UTokyo's First New Faculty in 70 Years: Who Should and Shouldn't Apply to the College of Design (Value Creation Faculty). The Honest Truth on How to Become Unstoppable by "Deliberately Choosing CoD"

On August 28, 2026, Japan's Ministry of Education officially confirmed the 2027 national university enrollment quotas, which included the new Value Creation Faculty (Kachi Sozo Gakubu) at the University of Tokyo. This is the Japanese name for UTokyo College of Design (CoD), and Japanese social media has been buzzing with jokes ("So the other faculties do not create value?") and debates about what its nickname should be.

But stopping at the name debate would be a real waste. This is UTokyo's first new faculty since the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences was created in 1958, roughly 70 years ago. As it happens, I am a graduate of that Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, and I did my graduate research inside a UTokyo laboratory as well. So today, as someone who knows the "standard on the inside" of UTokyo, and as Alpha, which has supported over 80,000 clients across admissions, job hunting, and career development over 18 years, I am going to lay it all out: who this program is for, who it is not for, what you actually need to submit, and how much you really need to study.

Here is the conclusion first.

• If you just want to go abroad, this is not for you. Go abroad. (There are full scholarships to Princeton, Amherst, Yale, and other top schools available for around USD 10,000 out of pocket, plus foundation scholarships that cover everything.)
• "I want to study at UTokyo because it is in English" does not work as a motivation. (Exceptions: returnees and international school students whose English is stronger than their Japanese, and students around the world who always wanted UTokyo but were blocked by the language barrier. For them, this is genuinely great news.)
• For international students who want to work in Japan, this is one of the single strongest options in the country.
• If you seriously want to get into UTokyo, welcome. As long as you can design your application so that no one later thinks "they went to CoD because they could not pass the regular exam," you can become genuinely unstoppable. As a UTokyo graduate myself, I will back you with everything I have.

And if you are a current high school senior reading this, hurry. The first application window opens October 15, 2026 and closes November 5, 2026. It is right in front of you.

Let me walk through this in order.

What Is the Value Creation Faculty (UTokyo College of Design)? A 1 Minute Recap

The facts, cleanly.

• 100 students per cohort. Opens September 2027.
• All classes in English. Fall admission. Students recruited from Japan and abroad.
• Two application routes. Route A (Japan's National Common Test) for 50 seats. Route B (IB, SAT, and other UTokyo approved international qualifications) for 50 seats.
• A 5 year integrated bachelor's and master's program. You enter the CoD specific curriculum from day one. There is no faculty selection later.
• In the fourth year, every student completes about 6 months of long term internship at a company or international organization, in Japan or abroad. Roughly 60 partner companies have already signed on.
• The program combines humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and engineering with "design" thinking to tackle social problems and create new value.
• The stated qualities they look for: intellectual and learning ability, communication ability including English, logical and creative thinking, sense of responsibility and social justice and inclusivity, and self direction and collaboration.
• All first year students live together in on campus residences.

At the same time, UTokyo is reallocating quotas across existing faculties. The overall UTokyo intake goes from 3,063 to 3,061. In other words, UTokyo carved out roughly 100 seats from existing faculties to create these 100 CoD seats. That is how seriously UTokyo is investing in this program, and it means the 2027 regular entrance exam will be even more competitive than usual.

What You Actually Need to Submit for 2027

Let me consolidate everything based on the official selection outline (updated July 2026).

Schedule
- Application period: October 15, 2026 (9:00) to November 5, 2026 (17:00), Japan time.
- Video assignment: recorded and submitted November 13 to 16, 2026 via the application system.
- Route B: First stage document screening results announced December 22, 2026. Online interview (English, about 30 minutes) held on one day between January 13 and 22, 2027.
- Route A: Take Japan's Common Test in January 2027. First stage results February 10, 2027. In person selection (including individual interview, full day, English and Japanese) at Komaba campus on February 15 or 16, 2027.
- Final results: February 20, 2027 for both routes.

Route A academic requirements (50 seats)
Take UTokyo designated subjects in the January 2027 Common Test. Approximately 6 to 7 subjects across 8 subject slots including Japanese (200), mathematics (200), English (200 = reading 100 plus listening 100), social studies, sciences, and information. Roughly the same full set as regular UTokyo applicants. Officially, the target is approximately 80 percent or higher.

Route B academic requirements (50 seats, this is your route as an international applicant)
Submit results from one UTokyo approved international qualification, such as SAT, ACT, or IB. IB scores of around 40 or above are the reported target. If final scores are not ready by the deadline, you may apply with predicted scores and receive a conditional offer.

