The college accepts any students, whether from Japan or abroad, who fulfil the basic requirements necessary for a postgraduate programme leading to a doctoral degree in Buddhist studies. The successful candidates are expected not only to meet the basic academic criteria but also to have a lively curiosity about the historical past and a keen enthusiasm for bringing creative contributions to the future.

Requirements for admission:

(1) Basic knowledge in the field of Buddhist studies

(2) Basic skills for reading traditional Buddhist sources in classical languages

(3) Basic skills for reading secondary sources of Buddhist studies in modern languages

The information below is exclusive for applicants residing outside Japan.

Applicants must complete sixteen years of formal education before entering our college. Applicants who come from countries with only fifteen years of formal education and applicants who are considered to have abilities equal to those postgraduates should contact our Academic and Student Affairs Division for further information.

*Applicants are encouraged to obtain public scholarships such as the Japanese Government (Monbukagakusho ; MEXT) Scholarships before entering our college. This will ensure a very stable financial support of their studies and stay in Japan.

For applicants residing outside of Japan:

1. The Administrative Department will notify applicants of the results of the documents screening process via email by the middle of May. Candidates selected for oral examination will also receive notifications regarding possible examination dates. The precise date and time of the oral examinations will be decided after consultations via email with the applicants.
2. The oral examinations will be held in the second half of May, either in-person or online. As most applicants reside abroad, online examinations are generally preferred. Applicants should familiarise themselves with the following examination procedure:
   • The oral examination will last between 30 and 60 minutes. The applicants will be asked questions regarding their academic background in Buddhist studies, details regarding their study plan, technical questions related to Buddhist history, philology, thought, etc.
   • The oral examinations will be held in Japanese no matter whether the applicants plan to submit their MA and/or PhD theses in English. The applicants are therefore expected to have good communication skills (listening and speaking). The minimum required level of Japanese is intermediate (roughly corresponding to the official N2 Japanese language proficiency level).
3. The Administrative Department will notify the applicants via email of their oral examination results and the final decision concerning their admission by the date indicated below as ‘Notification of Selection’.

Application fee is 30,000 yen.

The college will award the maximum number of ten scholarships (but not half over the number of registered students). The successful applicant will be a student of the college chosen on the basis of his/her academic record and financial needs.

1.  Eligibility:
   Applicants must satisfy each of the following four conditions:
   (1) They must either currently be students of, or have been accepted for admission to, the college.
   (2) They must be persons of outstanding academic achievement and personal merit, and must be in good health.
   (3) They must have a demonstrable commitment to the furtherance of international understanding, and to making an academic contribution at the international level.
   (4) They must need financial assistance for their studies at the college.
2.  Amount of Scholarship: 80,000 or 180,000 per month depending on his/her academic excellence for the first two years of study.
   * After the initial two years, and depending on the student’s academic achievements, the scholarship may be continued for further three years.
3. If you need the college scholarship, the application form for the scholarship and the letter of recommendation should be submitted along with the admission application form and the other relevant documents.
4. The result of your application for the scholarship will be announced along with that of your application for admission.

Privately financed international students who are regular students of our college may be allowed a partial or a full deduction on their tuition.

• Details of the above scheme and information concerning scholarships and tuition deduction which the College students are entitled to apply for are available at the time of application.