Visiting International Student Elective Program

IMPORTANT NOTICE FOR THE PROGRAM AFTER JULY 2025

Due to a policy change, we now only accept applications from students at institutions with an agreement with Toho University Faculty of Medicine for this program.

Welcome to Toho University Faculty of Medicine Visiting International Student Elective Program webpage. We run an Elective Program offering 2-12 week clinical elective placements for international students who are in their final year of medical school. Anyone who is not a Japanese Citizen or Japanese Permanent Resident is considered an International Student.

We value diversity and inclusion and this program has a clear aim to add value to elective clerkships by exposing students to an international perspective on medicine.

BEFORE YOU APPLY

Admission Calendar 2027

Term	Date of Elective	Application Deadline	Application Result
1st	January – March	July 31 of the prior year	Around September 1st
2nd	April – June	October 31 of the prior year	Around December 1st
3rd	July – September	January 31 of the elective year	Around March 1st
4th	October – December	April 30 of the elective year	Around June 1st

The program is observation-style training with no hands-on component.
Students must be in their final year of the MD program or clinical study at their medical school at the time of participation in the program.
All electives are two (2) weeks in length per clinical elective rotation, and we do not offer four (4) week elective rotations for visiting international medical students. Students may apply for a maximum of six (6) two (2) week electives, but these electives must be in different specialties.
All elective placements commence on Monday. Students are required to attend an orientation at Omori Campus on the first Monday of their program. Students will not be permitted to participate in the program without attending this orientation.
There are certain months or periods in which we do not place international visiting students. Please review the calendar.
It is each student’s responsibility to prepare and apply for an appropriate visa to enter Japan.
International students must purchase overseas travel health insurance, which is enough to cover medical expenses for accidents and sickness, on their own before they come to Japan.
It is mandatory to enroll in overseas travel insurance with liability coverage of at least JPY 100,000,000.
No financial aid is available for international students.
TFMU will not issue a certificate of completion if students miss any scheduled training unless there is a valid reason.

TEACHING HOSPITAL

Placements are undertaken at one of our teaching hospitals – Toho University Medical Center Omori Hospital. The hospital is located right next to Omori campus, Home of the Faculty of Medicine, and easy access to downtown Tokyo and Tokyo International Airport. Please note that currently, we are not offering this elective program at Ohashi Hospital and Sakura Hospital.

Toho University Medical Center - Omori Hospital

HOUSING

TUFM dormitory locates within a walking distance of Omori Hospital; however, only a limited number of rooms is available for international students. If there is no vacancy, students need to make arrangements for accommodation by themselves. Please note that Toho University is unable to provide recommendations for any particular private housing facility around the campus and is not responsible for the contents of external websites linked to these facilities. Students are advised to examine the terms and conditions of a contract carefully before making reservations.

HOW TO APPLY

Please complete and submit the Application Form, application fee (if applicable), and other required documents in accordance with the deadlines listed in the table above.

If you participate in the program under the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between your institution and Toho University Faculty of Medicine, you are considered an MOU student. Depending on the agreement with your home institution, the screening fee may be waived.

Please do not make any payment until you have confirmed whether the screening fee applies to you.

Please note that incomplete applications will not be processed. Once the screening fee has been transferred, it is not refundable for any reason. If one month passes after submitting your application and the required screening fee has not been paid (when applicable), your application will be automatically canceled.

APPLY / MOU

APPLY / Non-MOU

Required Documents
Fees
Calendar 2026
Subjects

Application Form (MOU student)
Please make sure to confirm with the person in charge of student exchanges at your university before submitting your documents.
Medical School Dean Applicant Evaluation
Required Supporting Dcumentation
Immunization Record
Important Notice: Antibody Titer Testing
For antibody titer testing, completion of all required fields is mandatory. Regardless of vaccination history, positive serology (antibody‑positive status) is required. Please ensure that the test results are clearly entered in the designated results section. If the IGRA test result and/or the antibody‑positive result are left blank, you will be asked to resubmit the documents.
Assessment of chest X-ray (after your admission confirmed)
Image of chest X-ray taken within the last two months (after your admission confirmed)
Copy of passport
Proof of English or Japanese proficiency (if English is not an applicant’s first language) the only score of TOEFL, IELTS, or CEFR accepted. This cannot be waived.
Face photo: taken within 6 months of application date, no hat (*except for religious reasons), no background, face should be in front of the applicant and clear image quality
If your home university requires you to submit an evaluation form and you need Toho University to complete it, please email the form no later than one month before the start of your clinical training. This is necessary to obtain prior approval from the supervising physician.

Application fee — 15,000 JPY (Non-refundable and will be taken as part of the application process. )
Program fee – 25,000 JPY per week
Accommodation fee (only for those who are confirmed to stay in the university dormitory) *20,000 JPY per room per week + 5,000 JPY for room cleaning and bed linen, utilities included.

TUFM will consider the application submission incomplete and will not begin to review your application until the application fee is paid in full, unless otherwise stipulated in an official document such as an MOU. Applicants will receive online payment information after submitting the application form.

NO ELECTIVE PROGRAMS ON FOLLOWING HOLIDAYS (AY2026)

January 1-2, January 12, February 11, February 23, March 20, April 29, May 4 – 6, July 20, August 11, September21-23, October 12, November 23, December 21-31

Anesthesiology	Neurology
Breast and Endocrine Surgery	Neurosurgery
Cardiovascular Medicine	Obstetrics and Gynecology
Cardiovascular Surgery	Ophthalmology
Chest Surgery	Orthopedic Surgery
Dermatology	Otolaryngology
Diabetes Metabolism and Endocrinology	Pathology
Emergency Care	Pediatric Surgery
Gastroenterological Surgery	Pediatrics
Gastroenterology	Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
General Medicine	Radiology
Hematology and Oncology	Respiratory Medicine
Nephrology	Rheumatology
Urology

Students at organizations with a Memorandum of Understanding with Toho University Faculty of Medicine can join the clinical elective program with us. Below is a list of these organizations.

Asia

China Medical University (China)
Kunming Medical University (China)
The University of Hong Kong (China)
Mongolian National University of Medical Sciences (Mongolia)
Chung Shan Medical University (Taiwan)
National Defense Medical Center (Taiwan)
National Taiwan University (Taiwan)
Chiang Mai University (Thailand)
Mahidol University Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital (Thailand)
Prince of Songkla University (Thailand)
Walailak University (Thailand)

Europe

Medical University of Gdansk (Poland)
Medical University of Lodz (Poland)
Medical University of Warsaw (Poland)
Poznan University of Medical Sciences (Poland)

North America

University of Kansas Medical Center (USA)

@ Toho University

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