English requirements (both routes)
Submit an approved English proficiency test result (only tests taken on or after January 1, 2025 are valid). Expected minimum scores at the application stage: TOEFL iBT above 80, IELTS above 6.0, Duolingo above 110, Eiken CSE above 2400 (Pre 1 or 1), Cambridge English above 169. Route B applicants may be exempted if they received their entire high school education in English for at least 3 of the last 4 years before graduation (bilingual programs do not qualify).

Application materials
- Essay in English
- Video assignment in English
- Recommendation letters
- Academic transcript (plus certificate of graduation or expected graduation for Route B)
- Standardized test results and English test results
- Three descriptions of extracurricular activities and academic achievements (in English, 100 words or fewer each) plus one supporting document for each
- School profile (optional, recommended)

And the most important warning: CoD cannot be combined with UTokyo's regular entrance exam, its special selection for graduates of overseas schools, or its recommendation based selection. If you apply to CoD, you cannot apply to the regular UTokyo track that same year. This is where commitment is tested. (Combinations with Keio, Waseda, and overseas universities are fine from CoD's side.)

As you can see, this is not a "just gather documents and submit" exam. The essay, three 100 word activity descriptions, the video, the interview. Everything is judged as one integrated work that says who you are. Meeting the requirements and actually being admitted are two very different things.

Honestly, Who CoD Is NOT For

1. People who purely want to go abroad or want a real international environment

"All in English" and "half the students from around the world" sounds like studying abroad while staying in Japan. But think calmly. The campus is Hongo, in Tokyo. Your daily life base is Japan.

The 5 year curriculum is tightly designed and the fourth year is a 6 month internship. Based on the currently published information, there is almost no room for a full 1 year exchange program the way regular UTokyo students can arrange.

"Taking classes in English" and "living inside a global environment and rebuilding yourself against many different values" are completely different things. If you want the latter, the answer is simple. Go abroad. Even from a Japanese high school, top overseas universities are reachable. Alpha places students there every year. As someone who graduated from UTokyo, I can say this without hesitation. My baseline stance is: put overseas universities and UTokyo as your target set, and look at CoD seriously only if your capacity allows for it too.

2. People whose motivation is "I want UTokyo because I can study in English"

This motivation has exploded lately, and I have to be honest: it does not work.

The reality is that UTokyo's campus and student body are almost entirely Japanese and daily life runs in Japanese. The faculty are world class researchers, but many are more comfortable teaching in Japanese. Even if classes inside a CoD classroom are in English, the UTokyo around it is a Japanese speaking world. If what you want is truly an English speaking academic environment, that is the domain of overseas universities.

And look carefully at UTokyo's own public messaging. UTokyo itself has never once sold this program as "you can now get into UTokyo in English." The official explanation is that all English instruction is meant to make CoD a place where motivated and diverse students from around the world gather. English is a means to attract global talent, not a discount ticket for Japanese applicants. "You can now get UTokyo in English" is only being shouted by prep agencies that do not really understand CoD.

There are two exceptions. Returnees and international school students whose English is stronger than their Japanese. And students around the world who always wanted UTokyo but hit the language barrier. For them, this is genuinely great news. I will cover that in the next section.

3. People stuck on "UTokyo because it is cheap"

"Overseas is expensive, so UTokyo." I hear this all the time and I understand the feeling. But if it is really about money alone, the premise has collapsed.

Fully funded scholarships from foundations like Yanai Tadashi, Sasakawa Peace, and Grew Bancroft. On top of that, need based aid from top US universities. Combine these, and there are real pathways where the tuition is effectively zero for top overseas universities. Alpha places scholarship winners every year.

"UTokyo only because of cost" often just means you have not seen the options. Ranking your future by other people's yardsticks (tuition, ranking) is a mistake. Rank by what you actually want to do. Only then can you compare CoD, regular UTokyo, and overseas universities on a level field. Come to Alpha and we will find the school that fits you.

4. People trying to apply on "admiration, dreams, and an activity list"

I see this pattern in consultations every single day. "I am interested in social issues." "I want to be active globally." "I have done these activities." Listing all of it, alone, does not get you in.

Why? Because the people reviewing CoD applications and interviews are UTokyo faculty, meaning active researchers.

I did my master's research inside a UTokyo lab. UTokyo faculty do not judge people by "nice sounding stories." They judge by "is the logic sound" and "is this person really thinking with their own head." Stack "why" questions on top of an admiration based motivation and it collapses within 2 or 3 layers. That shows through in the essay, and it becomes unmistakable in the interview.

