Tohoku University Admission Guide for International Students

Why Tohoku for international students

Tohoku University, in Sendai in northern Japan, is one of the country's leading national research universities, especially strong in the sciences and engineering. It has a long record of teaching international students in English and offers well-known English-taught undergraduate degrees alongside a large graduate school.

This guide covers Tohoku's English-medium undergraduate routes and its graduate research options for applicants without Japanese. Tohoku is in the middle of reshaping its English undergraduate offering (see below), so it is especially important here to confirm the current programme, availability and requirements on the official website.

The FGL programme (the former English undergraduate route)

Tohoku's long-established English-taught undergraduate route was the Future Global Leadership (FGL) programme, which offered four-year, fully English degree courses in the sciences and engineering — Advanced Molecular Chemistry (AMC), International Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (IMAC-U) and Applied Marine Biology (AMB). Because classes were in English, Japanese was not required for the entrance screening.

FGL undergraduate admissions have now ended — Tohoku's official pages state the last FGL undergraduate intake ended in 2026 — as the university transitions to a new English-taught undergraduate programme, Gateway College (below). If you come across FGL material, treat it as legacy and confirm the current route on the official admissions pages.

• FGL degree courses: Advanced Molecular Chemistry, International Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, Applied Marine Biology
• Four-year, fully English; Japanese not required for the screening
• AO / document-based admission with FGL-linked scholarship consideration (legacy)
• FGL undergraduate admissions have ended (last intake ended 2026) — Gateway College is the successor

Gateway College — new from April 2027

Tohoku has announced Gateway College, a new English-taught undergraduate programme planned to launch in April 2027. It is designed as an interdisciplinary route where students take a broad liberal-arts and cross-disciplinary foundation before choosing a major later, with all classes in English and a mix of Japanese and international students.

Tohoku has indicated Gateway College will use a comprehensive admission with tracks (such as Humanities & Social Sciences and STEM) and separate entry periods — including an October intake aimed at students from overseas education systems. As this is new, exact programmes, eligibility, tests, deadlines and fees must be taken from the official Gateway College admissions pages.

• New English-taught undergraduate programme, planned launch April 2027
• Broad interdisciplinary foundation first, major chosen later
• Comprehensive admission with tracks (e.g. Humanities & Social Sciences / STEM) (verify)
• October intake aimed at overseas-educated applicants — verify all details officially

How the English track differs from the Japanese track

Tohoku's English-taught routes admit through AO / document-based screening — you submit academic records, a standardised qualification, English-proficiency evidence and required statements, rather than sitting Japan's Japanese-medium entrance examinations or the EJU on-site.

The separate Japanese-medium undergraduate route (for students studying in Japanese) typically runs through the EJU and university entrance exams. Choose the track that matches your language and background, and follow only that track's official requirements — they are different processes with different calendars.

Graduate research and scholarships

At the graduate level, Tohoku offers extensive English-taught master's and doctoral study across science, engineering, life sciences, humanities and social sciences. Graduate/research admission commonly involves identifying and contacting a prospective supervisor, then applying through the relevant graduate school.

Scholarships include Japan's MEXT (Japanese Government) scheme via embassy- or university-recommendation, plus university and external awards; English-track undergraduate programmes have historically had their own scholarship consideration too. Terms and amounts change yearly and are set officially — verify current funding on Tohoku's pages and the Study in Japan resources.

Applying to Tohoku — checklist

First confirm which English-taught route applies to you — the new Gateway College (launching April 2027, with an October intake for overseas-educated students) or a graduate programme — because the process and timeline differ (FGL undergraduate admissions have ended). Then work only from that route's official admissions page and prepare its exact documents (transcripts, standardised qualification, English score, statements; a research plan and supervisor contact for graduate study).

No agency can guarantee admission or a scholarship at Tohoku — decisions rest with the university and scholarship bodies, so treat any 'guaranteed place' promise as a warning sign. Apply through official channels by the stated deadlines and re-check the pages, as the undergraduate offering is changing.