Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University Scholarship in Japan
Students in Bachelor and Master program or recently graduated interested in joining the OIST PhD program may undertake educational activity at OIST as a Research Intern. A research internship at OIST provides students with experience working in a research environment under the direction of OIST faculty.
Research Intern places are awarded twice a year on a competitive basis. Selection is highly competitive, and depends on suitability of the intended research, academic background, available funding and space. Not all available positions will necessarily be filled.
OIST strives to create and maintain an inclusive, equitable, and diverse environment that does not discriminate against gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, sexual orientation, mental or physical disability, medical condition, race, ethnicity, ancestry, culture, national origin, religion, or marital status. Applications from women and other underrepresented groups are strongly encouraged.
Application Procedure
- Applications to the program must be made through the online form.
- You can only submit your application after at least one recommendation letter is received in the application system.
- You will receive an auto-notification that your application has been received. (Please check your settings to ensure you can receive emails from @oist.jp domain.)
- Following the application period, applications will be screened and selection will be completed.
- The result announcement will be posted on your application platform 3 months after the application deadline. You will receive a notification when the result is posted. (In some cases, applicants’ email services/settings prevent receipt of our notifications. Please confirm that your inbox is able to receive emails from @oist.jp domain.)
- Following final confirmation of internship offers, all necessary arrangements will be made, in cooperation with the interns. Your cooperation is required for timely completion of logistics to begin the internship, including possible visa preparations and other necessary Japanese government documentation.
Eligibility
Those eligible to apply for the OIST Research Internship Program include excellent students who are in the final 2 years of the undergraduate or Masters programs in universities, colleges, junior colleges, and vocational schools in Japan or overseas, or graduates of such institutions. Currently enrolled students must have approval from their home institution. Academic background of applicants should be appropriate to their desired host unit(s) at OIST.
Research Interns who belong to a Japanese university/institution are required to prepare and bring their own insurances when accepted to the OIST Research Internship program. Acceptable insurances are the combination of Gakkensai and Gakkenbai, or other insurances with similar coverage.
Application Deadline
| Application Round | Period of internship | Application Deadline | Result Announcement |
| Fall 2022 Internship | Between October 1st 2022 – March 31st 2023 | April 15th 2022 23:59 (JST UTC+9) | July 2022 |
| Spring 2023 Internship | Between April 1st 2023- September 30th 2023 | October 15th 2022, 23:59 (JST UTC+9) | January 2023 |
*The period of the internship must be between 2 and 6 months consecutively. Under the current immigration restriction, applicants who require visa for the internship should consider an internship of at least 90 days in order to be eligible for visa application.
*Due to COVID-19, arrivals of students residing outside of Japan is subjected to the international travel restrictions. Under current requirements, foreign residents will have to do 14 days self-quarantine after arriving to Japan. Upon arrival, all students are required to undertake PCR testing prior to starting the program.
Therefore, please note that your departure date for OIST will be:
Foreign residents: about 3 weeks prior to internship start date.
Residents in Japan: about 3 days prior to internship start date.
*Date is subject to change on availability of the unit.
Required Application Materials
You will need to open an account in order to apply to the program. Be sure to remember your username and password. You may complete the application all at once or in multiple sessions. Please fill out and submit the following materials to apply for the program:1) Statement of purpose
The Statement of Interest form is provided on the online application form.
Please write a 400 words (2500 characters) statement including the following points:
- How does OIST and your desired research unit(s) fit with your current expertise and skill set? If you are interested in multiple research units, please explain your interest and fit for each briefly within one single statement.
- What do you hope to accomplish at OIST?
- How does a research internship at OIST fit into your overall career plans/aspirations?
2) Academic Transcript
Scanned copies of your current academic transcript and any other transcript from your past degree (BSc, MSc, etc.)
- An English explanation is required for transcripts that are not written in English.
3) Recommendation Letter
A letter of reference from an academic or research professional familiar with your work is required. Each applicant is required to have at least one and no more than three letters of recommendation from appropriate recommenders. The application system will ask your recommenders directly for the letter(s), using the email contact details that you provide in the web application form. Please obtain the consent of your referee before submitting their details in the form. We do not accept any letters via email from applicants. Applicants will be automatically notified within the application system when OIST receives a recommendation letter.
4) ID Photo
Upload a recent photo, showing your face from the front in standard passport orientation.Once you have obtained/ prepared all the documents above, please apply to the program through this APPLICATION FORM
Note: We recommend using a computer when preparing the online application. If you prefer using a mobile device, please make sure to have the latest operating system for the application to work properly.