On top of that, the activity section is "3 items of 100 words each plus one supporting document each." Because you have only 100 words, what you choose, how you frame it, and what overall self it conveys makes all the difference. The gap between people who just list things and people who design their portfolio is brutally visible.

By the way, the reason people default to writing "the good, admirable thing" is not weak will. It is how the brain works. The more you want to be accepted, the more your brain hunts for "the answer that seems right." The more you know your parents will read it, the more you write "impressive things." Which is why digging this out on your own is nearly impossible.

Who CoD IS For

1. International students who want to work in Japan (this is the strongest fit)

Let me say this plainly. In my view, the segment CoD hits hardest is this one.

Think about it. You get a UTokyo degree in English, you live in Japan for 4 to 5 years, and your fourth year includes a 6 month structured internship at Japanese companies or international organizations, built into the curriculum. About 60 partner companies have already signed on. In other words, you can build a concrete "worked at a Japanese company" track record through an official route, while still a student.

The three barriers international students usually hit when job hunting in Japanese companies are (1) Japanese language, (2) not knowing the format of Japanese job hunting, and (3) no work experience in Japan. CoD substantially closes (2) and (3). And the UTokyo brand carries enormous weight with Japanese employers. For students around the world who had given up on UTokyo because of the language barrier, this is the first entry point ever designed this thoroughly.

Honestly, I believe a large part of UTokyo's intent is exactly this: bring outstanding students from around the world into Japan. That is why the fit with this segment is the strongest of any. The remaining piece (Japanese language, plus how to actually win at Japanese job hunting) is something Alpha can co design with you from the application stage.

2. Ambitious Japanese applicants who "deliberately" choose CoD

Consultations from this segment are also rising. Students at top Japanese secondary schools that place large numbers into UTokyo every year, who have the academic strength to pass the regular exam, coming in and saying "I want to go for CoD instead." International school students, students at overseas schools, IB students. Students weighing this against Keio SFC, Waseda SILS, Sophia SPSF, and ICU.

In particular, for returnees and international school students whose English is stronger than their Japanese, CoD is the first ever route where they can take on UTokyo through their strongest language, both in the exam and in the classroom. People who have historically been penalized on Japanese language exams and essays can now fight head on in English. That is huge.

The common thread is that their goals overlap with CoD's "English x social issues x real work" design, and they have the academic proof to back it up. For people who meet both conditions, CoD is not an escape route. It is an aggressive choice.

3. People who cannot realistically spend 4 years abroad but want to be at the entrance of a global environment in English

For those unable to go abroad due to family circumstances, CoD is a valuable option. But there is a condition. You must be able to do "the design" described later. Enter CoD without it and things get painful 5 years down the line.

For Students Serious About UTokyo: How Much Do You Actually Need to Study?

For those of you seriously aiming at UTokyo, I want to say this directly.

I strongly recommend overseas universities, but not because I look down on UTokyo. The opposite. UTokyo's depth of knowledge is the real thing. I lived inside UTokyo from undergrad through graduate school, and I know first hand the level of thinking of its world class researchers and the value of sharpening yourself alongside peers who have won a brutal exam gauntlet. That intellectual density exists in only one place in Japan. CoD is a new door into exactly that UTokyo academic knowledge, through English, design, and real practice. So if you want UTokyo, go for it openly.

But know the standard.

For Route A, roughly 80 percent across 6 to 7 subjects on the Common Test. This is the same academic ground as regular UTokyo applicants. Japanese, math including advanced topics, sciences, information, everything. "Holistic admissions means light academics" is completely wrong. In fact, CoD asks for the same academic load as the regular route, plus the English essay, video, and interview on top. Looking at high school seniors who come to us, I see too many people who get so absorbed in the documents that they run out of time for the Common Test.

English: the application floor is IELTS above 6.0 or TOEFL iBT above 80. But do not misread this. This is the "you can apply" line, not the "you can compete" line. This is a 5 year program taught entirely in English, in which you debate with UTokyo faculty in English. My coaching target is IELTS 7.0 or above (TOEFL 100 level) by the end of second year of high school. If you think a 6.0 means "English is done," you are standing at the entrance to the ring, no more.

For Route B, IB around 40, SAT and ACT at equivalent high levels. Your school GPA and recommendation letters also carry weight.

