PhD Scholarship Programme for International Students at OIST in Japan 2020

The Graduate School accepts about 60 full-time graduate students per year. This ensures low numbers of students for each faculty member so that they can deliver best-in-the-world teaching for their graduate Programme. The basic requirement for the OIST Graduate Program is the completion of a Bachelors’s, Masters or equivalent degree prior to the admission date.

Students may submit an application at any time. Your application will be considered at the next admissions committee meeting. Shortlisted candidates will be invited to the next possible Admissions Workshop, held at OIST, as part of the selection process. If you prefer to attend a later admissions workshop, you may defer the invitation.

Worth of Award

• As all students enrolled in OIST PhD Programme are fully-funded with a generous Research Assistantship, you are not allowed to work part-time.
• The Research Assistantship ensures a comfortable living in Okinawa so that students can focus on research.

Eligibility

To be eligible for the OIST Graduate Programme,

• You must have completed a BSc, MSc or equivalent degree or expect to do so prior to the admission date.
• Admission to OIST is competitive against a standard that is similar to that of graduate programs of the leading universities the world over.
• The selection process for admissions takes into account all aspects of the OIST Graduate School application, including: academic record, applicant’s statement, letters of recommendation, additional evidence of academic ability such as GRE general test scores, additional material such as copies of publications and abstracts of oral presentations, and any other evidence of achievement provided.
• For short-listed applicants, the selection process additionally takes into account face-to-face interviews with five faculty members.
• All of these aspects are considered together in the final decision for each candidate.

How to Apply

Applicants are expected to submit the following documents;

• Transcript and Diploma: Scanned copies of your current academic transcript and any completed diploma (BSc, MSc, etc.) in PDF format. An English explanation is required for transcripts that are not written in English.
• Applicant’s Statement: This should be no more than 400 words and should address the following points:
• The applicant’s scientific interests and aspirations, and
• What the applicant hopes to gain from undertaking graduate studies at OIST.
• Passport: The application system requires applicants to submit a passport number and upload a scan of their passport photo page. It is essential that applicants from outside Japan have a valid passport for travel to Japan. You must supply your passport details in the application process.
• Recommendation Letter: Each applicant is required to have at least 2 and no more than 5 letters of recommendation from appropriate academic referees. Two is the minimum requirement, but as a rule, it is very helpful for the admissions committee to have three or more letters. In the online application system, the applicant will enter the name and email of each recommender. The system will then contact the referee directly for their letter.
• Proof of English Proficiency: An applicant who is seeking admission on the basis of a qualification from a university for which the language of teaching and/or examination is not English is required to provide a TOEFL or IELTS score obtained within the last 2 years.