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Pursuant to the Agreement on Student Exchange entered into by the College of Science, National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) and the School of Science / Graduate School of Science, Kyushu University (KU), we are pleased to announce that the application process for the Spring 2027 exchange cohort is now open.

Qualified students from the College of Science are invited to submit their applications in accordance with the following provisions, guidelines, and administrative restrictions.

I. Program Overview, Quota, and Financial Provisions

1. Exchange Period: Commencing in the Spring Semester of 2027 (April 2027). Students may opt for either “One Semester” (concluding in September 2027) or “One Academic Year” (concluding in March 2028).
2. Eligible Host Schools at Kyushu University: Strictly confined to the contractually agreed entities:
   • School of Science (Undergraduate level)
   • Graduate School of Science (Graduate level) (Note: Other graduate schools listed in Kyushu University’s general joint promotional materials are not applicable to this specific college-level agreement.)
3. Exchange Quota: In accordance with Article 4 of the bilateral agreement, the College may nominate a maximum of two (2) students for a one-academic-year exchange, or up to four (4) students for a one-semester exchange per academic year (totaling a maximum of 4 exchange units per year).
4. Tuition and Fees: Application, matriculation, and tuition fees at Kyushu University are fully waived, provided that the exchange students remain enrolled and continue to pay their regular tuition and fees to NTNU. All other expenditures—including airfare, accommodation, visa fees, books, and cost of living in Japan—shall be borne entirely by the participating student.
5. Mandatory Insurance: Nominated students are required to purchase the “Personal Accident Insurance for Students Pursuing Education and Research (PAS)” at their own expense. Furthermore, under Japanese law, students staying in Japan for more than three (3) months must mandatorily enroll in the Japanese National Health Insurance system.

II. Eligibility and Language Proficiency Requirements

1. Academic Status: Applicants must be currently enrolled undergraduate, master’s, or doctoral students within the College of Science, NTNU. Undergraduate applicants must have completed at least their first year of study at NTNU prior to the commencement of the exchange program.
2. Language Proficiency Thresholds:
   • English-Medium Track (Available for Graduate Level only): A minimum score of TOEFL iBT 79 or IELTS 6.0.
   • Japanese-Medium Track: A minimum certificate of JLPT N1 (or equivalent proof).
3. CRITICAL REMARK ON LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY:
   • All undergraduate lecture courses offered by the School of Science at Kyushu University are conducted EXCLUSIVELY in Japanese. Consequently, undergraduate applicants must possess a valid JLPT N1 qualification at the time of application.
   • Please note that TOEIC scores are strictly NOT accepted as valid proof of English proficiency for this program.

III. Exchange Categories and Operational Restrictions

Applicants must specify their intended status—either “Special Auditing Student” or “Special Research Student”—upon submission. Once the Certificate of Acceptance is issued by Kyushu University, no change of status will be permitted under any circumstances.

1. Special Auditing Students (Credit-Bearing Coursework)

• Legal Minimum Enrollment (Visa Requirement): Under Japanese immigration law, exchange students on a student visa who audit classes must complete a minimum of 10 hours (600 minutes) of taught class sessions per week. Since each class session at KU is 90 minutes long, students must register for at least seven (7) class sessions per week.
• Enrollment Restrictions:
  • Undergraduate exchange students are strictly prohibited from auditing graduate-level courses.
  • Exchange students are not permitted to enroll in courses involving practical training or laboratory experiments within the School/Graduate School of Science. Certain seminars may also be restricted due to capacity limits.
  • Courses offered by KIKAN Education (except designated JACs), JTW, JLCC, and QREC are entirely closed to faculty-wide exchange students.

2. Special Research Students (Non-Credit Research, Graduate Level Only)

• Prior Consent (Pre-requisite Condition): Applicants must independently contact their prospective supervisor at Kyushu University and secure formal, prior approval/acceptance before submitting their application to the NTNU College of Science. Proof of this acceptance must be provided in Section 11 of the application form.
• Supervisor Qualification Restriction: According to KU regulations, only Faculty Professors and Associate Professors are qualified to serve as research supervisors. Assistant Professors are strictly excluded from supervising exchange students.

IV. Nomination Process and Internal Deadline

This exchange program operates under a strict Institutional Nomination System. Students cannot apply directly to Kyushu University. Applications must first undergo internal administrative review and selection by the College of Science, NTNU. The College will then officially nominate the selected candidates and submit their compiled dossiers to Kyushu University.

To ensure administrative diligence and timely international courier processing, the College hereby enforces a strict Firewall Clause:

1. Internal Application Deadline: Friday, October 9, 2026, at 12:00 PM (CST, Taiwan Time). Late submissions will not be reviewed.
2. Strict No-Supplementation Policy:
   • The application portal will permanently close at the aforementioned deadline.
   • The College will absolutely NOT accept any late submissions or supplemental documents under any circumstances. This restriction applies to all files, including “pending language proficiency score reports,” “delayed official certificates,” or “belated academic recommendation letters.”
   • Any application that is incomplete, lacks required signatures, or fails to meet the language proficiency threshold by October 9, 2026, at 12:00 PM will be deemed disqualified immediately.
   • Administrative Advice: Given that external processes—such as sitting for language proficiency examinations (TOEFL/IELTS/JLPT), waiting for official score dispatch, and requesting faculty recommendation letters—require significant lead time, applicants are strongly urged to initiate these preparations months in advance to avoid disqualification.

V. Required Application Documents and Submission Procedures

All application materials must be written in English or Japanese. Applicants must compile all required documents into a single, consolidated PDF file and email it directly to the program coordinator, Mr. Chen, at ptm105_9467@ntnu.edu.tw before the internal deadline. The email subject must be formatted as: Application for 2027 KU Exchange Program - [Your Name].

The single PDF dossier must be organized in the following sequential order:

1. Kyushu University Prescribed Application Form.
2. Official English Certificate of Enrollment issued by NTNU.
3. Official English Academic Transcript issued by NTNU.
4. Letter of Recommendation written by the applicant’s academic advisor at NTNU (Kyushu University explicitly notes that a handwritten signature is strongly preferred).
5. Photocopy of the applicant’s valid passport (biographical data page).
6. Official Language Proficiency Score Sheet (TOEFL iBT / IELTS / JLPT; TOEIC is strictly prohibited).
7. (For Special Research Students Only) Clear documentation or correspondence proving formal prior acceptance from the prospective supervisor (Professor or Associate Professor) at Kyushu University.

VI. Administrative Remarks and Disclaimer

The criteria, restrictions, and procedures detailed in this announcement have been carefully synthesized from the current bilateral agreement and the official documentation provided by the host institution. In the event of any ambiguities, discrepancies, or operational disputes during the selection process or the exchange residency, the text of the official Fact Sheet published by Kyushu University shall definitively prevail.

Program Coordinator: Office of the College of Science, NTNU Mr. Chen Email: ptm105_9467@ntnu.edu.tw