Does that sound harsh? It is also good news. CoD is a holistic admissions process that actually rewards academic strength. People who have stacked real ability get properly rewarded. One of the great values of getting into UTokyo is spending 5 years sharpening yourself against peers of that caliber, so being tested at the entrance is only fair.

If you are in your first or second year of high school, start now and you can hit the winning line comfortably. If you are in your senior year, the entire game is designing "what to drop and what to win with" in the time you have left. Either way, let us first look at where you stand together.

What Happens After Graduation? Only Those Who Are NOT Seen as "Chose CoD Because Regular Was Too Hard" Become Unstoppable

This is the message I most want to deliver today.

CoD opens in 2027. There are zero graduates yet. Corporate recruiters do not yet know what a CoD graduate looks like. That is a risk and, at the same time, the greatest opportunity.

Historically, the first line of value UTokyo students had in job hunting was a proof of "you are smart." Just passing that brutal entrance exam served as first order evidence of thinking ability. CoD applicants do not go through that exam. So if you graduate without designing anything, there is honestly a real risk that people will conclude "they went to CoD because they could not pass the regular exam."

Conversely, if you build all four of the following, you have weapons that existing UTokyo students do not have, making you an unstoppable talent.

• Brainpower and thinking: logic that does not collapse under repeated "why" questions. Getting through UTokyo faculty review itself is your first proof.
• Sense of ownership over a problem: not a topic someone assigned you, but a question of your own.
• Skin in the game and evidence: the fact that you have actually moved on that question yourself. The 6 month fourth year internship becomes the capstone.
• Consistency: a single line running from application essay to studies to internship to job interview, showing "this is what this person has done."

Interviewers care exactly about that consistency. "I had the ability to compete on the regular track, but I deliberately chose CoD to pursue what I wanted, and I proved it for 5 years." Someone who can say that is stronger than the regular track UTokyo student. Five years of English, 6 months of real practice, a full master's level specialization. All things existing UTokyo students do not have.

We send graduates each year to Goldman Sachs, McKinsey, Mitsubishi Corporation, Google, and other top exits, so let me say it clearly. This reverse engineering begins at the application stage, not after enrollment.

Why Alpha Wins on CoD

1. We know both UTokyo's "inside standard" and the "exit."
The reviewers are UTokyo faculty. Researchers. I lived inside UTokyo academia from the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences through graduate school. Our founder TJ went from Mitsubishi Corporation to Chicago Booth MBA to Goldman Sachs. Alpha can reverse engineer application strategy from both "what UTokyo faculty look for" and "what the top global firms downstream look for." A regular test prep school cannot reverse engineer from the exit.

2. Alpha is not an editing service. Ninety percent is strategy.
Of essay work, editing is the last 10 percent. Ninety percent is self analysis, positioning, and story strategy. Essay, three 100 word activities, video, interview. Every piece of a CoD application is part of one work. Applications that just list activities and polish the English do not get in.

3. We push "the why behind the why" to UTokyo faculty level.
We stack "why" questions on your motivation, many layers deep. Most people stop at 2 or 3 layers. That is normal. Ninety nine point nine percent of applicants cannot do this at first. That is exactly why we dig with you. Only those who dig this out become people who can speak with one coherent line through the essay, the interview, and the job hunt 5 years later.

4. Combined strategy across CoD, Keio, Waseda, overseas universities, and every test.
In reality, most people considering CoD are also combining it with Keio and Waseda returnee or holistic admissions, international faculties, and overseas universities. And because CoD cannot be combined with UTokyo's regular exam, the design of "which combination to fight with" directly decides the outcome. At Alpha, we design CoD, UTokyo regular, Keio, Waseda, overseas universities, and even scholarships like Yanai and Sasakawa as a single unified strategy. On top of that, Common Test, SAT, TOEFL, IELTS, IB test prep is all supported inside Alpha. You do not need to shop essays at one school and test prep at another. The right path only becomes visible when all options are laid out flat.

5. I look at each case personally.
Right now, CoD is the topic that draws the largest number of consultations to Alpha. We start from overall strategy setting, then move into UTokyo and overseas admissions support, and IELTS and SAT prep as needed. As a UTokyo graduate myself, I personally look at your current position and your motivation.

Relevant tracks:
- Individual Coaching: UTokyo, Keio, Waseda Admissions (Returnee and Holistic) and Transfer Program (30 minute meeting plus chat coaching)
- Individual Coaching: Ivy League, Liberal Arts, Oxbridge, NUS and Other Overseas University Admissions Program (30 minute meeting plus chat coaching)