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Useful Information
Information provided here supplements that of the University's Center for Global Education and Collaboration. It is advised that you also visit their website.
Center for Global Education and Collaboration
Admission to the Masters course is currently made once a year in April. The entrance examination is conducted in early September, and the application period usually falls one or two months prior to the examination period. A prospective supervisor's approval letter is also a mandatory document to sit for the entrance examination, and for a student visa application. Again, contacting the supervisor in your field of interest as early as possible is always advised. See the General Timetable attached at the end of this file.
Admission to the Ph.D. course is currently made twice a year: April and October. For the April enrollment, the examination is offered twice a year: in September and in March. For the October admission, applicants must take the examination in September. The application periods for both enrollments usually fall one or two months prior to the examination periods.
A prospective supervisor's approval letter is also a mandatory document to sit for the entrance examination and for a student visa application. Therefore, contacting the supervisor in your field of interest as early as possible is always advised. See the General Timetable attached at the end of this file.
There are 2 ways to obtain a student visa. The fastest way takes two steps: first, obtain a Certificate of Eligibility (COE) from a proxy in Japan, and then, submit this COE with your visa application to the Japanese Embassy/Consulate in your home country.The application for COE is done by a proxy in Japan.It usually takes at least 2 months for the certificate to be issued.The visa process at the embassy may take a few days to a few weeks; thus, the preparation needs to be done in a timely manner.
Upon receiving your student visa, you are advised to follow your future supervisor in setting an appropriate date of entry in Japan. Copies of your medical practitioner's license, school transcripts, birth certificate, extra copies of your photos and such, including notaries certificates, may become necessary in the future for various purposes such as scholarship applications.Therefore, it is wise to bring extra copies of these documents with you.
No matter how good your English is, learning Japanese is one of the biggest concerns for most of you. Credited Japanese Language lessons are arranged and taught by the Center for Global Education and Collaboration of the University during the semesters. It is fortunate that there are several other courses offered free of charge by community centers or volunteer groups in Matsumoto.
Housing arrangements, if you wish, could be made for you by your supervisor while you are still in your homeland. Most apartments have a kitchen and a bath (either communal or private), but rooms are usually unfurnished.The average cost of a one bedroom apartment is more than ¥40,000. One with a communal kitchen and bath can be found within the ¥20,000～30,000 range. As for the university's accommodation, please refer to the Center for Global Education and Collaboration website.
Center for Global Education and Collaboration
The campus housing arrangement (dormitory) can also be done by the department of your supervisor. Therefore, you are advised to keep in touch with your supervisor until you finally arrive at the school.
| Housing | 30,000 to 40,000 |
|---|---|
| Meals | 30,000 |
| Books for study | 20,000 to 30,000 |
| Other basic necessities | 20,000 |
| Total | 100,000 to 120,000/month |
Allowances, scholarship payments, tuition payments, and utility bills are usually automatically deposited/ withdrawn through your bank account; thus, opening a bank account is one of the first things you should do when you arrive here.
Computers, Internet access, and E-mail are made available in each department in our Faculty. For security reasons, PCs without authorized permission cannot be connected to the campus cable. No USB or a disk already used outside of our campus is allowed to be connected to any PC on campus. Any information / data obtained from the permitted PC may contain intellectual property or confidential materials. Compliance with the proper use of the Internet and the intellectual property regulations must be observed strictly.
Commuting by car is not allowed due to parking limitation at Shinshu University's Matsumoto campus. Therefore, almost all foreign students live very close to the campus and commute on foot or by bicycle.
Student life without a car is a standard here as Shinshu University Matsumoto campus is conveniently located near the city center and the public transportation system is quite good. If you wish to drive, you must be aware of the following:
a) There is only one kind of valid international driver's license in Japan. That is the one issued from a member country of the Geneva Treaty and is valid only one year after the entry to Japan. Any other international licenses or the one from your country must be changed to a Japanese license.
b) You must keep in mind that compensation and medical claims in the event of an accident can be extremely and unbelievably high. Therefore, please be aware that driving without insurances is unheard of in Japan.
