UTRIP stands for the “University of Tokyo Research Internship Program.” This program was launched by the Graduate School of Science (GSS) of the University of Tokyo (one of the world’s leading research-education universities) as part of its campaign begun in June 2010 for promoting the internationalization of the GSS by inviting talented young students from abroad. UTRIP is an intensive summer research program targeted at undergraduates who have a keen interest in pursuing an M.S. or Ph.D. degree in the future. During the program, the participants receive intensive instruction and guidance on conducting research from renowned faculty members belonging to the GSS’s fivedepartments of physics, astronomy, chemistry, earth & planetary science, and biological sciences. The program is open to students who are currently enrolled in the second or a later year at an accredited college or university outside of Japan, and who are majoring in a natural science or related field. Students participating in the program who are highly evaluated by the faculty members will be given priority for receiving the Graduate School of Science Scholarship for International Students (GSS Scholarship) when applying for admission to the GSS in the future . The program also includes an excursion outside of Tokyo as well as a short course on the Japanese language and culture.
UTRIP is a gateway to pursuing an advance degree and experiencing academic life at UTokyo. Take this opportunity to get a head-start for challenging the rigors of graduate study in the natural sciences.
Applicants for UTRIP must:
- Have completed at least one full year in a Bachelor’s degree program at the time of application.
- Be enrolled in and, after the UTRIP program ends (on August 9, 2016), be expected to return to, a Bachelor’s degree program (or a Bachelor’s-equivalent year of an integrated Bachelor’s-Master’s degree program) at a university outside of Japan. (At selection, the priority for nomination is given to applicants currently in their third year of a four-year Bachelor’s degree program and to applicants currently in their second year of a three-year Bachelor’s degree program. Students in other years are also encouraged to apply.)
- Be enrolled in a natural science or related field.
- Be thinking of pursuing long-term career goals in a scientific area.
- Be planning to commit to the entire six consecutive weeks of the UTRIP program (June 10 to July 21 for 1st Crew students, and June 29 to August 9 for 2nd Crew students) on a full-time basis.
- Be able to present coverage of a health insurance plan that is effective during the internship program before arriving in Japan.
- English proficiency: test scores of TOEFL or an equivalent English proficiency test (such as IELTS) are required if English is not your first language. Test scores that have already expired are accepted, as long as the applicant is still able to produce proof of the test scores upon request by the UTRIP office. Students who have received an English-medium education continuously for the past 8 years are exempted from submitting English proficiency test scores.
Requirements:
Upon enrolling in the UTRIP program, students must agree to fulfill the following requirements:
- To devote their full efforts to conducting the UTRIP project
- To participate in the project for the full six-week period
- To attend all academic and social events scheduled over the course of the UTRIP program
- To submit a written research final report approved by the UTRIP supervisor within one month of finishing the UTRIP program
- To give an oral presentation on the scheduled day
Deadline
The application period is from 29 January 2016 to 17:00 on 23 February 2016, Japan Standard Time (GMT+0900).The recommendation form must be completed online by therecommendation deadline of 17:00 on March 1, 2016, Japan Standard Time (GMT+0900).Note that all application and recommendation materials must arrive through our online systems by the respective deadlines.No late submissions of applications or recommendation letters will be considered.Selection ResultSelection notification will be announced on the UTRIP website on 7 April 2016. Selected students will be notified directly by email as well.
Application procedure
All required documents are required to be submitted online. Please note that original official transcripts will be required for enrollment purposes if applicants are successfully selected for UTRIP. Please contact us if you have any technical difficulties.
- Application information
Prior to submitting your application, make sure to review the list of Hosting Labs & Project Topics / Faculty Members & Topics to identify a hosting lab and project of your interest. The applicant selects up to two hosting labs and indicates the order of preference in the online application.
See project reports of the past programs, which demonstrate the depth and level of achievement made by former participants, in our archives for 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, and 2011. - Personal information
You are required to state general information in your profile. As we rely mainly on email to communicate with all applicants, please include a current email address on your application and be sure to promptly respond to all correspondence. Please also note that the Corresponding Address will be used for important and time-sensitive matters such as sending visa application documents, so you should enter an address where you can be sure to receive shipments throughout April and May, 2016. - Personal statement
Address the following topics in 700 – 1000 words in total:- Your reasons for selecting the particular research project(s) in the UTRIP program, and what you hope to gain from this experience
- What makes you qualified for the particular research project(s), briefly highlighting your skills and experience when they are specifically required by the faculty member(s) of your choice, or when they appear to be helpful to conduct research in the laboratory(ies) that you have selected
- Whether you are thinking of applying to the Graduate School of Science at the University of Tokyo after you graduate from your current university, citing your reasons
- Educational background and qualifications
Resume / CV
This should include in-depth descriptions of any work experience, responsibilities or projects relevant to the research topic on which you wish to work during the program. It should also briefly explain courses you have taken or will take as well as prizes and awards, which are relevant to the research topic, if you have any.
GPA
Applicants whose universities provide official GPA scores must write those scores.If your university does not provide an official GPA score, you are required to calculate your own GPA and then describe the calculation in the “Notes” section.
English language qualifications
Applicants who speak English as their first language OR those that have received an English-medium education continuously for the past 8 years are exempted from submitting the test scores.
All other applicants must fill in their test scores of TOEFL or an equivalent English proficiency test (such as IELTS). Test scores that have already expired are accepted, as long as the applicant is still able to produce proof of the test scores upon request by the UTRIP office.
Supporting documents
Scanned copy of academic transcript
Submit a scanned copy of the official university transcript(s). A transcript must include:
- Your name
- Year of admission
- List of courses completed (Course titles, grades and credits should be included)
When applying, please submit a scanned or electronic copy of your academic transcript. We will request an official academic record in its original copy (with an official stamp affixed and authorized signature) after your acceptance into the UTRIP program.
- Recommender information
You are required to submit one recommendation letter issued by a professor who knows your educational background and academic performance and can make an informed judgment on your suitability for the research project with which you wish to work. Talk to your recommender BEFORE you submit your application and ask them to write a recommendation letter for you. When you send in your online application, a notification email will be automatically sent to your recommender, asking them to send us their recommendation letter through another online submission page. Make sure to check in with your recommender to confirm that they have received this link, as an automated email can often be mistakenly sorted by a spam filter. For your application to become valid, your recommender also needs to complete the online recommendation form by the recommendation deadline of 17:00, March 1, 2016, Japan Standard Time (GMT+0900). Recommendation letters sent by email will not be accepted. In case of technical difficulties, recommenders must contact us in time for us to send them an alternative method of recommendation form submission.
Make sure that you have all the above information and materials ready at hand when you submit your online application. There are no “save” functions on this application system. Note that each applicant is responsible for the completeness of his or her own application. We cannot respond to any inquiries asking whether any specific applications submitted on our system have been judged to be valid.
Click here to proceed to the Online Application for UTRIP 2016.
Selection
Selection will be made based on all of your submitted documents.
Selected students will receive a notification from the UTRIP office, asking them to confirm their willingness to participate in the UTRIP program by a specified date. Make sure that you check your emails regularly, and that emails from 
are not treated as spam by your spam filter.
