Admission Q&A | NAIST Division of Information Science

1. Admission system

Q. I would like to know about the admission system at NAIST.: A.

Please refer to the following:
>> NAIST Admission Information
Q. How can I get an application form?: A.

Please refer to the Guidelines for Master's and Doctoral Course Applications page.
Questions on details should be addressed to the NAIST Admissions Section.

Admissions Section
Educational Affairs Division
8916-5,Takayama,Ikoma,Nara 630-0192,Japan
Nara Institute of Science and Technology
Phone:+81(743)72-5083
TEL: 0743-72-5083 e-mail: exam@ad.naist.jp

2. Admission to the Master's Program

Q. How will I do the math exam at the online interview?: A.

The examiners will show on-screen two math problems (one from Algebra and one from Analysis). They will ask you to solve and explain your solutions within 12 minutes.
Note that, differently from our former offline interviews, you will have neither a 10-minute preview time (before the interview) nor multiple questions to choose from.
For more details about the preparations and procedure of the online math exam, please watch the guideline movie on the link below.
the Guideline for Online Mathematic Examination (mp4 video)

3. Admission to the Doctoral Program

Q. How does the examination for the doctoral program proceed ?: A.

You are required to submit a report on your research record and your research plan together with your application form. At the examination, you will give a presentation on your report for 20 minutes and be interviewed for 20 minutes around. We recommend you consult with a professor of a laboratory of your own choice beforehand.
Q. I am an applicant for the doctoral program. In my presentation at the time of the entrance exam, how specific should I be?: A.

Applicants for the doctoral program are regarded as holding a Master's Degree or a professional degree. Applicants should judge for themselves about the presentation. In general, bear in mind that people from other fields will also hear your presentation.

4. Qualifications for Application

Q. I have completed a community college 2-year curriculum in the U.S., and I'm now studying at a computer college (3- year curriculum) in Japan. If I graduate, am I qualified to apply?: A.

If you are recognized by NAIST through Preliminary Screening for Suitability to have an academic ability at the level of a Bachelor's degree, you can take the entrance examination. With the Preliminary Screening for Suitability NAIST evaluates the academic ability on a case-by-case basis. There are no criteria released. Please ask Education Affairs Division NAIST for details about procedures.

5. Laboratory assignment

Q. How and when will I be assigned to a laboratory?

A.

There are several steps. The following steps will be taken for the entrance examination for the spring semester of 2022.

On the examination day, we will conduct a questionnaire on the desired laboratories.
In consideration of the result of the entrance examination and the desired laboratories, we will inform the successful applicants which lab to be assigned . (Depending on the number of successful applicants' preference, you may not be assigned to any of the laboratories at this stage.)
After enrollment, we will conduct a questionnaire for the desired laboratories again. Your assignment to the laboratory will be fixed in consideration of this questionnaire result and the capacity of each laboratory.

For the further details, click here.

Q. Why is laboratory assignment notification need?

A.

Until now, the assignment to a laboratory has not been finalized until a survey is conducted after mid-April following enrollment. By sending the notice of internal job assignment, students can find out which laboratory they will be assigned to immediately after being accepted, allowing them to prepare for enrollment with peace of mind.

Q. It is difficult to choose a laboratory up to my fifth choice. What should I do?

A.

There are many opportunities to learn about various laboratories, so please consider up to your 5th choice.

Q. When can I get the laboratory assignment notification?

A.

If you are taking the July entrance exam, then the notification will be sent out at the end of July.
If you are taking the October entrance exam, the notification will be sent at the end of November.
If you are taking the March entrance exam, the notification will be sent out in mid-March. Please note that the March entrance exam does not confirm the intention to enrol.

6. Daily campus tour

Q. I would like to see the campus. How can I arrange that?: A.

The Division of Information Science, Information Initiative Center, and the Digital Library offer a campus tour daily to all interested visitors to give a glimpse of our research labs and environment.
For the further details, click here.

7. Open Campus

Q. Do I need to make an advanced reservation to attend an Open Campus?: A.

No, a reservation is not needed. We are completely open for prospective students.
You can visit all labs and see the state-of-the-art research demos.
You can also directly consult with the faculty (Professor, Associate Professor, Assistant Professor) of the lab that you are interested in.
At the admission inquiry counter, all questions regarding entrace examination and university life will be answered.

8. Contingency

Q. Is an entrance examination conducted even if public transportation is unavailable due to a contingency such as a typhoon?: A.

In the event that the 1st examination cannot be conducted due to a contingency such as typhoon, it will be moved to the alternative date. However, the alternative date should not be designated as the preferred date on your application form.