FrontierLab@OsakaU

FrontierLab@OsakaU is a program for accepting international students into laboratories of the following schools: Science, Engineering Science, Engineering, Information Science and Technology, or one of their departmental schools for a period of up to 12 months. Participants study mainly research themes provided by the laboratory. They can also take international exchange subjects and Japanese language and other related subjects if they wish. This program was created for international students to conduct thematic studies and achieve results under the guidance of teachers and acquire skills necessary for continuing research in one of Osaka University's internationally renowned science and technology fields.

Enrollment status of students at Osaka University

Special auditors: students take classes and can earn credits.

Special research students (only graduate school students): students receive guidance on research and cannot earn credits.

Required language ability

TOEFL iBT 79 or equivalent or Japanese Language Proficiency Test, Level 2 or equivalent

* Participants will be expected to make a presentation in English at the end of the term.

Duration of program

1. From April to August (5 months)
2. From April to February (11 months)
3. From September to February of the following year (6 months). Orientation is conducted in September and classes commerce in October.
4. From September to August of the following year (12 months ). Classes  commerce in October.
5. More than 3 months and less than 12 months (for only special graduate school research students).

How to apply

Application should be made through the office handling international exchange at one's home university.

Application deadlines

• Enrollment abroad commences between October of the year following application and March of the coming year:
  

Make preliminary application online by March 20.

Application forms must arrive by March 30.

• Enrollment abroad commences between April of the year following application and September of the same year:
  

Make preliminary application online by November 1.

Application forms must arrive by November 10.

Steps in making application for FrontierLab@OsakaU

1. Obtain support from your university or institute to be one of their exchange students.
2. Receive a password for online preliminary application from the exchange program staff of your university or institute.
3. Prepare for making online application.

 (1) Prepare an internet-enabled computer, a printer, and an email address for receiving email to confirm your completion of the online application and for downloading documents necessary for application.

(2) Check the following items before you submit documents.

a. Check the grade point average of your latest transcript.

b. Check your expected date of graduation for the program for which you are applying.

c. Check the degree you expect to receive from your home university.

d. Check information regarding your finances.

Information about financial support --including loans-- you expect to receive while you are studying at Osaka University and financial support you expect to provide for yourself.

• Financial support period.
• The name of the financial aid or loan.
  
• Type of financial aid or loan: with interest or without interest.
• Date on which you will receive notification regarding your acceptance or rejection for financial aid or loan.
  
• Monthly amount of aid or loan.
  

e. Learning plan -- statement of purpose and research projects

Theme: Main purpose(s) for applying for Frontierlab@OsakaU and research projects you are interested in and your plan for study. (Depending on your plan for study, a coordinator will determine your laboratory.)

Prepare your plan for the above theme (620 characters in Japanese or 250 words in English).

Note: Laboratories at the Graduate School of Medicine accept few international students.

f. Learning plan -- the names of courses that you completed

For every research project you selected in this program, list up to five items or subjects related to a project or field that you selected from the subjects that you completed at your home institute.

g. Learning plan -- experiences at laboratories

Describe your experiences at laboratories at your home institute such as student lab and your private research project (620 characters in Japanese or 250 words in English). 

h. Learning plan  -- importance of participating in this program

Why is participating in FrontierLab@OsakaU important for you, especially for your hoped for career? (620 characters in Japanese or 250 words in English).

i. Information about your financial resources

Information about a person who will pay your learning and living expenses while you are studying at Osaka University

• Name
• Address
• Telephone number
• Occupation
• Income

• 4. Visit the Osaka University Online Application web site.

• Download Instructions for Completing the E-apply Online Application
• 5. Enter your information in accordance to the instruction on the web page. Upon successful completion of the application, "Application Completion Notification" will be sent to your registered email address.

• 6. Download the application form, fill it in, print it, and submit it to the exchange program staff of your university with other necessary documents.

When printing the application form, your receipt number, date of birth, and email address are required.

• 7. Send all necessary documents to Osaka University through the exchange program division of your university or institute by postal mail.

