Hi,
I just graduated in Computer Science in Brazil, I'm looking at options for international master programs, Japan is one of them, but I'm a bit confused. European and American Universities generally care a lot about GPA (and extracurriculars) and many of them don't even have an entrance exam, but Japanese Unis (Looking mostly at Tokyo University and Tokyo Institute of Technology right now) seem to have one, and make no mention of GPA anywhere.
In Brazil it's similar but I wanted to make sure, so GPA doesn't matter much for entrance, only your exam score? Roughly how hard are these exams, and are there english courses? Don't get me wrong, I'm currently learning japanese and do plan on being fluent at some point, but right now I can't lie and say I could understand a college class in japanese, so if they only have japanese classes I'll have to postpone these plans a little.
If it matters, I graduated in one of the top 10 unis of Brazil, 9/10 average, can probably get a couple reccomendations from some professors, studied in Sweden for a semester, extra certificates in Data Science and Digital Entertainment, beginner japanese for now, fluent english.
Any help is appreciated, thanks in advance.
by MrSpuriz
2 comments
The best place to start looking for information you need about studying in Japan would be the official [Study in Japan website.](https://www.studyinjapan.go.jp/en/)
From what I would understand, at least for undergraduate programs, is that you would need to pass the university entrance examinations or the [Examination for Japanese University Admission for International Students (EJU)](https://www.jasso.go.jp/en/ryugaku/eju/index.html)
Again, requirements for graduate programs may be different and it would probably be easiest to contact the university directly.
Another route to take would be to come to Japan as a research student with a [MEXT scholarship](https://www.studyinjapan.go.jp/en/planning/scholarships/mext-scholarships/) and then apply to a graduate program while you are doing research.
It depends on the department. Every school and even department in a school is different. For Masters, some look at grades, some rely on entrance exams, some are more research proposal and interview based.
At my school, Kyushu University, for a Masters in computer science (ISEE), only the written entrance exam matters. (But, I’m pretty sure grades matter for the MEXT scholarship. So, you probably will need to pay your way)
>Roughly how hard are these exams
The past five years entrance exams are public. https://www.isee.kyushu-u.ac.jp/e/admissions_master.html Inside is both Japanese and English instructions.
>are there english courses?
There are some in Japanese and some in English. The courses don’t matter anyway. Masters is research based. You only have classes for the first year. The second year is pure research. International research is done in English. As long as you can communicate with your professor, it’s okay.
The only difference between the global course and general course for Masters in my department is timing. They can take the same classes.