Institute of Science Tokyo
東京科学大学
Tokyo Tech and Tokyo Medical and Dental University, merged in 2024 to put engineering and medicine side by side.
- Students
- 13,492
- 6,313 undergraduates
- International
- 16%
- of students
- Student–faculty
- 8.3:1
- ratio
- Tuition
- ¥635.4K
- From · 2026-27
- Founded
- 2024
About Science Tokyo
Institute of Science Tokyo, branded Science Tokyo, was established on 1 October 2024 by merging two national universities: Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech), Japan's leading science and engineering university, and Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU). The merged institution aims to connect engineering, computing and materials science with medicine and dentistry. Its stated mission is "Advancing science and human wellbeing".
The science and engineering side (the former Tokyo Tech) is organised into six schools: Science, Engineering, Materials and Chemical Technology, Computing, Life Science and Technology, and Environment and Society. The medical side (the former TMDU) has Faculties of Medicine and Dentistry, including four-year health care and oral health programs. The main campus is Ookayama in Meguro, Tokyo, with other campuses in Yokohama (Suzukakedai), Tamachi, Yushima and Surugadai in central Tokyo, and Konodai in Chiba.
Undergraduate teaching is mostly in Japanese. The main exception is the Global Scientists and Engineers Program (GSEP), a small English-taught Bachelor of Engineering. It suits students who are strong in math and science and want a technical, research-oriented education in Tokyo, with medicine increasingly close at hand.
Advancing science and human wellbeing
University motto
Why students choose Science Tokyo
GSEP is an English-taught Bachelor of Engineering in the Department of Transdisciplinary Science and Engineering. It combines science, engineering and management through project-based learning.
GSEP intakes are small: 8 MEXT scholarship places plus 10 privately funded international students per year.
The merger puts engineering and computing departments in the same university as a medical and dental school and a university hospital.
Research heritage includes Hideki Shirakawa, a Tokyo Tech alumnus who won the 2000 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for conductive polymers, 2016 Nobel laureate Yoshinori Ohsumi, who joined Tokyo Tech as a professor in 2009, and the Earth-Life Science Institute (ELSI).
Admissions
Entry in April 2027
Selectivity
No overall admit rate is published. Japanese applicants go through the national Common Test plus the institute's own exams. International routes are small and competitive: GSEP takes 8 MEXT scholars and 10 privately funded students a year. The privately-funded international student exam has quotas such as 10 for the School of Engineering and 25 for the School of Environment and Society.
Typical entry requirements
| Global Scientists and Engineers Program (GSEP, English-taught) | 12 years of schooling or equivalent; English test score (TOEFL iBT, TOEIC L&R or IELTS Academic); preliminary document screening, then secondary screening with interview |
|---|---|
| Privately-funded international student special exam (science and engineering, Japanese-taught) | EJU Japanese at least 290/450 and EJU Science (Physics, Chemistry) plus Mathematics at least 310/400, then an academic test and interview at the institute |
| Pre-arrival Special Recommendation | Department of Transdisciplinary Science and Engineering only; admission for students living overseas without sitting an exam in Japan |
| English language | GSEP requires a TOEFL iBT, TOEIC L&R or IELTS Academic score taken within two years before the end of the application period, with no minimum score; nationals of the US, UK, Canada, Australia, Ireland and New Zealand are exempt. |
Deadlines
- GSEP (April 2027 entry): application period (closed) Non-binding PassedAugust 21, 2026
Closed: applications ran August 12-21, 2026, and preliminary screening results were released September 16, 2026. Secondary screening runs September 28 - October 23, 2026, with final results on November 13, 2026, enrollment procedures on March 17, 2027 and classes from April 1, 2027.
- Privately-funded international student exam: first-stage results Non-binding Next deadline · In ~3 monthsJanuary 6, 2027
The application period will be set out in the 2027 guidelines, due for publication in mid-October 2026. First-stage results January 6, 2027; second stage: academic test January 20, 2027 and interview February 10, 2027.
The GSEP window for April 2027 entry closed in August 2026; the program has used a mid-to-late-August application period, so applicants for April 2028 should watch for the next call in summer 2027. Guidelines for the privately funded international student exam are due in mid-October 2026.
How to apply
GSEP: apply through the online application system (admissions-office.net) with transcripts and an English test score. A preliminary document screening is followed by a secondary screening that includes an interview. The privately-funded international student exam uses EJU scores, then the institute's own written test and interview in Japan.
What admissions looks for
- Strong preparation in mathematics and science, measured for Japanese-taught routes by high EJU science and math thresholds (at least 310 of 400).
- For GSEP, the English ability to take every subject in English, shown by an official TOEFL, TOEIC or IELTS score.
- Interest in interdisciplinary problem-solving that links science, engineering and management, which is the core of the Transdisciplinary Science and Engineering department.
- For Japanese-taught programs, Japanese strong enough for university lectures (EJU Japanese at least 290 of 450).
Tips for applying to Science Tokyo
- 1 GSEP runs on an early timetable: applications close in late August for entry the following April, so prepare your English test and documents over the summer before your final year.
- 2 Eight of the 18 GSEP places come with a MEXT scholarship covering fees plus 120,000 yen a month, so treat the GSEP application as your scholarship application too.
- 3 For the Japanese-taught route, take the EJU in June or November 2026 and aim well above the minimum Japanese (290) and science plus math (310) scores. These are cut-offs, not targets.
- 4 If you already have A-levels, IB, SAT, ACT or AP results, submit them with a GSEP application; they are used as reference in the interview.
