University of Tokyo Academic Exchange

More Information on the University of Tokyo Academic Exchange Program

University of Tokyo is ranked first in Asia and highly ranked in various world university rankings.

Here is the University of Tokyo Website.

Additional information about the University of Tokyo can be found in this electronic Guide for International Students. It is intended for international degree students coming to the university but some information in the guide is useful for the exchange students as well.

MIT students on the exchange will be studying at the University of Tokyo for the equivalent of MIT’s spring semester.

This semester will be comprised of:

An intensive term (end of January through February)
March break (full-month break)
S1 term (beginning of April through end of May)
Exams complete the first week in June

We recommend verifying program start and end dates directly with UTokyo: U Tokyo Academic Calendar.

Applicants for the exchange need to be:

Course 2 (Mechanical Engineering/MechE) or Course 3 (DMSE/Materials Science and Engineering) majors
Sophomore at time of application; Junior at the time of the exchange (seniors may be considered)
Have a GPA of 4.3 or above
In good academic standing
In good judicial standing
Up to date with the Communication Requirement
Up to date with HASS courses

Contact MISTI if you have questions about your particular situation.

This is an engineering specific exchange that’s based in the department. This exchange will allow up to 4 MIT undergraduate students (1- 2 students from each of the two participating departments to study at the University of Tokyo for an equivalent of one semester every year.

Complete your application for the exchange through the MISTI Portal, including academic recommendation. The application deadline is February 15th for the following academic year.
Once your application is complete, it will be reviewed by MISTI and your department. You may be invited to a ~30 minute informal interview. Following the interview, you will receive a decision on your application and be given two weeks to confirm your space on the program.

MIT students will be taking engineering courses and a HASS course in English and they will be expected to take Japanese language courses as well.

Engineering Course Selection:

There is no link with courses for our students. Options are listed below. There are two terms: Intensive term (Jan-February) and S1 term (April-May).

Materials Engineering Department

Introduction to Nano-Biomaterials
Introduction to Structural Materials
Introduction to Semiconductor Materials
Advanced Materials Engineering II
Applied Medical Material Science (Advanced Lecture on Medical Materials)
Applied Materials Science of Biodevices (Advanced Lecture on Biosensing Materials)
Applied Composite Materials (Advanced Lecture on Material Nondestructive Evaluation)
Applied Physical Metallurgy of Steel (Advanced Lecture on Mechanics of Materials)
Applied Semiconductor Processes (Advanced Lecture on Device Process Engineering)
Applied Materials Science of Nanodevices (Advanced Lecture on Solid –State Electronic Devices)

Mechanical Engineering Department

RoboticsⅠ( S1, 1 credit)
Information and Measurement (S1, 2 credits)
Applied Mathematics for Mechanical Engineering (S1, 2 credits)
Fundamental Mechanics (by Dept. of Systems Innovation) (S1, 2 credits)
Molecular Thermo-Fluid Engineering (S1S2, 2 credits)

Other Lectures

S1 Term (April-May)

Undergraduate Courses

Advanced Geotechnical Eng. (Civil)
Wind Eng. and Structures (Civil)
Innovation in Civil Eng. (Civil)
Introduction to Aerospace System Eng. (Aeronautics and Astronautics)

Graduate Courses

Advanced Hydrology (Civil)
Geographic Information Systems (Civil)
Photogrammetry and Pattern Recognition (Civil )
River Eng. (Civil)
Wind Power Eng. (Civil)
Coastal Hydrodynamics (Civil)
Mechanical and Electrical Systems in Buildings (Architecture)
Advanced Water Quality Eng. (Urban Eng.)
Environmental Risk Management (Urban Eng.)
Residential Environment (Urban Eng.)
Simulation Technologies for Complicated/ Complex Phenomena (Systems Innovation)
Integrated Photonics (E&E)
Basic Physical Chemistry (Chem. and Biotech)
Basic Organic Chemistry (Chem. and Biotech)
Basic Inorganic/ Analytical Chemistry (Chem. and Biotech)
Nuclear Reactor Theory and Radiation Physics (Nuclear Eng.)
Nuclear Thermal-hydraulics and Structural Mechanics (Nuclear Eng.)
Social Science Essentials (Nuclear Eng.)
Radiation Biology(Nuclear Eng.)
Fundamentals in Nuclear Physics (Nuclear Eng.)
Basic Biology (Bio Eng.)
Basic Bioelectronics (Bio. Eng.)
Quantitative Methods for Management and Policy Analysis (TMI)

HASS Course Selection:

Visualizing Japan (9 units)
Japanese (12 units)

Note: Visualizing Japan is going to be taught in the Intensive term (Jan-February). Japanese language will be taught both in Intensive term and in S1 term (April-May).

Transfer Credit

Information on the transfer credit process at MIT can be found here.

Students admitted to the program will continue to pay MIT tuition for the exchange semester and will pay all their living expenses locally for that semester.

A few months before departure, SFS and MISTI will share with the students and the most up-to-date budget for the participation on the Exchange based on an agreement with the host institution.

MIT financial aid is portable for this program. Admitted students who receive financial aid should make an appointment with the financial aid representative to whom they are assigned to discuss the details.

Students will be live in apartments close to the University of Tokyo Hongo campus.

Students will receive guidance and assistance from University of Tokyo, Office of International Cooperation and Exchange in School of Engineering, when determining the location.

UTokyo recommends students opt for a single room.

The Office of International Cooperation and Exchange in the School of Engineering at the University of Tokyo will assist MIT students participating in the exchange in obtaining the Certificate of Eligibility and student visa for the program.

WATCH: MIT students study abroad Q&A

Christine Pilcavage, the Managing Director of MIT-Japan, engaged in a discussion with MIT students Gloria Chyr '20, Kevin Santilli '20, and Isaac Metcalf '20, about their memorable study abroad experiences at the University of Tokyo, Japan. Watch the 2023 Study Abroad Q&A: University of Tokyo, Japan on MISTI's Youtube Playlist.

Find the list of videos: