Non-degree Research Student

Source: https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/academics/international-research-students/index.html Parent: https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/academics/international-research-students/

Academics

Non-degree Research Student

International Student Admission Guide Non-Degree Research Student

Non-degree research students are those persons who conduct research about a specific research topic under the guidance of an academic advisor. Upon receiving permission from their academic advisor or the instructor(s) in charge of courses, Non-degree research students are allowed to attend courses related to the research topic, but they cannot earn credits nor are they eligible to receive Master's or Doctoral degrees.

Prior to application, applicants must obtain the informal consent of the prospective academic advisor to supervise the research activities during the period of non-degree research student. The applicant is not required to come to Japan for selection process because it only proceed through a document screening process. Eligibility criteria clarifies that Non-degree research students must have bachelor's degree, and it is defined that the major purpose for being a Non-degree research student is to prepare for the graduate school admission.

Application Guide etc.

Please make sure to read following Application Guide carefully before getting ready with your application.

Application Process

1) Procedures:

Proceed with the application process in accordance with following steps. For more details, please refer to the "application Guide etc." above.

Step1. - Obtain an informal consent from your prospective academic advisor and get the reference number from him/her that is required for web application process.
* You need to submit a "Self-Declaration on Specific Categories" filled in necessary items with your resume or research proposal to your supervisor when you request for consent.\ Click here to download the form.\ https://coi-sec.tsukuba.ac.jp/export_control/specific-categories/
Step2. - Complete web entries for Non-degree research student.
Step3. - Submit required documents by post.

Link to WEB ENTRY \ *The Web application system will be updated in late August.

2) University Prescribed Forms

Letter of Recommendation(PDF/WORD)
Application Checklist for International Non-Degree Research Students for AY 2026(PDF)

Application Schedule

April 2026 Enrollment

Web application Period

: September 16 (Tue) to October 3 (Fri) 15:00 JST, 2025 - Submission period of application documents (Must reach us)

: September 16 (Tue) to October 14 (Tue) , 2025 - Announcement of selection results

: Early December 2025

October 2026 Enrollment

Web application Period

: March 11 (Wed) to March 27 (Fri) 15:00 JST, 2026 - Submission period of application documents (Must reach us)

: March 11 (Wed) to April 6 (Mon) , 2026 - Announcement of selection results

: Early July 2026

December 2026 Enrollment

Web application Period

: May 25 (Mon) to June 5 (Fri) 15:00 JST, 2026 - Submission period of application documents (Must reach us)

: May 25 (Mon) to June 15 (Mon) , 2026 - Announcement of selection results

: Early August 2026

Application Fee

Applicants can make a payment for application fee (9,800yen) only by credit card, or at convenience stores in Japan. Please check the following payment guide and proceed from either payment site.

Payment guide\ To payment website (credit card) \

To payment website (convenience store)\ \

*With regard to the payment period, please refer to 4. (3) in University of Tsukuba Application Guide. Application will be invalid unless payment is made within the required time period.

Applicants Who Need to Obtain a Student Visa

Together with the application form and other required documents, the submission of application documents for the "Certificate of Eligibility" (COE) is needed to obtain a student visa you will be required if you pass. COE application documents must be sent by post during the application period together with other application documents.

Documents required for COE application

Certificate of Eligibility (COE) and procedures for obtaining visas (English)(PDF)
Checklist at the filing of COE application(PDF)
Application for certificate of eligibility (4 sheets in total, 3 pages of application forms + 1 page of confirmation form) (EXCEL)\ * Handwritten applications will not be accepted.
Application for certificate of eligibility (Entry example)(PDF)
Request form for proxy for application for the certificate of eligibility(PDF/WORD)
Written oath for defraying expenses(PDF/WORD)
Written oath for defraying expenses (Entry example)(PDF)
COE FAQs for non-degree research students(PDF)

Selection Result

Click here

Contact Information
Division of Student Exchange (International Student Exchange), Department of Student Affairs, University of Tsukuba
Email: isc#@#un.tsukuba.ac.jp
(Remove "#" from the above e-mail address before sending email.)
*Our FAQprovides answers to the inquiries we often receive from applicants.
Please check it before making an inquiry.