Faculty ofThe School/Faculty of Economics and Business offers the opportunity to enroll as a “research student” to those who wish to study a particular specialized topic. Students are admitted as non-degree-seeking students, and no credits are awarded or grades are evaluated. Enrollments are in April and October. The research period is one year.
Undergraduate Research Students (for Bachelor’s degree holders)
| eligibility | Application Guidelines | Apply to the informal approval | Application Period | Submitting application materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Int’l students in overseas | April 2027 intake |
August 24, 2026～September 11, 2026 | October 27, 2026～October 30, 2026 | November 4, 2026 |
| Int’l students in Japan | November 16, 2026～December 1, 2026 | January 12, 2027～January 15, 2027 | January 18, 2027 |
Faculty Research Students (for master’s degree holders)
| eligibility | Application Guidelines | Apply to the informal approval | Application Period | Submitting application materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Int’l students in overseas | April 2027 intake |
August 24, 2026～September 11, 2026 | October 27, 2026～October 30, 2026 | November 4, 2026 |
| Int’l students in Japan | November 16, 2026～December 1, 2026 | January 12, 2027～January 15, 2027 | January 18, 2027 |
Steps to obtain advance consent to official application are as follows:
-
１．Choose your expected supervisor
- Please refer to “Faculty Members of Graduate School of Economics and Business Administration” and“Researchers’ List of Hokkaido University” for the research fields of the faculty members.
-
２．Apply to the informal approval
To apply for a research student, you must obtain informal approval from the faculty member.
To obtain informal approval, do not contact the faculty member directly, firstly prepare a research plan. - Research Plan (updated on September 30, 2024) Word
- Upload the PDF file to the “Research Plan” section of the Pre-Admission System.
- For other documents to be submitted, please refer to “About the informal approval“(updated on September 5, 2025).
- Agreement PDF(Japanese) /PDF(English)）*For students applying from EEA member countries only
⇒Students applying from EEA member countries must confirm the information provided and complete the consent form (PDF(Japanese)/PDF(English)).
Upload the completed form to the pre-admission system. - Pre-Admission Support System : https://futuregrad.oia.hokudai.ac.jp/admissions/pss/
- Pre-Admission Support System Registration：https://pre-admission.oia.hokudai.ac.jp/
- Please note that if the documents are incomplete or insufficient, or if they are not submitted within the application period, no application will be accepted.
- Results of the screening of informal approval:
- Results will be announced 3-4 weeks after your submission
-
３．Official Application for the entrance exam
Only for those who have obtained the advance consent can proceed to the online application for the entrance exam.
FAQ
- Q. What is the difference between faculty research student and undergraduate research student?
- A.If you have bachelor degree, you can apply undergraduate research student. If you have master degree, you can apply faculty research student.
- Q.Now, I have a work visa. Can I apply to research student?
- A.You can apply with any status at least your stay period will not end one month before the enrollment month.
- Q. I haven’t received the certificate of the English or Japanese proficiency test, how can I apply?
- A.Regarding this informal consent application, you can replace the certificate to web score(ex.the screen capture of the official score on the website), but you need to get the official certificate when you apply formally.