How to Apply

The College of Global Liberal Arts at Ritsumeikan University seeks students who have the following abilities, skills, interests, and aspirations:

1. (1) Students who possess English language ability and basic academic skills to intellectually discuss various issues in global society (specific English requirements are listed separately).
2. (2) Students who have a strong interest in various issues in global society, respect diverse cultures and values, and can work cooperatively with others.
3. (3) Students who aspire to become global leaders who will proactively and practically solve various issues in global society by mastering academic skills and deepening their understanding of academic fields related to their interests and career paths through humanities, social sciences, and science and technology.

The Global International Relations Joint Degree Program is looking for globally minded students who can be effective leaders both on and off campuses. We expect our graduates to take an active role in their professional fields and contribute directly and indirectly to the deepening of mutually beneficial relations between the U.S., Japan and the rest of East Asia, as well as to the peace and prosperity of the international community.

In the Department of International Relations within the College of International Relations, students systematically learn three types of essential approaches to understanding global society: language skills, theories, and area studies. Throughout this learning process, students develop a high level of foreign language proficiency and the ability to think logically, while cultivating deeper intellectual capacities to better understand cultural diversity. The college seeks students who have the will to act independently and the desire to contribute to society in terms of governance, economics, culture, and peace.

To this end, the college admits students who already possess the following abilities and motivations:

1. (1) Basic academic skills necessary to analyze problems facing global society
2. (2) A deep interest in the problems facing global society and the self-motivation to pursue them
3. (3) Language abilities necessary to understand and explain the problems facing global society

The College of Policy Science seeks students who will challenge themselves both in practical and scholastic terms, with the aim of creating a better society through policy solutions. Thus, the College expects students to have the following academic abilities and interests upon admission:

1. (1) Basic academic knowledge acquired at high school or equivalent educational institutions.
2. (2) Interest in acquiring thinking skills and abilities for problem solving based on that knowledge.
3. (3) Willingness to design and work on practical solutions to a wide-range of social problems.

Education and research at the College of Information Science and Engineering encompasses a wide range of topics. These relate to the core knowledge of technologies, and their application at the cutting edge. Our educational goal is to develop specialists and researchers with expertise in utilizing computers to obtain effective and innovative solutions to unforeseen issues. Graduates of CISE will be ready to play the leading role in a variety of organizations at the global level. With these objectives in mind, we welcome prospective students with the following qualities and attitudes.

1. (1) The prospective students should have acquired logical thinking skills and fundamental understanding of mathematics and natural sciences necessary to pursue studies in information science.
2. (2) For those who are to choose one of the six courses provided in Japanese, they should have sufficient Japanese proficiency to understand and produce Japanese texts, as well as the fundamental proficiency in English. For those who are to be enrolled in the course provided in English, they should be able to display sufficient command of English to pursue academic studies in the language.
3. (3) They should have acquired academic underpinnings to start a wide range of studies at the tertiary education level.
4. (4) They should have wide and keen interests in academic fields related to information technology.
5. (5) They should be strongly motivated to acquire the fundamentals of programming.
6. (6) They should have sincere motivation to acquire specialized and advanced knowledge and technologies, ethical attitudes, and leadership.
7. (7) They should be fully aware of the significance of skills for problem-identifying/solving and those for communication, and are ready to improve those skills to the more advanced levels.

Applicants must meet one of the following criteria before their enrollment date* at Ritsumeikan University.
Applicants admitted into the University in the prospect of satisfying one of the requirements below should fulfill the requirement before the enrollment date; otherwise, the offer of admission will be revoked.
* Enrollment date: April 1 for April enrollment / September 26 for September enrollment.

NOTE

• Applicants who have completed a standard 12-year curriculum in less than 12 years with appropriate reasons, such as grade skipping or early graduation, will be regarded as having met the requirement.
• The following do not meet JD Program application eligibility requirements:
  • - Criteria F and H.
  • - Completion of an upper secondary course in a specialized training college (専修学校の高等課程).

English Test Score

In order to demonstrate sufficient English ability, applicants must take one of the tests listed below and achieve the minimum score indicated below.

The English tests must have been taken within the two-year period before the last date of the application period that the applicant applies in and the test score must be available during the application period.

• The University does not accept the TOEFL iBT® Home Edition or the TOEFL® Essentials™ Test.
• The University only accepts TOEFL iBT® scores from a single test date, not MyBest® scores.
• The University does not accept IELTS Online.
• IELTS One Skill Retake is not acceptable.
• The University does not accept institutional tests such as the TOEIC® IP Test.

