Hello everyone,
I am currently in my final year of college, pursuing a Computer Science degree. My aspiration is to pursue a Master's degree in Japan next year. Over the past few days, I have been researching various Japanese universities, their eligibility criteria, and admission processes. I must say, I am thoroughly astonished by how extensive and complicated the application process is for international students seeking admission to Master's programs in Japanese universities.
While I understand that the MEXT scholarship simplifies the process to some extent, what about those who do not have any scholarships? Do they stand a reasonable chance of being admitted? According to the official Study in Japan website, there are approximately 270,000 international students studying in Japan, but I am baffled as to how this is possible given the limited availability of scholarships.
For those applying without scholarships, the process appears daunting. Applicants are required to take entrance exams specific to their chosen programs, and the seats for English-taught courses are extremely limited. For instance, the University of Tokyo's English-taught Computer Science program only has seven seats, as indicated in their official admission guide. Additionally, many universities require applicants to travel to Japan to take these entrance exams, which are notoriously challenging with no guarantee of passing. Information about these exams is often vague; some universities include topics like Linear Algebra, Discrete Mathematics, and Calculus in their syllabus, which are extensive subjects in their own right. Most institutions do not provide previous years' question papers, and those that do offer very few.
For example, one university (whose name I cannot recall) listed "Programming languages" as part of the syllabus for their entrance exam. Which programming languages, exactly? Some universities even state that the details of the entrance exam will be disclosed only after the initial screening process. This means applicants would not know the syllabus or the exam venue until after paying the application fees, which are quite expensive. In Japan, application fees can be around 200 or more per university, unlike American and European universities, which generally charge less than 100. This steep cost effectively limits applicants to applying to only two or three universities.
So, my question is: How do international students manage to secure admission to these universities? Moreover, do people actually travel to Japan to take these difficult entrance exams for courses with such limited seats? Isn't this a significant gamble given the financial investment required, with no assurance of admission?
I really wanted to come to Japan but I have no idea whether I even stand a chance or not. Tuition fees and living expenses are not a problem for me. But investing such a huge sum of money; application fees and travelling to Japan for entrance exams and interviews – all things considered; without any guarantee of getting selected is a huge deal breaker for me. Are there no universities with a straightforward and transparent admission criteria?
by rayjaywolf