online by applicant and submitted online by each referee |
|
(3)* |
M.A.S. Program |
Certificate of completion/proof of Bachelor’s degree OR Certificate of expected graduation/proof of anticipated degree |
Submitted online by applicant |
Ph.D. Program |
Certificate of completion/proof of Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees AND/OR Certificate of expected graduation/proof of anticipated degree |
Submitted online by applicant |
|
(4)* |
Certified transcript/academic record |
Submitted online by applicant |
|
(5)* |
TOEFL iBT Official Score Report or IELTS Academic official Test Report Form (TRF) (non-native English-speakers only) |
Request official score report be sent to the designated institution |
|
(6)* |
GRE General Test official score report |
Request official score report be sent to the designated institution |
|
Japanese-Language Proficiency Test Result (JLPT) |
Submitted online by applicant (optional) |
||
Sample of representative research work/writing in English |
Submitted online by applicant |
||
Proof of citizenship |
Submitted online by applicant |
||
A digital ID photograph |
Submitted online by applicant |
||
(11)** |
Proof of Application Fee payment (PDF) |
Either printed “Result” page of online credit card payment system, or |
Submitted online by applicant |
Certificate of Remittance (portion C), or |
Submitted online by applicant |
||
scan of MEXT scholarship certificate |
Submitted online by applicant |
1. Application Form for ITASIA Program
• The form will be available online from October 2 (JST) to December 4, 2024, 11:59 am (JST).
2. Two Evaluations for the ITASIA Program*
• The application will not be reviewed without the receipt of the evaluation forms by the application deadline.
3. Official proof of graduation and receipt of degree* (PDF)
• Applicants may also submit proof of graduation and receipt of degree for any other degrees.
4. Certified transcript/academic records* (PDF)
• Applicants may also submit certified transcripts/academic records for any other degrees.
5. TOEFL iBT (Test of English as a Foreign Language) Official Score Report or IELTS (International English Language Testing System) Academic Test Report Form (TRF)*
• The TOEFL and IELTS requirement does not apply to native speakers of English. You may identify yourself as a native speaker of English only if English is your first language or you have been educated primarily in the English-language in your primary and secondary education (elementary, middle, and high).
6. GRE (Graduate Record Examinations) General Test official Graduation Institution Score Report*
• The application will not be reviewed without the arrival of the official score report (no exceptions). Applicants must explicitly request the submission early enough taking into consideration the time required for processing and handling.
7. Japanese-Language Proficiency Test Result (JLPT) (optional) (PDF)
• JLPT is not required. Applicants may include an unofficial scan in their application to support their proposed plan of research.
8. One sample of representative research work/writing in English (for M.A.S. program applicants, Bachelor’s thesis or a research/term paper; for Ph.D. program applicants, Master’s thesis or some other relevant academic publication) (PDF)
• The applicant will be required to upload the writing sample as a text-searchable PDF (the submitted PDF must not be a scanned copy).
• A digital scan of your Passport ID page.
10. A digital ID photograph (JPEG, PNG, TIFF)
• The photograph will be used for admissions purposes as well as your student ID card (if admitted).
11. Proof of payment of the Application Fee (PDF)
• MEXT Scholarship students, who are enrolled in a school other than the Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Information Studies, should submit a copy of the “MEXT scholarship certificate” as proof of eligibility for exemption from the application fee.
Please note that none of the processed documents and materials will be returned.
(1) It is not possible to enroll in this program at the same time as being enrolled in a program offered in another department at the University of Tokyo.
(2) Application documents are essential to the selection process and must therefore be prepared in strict accordance to the specified guidelines. Incomplete application documents will not be accepted. After processing of application documents, revisions to them cannot be considered nor is the examination fee refundable.
(3) Applicants with disabilities who require special consideration should notify the ITASIA Admissions Office of their wishes when submitting their application, so that appropriate arrangements can be made to facilitate them.
(4) Non-Japanese applicants must have a visa that will allow admission to a Japanese graduate school, as stipulated in the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act (Cabinet Order No. 319, 1951) by the time of enrollment procedures.
(5) When conducting enrollment procedures, those planning to pursue their studies while retaining a position of employment in a public office or private company or organization must submit a letter from their employer or superior giving permission to concentrate on their studies while enrolled in the program.
(6) Application procedures, application periods, and other details may, in certain circumstances, be subject to change.
(7) Under no circumstances will the processed application documents be returned to the applicants.
(8) Under no circumstances will the admission fee be returned after the completion of enrollment procedures.
(9) The University of Tokyo shall use the personal information obtained through the application process only for the purpose of [1] Selection procedures, [2] Notification of results, and [3] Enrollment procedures. For those who enroll, this personal information and the examination results used for admission selection shall also be used for [4] Educational affairs (school registration, attendance, etc.), [5] Student support (healthcare, career support, application procedure for tuition exemption and scholarships, use of libraries, etc.), and [6] The Management of tuition payment.
(10) The examination results used for admission selection may be used in future studies for the improvement of admission and education systems at the University of Tokyo.
(11) The University may retroactively cancel admission of any student who has falsified personal information or academic record in his or her application documents.
(12) The University of Tokyo has established the “The University of Tokyo Security Export Control Regulations” in accordance with Japan’s “Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Act”, and rigorously implements security export control for potential students before and after their enrollment on the basis of these regulations. In particular, pre-enrollment screenings are mandatory for all international students and also for Japanese students in certain circumstances. Please be aware that applicants who fall under any of the conditions set out in the Act may not receive permission to enroll at the university or may have their research activities restricted after their enrollment even if they have passed the entrance examinations.
ITASIA Admissions Office
Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Information Studies
The University of Tokyo
7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
E-mail (For inquiries only; not for submission of application materials):
itasiaao2025(AT)iii.u-tokyo.ac.jp [replace “(AT)” with “@”).
Website: https://itasia.iii.u-tokyo.ac.jp/
*Please see the FAQ page of the ITASIA website before sending any inquiries.
* The terms “university” and “Bachelor’s degree” below are narrow legal concepts defined within Japan’s education system, which do not include the equivalents abroad unless explicitly specified otherwise.
Persons must fulfill at least one of the following requirements in order to be considered eligible to apply to M.A.S. program of ITASIA:
(Note 1)
Japanese universities mentioned in Eligibilities (1) and (6) above are universities within the boundaries of Japan and as prescribed in Article 83 of the School Education Law.
(Note 2)
Eligibilities (2) and (3) above includes the case of having completed a correspondence program provided by a foreign school of said country while residing in Japan.
(Note 3)
Those as mentioned in Eligibility (4) above referred to any who have graduated from the following schools or educational institutions.
(Note 4)
* The terms “university”, “Master’s degree”, and “professional degree” below are narrow legal concepts defined within Japan’s education system, which do not include the equivalents abroad unless explicitly specified otherwise.
Persons must fulfill at least one of the following requirements in order to be considered eligible to apply to the Ph.D. program of ITASIA:
(Note 1)
Japanese universities mentioned in Eligibilities (4) and (10) above are universities within the boundaries of Japan and as prescribed in Article 83 of the School Education Law.
(Note 2)
Eligibilities (6) and (10) above includes the case of having completed a correspondence program provided by a foreign school of said country while residing in Japan.
(Note 3)
Those who wish to apply based on Eligibilities (9) or (10) above shall contact the administrative department of this graduate school by October 21, 2024, prior to the application as the eligibility for entrance will be confirmed individually in advance.
(Note 4)