Costs & financial aid
2026-27 · figures in JPY
Eight GSEP students each year receive a Japanese Government (MEXT) scholarship covering fees plus a 120,000 yen monthly stipend. Students can apply for tuition exemption and for private foundation scholarships, and new international student dormitories are cheap by Tokyo standards (from 20,000 yen a month plus a service fee).
- 8 per year (fees plus 120,000 yen per month)
- GSEP MEXT scholarship places
- 20,000 yen per month plus 7,500 yen service fee
- International student dormitory (Umegaoka/Shofu)
- 17,000 yen
- Application fee (GSEP)
Academics
Academic calendar: Academic year starts in April
Global Scientists and Engineers Program (GSEP)
The first English-taught Bachelor of Engineering from the former Tokyo Tech, with every subject in English and project-based learning.
School of Computing
Departments of Mathematical and Computing Science and Computer Science on the Ookayama campus.
School of Materials and Chemical Technology
Materials research at the former Tokyo Tech includes Hideo Hosono's discovery of iron-based superconductors, and alumnus Hideki Shirakawa won the 2000 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
School of Environment and Society
Brings architecture, civil engineering, transdisciplinary science and engineering, and social and human sciences into one school.
School of Medicine and School of Dentistry (6-year)
The medical and dental programs of the former Tokyo Medical and Dental University, attached to the Institute of Science Tokyo Hospital.
Research
- Earth-Life Science Institute (ELSI), which studies the origins of life and planetary science.
- Yoshinori Ohsumi, awarded the 2016 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discoveries on autophagy, continued his research at the former Tokyo Tech, where he became a professor in 2009.
- Institute of Integrated Research laboratories, including the Laboratory for Zero-Carbon Energy and the Materials and Structures Laboratory.
- The merger brings together biomaterials, medical engineering and clinical research through the Laboratory for Biomaterials and Bioengineering and the Medical Research Laboratory.
Schools & faculties
- School of Science
- School of Engineering
- School of Materials and Chemical Technology
- School of Computing
- School of Life Science and Technology
- School of Environment and Society
- Faculty of Medicine
- Faculty of Dentistry
- Institute for Liberal Arts
Student life
Most science and engineering undergraduates are based at Ookayama, a green, compact campus in residential Meguro. Its lawns in front of the 1934 clock-tower Main Building and the modern library are the center of campus life. Medical and dental students study at Yushima in Bunkyo, near Ochanomizu station in central Tokyo. International students can use university dormitories, including newer international residences where rent starts at 20,000 yen a month, which is unusually low for Tokyo.
- Ookayama campus with the registered cultural property Main Building (1934) and Centennial Hall
- Six campuses across Tokyo, Kanagawa and Chiba
- International student dormitories from 20,000 yen per month
- Support for international students from a dedicated International Support Center
Housing. The university runs several dormitories and international houses, with monthly rents from about 20,000 yen to 65,000 yen, but places are limited and many students rent privately.
Location
The main Ookayama campus is in Meguro, a quiet, residential part of southwest Tokyo, next to Ookayama station. The medical campus at Yushima is in the historic Bunkyo district near Ochanomizu. Tokyo is expensive, but it has huge job markets in tech and industry, plus research institutes and startups across the city.
Nearest airport: Tokyo International Airport (Haneda)
Notable alumni
- HS Hideki ShirakawaNobel Prize in Chemistry 2000 for conductive polymers (Tokyo Tech BSc 1961, PhD 1966)
- SI Satoru IwataFormer president and CEO of Nintendo
- NK Naoto Kan94th Prime Minister of Japan
- TY Tadamichi YamamotoUN Secretary-General's Special Representative for Afghanistan
- TD Toshitada DoiSony engineer, co-inventor of the compact disc and pioneer of the Aibo robot
- KO Kenichi OhmaeBusiness and corporate strategist
- SH Shoji HamadaPotter designated a Living National Treasure of Japan
- NO Noriko OsumiNeuroscientist and Tohoku University vice-president (TMDU alumna)
Frequently asked questions
Is Institute of Science Tokyo the same as Tokyo Tech?
Science Tokyo was formed on 1 October 2024 by merging Tokyo Institute of Technology and Tokyo Medical and Dental University. Tokyo Tech's science and engineering schools continue within it. It is a different institution from the private Tokyo University of Science.
Can I study at Science Tokyo in English as an undergraduate?
Yes, through the Global Scientists and Engineers Program (GSEP), a Bachelor of Engineering in which every subject is taught in English. It admits 8 MEXT scholars and 10 privately funded students each April.
When is the GSEP deadline?
For April 2027 entry, applications ran from August 12 to 21, 2026, and final results are due on November 13, 2026. Future cycles are likely to follow a similar late-summer timetable.
How much is tuition at Science Tokyo?
Undergraduate tuition is 635,400 yen a year in science and engineering and 642,960 yen in medicine and dentistry, plus a 282,000 yen enrollment fee. International students pay the same.
What EJU scores do I need for Science Tokyo?
For the privately-funded international student exam in science and engineering, you need at least 290 of 450 in EJU Japanese and at least 310 of 400 in EJU Science (Physics, Chemistry) plus Mathematics. The institute's own academic test and interview follow.
Sources & methodology
Figures on this page were checked against official university publications, national application services and ranking publishers in September 2026. Each number is shown with the year or admissions cycle it describes. Always confirm deadlines and fees on the university's own website before applying.
- ReseEd: QS World University Rankings 2027 Japan results (18 June 2026)
- THE World University Rankings 2026: Institute of Science Tokyo
- ShanghaiRanking ARWU: Institute of Science Tokyo (former Tokyo Institute of Technology page)
- About Science Tokyo
- Science Tokyo overview
- Science Tokyo statistics (1 May 2025)
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