COLABS – Application Procedures
(Last updated: June 24, 2025)
Important:
From the Spring 2026 semester, prior consent request applications will be changed to be based on the application schedule. (Please refer to Step.5)
Unlike the other exchange programs, the COLABS program requires prior consent from Tohoku University's prospective academic advisor. The Consent of Acceptance Request Form will open on July 1, 2025 and close on October 15, 2025 at 15:00 (JST) for the Spring 2026 Semester. The application period is shorter than last year, so please be sure not to delay your application.
It is often the case that even if you ask your first-choice professor, you may not be accepted, so we strongly encourage you to prepare in advance so that you have enough time to apply to a second-choice or third-choice professor.
If the application is not accepted by prospective academic advisor, the applicant may apply up to three times for the consent of acceptance request in total. Please note, however, that once the application period has passed, a second or third application will not be accepted. It will take longer than you think to get the consent, so please submit your application as soon as possible.
It is NOT allowed that COLABS applicants contact their prospective Tohoku University's academic advisor directly without going through the Student Exchange Division to avoid any possible confusion.
Message for Our Partners announced in June 2025
Your nominated students are now required to obtain prior consent from their prospective academic advisors at Tohoku University before applying through TAO.
The number of COLABS applicants has been increasing and it has become quite a competitive program. With that in mind, placing your students in a suitable laboratory has also become a challenge for us. In order to assign your students to the most suitable laboratory, our committee has decided to adopt this additional requirement.
Instructions
Consent of Acceptance Request Form (Online)
Please follow the steps 1 through 7 in the Application Procedures below. Please note that the deadline to complete the step 4 is October 15 at 15:00 JST. Required information for the Consent of Acceptance Request Form can be found here.
Application Deadline: October 15 at 15:00 JST
Note:
- It is NOT allowed that COLABS applicants contact their prospective Tohoku University's academic advisor directly without going through the Student Exchange Division to avoid any possible confusion.
-
- - The consent of acceptance request form does not automatically send your prospective professor directly; exchange coordinators will review the content of the form once and then send the request to the professor. Please understand that this may take some time.
- - We strongly recommend that COLABS applicants give the prospective academic advisors as much advance notice as possible so that there is enough time to complete the online application (TAO) by the deadline.
- COLABS applicants are only allowed to contact ONE prospective academic advisor at a time. (Q6)
Application Procedures
(Step 1) Consult with your academic advisor or coordinator at your home university regarding the types/status of the agreement with Tohoku University. You must be (or are expected to be) nominated for the COLABS program.
(Step 2) Partner Search: Check the agreement level between your home university and Tohoku University
- Institution-Level Agreement ("INST"); may apply for one of the Natural Science Graduate Schools.
- Department-Level Agreement ("DEPT"); must choose the graduate school you have the agreement with.
Attention: If your home university has an agreement with Tohoku at the department level, a prospective academic advisor of your choice must be someone who belongs to the department that has an agreement with your school. For instance, if your home university has a department-level agreement with the Graduate School of Engineering of Tohoku University, you must find a prospective academic advisor who belongs to the Graduate School of Engineering. Contact Tohoku University through the contact form here if you are not sure of the professor's department.
(Step 3) Find a prospective academic advisor in your preferred field:
・Tohoku University Researchers
・Tohoku University Research Profiles (SEEDS)
・Graduate Schools and Research Activities for IRTLab
≪Important≫Only professors or associate professors can be academic advisors. Assistant professors cannot be selected as academic advisors. Also, they must be faculty members affiliated with the Graduate School.
(Step 4) Submit the consent of acceptance request form. Make sure to prepare the required information before filling out the form. This form should be entered and submitted by the applicants themselves, not the coordinators. Note that this is NOT the actual application; the actual application is called TAO, which you will submit in step 7 below.
