We welcome applicants with a strong interest in agriculture, bioresource management, and related fields.
Undergraduate applications for the English program are opened about one year before the enrollment. Screening takes place in two stages; a document screening first, and then an interview by teleconferencing.
The quality of applicants for our program is consistently very high, and admissions to our program are competitive. We expect applicants to have a strong academic record, a demonstrable interest in agrobiological resource sciences, and sufficient ability to support themselves throughout their studies.
You are required to submit a personal statement (study plan), which clearly outlines your interest in agrobiological resource sciences. Please outline any experience / internships you may have done, as well as your area of interest (e.g. agriculture, sustainability, food science, agribusiness, etc) and future plans after graduation. Although we understand that you may not be completely sure on what you want to do with your life, and that your plans may change over the next four years, we expect applicants to have given some thought to their ultimate goals.
Your financial plan will also form a key component of your application; please take care to follow the guidance carefully. Please be as clear as possible about your sources of support, and your projected expenses. If your parents have agreed to finance your studies, please tell us a little about their ability to support you (e.g. what are their jobs? Are they secure jobs?).
Most applicants who have English as a second language will be required to submit an English proficiency test. If you are unsure whether you require a test, please contact Admissions as soon as possible (contact details available in the application guidelines).
The second stage will comprise of a short interview via videoconferencing (e.g. Zoom). The interview lasts about 20 minutes, and will discuss your motivations for applying to our College, as well as specific points of your application materials and study plan. At the end of the interview, you’ll be given the opportunity to ask questions to the panel.
Transfer Admissions
Applicants for transfer admissions will submit the necessary forms, including their transcript. There is no first screening for transfer applications, and all transfer applicants will be interviewed. To receive a degree from Tsukuba, you will be required to fulfil our degree requirements. Essentially, credits can be split into four main sections
- Core subjects for major
- Elective subjects
- Major Subjects
- Graduation research credits
Core subjects are basic sciences, such as introductory biology, chemistry, math, and physics courses. These are normally taken in the first semester of college, along with Japanese language requirements, and other core components. Some credits run over multiple years, such as scientific writing.
Major subjects are in-depth courses relating to your field of study. These tackle specific areas, such as plant breeding, food science, biotechnology etc.
Elective subjects are taught by other Schools within our university (e.g. Social science, Humanities). The aim of these courses is to broaden your education and perspective on life.
Graduation research is completed in the final year of your program, and comprises of a year-long lab-based research project.
You must complete all these requirements to be able to receive a degree, and depending on your background and the subjects you have completed, we can recommend you for either 2nd year or 3rd year entry.
3rd year entry – in principle you must be able to complete within two years of enrollment. This will require you to have a strong science background, allowing us to transfer a significant number of credits into the “core subjects” and “major subjects” sections, as well as completing “elective subjects” from your transfer credits. The minimum time required for degree completion is 2 years.
2nd year entry – if it is unlikely you could complete within two years, you will be enrolled as a second year student. In this scenario, you must complete a minimum of three years at Tsukuba. If you have a background which lacks significant biology, then it is most likely you would be required to enter as a second year. In some cases, we can provide research opportunities throughout your degree, to help enrich your time at the university.