The Institute of Science Tokyo (Science Tokyo) was created in October 2024 by merging the Tokyo Institute of Technology, one of Japan’s leading engineering universities, with Tokyo Medical and Dental University. In the QS World University Rankings 2027, published in June 2026, it was 97th in the world and fourth in Japan. Its main campuses are in Ookayama and Yushima in Tokyo and Suzukakedai in Yokohama, and it’s known for engineering, the sciences, medicine and dentistry.
Its English-taught route for international school-leavers is the Global Scientists and Engineers Program (GSEP), and the way it selects students is changing for April 2028 entry. Here are 10 things you can do to give yourself the best chance, based on Science Tokyo’s own guidance and official Japanese government information.
1. Understand what GSEP offers
GSEP is Science Tokyo’s first international Bachelor of Engineering, with all subjects taught in English, so you don’t need to speak Japanese. It’s offered only by the Department of Transdisciplinary Science and Engineering in the School of Environment and Society, and it isn’t tied to one field of engineering: many core courses are team-taught through projects and hands-on work across science, engineering and management. It starts every April. Science Tokyo’s other bachelor’s programmes are taught in Japanese and have separate entrance exams.
2. Know how few places there are
GSEP admits just 18 students a year: 8 recipients of the Japanese government’s MEXT Scholarship and 10 privately funded international students. That makes it one of the most selective English-taught degrees in Japan, so treat it as an ambitious choice and make every part of your application strong.
3. Plan for the August application window
The application period is usually in mid to late August, for entry the following April. For April 2027 entry, it ran from 12 to 21 August 2026, with interviews from 28 September to 23 October and results on 13 November 2026, so that round has closed. If you’re aiming for April 2028, expect to apply in August 2027, and check whether you need Science Tokyo’s individual assessment of your eligibility, which in 2026 had to be requested between 7 July and 6 August. You pay the ¥17,000 application fee before you apply and upload everything to the online application system. Science Tokyo: Global Scientists and Engineers Program.
4. Prepare for the new science and maths requirements
From April 2028 entry, you must send scores in mathematics, physics and chemistry. Science Tokyo’s planned requirements include the IB Diploma with at least 40 points and Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry at Higher Level; A grades or higher in A Level Further Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry; an SAT total of 1480 with at least 750 in Maths, together with physics and chemistry scores from AP or other tests; AP Calculus BC, Physics and Chemistry; an ACT average of at least 33 with 34 in Maths; or EJU scores, taken in English, of at least 180 in Mathematics Course 2 and 160 in Physics and Chemistry combined. These were announced in March 2026 and may change, so check the 2028 guide when it’s published.
5. Submit an English test score
You must send a TOEFL iBT, TOEIC Listening and Reading or IELTS Academic (paper or computer-delivered) score from a test taken within two years before the end of the application period. There’s no minimum score, but a strong result helps. IELTS Online, TOEFL ITP and other institutional tests aren’t accepted, and IELTS scores must be sent directly to Science Tokyo. Only nationals of Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the UK and the US can be exempted, even if your school taught in English. Practise with our free IELTS and TOEFL practice tests.
6. Get a recommendation from your head teacher
Your application must include an Applicant Evaluation and Recommendation Form, which the principal of your most recent high school submits directly through the online system (another teacher who knows your academic work well can do it if your principal can’t). Ask early and make sure your school knows the deadline. You’ll also send an official high school transcript, and for April 2028 entry Science Tokyo encourages you to send all your available test scores, not only the three required subjects.
7. Prepare for the interview and oral exam
If you pass the preliminary screening of your documents, you go on to the secondary screening. Until now this was an interview and a written exam in high school mathematics, physics and chemistry, held online. From April 2028 entry, it’s planned to be an interview that includes an oral examination. Practise explaining how you solve maths and science problems out loud, in English, and be ready to talk about why you want an interdisciplinary engineering degree.
8. Understand the fees and scholarships
The enrolment fee is ¥282,000 and annual tuition is ¥635,400, which is higher than the standard national university fee. The 8 GSEP students recommended for the MEXT Scholarship pay no enrolment fee or tuition and receive ¥120,000 a month for four years, but must keep a grade point average of at least 2.3. If you live outside Japan, you can also apply for JASSO’s Monbukagakusho Honors Scholarship of ¥48,000 a month for your first year, although you’ll still pay the fees. Other Science Tokyo scholarships are usually awarded after you’ve studied there for a while.
9. Get your Certificate of Eligibility and student visa
Once you’ve accepted your place and paid your admission fee, Science Tokyo applies to the Immigration Services Agency of Japan for a Certificate of Eligibility (CoE) on your behalf, using documents you provide, including proof that you or a sponsor can pay for your studies and living costs. When your CoE is issued, which can be done electronically, you take it with your passport to the Japanese embassy or consulate in your country to get a student visa. You’ll be given your residence card when you arrive at a major airport, and you must register your address at your local city office and join Japan’s National Health Insurance within 14 days of moving in. If you need to extend your stay later, note that the fees went up on 1 October 2026 and now depend on the period you’re given: for example, ¥33,000 at an immigration office (¥27,000 online) for a one-year extension, instead of a flat ¥6,000. Immigration Services Agency of Japan: residence fees from 1 October 2026.
10. Plan for work during and after your studies
A student visa doesn’t allow you to work on its own. You first need “permission to engage in an activity other than that permitted”, which you can request at the airport when you arrive or later at an immigration office. It lets you work up to 28 hours a week, and up to eight hours a day during the university’s long vacations, but never in bars, nightclubs or other adult entertainment businesses. Most Japanese companies recruit graduates a year or more before they start, so begin your job search early, and remember that Japanese language skills make a big difference. If you haven’t found a job by graduation, you can apply, with a recommendation from Science Tokyo, for a “Designated Activities” status for job hunting, which gives you six months and can be renewed once, for up to a year in total. When you get a job offer, you’ll switch to a work status such as Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services. University of Osaka: work permit for part-time jobs.
Applying for a master’s or PhD at Science Tokyo?
Science Tokyo has many master’s and doctoral programmes taught in English, especially in engineering and the sciences, and each has its own dates and requirements. You’ll usually need to contact a potential supervisor before you apply. The Japanese government’s MEXT Scholarship, which you can apply for through the Japanese embassy in your country or through a university recommendation, covers tuition and pays a monthly allowance. See our 50 sample SOPs and free GRE practice tests.
Be ambitious, but apply to a balanced list
With only 18 GSEP places a year, apply to other options too. Read our guides to the University of Tokyo, Kyoto University, the University of Osaka and Tohoku University. Our guide to studying in Japan explains how the Japanese system works, and our free study abroad assessment can help you build a shortlist.
Information was taken from the Institute of Science Tokyo’s official GSEP admissions page, its announcement of planned changes for AY 2028 enrollment, the Immigration Services Agency of Japan and the QS World University Rankings 2027, and checked in October 2026. Admissions rules, deadlines, fees and immigration rules can change, so always confirm the details on Science Tokyo’s admissions website before you apply. StudyAbroadMarket is not affiliated with the Institute of Science Tokyo.