Frequently Asked Questions and

Answers for Application

International Graduate Programme for East Asia Sustainable Economic
Development Studies, Graduate School of Economics, Kyoto University

ATTENTION:
For your application, please carefully read the Application Guidelines and
the Frequently Asked Questions and Answers. We only respond to those
inquiries to which answers cannot be found in the guidelines and FAQ.

Updated in September, 2023

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Frequently Asked Questions and Answers for

Application [For 2024 Academic Year Enrolment]
1. Eligibility
2. Application Procedures
3. Application Documents
4. General Information about the East Asia Programme

1. Eligibility
Q1-1. My university does not have a partnership agreement with Kyoto University. Can
I still apply to the Programme?
A1-1. Yes.

Q1-2. Does this Programme allow students to enrol in April?

A1-2. No. The Academic Year of this Programme starts in October. Students have to enrol
in the Programme starting from October.

Q1-3. Am I still eligible for the Doctoral Programme even though I did not complete my
Master’s degree at Kyoto University?
A1-3. Yes.

Q1-4. I have already received a Master’s degree in economics or in another academic

field. Do I have a chance to be admitted to the Doctoral Programme if I apply for the
Master’s Programme?
A1-4. No. If you go through the screening process for the Master’s Programme, you can
only be admitted as a Master’s Programme student. If you wish to start your study as a
doctoral student, please apply for the Doctoral Programme. Please check the application
guidelines for the application schedule.

Q1-5. I have an embassy recommendation for a Japanese Government Scholarship.

Can I be accepted to your Programme?
A1-5.

International Graduate Programme for East Asia Sustainable Economic Development Studies
Graduate School of Economics, Kyoto University
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In principle, applicants who received an embassy recommendation should apply to the

General Programme (whose academic year starts in April and whose medium of
instruction is Japanese), and enrol initially as a research student. In order to become a
research student, you are required to obtain a letter of acceptance from a prospective
supervisor. For details, see the link below:
https://www.econ.kyoto-u.ac.jp/en/examguide/application/letter-of-acceptance
https://www.econ.kyoto-u.ac.jp/en/examguide/faq/
In the case that an applicant with an embassy recommendation wishes to be enrolled in
the East Asia Programme (whose academic year starts in October and whose medium
of instruction is English), the applicant is also required to go through the screening
process of the East Asia Programme. Please bear in mind that the application procedure
is different for the General Programme and the East Asia Programme. Also note that
even if you become a research student of the Graduate School of Economics, or go
through the screening process of the East Asia Programme, we cannot guarantee that
you will be accepted to the programme.
The application submission period for the East Asia Programme is scheduled for
November for the Master’s Programme, and from April to mid-May for the Doctoral
Programme.
Please direct any questions about the General Programme to the Student Affairs Office
of the Faculty of Economics. Their email address is [email protected].
Please note that Japanese ability is required of applicants to the General Programme.

Q1-6. Does the EA Programme have any minimum TOEFL AND IELTS score
requirements?
A1-6. No, there is no minimum score. In the past, the minimum score for our successful
applicants tended to be around 90-100 for TOEFL and 6.5-7.0 for IELTS.

Q1-7. I graduated from a Japanese university and a university outside of Japan on a

double degree program. Do I still need to apply to the AAO?
A1-7. Even if you graduated from a Japanese university and a university outside of Japan,
you still need to apply to the AAO. Applicants who have graduated solely from Japanese
universities are not required to apply to the AAO.

International Graduate Programme for East Asia Sustainable Economic Development Studies
Graduate School of Economics, Kyoto University
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2. Application Procedures
Q2-1. Can applicants suggest a faculty member from the Graduate School of Economics
to be their academic supervisor?
A2-1. Applicants can search for a suitable prospective supervisor on the website below.
https://www.econ.kyoto-u.ac.jp/kueac/programme/faculty-members/
Please note, however, that for various reasons faculty members may not be available to
be your supervisor; therefore, it is recommended that you consider more than one
faculty member when looking for your prospective academic supervisor.

Q2-2. I have an intermediate [or higher] level of Japanese language ability. Is this an
advantage in the screening process?
A2-3. Ultimately it depends on your research proposal and prospective supervisor. If, for
example, an applicants’ research proposal includes field research in Japan and/or the
examination/analysis of documents in Japanese it may be advantageous, as this will
make your research proposal sound more convincing and achievable. It is also true that
some professors prefer to communicate with their students in Japanese. You can
mention your Japanese language ability and how you intend to use or develop it to your
preferred supervisor[s] when you contact them.

3. Application Documents
Q3-1. I received a bachelor’s degree from a university that does not use English as its
medium of instruction. Should I submit my GRE score?
A3-1. No. The GRE score is not required. Please submit your TOEFL or IELTS score.

Q3-2. I graduated from a university, but the university does not issue a certificate of
graduation. What should I do?
A3-2. You can ask the university to put an official seal on the copy of your diploma.

Q3-3. I didn’t/don’t have an academic supervisor. Who could I ask to write a

recommendation letter instead?
A3-3. For applicants without an academic supervisor, they should try to find a faculty

International Graduate Programme for East Asia Sustainable Economic Development Studies
Graduate School of Economics, Kyoto University
 [FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS FOR APPLICATION] 5

member from their current or past institution who can write a recommendation letter.
If the applicant graduated from a university a long time ago and has difficulty in
contacting former professors/instructors, we accept a letter of recommendation written
by a non-academic person (e.g. a superior in their workplace). However, a letter from a
non-academic referee is not regarded as highly when verifying the applicant’s academic
credentials compared to a letter from an academic referee.

Q3-4. I cannot submit an original hard copy of my degree certification because the
university does not issue an original hard copy of the certification. Is it possible to
submit a digital version instead?
A3-4. Yes. However, applicants need to request that the university from which they
graduated sends the certification directly to GSE EA programme, Kyoto University, by
email. You can prepare the request to your university through the Online Application
System.

Q3-5. It might not be possible to submit a TOEFL score to GSE EA Programme, Kyoto
University by the submission deadline, what should I do?
A3-5. In the case of TOFEL, if you have arranged for the score to be sent to us and we
can confirm the score online then this is not a problem. In the case of IELTS, however,
we cannot confirm the score online and thus cannot accept the application.

4. General Information about the East Asia Programme

Q4-1. Can I obtain only a Master’s degree in 2 years and not to proceed to the Doctoral
Programme?
A4-1. Yes.

Q4-2. Can I apply to both the Master’s Programme of the EA Programme and the
Graduate School of Economics as a Research Student?
Q4-2. Yes, it is possible to apply to both.

Q4-3. Does enrolment in the Master’s Programme guarantee entry into the Doctoral
Programme?

International Graduate Programme for East Asia Sustainable Economic Development Studies
Graduate School of Economics, Kyoto University
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Q4-3. There is no guaranteed entry into the Doctoral Programme but the Master’s
Programme is closely connected to the Doctoral Programme. Students who successfully
completed the Master’s Programme with sufficient results are eligible to enrol in the
Doctoral Programme.

Q4-4. What are the differences between the East Asia Programme and the General
Programme at the Graduate School of Economics at Kyoto University?
A4-4. The Graduate School of Economics has a General Programme, which offers both
Master’s and PhD degrees, and an International Graduate Programme for East Asia
Sustainable Economic Development Studies (or, the EA Programme), which also includes
both Master’s and PhD degrees.
Basically, the academic year for the General Programme starts in April and the EA
Programme starts in October. The medium of instruction for the General Programme is
Japanese and for the EA Programme it is English.

International Graduate Programme for East Asia Sustainable Economic Development Studies
Graduate School of Economics, Kyoto University