Tohoku University
東北大学
Japan's third imperial university, now launching Gateway College, an English-taught liberal arts entry route, in 2027.
- Students
- 17,975
- 10,733 undergraduates
- International
- 10%
- of students
- Tuition
- ¥900K
- 2027-28
- Founded
- 1907
About Tohokudai
Tohoku University was founded in Sendai in 1907 as Japan's third imperial university, after Tokyo and Kyoto. Its early professors made Sendai a centre of Japanese physics and mathematics, and in 1913 it became the first Japanese university to admit women. It still runs on three founding principles: Research First, Open Doors, and Practice-Oriented Research and Education. In November 2024 it became the first university in Japan designated a University for International Research Excellence, which brings large, long-term government research funding.
The university has 10 undergraduate faculties, from Arts and Letters and Law to Medicine, Engineering and Agriculture, plus 15 graduate schools and six research institutes, including the Institute for Materials Research and the International Research Institute of Disaster Science. In May 2025 it had 17,975 degree students, 10,733 of them undergraduates. Most campuses sit on the old castle grounds of Sendai's feudal lord Date Masamune.
For international applicants the big change is Gateway College, which opens in 2027. It is taught almost entirely in English, mixes Japanese and international students in equal measure, and lets students explore several fields before choosing a major in the third year. It replaces the English-taught FGL undergraduate courses, whose last intake was 2026. It suits students who are strong in maths or science, want a research-led Japanese university outside Tokyo, and are happy to design their own path.
研究第一主義・門戸開放・実学尊重
“Research First, Open Doors, Practice-Oriented Research and Education (the university's three founding principles)” — university motto
Why students choose Tohokudai
Gateway College (from 2027) lets international students enter a Japanese national university in English and choose a major only from the third year.
Fall-entry applicants apply online and sit the written exam and interview entirely in English, with no need to travel to Japan.
The new Tohoku University International Excellence Scholarship is expected to cover full or half tuition for about the top third of Gateway College international students.
Sendai is cheaper than Tokyo: the university estimates monthly living expenses of around JPY 110,000.
Admissions
2027 entry (Gateway College Term II, October 2027 enrollment)
Selectivity
Tohoku does not publish admission rates. Gateway College's first cohort is around 180 students: 88 places in Term I (April entry, for applicants from the Japanese school system) and 90 in Term II (October entry, for international students: 73 STEM and 17 Humanities & Social Sciences).
Typical entry requirements
| IB Diploma | Recommended 36/42 or higher in six subjects plus a combined minimum of 2 for TOK and EE; predicted scores accepted. STEM track: HL Mathematics AA plus two sciences (one at HL); Humanities track: Mathematics (AA or AI) plus an HL Group 3 subject |
|---|---|
| A-levels | At least three grades of A or higher, including Mathematics or Further Mathematics (STEM: plus two of Physics, Chemistry, Biology); predicted grades accepted |
| SAT / ACT / AP | SAT 1400+ or ACT 31+ (single sitting); or AP grade 4+ in Calculus plus a science (STEM) or a humanities/social science subject (Humanities) |
| EJU (Japanese-taught programs) | EJU taken in June or November of the year before entry, meeting each faculty's minimum score, plus TOEFL iBT 79+ and the Privately Financed International Students Entrance Examination in Japanese |
| English language | IELTS 6 · TOEFL iBT 80 Gateway College Term II minimums: IELTS Academic 6.0, TOEFL iBT 80 (4.0 on the new scale for tests from January 2026), Duolingo 110, Cambridge 169, or EIKEN Pre-1/1 with 2,400. Tests must be dated from October 1, 2025. Exemption with three years of English-medium schooling. Humanities track applicants are also expected to have Japanese at CEFR B1 or above. |
Deadlines
- Gateway College Term I (April 2027 entry) Non-binding Next deadline · In 10 daysOctober 16, 2026
Applications October 13-16, 2026; for applicants from the Japanese secondary school system, with an in-person written exam and interview mainly in Japanese.
- Gateway College Term II (October 2027 entry) Non-binding In ~3 monthsJanuary 14, 2027, noon JST
Applications open December 15, 2026. Stage 1 results February 5, 2027; online exam and interview February 21-22; results March 24, 2027.
You may apply to Term I or Term II in a given year, not both. Japanese-taught programs use the Privately Financed International Students Entrance Examination, whose dates are in the Japanese-language guidelines.
How to apply
Apply online through The Admissions Office (TAO) portal: photo, a statement of purpose of up to 400 words in English, graduation certificate, transcript, test or qualification scores, English test score and proof of nationality, plus a JPY 17,000 examination fee. Stage 1 is document screening; shortlisted applicants take an online written exam and interview in English.
What admissions looks for
- Motivation and aptitude for interdisciplinary learning, and the ability to form and pursue your own questions.
- Strong academic ability shown through transcripts and international qualifications or standardized tests, including English proficiency.
- Interest in global issues, logical thinking, and the ability to collaborate with people from diverse backgrounds.
- Creativity, a passion for research and the potential to become a future leader.
Tips for applying to Tohokudai
- 1 Pick your track carefully: STEM needs Mathematics plus two sciences, and Humanities & Social Sciences expects some Japanese (CEFR B1).
- 2 Send results from only one qualification system; Tohoku will not combine, say, SAT with A-levels, and it does not accept superscores.
- 3 Draft your 400-word statement of purpose with a margin, since TAO's word counter is final. It should cover what you want to study, your planned path and what you have been passionate about.
- 4 Book an English test early: scores must be dated between October 1, 2025 and the January 14, 2027 deadline.
