Admissions to the Graduate Programs
We are pleased to invite foreign nationals with a solid academic background to apply for our graduate programs.
Our graduate programs consist of a two-year Master's Program and a three-year Doctoral Program. Admission processes to these programs are summarized in the chart below.
In addition, we also admit research students who do not seek a degree but wish to study at our graduate school of economics.
1. Master's Program
Outline
There are two courses in the Master's Program: the Academic Researcher Course and the Professional Analyst Course. The Academic Researcher Course is designed for students who wish to progress to the Doctoral Program and provides students with the advanced knowledge and research skills required to pursue an academic career. The Professional Analyst Course is designed for students who wish to finish graduate school with a Master's degree and provides the frontier expertise and analytical skills necessary for a career as a professional economist in the public or private sector. Students enrolled in the Professional Analyst Course may choose to participate in one of the four professional training programs focusing on (a) public policy, (b) statistics and finance, (c) regional studies, or (d) health economics. Details on the screening process for these programs will be provided after the enrollment. Students enrolled in the Academic Researcher Course are not eligible for these programs. Note, however, that students enrolled in the Professional Analyst Course may choose to advance to the Doctoral Program if they fulfill the necessary academic requirements. A half of the core courses are offered in English; however, the majority of other courses are taught in Japanese. Therefore, earning a Master's degree by taking courses only in English is not possible. The list of the courses offered in English is available here
Admission Process
There are two exams for the Master's Program: autumn and spring admission exams. The autumn admission exam is usually announced in June and held in around August or September at Hitotsubashi University. The spring admission exam is usually announced in late October and held around January or February.
The admission process is as follows.
Autumn admission exam
In the first stage of selection, decisions are made based on the transcripts, the recommendation letter, the research proposal, and the TOEFL® or TOEIC® score.
Applicants who pass the first stage are requested to take an oral exam (on-campus or online). In the second stage of selection, decisions are made based on the transcripts, the recommendation letter, the research proposal, and the score of the oral exam.
Spring admission exam
In the first stage of selection, decisions are made based on all the information of the application documents including the transcripts, the recommendation letter, the research proposal, and the TOEFL® or TOEIC® score. Applicants who have received a degree from a country where English is an official language are exempt from submitting a TOEFL® or TOEIC® score.
Applicants who pass the first stage are requested to take an oral exam (on-campus or online). In the second stage of selection, decisions are made based on the transcripts, the recommendation letter, the research proposal, and the score of the oral exam. The Admissions Office will give due consideration to an applicant's wish to take the oral exam in English if stated in the application form.
2. Doctoral Program
Students of our Master's Program who wish to advance to the Doctoral Program must pass a final exam (oral exam) in around February.
Those with a Master's degree from a program other than our Master's Program in economics who wish to enroll in our Doctoral Program may be eligible for taking: (1) the AO (Admissions Office) exam for those with job experience 2 or more years after receiving a Master's Degree, or (2) the AO exam for international applicants with a Master's Degree from a university outside Japan. The application for the AO exam for international applicants is usually accepted between around October for the program starting in next Spring and between around April for the program starting in Autumn each year.
Admission decisions for the AO exam for international applicants will be based mainly on the application documents submitted. When necessary, we may also request applicants living in Japan to visit the Graduate School of Economics of Hitotsubashi University for an interview. For applicants living outside Japan, we may offer an alternative (e.g. online interview) in place of a face-to-face interview. In the case of holding an interview or its equivalent, we will contact each applicant to set the date and other details. When the interview or its equivalent is held, admission decisions will be based also on the results of the interview or its equivalent.
Prospective applicants may contact with one or more faculty members of the Graduate School of Economics in advance. The list of faculty members and their fields of specialization is available here.
3．Important Information
Application Materials
Application documents for the exams are downloadable from the links below. Note that after the application period for an exam has passed, the documents required in subsequent application periods may change and therefore may not be valid for applications in those periods. In such a case, the list of application documents should be used for general reference only.
* Autumn admission exam (Japanese only)
Application Requirements
Research Proposal
Letter of Recommendation (in English)
* Spring admission exam
※Please check the Japanese page for information on the special exception for the validity period of EJU or JLPT certificate.
Application Requirements
Research Proposal
Supplementary material on language skills
Letter of Recommendation (in English)
* AO Exam for International Applicants to Enter the Doctoral Program
Application Requirements
Letter of Recommendation (in English)
Admission information in Japanese are available here .
Past Written Exams
A sample of past written exams are available here.
Applicants with Special Needs
Applicants with disabilities or special needs who require special consideration in the application process and/or after their admissions to our program should notify the Admissions Office two months prior to submitting their application documents. (Although the Admissions Office will accept special consideration requests after this date, we may not be able to make necessary arrangements in time for the screening and/or the program starting date.) Requesting special consideration for the application process does not obligate applicants to apply to our program. If applicants are undecided about whether to apply for our program, they can still make such requests.
Contact Information
For more information, please contact the Admissions Office of our graduate school, at admission@econ
4. Research Student (Non-Degree-Seeking Student)
To apply to our Graduate Programs as a research student, please visit the web site for research students .
To apply to the Graduate Program as a Japanese government (MEXT: Monbukagakusho) scholarship student, please visit this web site .
* For more information about studying at Hitotsubashi University, please visit the web site for prospective international students .