NIMS-GRA, also known as NIMS Junior, is a special program by the National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS) for master’s or doctoral studies at partner universities such as the University of Tsukuba, Hokkaido University, Kyushu University, and others. Participants in this program are simultaneously students (earning an academic degree) and researchers (receiving a salary).

Since I was enrolled in the collaboration program between NIMS and the University of Tsukuba, in this post I will focus specifically on that pathway.

Before explaining the application flow for NIMS-GRA, I would like to share the pros and cons of this program based on my five years of experience (2 years in the master’s program and 3 years in the doctoral program).

April – May	NIMS-GRA application
June	Announcement of NIMS-GRA document screening
July	Application to the University of Tsukuba
August	Entrance exam (written + interview)
September	Announcement of entrance exam results
End of February (following year)	Announcement of final NIMS-GRA results
April (following year)	Beginning of contract

The first step is to find a supervisor whose research interests match yours. Information about supervisors and their research topics can be accessed through the link provided on the official NIMS or university website.

Once you identify a suitable professor, email them with:

• A brief self-introduction
• Your academic background
• Your research interests
• A question about whether they are accepting new students

I will share the email template I used when contacting my prospective supervisor—feel free to use it as a reference. After that, simply wait for their reply.

Make sure you already have a valid English proficiency certificate before April and that you contact your prospective supervisor no later than early April. Then proceed to submit your NIMS-GRA application.

• Application form
• CV
• Academic transcripts
• English proficiency certificate (TOEFL iBT, TOEIC L&R, or IELTS)

In the application form, an important section is the Travel Grant. Make sure you apply for it and select “Not attend” if you do not receive the travel grant. Of course, you can select “On my own budget, I will attend”, but unless you have extra funds, choosing not attend is safer.

The Travel Grant covers:

• Round-trip tickets from Indonesia to Japan (Country of origin <–>Japan)
• Hotel accommodation
• Round-trip transportation between the airport and Tsukuba

However, meals are not included. If you have to pay everything yourself, the total cost may reach around 200,000 yen.

Don’t forget to contact someone who can write a recommendation for you, such as your previous supervisor or someone you worked closely with. I’m not sure how heavily this is weighted, but I strongly recommend getting a letter from your academic advisor—they know you best.

After applying, there will be an informal interview to confirm your submitted information. This interview is conducted by your prospective supervisor. Based on my experience, the main focus is the Travel Grant. At that time, I emphasized that I would not attend the exam in Japan unless I received the grant.

Around the end of July, after your university application is also completed, the Travel Grant results will be announced. After that, NIMS will send you documents needed to apply for your Japanese visa.

Some time after submitting your application, you will be invited for a simple interview with your prospective supervisor (this was the process in 2019; it may differ in future years). The interview is very relaxed and mainly confirms the contents of your application form.

In my opinion, the biggest emphasis is on the Travel Grant. NIMS needs to ensure that they have sufficient budget to support prospective students taking the entrance exam in Japan.

A few days after the interview, you will receive an email informing you that you passed the document screening for NIMS-GRA, and you will be invited to apply for the master’s program at the University of Tsukuba (Graduate School of Science and Technology—Applied Physics or Materials Science subprogram). Below, I’ve attached the email I received when I passed the NIMS-GRA document screening.