COLABS – Application Procedures
(Last updated: November 24, 2023)
Important:
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 June 1, 2024 and close on November 1, 2024 at 23:59 (JST) for the Spring 2025 Semester. It is often the case that even if you ask your first-choice professor, you will be rejected and you will have to find a second-choice or third-choice professor. It will take longer than you think to get the consent, so please submit your application as soon as possible.
Message for Our Partners announced in August 2019
[Tohoku University] Notification of Change - COLABS Application Procedure
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 February 20 at 23:59 JST. Required information for the Consent of Acceptance Request Form can be found here.
Application Deadline: November 1 at 23:59 JST
Note:
- It is NOT allowed that COLABS applicants contact their prospective Tohoku University's academic advisor directly to avoid any possible confusion.
- - Note that submitting the form does not automatically send your request directly to the professor; 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.
- It will take the professors up to 10 business days to review your documents and get back to you.
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.
- No immediate responses can be expected especially for last-minute requests.
- COLABS applicants are only allowed to contact ONE prospective academic advisor at a time. (Q6)
- The deadline to submit the COLABS Consent of Acceptance Request Form is two weeks before the deadline for TAO.
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
(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) Inform your home academic advisor and coordinator once you receive consent from your prospective academic advisor.
(Step 6) Save the consent confirmation email from your prospective academic advisor of 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 | December 1 - February 6 | June 1 - November 1 |
| 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: It will take him/her up to 10 business days to review your documents and get back to you. 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 could not obtain consent by the application deadline on TAO. Is there any way I can still apply for COLABS?
A: No. Your advisor's consent is required to complete your 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.