How to apply
Before you begin
To qualify for consideration, you must have:
- A Master’s, MBA, or higher degree from a recognized institution, or exemption from the DBA Program Committee. Applicants requesting an exemption must seek approval from the DBA Program Committee beforehand. Please inquire before the following deadline if seeking an exemption. 1st Round: Thursday, August 1, 2024 2nd Round: Thursday, January 24, 2025 For specifics, see “Qualification of Applicants” in the Hitotsubashi ICS DBA Application Package
- Sound knowledge of and interest in business scholarship, as demonstrated by the research proposal described in your application
- Two or more years of full‐time work experience, or approval for exemption from the DBA Program Committee.
- A good command of English, with a score above 109 in TOEFL iBT or 7.5 in IELTS Academic or equivalent.
- GMAT score or GRE score is mandatory for all applicants.
- GMAT score of 600 or higher, or GRE score of 160 or higher on Quantitative Reasoning and 150 or higher on Verbal Reasoning.
- GMAT scores and GRE scores are valid for up to five years after the exam date. We accept score(s) of GMAT Focus Edition or GRE shorter overall test time.
For inquiries, email to: chiyoda-info@hub.hit-u.ac.jp
The application period
Our admissions process entails both an application and an interview. We encourage you to submit your application as early as possible during the application period.
Applications are accepted twice a year, Round1 (from September to October) and Round2 (from March to April).
**IMPORTANT NOTICE**
[Updated on July 16, 2024]
If the number of applicants reaches the enrollment capacity in the first round, the second round will not be held.
Admissions schedule for 2025 intake is as follows:
Round 1 | Round 2 | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|
STEP 1 Application period |
Thursday, September 12, 2024 - Wednesday, September 25, 2024 14:59 (JST) | Thursday, March 13, 2025 - Wednesday, March 26, 2025 14:59 (JST) | By online application system only, with payment of application fee during application period. We do not review application received via post or email.
|
STEP 2 Announcement of First screening result |
Friday, October 11, 2024 | Friday, April 11, 2025 | First screening based on written application documents. |
STEP 3 Second screening (Interview) |
Friday, October 25, 2024 | Friday, April 25, 2025 | 20-minute discussion based on written application documents if selected in the first screening. Location: Hitotsubashi University Chiyoda Campus (National Center of Sciences) or Online The interview method and location are subject to change depending on circumstances. |
STEP 4 Announcement of final result |
Friday, November 22, 2024 | Thursday, May 29, 2025 | By email and post. Decisions will not be communicated by phone or fax. |
STEP 5 Period for completion of enrollment |
Monday, November 25, 2024 – Friday, November 29, 2024 | Monday, June 2, 2025 – Friday, June 6, 2025 | Pay your matriculation fee to be officially enrolled and registered. |
Required application documents
Master’s degree certificate and official transcript | Degree certificate/official transcript or certified copy of a diploma/official transcript signed by the president or dean of the university. *Successful applicants must submit copies of original documents to the Hitotsubashi ICS Admissions Office within the enrollment period. |
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Essay (Career accomplishments and personal statements) | |
Official TOEFL or IELTS score report |
*The following applicants are not required to include this item.
* TOEFL or IELTS scores are valid for up to two years after the exam date. |
Official GMAT or GRE score report |
* GMAT or GRE scores are valid for up to five years after the exam date. |
Proof of application fee payment (JPY 30,000) | See the Application Package page 10 for payment procedures. The application fee is exempted for the following individuals.
Japanese government-sponsored students (Kenkyusei) are not required to pay the application fee; please upload the government scholarship certificate issued by the enrolled university. |
Identity document | Photocopy of the relevant page(s) of the applicant’s identity document indicating applicant’s name, photograph, passport number or Japanese driver’s license number, date of birth, etc. |
Reference letters (optional) |
Up to two letters of reference
* A request email will be sent automatically to the applicant's referees once their contact information is entered in the Hitotsubashi ICS Online Application System and “Send email to referee” button is clicked by the applicant. |
Notes
- See the Hitotsubashi ICS DBA Application Package for more detailed information. We release the Application Package in July each year. Please make sure to download the latest version.
- All documents must be written in English. For any documents or certificates written in another language, please attach an English translation.
- Only complete applications will be considered. Incomplete applications at the time of the application deadline will not be considered.
- The online application system’s ‘Submit’ button becomes available for selection ONLY when ALL mandatory documents above have been uploaded.
- As the online application system can accept individual documents whenever they are ready and is also able to accept uploading of the same document multiple times, please start uploading individual documents to the online system as soon as they are available. In the case of needing to update an already-uploaded document, you may simply upload the document again. Please be sure to upload all documentation by the specified application deadline.
- Applicants wishing to support their application with a reference letter(s) should ensure that their nominated referee(s) have uploaded the reference letter(s) to the online system before the application is submitted. Reference letter(s) must be uploaded before the applicant clicks the “Submit” button in order for the reference letter(s) to be included as application documents. .Maximum 10 files can be submitted and stored in each section.
- Applicants who have disabilities or special needs that require accommodating in the application process and/or once they start their program of study at Hitotsubashi ICS should notify the Hitotsubashi ICS Admissions Office by email to <chiyoda-info@hub.hit-u.ac.jp> two months prior to the starting date of application period. (If you do not know the application period, please contact us as well. Although the Hitotsubashi ICS Admissions Office will accept such notifications after this date, it may not be able to make arrangements necessary to accommodate disabilities/special needs in time for the screening and/or the program starting date.) Requesting such type of accommodation in the application process does not obligate you to apply to Hitotsubashi ICS. Even if you are undecided about whether or not to apply to Hitotsubashi ICS, you may still make such requests.
NB: Depending on the nature of the accommodation requested, it may take some time for the Hitotsubashi ICS Admissions Office to respond.