Entrance Examination

 The entrance examinations for the Tohoku University Graduate School of Law are administered in the following way. For further details, please refer to the latest version of the "Application Requirements" of each examination, which is uploaded on the website of the Tohoku University Graduate School of Law.

 Please note that the following entrance examinations are neither for admission to the Law School nor the School of Public Policy. Applicants for admission to the Graduate School of Law are requested to pay close attention to these points.

Master's Course

1. Regular Entrance Examination

 Applicants for the Master's Course in the Graduate School of Law may choose either Type A or Type B examination: the former lays emphasis on the written examination, the latter on the examination of the thesis submitted beforehand.

 As for Type A examination, the application period is usually in early October. The first screening (a written examination on two special subjects and a selected foreign language) takes place in late October, and the second screening (an oral examination) in late December.

 As for Type B examination, applicants may choose either Type I or Type II examination: the former is held twice a year, once in the first semester and once in the second. The application period for Type I (in the first semester) and Type II examination is usually in late August, while that for Type I (in the second semester) is usually in early December. In both of Type I and Type II examinations, the first screening consists of the examination of the thesis submitted beforehand. The second screening (either an oral examination or a written examination on a selected foreign language) takes place in late October for Type I (in the first semester) and Type II, or in late February for Type I (in the second semester).

2. Special Entrance Examination for Applicants with Work Experience

 This form of examination is designed for those applicants who wish to carry on research according to their active interests aroused through their work experience and wish to acquire a Master's degree.

 The application period is usually in early December. The first screening consists of the examination of the "study plan" (an approximately 4000-word essay describing their interests and the plan for research in the graduate school). The second screening (written and oral examinations) takes place in early February.

3. Entrance Examination for Foreign Students

 For foreign students who wish to take the Regular Entrance Examination for admission in April, a special selection process will be conducted for both Type A and Type B examinations.

 In addition, for foreign students or those who are supposed to graduate from foreign universities after April, a special selection process for admission in October will be conducted. For further details, please refer to the Application Requirements.

Doctoral Course

1. Regular Entrance Examination

 The Regular Entrance Examination is held for those who either have already acquired or are supposed to acquire a Master's degree or its equivalents. The selection process consists of a review of the applicants' master's thesis, a written examination on a selected foreign language and an oral examination.

 The examination is held twice a year: once for admission in April and once for admission in October.

2. Special Selection Process for Experienced Professionals

 This form of selection process has been established in order to provide those who have highly professional work experience with opportunities to receive extensive and continuous research instruction.

 Applicants eligible for this selection are those who have worked as a judge, public prosecutor, attorney-at-law, certified public accountant, licensed tax accountant, judicial scrivener, administrative scrivener, patent attorney, etc., or as a member of the staff with other qualifications in courts, public prosecutors offices, law firms, central and local governments, private corporations, NGOs, etc., for at least two years, having acquired highly professional work experience in legal and administrative affairs.

 The examination is held twice a year: once for admission in April and once for admission in October. For further details, please refer to the Application Requirements.

3. Special Selection Process for Successful Candidates of the Bar Examination

 After the foundation of the law school system in Japan in April 2004, the Graduate School of Law established a special doctoral selection process for those who have graduated from the Law School and have passed the bar examination. This selection is for admission in October. For further details, please refer to the Application Requirements.

4. Special Selection Process for Law School Graduates

 In addition, the Graduate School of Law established another special doctoral selection process for those who have graduated from the Law School. This selection is for admission in April. For further details, please refer to the Application Requirements.

5. Cross-National Doctoral Course (CNDC): Double Degree Programme

 The Graduate School of Law at Tohoku University has collaborated with Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon (ENS-Lyon), University Lumière Lyon 2, the University of Sheffield's School of East Asian Studies, the Department of Political Science at Tsinghua University, the School of Law at Tsinghua University, the Institute of Law at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), the Institute of Political Science at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), the Department of Political Science and International Studies at Yonsei University, the College of Law at National Taiwan University, and the Faculty of Philosophy at Heidelberg University. For further details, please refer to the Application Requirements.

Admission Statistics for the Graduate School of Law, Master's Course (2004-2014)

Admission Statistics for the Graduate School of Law, Master's Course (2004-2014)

Contact Information

27-1 Kawauchi, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8576
Tohoku University Graduate School of Law Office of Educational Affairs
TEL: +81-22-795-6175