How to apply

HitotsubashiICS students from around the world are listing to the class

For YLP applicants, please see the Young Leader’s Program (YLP) page for its admission details.

MBA Admissions Criteria

Before applying for admission to the MBA Program at Hitotsubashi ICS, you'll need to make sure you meet the following criteria:

  • At least 16 years of education. For specifics, see "Admission Requirements"(P4) in the Hitotsubashi ICS MBA Application Package
  • A bachelor's degree that evidences a sound academic record
  • (Full-time) post-graduate work experience of 2 years or more (may include the months leading up to entrance to the MBA program in September)

What We Look For

We take a holistic approach that considers every component of your application, evaluating three broad areas:

  • An employment history, essays and personal references that reflect clear purpose, high motivation, and well-developed interpersonal skills
  • General aptitude for business studies, as demonstrated by the GMAT or GRE score
  • A strong command of English

Admissions Schedule for 2026 Intake

There are two rounds of applications for the entering Class of 2026.
Please note the following:

  • Applicants may apply for either the One-Year program, excluding the Young Leaders’ Program (YLP), or the Two-Year program. Once accepted into a program, it is not possible to switch to the other program.
  • Applicants are encouraged to submit applications as early as possible.
  • Decisions regarding scholarships for candidates are made only after a candidate has been admitted into a program. Since scholarships are limited in number, students who apply during the first round have an advantage with respect to securing a Scholarships.
Application
Round
Applications period Interview Decision Notification Date
One August 1, 2025 –
October 9, 2025, 14:59 JST
November 26, 2025 December 11, 2025
Two November 10, 2025 –
February 5, 2026, 14:59 JST
March 18, 2026 April 2, 2026
  • If you have any questions, please check FAQ or contact us here.

Application Process for Each Application Round

1

Step 1
 Application

Online only, with payment of the application fee of JPY 30,000 to be made during the application period.
Note: We do not review applications received via post or email.

First screening (document screening) will be conducted for applications that have no deficiencies in documents or admission requirements.

2

Step 2
 Interview

For candidates selected during the initial (document) screening. Online format for interviews.

Purpose of interview and sample questions

3

Step 3
 Decision

Notification of ICS’s decision 2-3 weeks after the interview.

4

Step 4
 Enrollment

Enrollment procedures, payment of matriculation fee

Completing Your Application

Hitotsubashi ICS MBA admissions check  Application Package

1. DOWNLOAD THE APPLICATION PACKAGE

Please see the Application Package containing detailed information before you begin your application. If you have any questions, please see FAQ or contact us here.
Hitotsubashi ICS MBA admissions Registering to the online application system

2. START THE APPLICATION PROCESS – CREATE YOUR ACCOUNT

Please make sure to register with the Online Applications System as early as possible, as this will ensure that you have enough time if a technical issue occurs.
Hitotsubashi ICS MBA admissions Registering to the online application system

3. SUBMIT THE APPLICATION FORM

Submit ALL required documents. The application must be filled out in English. If your original documents or certificates are written in a language other than English, please attach a certified English translation. Please note that you are able to change uploaded documents as much as you like prior to pressing the “submit” button.
 

Required Documents

Degree certificate (s)

A document that certifies the applicant’s earned degree.
Must be issued by the registrar of the university or college.

Applicants with a master’s or doctoral degree must submit these as well. Must be submitted for all higher education degrees in principle.

If the document is written in a language other than English, English translation must be accompanied with the original certificate.

*Successful applicants must submit the original document(s) to the Hitotsubashi ICS Admissions Office within the enrollment period.

**For graduates of Chinese universities Graduates of Chinese universities are encouraged to submit a PDF of the English version of the "Online Verification Report of Higher Education Qualification Certificate" downloaded from the China Higher-education Information and Student Information (CHSI), in addition to their degree certificate.

Official
transcript(s)

A document that certifies the applicant’s courses attempted, earned credits and grades. Must be issued by the registrar of the university or college.
Must be listed for all courses taken during the enrollment.

Applicants with a master’s or doctoral degree must submit these as well. Must be submitted for all higher education degrees in principle.

If the document is written in a language other than English, English translation must be accompanied with the original certificate.

*Successful applicants must submit the original document(s) to the Hitotsubashi ICS Admissions Office within the enrollment period.

Essay

Prepare the Essay as directed on the first page of the format.

