Graduate School Inquiry Form

Have a specific question about graduate admissions at APU?

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This form is for inquiries regarding graduate admissions only. For questions about undergraduate admissions, please see our international undergraduate admissions contact page or contact the Office of Domestic Admissions for inquiries regarding domestic undergraduate admissions. Do not submit this form.

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This form is for inquiries regarding graduate admissions for prospective applicants. You may submit this form if you are considering applying or are currently in the process of your application. If you have already submitted your application or have been admitted, please contact the APU Admissions Office at the email address you received contact from about your application submission and/or final results.

This form is for inquiries regarding graduate admissions for prospective applicants. If you are a current student, please be sure to contact the office relevant to your inquiry (APU Office List).

You may submit this form if you have an inquiry on behalf of a prospective graduate applicant, have a question about the graduate application process, or require other cooperation from the graduate admissions team.

This form is for inquiries regarding graduate admissions for prospective applicants. You may submit this form if you have an inquiry about the graduate application process or require other cooperation from the graduate admissions team.

If you have a different inquiry, please refer to the APU Office List to contact the office relevant to your inquiry.

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Before sending your inquiry, please confirm the following:

Master’s Programs

All master’s program applicants must fulfill the following requirements before applying to APU:

(1) Educational Qualifications

Applicants must have graduated from or be scheduled to graduate from a bachelor's program with a standard period of completion of at least three years to qualify for enrollment in a master’s program at APU. Visit our How to Apply page to learn more about admissions eligibility in other cases.

(2) English Language Proficiency

Applicants must submit a digital copy of results for one of the following English language proficiency tests with the minimum required score or higher:

TOEFL iBT® Test	IELTS	TOEIC® L&R Test	PTE Academic	Cambridge English Language Assessment
85	6.5	800	58	176

Applicants who can certify that they have graduated or are scheduled to graduate from a bachelor’s or master’s degree program offered in English are exempt from submitting an English language proficiency test score. These applicants must provide an oﬃcial letter from the institution they attended or other oﬃcial document, such as a transcript indicating the language of instruction.

(3) Work experience (MBA program only)

MBA program applicants must meet one of the following experiential requirements:

Possess three years of full-time work experience (including full-time internship) by the time of enrollment at APU, preferably in a field related to the desired area of study
Possess equivalent project or organizational experience by the time of enrollment at APU

Note: Internal applicants applying directly from APU’s undergraduate program are exempt from this requirement.

(3) Academic Ability (internal applicants only)

Students who are scheduled to graduate from APU before enrolling in graduate school at APU should have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00. Students who are scheduled to graduate from Ritsumeikan University before enrolling in graduate school at APU should have a minimum of cumulative GPA of 3.50. There is no GPA requirement for international or other domestic applicants.

Doctoral Program

(1) Educational Qualifications

Applicants must have completed or be scheduled to complete a graduate (e.g., master’s) degree at the time of application. Visit our How to Apply page to learn more about admissions eligibility in other cases.

(2) English Language Proficiency

Applicants must submit a digital copy of results for one of the following English language proficiency tests with the minimum required score or higher:

TOEFL iBT® Test	IELTS	TOEIC® L&R Test	PTE Academic	Cambridge English Language Assessment
85	6.5	800	58	176

The following applicants are exempt from submitting an English language proficiency test score:

Applicants who submit an oﬃcial letter from the institution they attended or other oﬃcial document, such as a transcript indicating the language of instruction, to certify that they have graduated or are scheduled to graduate from a bachelor’s or master’s degree program offered in English
Applicants who submit a master’s thesis or a draft of a master’s thesis written in English

(3) Supervisor Confirmation

Before applying, applicants must first contact their desired doctoral faculty supervisor via APU’s online Faculty Supervision Request Form and receive their agreement to act as a faculty supervisor for the duration of the program.

It is recommended to contact a faculty supervisor well in advance, at least one month before the application deadline, to ensure enough time for the application process.

Before sending your inquiry, please confirm the following:

How to Apply

The APU Graduate School application is conducted entirely online via the APU Online Application System. Applicants must upload and submit digital copies of their application documents. All information relevant to the application process including a list of application documents for each program is available on our How to Apply webpage. You may reference the Application Handbook throughout the application process.

All documents must be submitted in English. For documents not written in English, please upload an official English translation alongside the original document.

Application Fee

All applicants* must pay an application fee to submit their application. APU does not offer an application fee waiver program at this time. The application fee may be paid by credit card or bank transfer, and the fee amount will depend on method of payment and whether the applicant is applying from within Japan or overseas:

By credit card within the APU Online Application system

5,500 JPY for overseas applicants
36,500 JPY for domestic and internal applicants (those who already possess a residence permit in Japan)

By bank transfer

7,000 JPY for overseas applicants
35,000 JPY for domestic and internal applicants (those who already possess a residence permit in Japan)

If you pay by bank transfer, be sure to save and upload the receipt of your payment in the online application system.

