These pages only apply to students and researchers from Japanese partner universities. Applicants from institutions outside of Japan can apply at the International Office of TU Wien.

About this program

Under the Joint Study program, TU Wien waives application, admission and tuition fees for students and researchers of Japanese partner-institutions. The program is open to master and PhD students (in some cases also Bachelor Students) who primarily aim to conduct research under the supervision of TU Wien. The communication with the academic advisors will be in English, therefore sufficient language skills are necessary. Applicants have to prepare a description of the research topic which explains the intended investigations and the aim of the project in Vienna. The topic has to match the general goals of the research activities at TU Wien. The acceptance of an academic advisor of TU Wien is necessary as she or he has to examine the qualification of the applicant beforehand.

JASEC (Japan Austria Science Exchange Center) at TU Wien will carry out the preliminary selection of applicants and will assist in the search of an academic advisor if necessary.

Special benefits for students from Japanese Partner Institutions include JASEC’s assistance with the application process and during the research stay. If the supervising department is not able to provide a work place at the respective institute/lab, JASEC can provide shared work places exclusively to Japanese students with IT-equipment.

Please refer to the application form (PDF), opens a file in a new window for further details and requirements for this program.

Duration

Research students are accepted for a period of 3 months to 1 year depending on the individual agreement with the home university.

Research plan

The research plan has to provide sufficient information on the research topic and has to include clear goals which can be achieved during the period of stay. It is strongly recommended to set certain milestones with the academic advisor of the home university. 

Researchers are encouraged to match their research plan with these core competences of TU Wien which makes it also easier to find a suitable academic advisor. 

Regular courses

With the status of a research student it may be possible to enrol in regular courses. However, the language of regular tuition at TU Wien is German and only a limited number of English courses are available. Within the European Union the ECTS (European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System) system is the standard for awarding credits for each course. Students need to enquire at the home university if and how credits can be converted.

Academic Advisory

With 28.000 students TU Wien is the largest and leading technical university in Austria. Probably one of the biggest differences to Japanese universities is the required self-reliance of each student. TU Wien is organized in faculties, institutes and departments – smaller units like the labs in Japanese universities are not very common. 

Depending on the research topic and the desired faculty the intensity of supervision may vary. Although an academic advisor will be appointed for each research student, a self-reliant conduct of research is expected to a certain amount. Please take a look at this document about academic advisory (PDF), opens a file in a new window in Japanese which explains the advisory at TU Wien more detailed.

In search for an academic advisor you may use this website about faculties and staff, opens an external URL in a new window, which gives an overview of TU Wien's academic structure.

Housing | Accommodation

In contrast to Japanese Universities, TU Wien does not offer its own student dormitories. But there is a broad range of private student dormitories, apartments and share houses available. Please make sure you rent only from official companies which will issue a proper tenancy agreement and register your residence as you will need these documents for gaining a residence permit in Austria.Please refer to the following link for a list of trusted companies offering student homes.

Application Deadlines and Academic Year

Schedule of the academic year

At Austrian Universities the academic year starts at the beginning of October and finishes at the end of September. It is divided into two semesters:

The winter semester starts at beginning of October and finishes at the end of January.

The summer semester starts at the beginning of March and finishes at the end of June.

The exact schedule including holidays can be found on the website of the Department for Studies. 

As the Austrian and the Japanese academic schedules don’t exactly match it is possible for research students to arrive also after the official beginning of the semester (e.g. in April instead of March).

The university is generally open also during holiday periods and research can be continued. However, it cannot be guaranteed that all facilities remain operational and the entire staff is available during holiday periods. Studying abroad also means experiencing foreign culture, language and gaining self-reliance. Therefore we encourage exchange students to use the holidays to broaden their horizon by travelling and enjoying Europe’s rich culture.

Application Deadlines

The preparation for a research stay needs some time and we recommend to apply way earlier than the given deadlines.  

Entry winter semester (from October) - Application Period from February 1* until March 15

Entry summer semester (from March) - Application Period from July 1* until October 15 

Although the online application will not start earlier than these dates, please feel free to contact us already earlier and inform us about your intentions. 

Application Procedure

  • Interested candidates have to contact the coordinator or international office at the home university first to get informed about the possibility of a research stay at TU Wien as most agreements limit the amount of exchange students and include specific details on the ex-change (e.g. scholarships).
  • The coordinator/international office at the Japanese home university will contact JASEC at TU Wien to nominate the applicant for the exchange program.
  • The applicant or his/her academic advisor at the home university may already contact possible academic advisors at TU Wien and get his/her approval for supervision. However, this is not a requirement and JASEC can assist in finding possible academic advisors at TU Wien departments.
  • After the nomination by the home university, candidates will send their application documents to JASEC ( jasec@tuwien.ac.at ).
  • Applicants will receive instructions by the International Office of TU Wien to register online at our “Mobility Services”.  
  • JASEC will carry out the selection of candidates in cooperation with the International Office and the respective academic advisors and inform the applicants if they have been accepted after the official application deadline.
  • In case of a successful application the candidates will receive further instruction via email on how to proceed with the enrolment, visa application and finding accommodation.
  • Student dormitories are provided by private companies only - take a look at this page for trusted companies. 
  • Check out the annex on the application form on additional information on the visa procedures.

Partner Universities in Japan and Eligibility

Students and researchers from our Partner Universities and Partner Institutions are eligible to apply for this program. Please contact your home university's international office to get informed about the specific terms.