Institute of Science Tokyo

Key facts

Checked against the sources listed at the bottom of this page on 7 November 2026.

What is the Institute of Science Tokyo?

Science Tokyo opened its doors on 1 October 2024, following the merger of Tokyo Medical and Dental University and Tokyo Institute of Technology. Naoto Ohtake became the inaugural president and chief executive officer, and appointed Yujiro Tanaka as president and chief academic officer the same day.^[1] Its mission is “advancing science and human wellbeing to create value for and with society”.^[1]

In legal terms, the National University Corporation Tokyo Institute of Technology was renamed National University Corporation Institute of Science Tokyo, and the corporation of Tokyo Medical and Dental University was dissolved. The headquarters is in Meguro-ku, where Tokyo Tech’s headquarters was.^[8] The two predecessors have different roots: Tokyo Tech goes back to the Tokyo Vocational School of 1881, and TMDU to the Tokyo Higher School of Dentistry of 1928 and became a university in 1946.^[8]

Campuses, size and structure

The institute has six campuses: Ookayama in Meguro, Yokohama in Kanagawa, Tamachi in Minato, Yushima and Surugadai in Bunkyo and Chiyoda, and Konodai in Ichikawa, Chiba.^[9] On 1 May 2025 it had 6,313 undergraduate students, 7,179 graduate students, 1,808 faculty members and 4,747 staff members.^[2]

The education and research units are six schools (Science; Engineering; Materials and Chemical Technology; Computing; Life Science and Technology; Environment and Society), two graduate schools (Medical and Dental Sciences; Health Care Sciences), two faculties (Medicine; Dentistry) and the Institute for Liberal Arts. The institute also runs a hospital and a high school.^[10]

How is the Institute of Science Tokyo ranked?

In the QS World University Rankings 2027, published on 18 June 2026, the Institute of Science Tokyo is 97th in the world with an overall score of 69.2, fourth in Japan after the University of Tokyo (39th), Kyoto University (64th) and the University of Osaka (95th).^[3] The QS table lists it as one institution.^[3]

Ranks published before October 2024, and ranks of earlier editions that may still list Tokyo Tech or TMDU separately, belong to the predecessors. They are not the same entity as the new institute, so we give no predecessor ranks here; we have not checked how earlier QS editions listed the two universities.

Subject rankings (official announcement)

In the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026, published on 25 March 2026, Science Tokyo ranks in the top 20 in seven subjects, compared with two in 2025. Dentistry is 9th in the world, chemical engineering 13th (tie) and mechanical engineering 15th. It is first in Japan in five subjects: dentistry, chemical engineering, mechanical engineering, computer science, and electrical and electronic engineering.^[11]

Rankings differ by publisher and year, so treat one position as one view. How we compile rankings.

What does the merger change for international students?

• One institution, two groups of fields. The admissions and student websites speak of the “science and engineering fields (formerly Tokyo Tech)” and the “medicine, dentistry, health care sciences, and oral health care sciences fields”, and they list separate contact offices for each.^[6][12]
• Fees are still listed per field group, with different amounts for former Tokyo Tech and former TMDU programmes (see the fee section below).^[4][5]
• Older pages use the old names. The fee pages we read are still hosted on the former Tokyo Tech and TMDU sites, and the TMDU page says its information is moving to the Science Tokyo site.^[5] Guides written before October 2024 describe the predecessors.
• New students apply to Science Tokyo. The admissions site describes bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral admissions of the new institution,.^[6]

What can you study at Science Tokyo?

The science-and-engineering schools teach undergraduate and graduate education in one structure: the schools offer seamless curricula between bachelor’s and master’s and between master’s and doctoral programmes.^[6] The medical, dental and health fields are organised in the Faculty of Medicine, the Faculty of Dentistry and two graduate schools.^[10]

Programmes in English

• Global Scientists and Engineers Program (GSEP): the first international Bachelor of Engineering degree programme at the institute. All subjects are taught in English, so qualified students with little or no Japanese can study. The programme is also considered for Japanese government (MEXT) scholarships.^[6]
• International Graduate Program (IGP): started at Tokyo Tech in 2007; it offers master’s, doctoral and integrated doctoral programmes conducted entirely in English for students with little or no Japanese. It is split into IGP(A), IGP(B) and IGP(C); the (B) variants include joint programmes with Tsinghua University and with RIKEN.^[7]

The other bachelor’s programmes of the science-and-engineering fields are taught in Japanese, and applicants must acquire sufficient Japanese before admission.^[6]

How much does Science Tokyo cost?

The science-and-engineering page (“Amount of tuition and other fees”) shows an update date of 28 September 2026 but names no fiscal year. It lists an older rate of ¥535,800 for students who started before April 2019 (undergraduate) or September 2019 (graduate).^[4] The medical and dental page shows no date; it lists ¥642,960 for undergraduates admitted from 2020 and ¥535,800 for the graduate school.^[5] Neither table gives a separate rate for international students.

The admission (enrolment) fee is ¥282,000 on both pages, although the science-and-engineering page lists it next to the older rates and does not repeat it for the higher rates, so confirm it with the admissions office.^[4][5]

For rent and living costs in Tokyo, see our Study in Japan guide.

How do you apply to Science Tokyo?

The route depends on the field and level. For the bachelor’s programmes of the science-and-engineering fields, the admissions site lists:^[6]

• GSEP (taught and admitted in English), with consideration for a Japanese government (MEXT) scholarship.
• Special Screening Examination for Privately Funded International Students (Japanese-taught programmes): applicants take the Examination for Japanese University Admission for International Students (EJU), run by JASSO, plus the institute’s own screening examination.
• Pre-arrival Special Recommendation: lets students living overseas be admitted without taking the examination in Japan, if a department recommends them. Only the Department of Transdisciplinary Science and Engineering accepts these applications and grants a recommendation to a small number of applicants.
• General Entrance Examination: the same screening as for Japanese applicants (Common Test for University Admissions and the institute’s examination). Transfer admissions and embassy-recommended MEXT scholarship routes also exist.

For graduate study, the admissions site points to the International Graduate Program for the science-and-engineering fields and to the Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences and the Graduate School of Health Care Sciences for the medical fields, each with its own entrance examinations and contact office.^[7][12]

We give no deadlines here because they change every year and differ by programme. Check the timetable of your programme before you start.

Which language level do you need?

Bachelor’s programmes other than GSEP are conducted in Japanese; applicants must acquire sufficient Japanese before admission.^[6] GSEP and the International Graduate Program are conducted entirely in English and are open to students with little or no Japanese.^[6][7]

The pages we read do not set a single test or minimum score for the whole institute; English and Japanese requirements are set by programme. Ask your programme before you book a test.

More about studying in Japan

• Japan: best universities
• Study in Japan: complete guide
• Cost of Studying Abroad
• International Student Scholarships
• University Ranking Methodology

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