*Excluding doctoral applicants applying directly to the doctoral program after completing a master’s degree at APU

Online Assessment

All applicants must take an online assessment after submitting their online application. The online assessment consists of three components:

Watson-Glaser test (critical thinking, multiple choice)
CORE Abilities test (verbal/numerical reasoning, multiple choice)
Recorded online interview (questions will appear on the screen, limited answer time)

The assessment is estimated to take 70-90 minutes overall. Please note that these online assessments must be taken on a computer.

For more information about the online assessment, check the online assessment section of our How to Apply webpage.

Before sending your inquiry, please confirm the following:

All graduate programs at APU are conducted entirely in English.

Graduate School of Management

Master of Business Administration (MBA) (AACSB- and AMBA-accredited)

Marketing and Management
Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Operations Management
Accounting and Finance
Japanese Management

Graduate School of Asia Pacific Studies

Master of Science in Asia Pacific Studies

International Relations
Society and Culture

Master of Science in International Cooperation Policy

International Public Administration
Sustainability Science
Tourism and Hospitality
Development Economics

International Material Flow Management (IMAT) Dual Degree Program (one year at APU and one year at IFaS in Germany)

Doctor of Philosophy in Asia Pacific Studies

Before sending your inquiry, please confirm the following:

Tuition and Fees

(1) Full Tuition

Graduate School of Asia Pacific Studies (Master’s): 2,800,000 JPY
Graduate School of Asia Pacific Studies (Doctoral): 4,300,000 JPY
Graduate School of Management (MBA): 3,800,000 JPY

Additional fees for IMAT only:

Program Fee: 400,000 JPY
Trier University Administrative Fee: approx. 344 EUR (subject to change)

Tuition at APU covers course fees. Tuition does not cover other expenses such as books, transportation, housing, food, or health insurance. In addition, some off-campus programs conducted by APU require a participation fee. However, these programs are not required for graduation and participation is voluntary.

(2) Admission Fee

200,000 JPY

This fee is required from all students and is not refundable under any circumstances.

(3) Comprehensive Renters' Insurance Fee

Master’s Program: 9,250 JPY
IMAT Program: 5,120 JPY
Doctoral Program: 13,400 JPY

All international students must join the insurance program designated by APU.

(4) AP House 4 Entrance Fee

April Enrollment: 229,000 JPY
September Enrollment: 204,500 JPY

All graduate students are guaranteed a room in AP House 4, one of APU’s student housing facilities, to help them adapt to their new life in Japan and concentrate on their studies.

More information about tuition and fees may be found here.

Scholarships

(1) APU Tuition Reduction Scholarship

The APU Tuition Reduction Scholarship is available to all eligible applicants. Applicants receive both admission and scholarship results at the same time. One of five levels of tuition reduction may be awarded: 30%, 50%, 65%, 80%, or 100%.

(2) Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) Scholarship

MEXT scholarships cover full tuition and admission fees and provide a monthly stipend. For more information about the different types of MEXT scholarships, refer to each webpage below:

MEXT Top Global University Project (SGU)
MEXT University Recommendation (UR)
MEXT Embassy Recommendation (Embassy)

(3) Asian Development Bank-Japan Scholarship Program (ADB-JSP)

Scholarships through the ADB-JSP are awarded to a few eligible applicants to the Graduate School of Asia Pacific Studies master’s programs (excluding IMAT program applicants) each year. Applicants must be a national of an ADB member country or region to be considered.

This scholarship covers full tuition and admission fees, economy class air travel between the student’s home country or region and APU at the beginning and end of the program, and a monthly stipend.

(4) African Development Bank-Japan Africa Dream Scholarship (AfDB-JADS) Program

Scholarships through the AfDB-JADS Program are awarded to nationals of AfDB member countries and regions. The scholarship covers full tuition, economy class air travel between the student’s home country or region and APU at the beginning and end of the program, and a monthly stipend.

Refer to the scholarship organization’s website for more information about eligibility requirements.

(5) More Scholarship Opportunities

FUNED – Loan-based scholarship for Mexican nationals
Honjo Scholarship – For international students studying in graduate school
Nikkei Leader Scholarship – For Japanese emigrants and descendants
Nikkei Scholarship “Dream Come True Project” – For Japanese descendants
Rotary Yoneyama Scholarship – For overseas master’s and doctoral applicants

(6) Scholarships After Enrollment

Students currently enrolled at APU can apply for scholarships at the Student Office. The scholarships available to graduate students vary yearly. You can see the latest list (including both undergraduate and graduate scholarships) on the APU Student Office website.

Before sending your inquiry, please confirm the following:

Part-time Work

International students may work part-time on or off campus for up to 28 hours a week during the semester and up to 40 hours a week during semester breaks. International students with a student visa must obtain a valid work permit. APU offers services to help students apply for this permit. Typical wages range from 700 JPY to 1,200 JPY per hour. Refer to our Money Matters page for more information.

Curriculum

Credit requirements and course descriptions are available for each program via the links below:

Graduate School of Asia Pacific Studies Curriculum
IMAT Program Course Model
Graduate School of Management Curriculum

More information is available on APU’s Academic Information for Graduate Students webpage.

Please refer to our FAQ page for information about other topics, such as career support; medical services after enrollment; support for applicants with disabilities; student visa application; sexual and gender diversity; and life at APU.

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Country or Region of Residence

Inquiry

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