Required documents

• 1. FrontierLab@OsakaU application form (Form: Application)

• Use the application form downloaded from the above Osaka University Online Application web site.
• Affix your photo on the downloaded application form. (Section 1: Personal Details)
• Sign the application form. (Section 5: Declaration)
• Have exchange program division staff of your university or institute sign the application form. (Section 5: Declaration)

• 2. Two letters of recommendation

• The letter of recommendation must be written by a faculty member belonging to your university or institute.
• The recommendation must be written on your university or institute's letterhead in English,  Japanese, or other language with translation into Japanese or English.

• 3. Transcript

• The transcript must include the names of subjects you took, your school year, your scores and the number of credits you earned.
• The method of evaluation score must be included in the transcript.
• The transcript must be written in English or other language with translation into English or Japanese.

• 4. Certificate of Language Proficiency

• Applicants from English-speaking countries must submit a certificate of Language Proficiency.
• Participants in this program will be expected to make a presentation in English at the end of the term so a certain level of English ability is required.
  

• 5. Student registration certificate for applicants

• Applicants for short-term programs sponsored by JASSO are required to submit the student registration certificate.
• Only certificates signed by an exchange program staff member or school registration administrator of your university or institute are valid.

• 6. Certificates of payment -- deposit balance statement issued by your bank, certificate of receipt of financial aid.

Documents below are required after your participation in the program has been officially accepted.

• A certificate of payment for your learning and living expenses while you are studying at Osaka University
• A statement certifying the financial support information that you entered when making online application.

Example

In  case your monthly disposable income is 30,000 yen from your supporter and  70,000 yen from a financial aid organization, you must submit both of your supporter's payment certificate such as deposit balance statement issued by bank and a certificate of your receipt of financial aid.

• The statement must certify your capacity to pay 100,000 yen per month for the period of your stay.
• Individuals hoping participate in the program on condition of receiving financial support must submit a statement certifying your capacity to pay 20,000 yen per month for the period of your stay.
• The certificate must be written in English or other language with translation into English or Japanese.

Examples of certificate of payment: a certificate of payment issued by your bank, a deposit balance statement, a certificate of your receipt of financial aid.

Submission of your supporter's certificate of payment does not affect the screening of successful financial aid recipients.

How to calculate grade point averages specified by JASSO

If your university or institute does not apply the GPA on a scale of 1 to 3 or GPA itself, calculate your evaluation score using the points shown in the table below. Round to three decimal places.

Calculating your GPA: (The number of grade point 3 credits x 3 + the number of grade point 2 credits x 2 + the number of grade point 1 credits x 1 + with the number of grade point 0 credits x 0) divided by the total number of credits for the previous academic year.

Application for financial aid

Financial aid that you can apply through Osaka University are:

• Financial aid for short-term program from JASSO
• ENESYS, Korea
• Student Exchange Support

How to apply:

1. In making online preliminary application, select your choice of answer to the question "Are you applying for financial aid?" (This step is only possible after you have been admitted to the program by your home university/school and Osaka University has sent you a password and other information.)

2. For financial support for a short-term program from JASSO, submit the statement to certify the enrollment of applicant for a Short-term Student Exchange Support Program (Form: JASSO).

This certificate is needed to certify, in a specified form, that applicants are enrolled in their university or institute as regular students and that the date of graduation will be later than the end of the exchange program.

After completing the online preliminary application, print the application form and have it signed by the exchange student program staff or education affairs staff of your university and submit it.

For details of financial aid, visit the financial aid web page.

In screening financial aid recipients, applicants will be screened regarding their school performances, learning plans, and the status of their preparation. Applications for financial aid are accepted only at the time of application for the student exchange program.

Application for accommodations

Rooms provided by Osaka University are single rooms. After consideration of the program and whether applicants are receiving financial aid or not, rooms are allocated by lottery in principle.
Participants in this program are given priority in the allocation of rooms. Therefore, application for expanding the duration of stay and changing accommodation through Osaka University after the initiation of the exchange program will not be accepted.
After understanding these conditions, individuals hoping for accommodations are required to make application through an online preliminary application. After arranging rooms, applicants will be informed of details about accommodations.