Costs & financial aid
2027-28 · figures in JPY
From 2027 the Tohoku University International Excellence Scholarship will pay JPY 900,000 or JPY 450,000 a year to Gateway College international students, selected on exam results, and JPY 450,000 a year to other privately financed international undergraduates, selected on EJU scores and first-semester grades. About the top third of eligible students are expected to receive it, chosen mainly on academic performance with some weight on financial need. Japanese Government (MEXT) scholarships are available by university recommendation (October entry) or embassy recommendation. International students are not eligible for need-based fee exemptions.
- JPY 282,000 (planned)
- Admission fee (one-off)
- JPY 17,000
- Examination fee
- JPY 900,000 or 450,000 per year, top third of students
- International Excellence Scholarship (Gateway College)
- About JPY 36,000 per month, plus utilities
- First-year dormitory (University House)
Academics
Academic calendar: Semesters; Gateway College has April and October intakes
Gateway College (STEM track)
73 of the 90 fall-entry places; English-taught, with majors chosen from the third year.
Gateway College (Humanities & Social Sciences track)
17 fall-entry places, assessed in English, with an expectation of CEFR B1 Japanese for research in these fields.
Engineering
Home of the Yagi-Uda antenna and the Research Institute of Electrical Communication; alumni include flash memory inventor Fujio Masuoka.
Materials science
Backed by the Institute for Materials Research and the Institute of Multidisciplinary Research for Advanced Materials.
Medicine
Descends from the Sendai Medical School, where the writer Lu Xun studied in 1904.
Research
- In November 2024 Tohoku became Japan's first University for International Research Excellence, receiving JPY 15.4 billion in the first year and about JPY 10 billion a year for 25 years, according to the university.
- Six research institutes, including the Institute for Materials Research, the Institute of Fluid Science and the International Research Institute of Disaster Science.
- Access to NanoTerasu, the advanced synchrotron light facility on the Aobayama campus.
- Alumnus Koichi Tanaka (BEng 1983) won the 2002 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
Schools & faculties
- Faculty of Arts and Letters
- Faculty of Education
- Faculty of Law
- Faculty of Economics
- Faculty of Science
- School of Medicine
- School of Dentistry
- Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences
- School of Engineering
- Faculty of Agriculture
- Gateway College (from 2027)
Student life
Gateway College students all live in University House, the university's mixed Japanese-international dormitory, for their first year. Rooms are single, with shared kitchens and living rooms, at about JPY 36,000 a month. From the second year they move to private rentals, which typically cost JPY 30,000 to 60,000 a month in Sendai. Tohoku says its international dorm is one of the largest in Japan. Students join city events such as the Suzume Odori sparrow dance at the Aoba Matsuri festival.
- Mandatory first-year residence in University House for Gateway College, mixing Japanese and international students.
- Suzume Odori (sparrow dance) at Sendai's Aoba Matsuri festival.
- Campuses on the former castle grounds of Date Masamune, next to the Tohoku University Botanical Gardens, a designated natural monument.
- Einstein visited in 1922 and called Sendai a city most suited for research.
Housing. Gateway College students must live in University House for the first year (about JPY 36,000 a month) and then find private accommodation.
Location
Sendai, in the Tohoku region of northern Japan, is a city of more than a million people, well outside Tokyo's central corridor. Most campuses sit on or near the old castle grounds on Aobayama hill, surrounded by forest. Living costs are lower than in Tokyo, at around JPY 110,000 a month.
Nearest airport: Sendai Airport (SDJ)
Notable alumni
- KT Koichi Tanaka2002 Nobel Prize in Chemistry; BEng in electrical engineering (1983)
- FM Fujio MasuokaInventor of flash memory at Toshiba; engineering degree and doctorate from Tohoku
- SI Sumio IijimaPhysicist credited with discovering carbon nanotubes; master's and PhD from Tohoku
- MS Masatoshi ShimaCo-designer of the Intel 4004 microprocessor; studied organic chemistry
- LX Lu XunFounding figure of modern Chinese literature; studied at Sendai Medical School, now Tohoku's School of Medicine
- KI Kotaro IsakaNovelist whose book was adapted as the film Bullet Train; law graduate
Frequently asked questions
Does Tohoku University offer undergraduate degrees in English?
Yes. From 2027, Gateway College is taught almost entirely in English. International students apply for October entry, and all screening, including the written exam and interview, is in English and online.
What is the application deadline for Tohoku Gateway College 2027?
For the October 2027 intake, applications run from noon JST on December 15, 2026 to noon JST on January 14, 2027, and results are announced on March 24, 2027.
How much is tuition at Tohoku University for international students?
The Gateway College application guide lists planned tuition of JPY 900,000 a year (JPY 450,000 per semester) for international students with Student residence status, versus JPY 535,800 for Japanese students, plus a JPY 282,000 admission fee. Press reports say the higher rate will apply to all new international undergraduate and master's entrants from 2027, but Tohoku's general fees page still lists the standard JPY 535,800, so check the guide for your program.
What SAT or IB score do I need for Tohoku?
The recommended minimums are SAT 1400, ACT 31, IB 36 with at least 2 for TOK and EE, or three A grades at A-level, in the subjects your track requires.
Do I need the EJU or Japanese to study at Tohoku?
Not for Gateway College's STEM track, although the EJU in English is one accepted test. The Humanities & Social Sciences track expects CEFR B1 Japanese. Japanese-taught degrees require the EJU, TOEFL iBT 79 and an exam in Japanese.
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.
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