Required Information for the Consent of Acceptance Request Form
(Step 5) The timing of notification of prior consent request result depends on the date of consent of acceptance request form submission (Japan time), so please check the table below at the time of consent of acceptance request form submission. Please note that the result of application will not be notified by the prospective academic advisor , but by the student exchange division.
|
Prior Consent Application Period (For Fall Semester) |
Notification of Prior Consent Request Result (For Fall Semester) |
Prior Consent Application Period (For Spring Semester) |
Notification of Prior Consent Request Result (For Spring Semester) |
|---|---|---|---|
| November 1 - 15 | Early December | July 1 - 15 | Early August |
| November 16 - 30 | Mid December | July 16 - 31 | Mid August |
| December 1 - 15 | Early January | August 1 - 15 | Early September |
|
December 16-January 5 |
Mid January | August 16 - 31 | Mid September |
| January 6 - 15 | Early February | September 1 - 15 | Early October |
| January 16 - 30 | Mid February | September 16 - 30 | Mid October |
| ― | ― | October 1 -15 | Early November |
(Example) :
1. If you submit the consent of acceptance request form between July 1 and July 15, the student exchange division will forward it to a desired professor and inform you of the prior consent request result by email in early August.
2-1. If you are accepted by the prospective academic advisor, you will proceed to the TAO application. (From October for the Spring intake & January for the Fall intake)
2-2. If not, find a new prospective academic advisor and re-apply and check the table to confirm when you will be notified of the result, and wait until that time.
3. Repeat 2-2. again if your second application is not accepted. Applicant may apply up to three times for the consent of acceptance request in total.
Please note: The date of receipt of application is confirmed in Japan time. Since the result notification period is determined by the date of application, we cannot respond to inquiries. Therefore, please manage your own application.
(Step 6) Inform your home academic advisor and coordinator once you receive consent from your prospective academic advisor. Save your "COLABS Prior Consent Request Result" email from the Student Exchange Division, Tohoku University in PDF format. You will need it in step 7.
(Step 7) Submit the essential documents to the online application system (TAO) to complete the COLABS application.
Important Note:
- Each COLABS applicant must obtain consent from one prospective academic advisor beforehand as it is a research-oriented program.
- Obtaining consent from a prospective academic advisor does not guarantee acceptance to the COLABS program.
- Failure to submit any of the application materials to TAO (incomplete applications) shall result in disqualification from further screening procedures, regardless of whether consent was obtained.
Application Schedules
| Admission | Fall Semester | Spring Semester |
|---|---|---|
| Consent Request Period | November 1 - January 30 | July 1 - October 15 |
| Application Period (TAO) |
January 10 - February 20 | October 1 - November 15 |
| Screening | February - April | November - January |
| Results Notification | May | February |
| Visa and Dorm Applications *¹ | May - July | February - March |
|
Dorm Check-in & Orientations *¹ |
Late September | Late March |
| Class Starts | October | April |
| Class Ends | Early February | Early August |
| Final Presentation*² |
Early February (final day of the program) |
Early August (Final day of the program) |
| Final day of Moving out |
Last day of February |
Early August |
*¹ Necessary instructions will be provided for all the successful applicants by email.
*² Mandatory
Q&A
Q1. Is there any specific period when I should contact professors to obtain consent?
A: Yes. Please refer to the Consent Request Period in the table above.
Q2. I have not heard anything from the professor, who I contacted a couple of days ago. What should I do?
A: First, please confirm when you will be notified of the result of your application when you submit the Consent of Acceptance Request Form. The notification time of the result will vary depending on the date of submission. If you do not receive the result after a long period of time, please contact the Student Exchange Division by email. We strongly recommend that COLABS applicants give him/her as much advance notice as possible so that there is enough time to complete the online application (TAO) by the deadline. No immediate responses can be expected especially for last-minute requests. Also, it is often the case that even if you ask your first-choice professor, you will be refused and you will have to find a second-choice or third-choice professor. It will take longer than you think to get the consent.
Q3. I was unable to complete the TAO application by the deadline, but I have already obtained consent.
What should I do?
A: Unfortunately, your application will be disqualified, regardless of your advisor's consent.
Please note that we do not accept incomplete or late applications.
Q4. Can I re-upload my documents and/or make modifications to my application on TAO after the deadline? I have obtained consent but have found some mistakes on my application.
A: No. If your application is deemed incomplete it will be disqualified, regardless of your advisor's consent.
Q5. I was unable to obtain consent within the consent of acceptance request application period, can I still apply for COLABS? Is there any way I can still apply for COLABS?
A:No. Your advisor's consent is required to complete during the consent of acceptance request application period and then your online application on TAO by the deadline. We do not accept incomplete or late applications.
Q6. Can I send several consent request forms to the COLABS email account at once?
A: No. COLABS applicants are only allowed to contact one prospective academic advisor at a time.
Q7. When should I discuss my research plans with my prospective advisor?
A: You will have a meeting with them before the semester starts in March/September. For details, please visit here.