Official
GMAT/GRE
score report

Scores must be dated within five years of the interview day of each round. Applicants are to:

1) Upload to the online application system:
- GMAT: test takers score report,or screenshot of the scores on GMAC portal (Appointment ID and Score)
- G R E: test takers score report

AND

2) Have GMAC/ETS send the Official Score Report directly to Hitotsubashi ICS.
- GMAT: University Code No.: F6R-Q5-29
- G R E: University Code No.: 4454

* Applicants are advised to take tests early enough to allow scores to be reported via both methods above before the application submission due date.
The Official Score Report takes a few days to arrive after being requested. Please request GMAC/ETS early as possible to ensure that it reaches the university by the application deadline.

Proof of
application fee
payment

A non-refundable application fee of JPY 30,000 is payable during the application period, via credit card or bank transfer.
Please refer to page 14 of the Application Package for details.

Identity
document

Photocopy of passport of the relevant page(s) of the applicant’s identity document indicating applicant’s name, photograph, passport number.
(Japanese applicants only) Or Japanese driver’s license number,date of birth, etc.

* Must be within the expiration date.

TOEFL or IELTS
score report
* optional

Scores must be dated within two years of the interview day of each round. Applicants are to:

1) Upload their test takers score report to the online application system.

AND

2) Have the ETS/IELTS test centre send the Official Score Report directly to Hitotsubashi ICS.
- TOEFL: University Code No.: 8682
- IELTS: Organization Name:
Hitotsubashi University - School of International Corporate Strategy
If sending in paper score report: Address: National Center of Sciences, 2-1-2 Hitotsubashi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-8439, Japan

Please make sure to send scores to the correct code. Scores sent to other departments inside Hitotsubashi University cannot be reviewed by Hitotsubashi ICS.

* Applicants are advised to take tests early enough to allow scores to be reported via both methods above before the application submission due date.
The Official Score Report takes a few days to arrive after being requested. Please request ETS/IELTS early as possible to ensure that it reaches the university by the application deadline.

Japanese-Language
Proficiency
Test (JLPT)
Certificate
* optional
Applicants are to upload the official certificate “Japanese-Language Proficiency Test Certificate of Result and Score(⽇本語能⼒試験認定結果及び成績に関する証明書)” issued by the Japan Educational Exchanges and Services (JEES) to the online application system.
Up to
two letters
of reference
* optional

Hitotsubashi ICS highly recommends applicants to submit one or two reference letters to enable the school to learn more about the applicant via the objective evaluations provided by referees.

A reference should be from a person who has been directly responsible for assessing the applicant’s work and/or academic performance. It is desirable that a reference be from a supervisor within the applicant’s current company/employing organization.

The Hitotsubashi ICS Online Application System will send the form to the applicant’s referees directly after completion of online registration.

Only refence letter(s) submitted via online application system will be accepted.
Applicants wishing to support their application with a reference letter/reference letters 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.
Reference letter(s) cannot be sent after the application submission.

* Depending on the email security settings at your referee’s organization, email service used, emails to the referee may sometimes be rejected, or classified as spam. We recommend the applicants to confirm the situation with your referee(s) once after the request is sent.

Haken
Shodakusho

* (Company- sponsored applicants only)
An official letter (no set format) from the applicant’s employer stating that the employer will sponsor the applicant.
(For applicants from Japanese companies, Haken Shodakusho in Japanese is acceptable)

If you plan to apply for the Young Leaders'Program scholarship, please note that the application details (regarding the application period, etc.) differ from those for the standard application process and requirements detailed here.

Pre-application consultation

Individual faculty members are not authorized to respond to questions regarding examinations and admissions. If you have any inquiries regarding MBA examinations and admissions, please contact our Hitotsubashi ICS Admissions Office from the ‘Contact’.

Pre-consultation for applicants with disabilities or other special needs

ICS does not discriminate against applicants based on disability in the admissions process. Every applicant is evaluated based on merit and their potential to succeed in our program.
Applicants who have disabilities or special needs that require some form of accommodation in the application process and/or once admitted to their program of study at Hitotsubashi ICS should notify the Hitotsubashi ICS Admissions Office by email at ics-opencampus@ics.hub.hit-u.ac.jp two months prior to the starting date of an application period. (If you do not know the application period, please contact us. Although the Hitotsubashi ICS Admissions Office will accept such notifications during the application period, it may not be able to make the necessary arrangements in time for the candidate screening and/or the program’s 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 to apply to Hitotsubashi ICS, you may still make such a request.
Please note that it may take some time for the Hitotsubashi ICS Admissions Office to respond, depending on the nature of the accommodation requested.

Upon request, we provide reasonable accommodations for the application process, including but not limited to:

  • Application process support, such as alternative formats for application materials
  • Exam accommodations, such as consideration of interview time based on the applicant's medical or disability-related needs.