Score Waiver

Submission of English test scores listed above is not required of applicants who meet the waiver criteria stated below. For details on documents to be submitted instead of the English test scores, please consult the Application Handbook, "7.(3) Submission of Application Documents".

Due to the Australian Commonwealth legislation, Australian domestic students are not eligible to apply through Ritsumeikan University and must instead apply through ANU. An applicant is considered an Australian domestic student if they are one of the following:

• a. Australian citizen
• b. New Zealand citizen or a diplomatic or consular representative of New Zealand, a member of the staff of such a representative or the spouse or dependent relative of such a representative, excluding those with Australian citizenship (Note: includes any such persons who have Permanent Resident status)
• c. Australian permanent resident
• d. Australian permanent humanitarian visa holder

However, Australian domestic students who hold citizenship of a country other than Australia or New Zealand, including dual citizens, are eligible to apply through Ritsumeikan University. Applicants who meet this criterion are advised to review additional conditions in section 10. Notes for Applicants GLA (4) in the Application Handbook.

The Application Handbook is a central reference for the whole application process, from the start of your application to your enrollment at Ritsumeikan University.

Applications must be submitted via the online application system called The Admissions Office (TAO).
Please access TAO here to create and activate your account.

NOTE

By creating an account on TAO, applicants agree to the terms of use and handling of personal information designated by TAO Co.,Ltd.

Applications can only be submitted during each application period.
After creating a TAO account, select Ritsumeikan University and the program to start the application.
Separate applications are required when applying to multiple programs.

Fill in the necessary information and submit the required documents online through TAO. For full details on what to submit and how, please consult the Application Handbook "7.(3) Submission of Application Documents".

Examples of Application Documents

• Certificate of (Scheduled) High School / Senior Secondary Graduation
• Documents Proving English Language Proficiency
• Academic Transcripts
• Application Essay(s)
  The topic of each essay and the number of essays required for each program can be found in the Application Handbook.
• Letter(s) of Reference
  • - GLA / JD Program / GS Major / CRPS Major : 1 letter
  • - ISSE Course : 2 letters Send a request for the letter(s) of reference to your referee(s) via TAO. The letters must be directly submitted to TAO applications by referees.

Fee Amount: 5,000 JPY per program.
For full details, please consult the Application Handbook "7.(4) Application Fee".

Once completing an application, you must click the “Complete my application” button and confirm the application status has changed to “Application Completed”.
You are able to click the “Complete my application” button if you have successfully:

• Had your referee(s) submit the letter(s) of reference via TAO
• Paid the application fee by the application deadline
• Submitted all required documents

Interviews will be either a web-based interview or a telephone interview. Please refer to the Application Handbook for details.

When applying to other English-medium undergraduate programs offered at Ritsumeikan University during the same application period, applicants must upload application documents and pay the application fee for each program. Applicants do not need to prepare different letters of reference for each program as one can be used for all applications.
ISSE Course: Applicants must prepare an additional letter of reference when applying to the ISSE Course, as the ISSE Course requires two letters of reference, while other programs only require one.

There are multiple application periods set via this admission method and applicants can apply in more than one application period. In this case, applicants must upload application documents and pay the application fee for each application period.
Applicants do not need to prepare different letters of reference for each application period, as one can be used for all application periods in the same enrollment year.

Once you are admitted to a program at Ritsumeikan University, you must take the necessary steps according to our instructions. Please refer to the information in the following page: Incoming Students

The following documents can be submitted by the school on behalf of the applicant. In this case, applicants must send a request to the school via TAO for the school to upload these documents to TAO.

• Certificate of (Scheduled) High School / Senior Secondary Graduation
  *If necessary, a template for ‘Certificate of (Scheduled) High School Graduation’ can be downloaded here.
• Academic Transcripts
• English Language Test Score Waiver Request Form

Access TAO

*Please also refer to Help for recommenders/requestees on TAO.

Ritsumeikan University (RU) requests letters of reference for applicants. Applicants send requests for the letters to their referees on the application system (TAO).

• When counselors/teachers receive a request from an applicant, an automatic email will be sent from TAO. A recommender account must be created with the same email address to which the request was sent.
• There is a designated field in the form if the referee chooses to upload their own format as well.
• After filling out the form, please confirm that the status is "Submitted".
• The letter must be written in English.
• Please note that RU may contact the referee for confirmation.

Access TAO

See also: TAO Tutorial Video

*Please also refer to Help for recommenders/requestees on TAO.