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- Guide to the Astronomical Science Program entrance examination
This is a guide to the entrance examination for prospective students. Every effort has been made to avoid errors, but be sure to consult the Application Guidelines to confirm dates and other details.
Information about Entrance examination for Astronomical Science Program
- Five-year Doctoral Program
- Three-year Doctoral Program
- Application Guidelines
- Past entrance examinations
Five-year Doctoral Program
*The questions and the answers of the written English examination are all in English, but the language used in the physics and physical mathematics examination is Japanese. For more details, please refer to Japanese Government Scholarship Students or Privately Financed Students.
| Qualifications | Completion of a bachelor's degree by the month prior to the date of admission. For details of qualifications, see the Application Guidelines. |
|---|---|
| Number of Students to Accept | Around 5 |
| Qualification Screening period | June 3 (Monday) to June 6 (Thursday), 2024 |
| Application period | June 27 (Thursday) to July 3 (Wednesday), 2024 |
| Examination schedule | Written examination: August 21 (Wednesday), 2024 Interview: August 23 (Friday), 2024 |
| Place of Examination |
National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (Mitaka Campus) Access Information |
| Notification of results | Early September 2024 |
| Examination fee | \30,000 |
| Written examination | Time | Subject | Score Allocation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90 min | Foreign language: English | 150 | |
| 180 min | Physics (3 questions), physical mathematics (2 questions) (written in Japanese only) |
400 |
| Applying to more than one program | Applicants may apply for up to two programs of their choices. For details, please see the application guidelines. |
|---|---|
| Selecting a research supervisor | Before selecting a research field and supervisor, consult the Application Guidelines and details about research fields on the SOKENDAI website. In addition, we strongly recommend contacting a researcher you want as a supervisor and arranging an interview in advance. You can obtain details about the research and education activities of each instructor by contacting the academic guidance instructor. For details about academic guidance instructors, click here. |
Three-year Doctoral Program
Application for admission to the second half of the doctoral program
| Qualifications | Completion of a master's degree by the month prior to the date of admission For details of qualifications, see the Application Guidelines. |
Number of Students to Accept | October 2024 admission : a few students April 2025 admission : Around 1 |
|---|
| October 2024 admission April 2025 Admission (First round) |
Qualification Screening period | June 3 (Monday) to June 6 (Thursday), 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Application period | June 27 (Thursday) to July 3 (Wednesday), 2024 | |
| Examination date | August 19 (Monday), 2024 | |
| Notification of results | Early-September 2024 | |
| April 2025 admission (Second round) | Qualification Screening period | November 5 (Tuesday) to November 7 (Thursday), 2024 |
| Application period | December 5 (Thursday) to December 11 (Wednesday), 2024 | |
| Examination date | January 23 (Thursday), 2025 | |
| Notification of results | Mid-February, 2025 | |
| Place of Examination |
National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (Mitaka Campus)
Access Information |
|
| Examination fee | \30,000 | |
| Selection process | Applicants are selected based on a review of written materials, an oral examination and a written examination in English. | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Oral examination | Details | ||
| The applicant makes a presentation about his or her past research followed by an oral examination and an interview about the applicant's future plans and other interests as well as other general topics. | |||
| Written examination | Details | ||
| Foreign language: English (30 minutes) | |||
| Applying to more than one program | Applicants may apply for up to two programs of their choices.For details, please see the application guidelines. |
|---|---|
| Selecting a research supervisor | Before selecting a research subject, thoroughly consult with the researcher you want as a supervisor. In addition, we strongly recommend taking a seminar in the course led by the researcher you are interested in having as a supervisor. |
Application Guidelines
Guidelines and Forms (SOKENDAI)
To obtain the application guidelines booklet and forms that are not available from the URL above, please inquire by e-mail to the following e-mail address.
gakusei(at)ml.soken.ac.jp
Past Entrance Examinations
The following link contains written examinations from past entrance examination of the Department of Astronomical Science, SOKENDAI(Japanese site).
・Examinations for the five-year doctoral program (except for Foreign Language :English)
Due to copyright issues, following examinations shall be accessed only in person at our office.
・Written examinations(Foreign Language) for the five-year doctoral program (last 3 years)
・Oral examinations and Written examinations for the three-year doctoral program (last 3 years)
[Location and open hours]
Graduate Student Affairs Unit
National Institutes of Natural Sciences, National Astronomical Observatory of Japan
2-21-1 Osawa, Mitaka, Tokyo 181-8588 Access Map
Weekdays(except year-end and New Year's holidays) 10:00-12:00, 13:00-16:00
[Required ID]
Student's identification card or Certificate of Status of Residence
We will hold your ID until you return the exams. You can keep the exams for up to one hour.