GCI World 2026 September - Matsuo-Iwasawa Laboratory, The University of Tokyo

Apply by August 17 to start learning early. Final application deadline is September 10.
The first lecture begins on September 17.

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Features

What is GCI World?

Scenes from the on-site Hackathon held at BRAC University
in July 2026.

Scenes from the on-site lecture held at Hanoi University
of Science and Technology in September 2025.
(The lecture is also offered online.)

The Global Consumer Intelligence (GCI) course, developed by the Matsuo-Iwasawa Laboratory at the University of Tokyo, provides a hands-on learning experience covering everything from the purpose of studying data science to the fundamentals of Python and machine learning, as well as the practical application of data in business settings. The course is designed to help students take their first steps toward becoming data scientists.

In 2025, the Matsuo-Iwasawa Laboratory launched a pilot English-language version of the course under the name “GCI Global”. Building on the experience and insights gained through this pilot initiative, the program was officially launched as “GCI World” with support from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

The program received an overwhelming response. In April 2026, more than 25,000 students from over 2,900 universities across more than 120 countries and regions, including countries in Africa and ASEAN, applied to participate in the course.
Students who demonstrate exceptional performance may be selected as Outstanding Students and invited to participate in a special study tour to Japan, where they can experience Japan’s AI and innovation ecosystem firsthand.

What is Matsuo-Iwasawa Lab?

Features

Skills to Shape Your Future

Acquire the the foundational skills needed to step into the world of data science.

Hands-On & Practical

Develop practical, industry-ready abilities by working on competitions and a real-world business project.

Free for All Students

Participate at no cost.

Learn from Anywhere

Join the entire program online from anywhere in the world.

Your Pathway to Growth

If selected as an Outstanding Student(*), you will gain access to a pathway designed to advance your career.

Exclusive Study Trip to Japan

Outstanding Students will be invited to an exclusive study trip featuring academic visits and presentations.

*Students who have previously taken the course are not eligible to be selected as outstanding students.

Recommended for…

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Eligibility

You must:
Be enrolled as a student as of September 17th, 2026

You are currently enrolled in an accredited educational program. (This includes doctoral, master’s, bachelor’s, associate-level programs, technical or vocational programs, or secondary education such as high school or middle school.) Non-degree research students are eligible only if they hold a valid student ID issued by a university or equivalent institution.

You either hold valid student status as of September 17th 2026, when the course begins, or are able to provide official proof that you will be enrolled by that time.

Be able to study independently and complete the course

You are able to study independently and are committed to completing the entire course.

Required Documentation

Proof of Student Status (as of September 17, 2026)
Please upload one official document verifying your student status.
Examples:
・Student ID
・Official enrollment certificate
*If you do not have a student ID…

Please upload an alternative documentation such as:

Course registration confirmation
Screenshot of your official university portal or verification email
Admission letter specifying the start date
Any other official document issued by your institution that verifies your status.

Am I eligible?

Eligible

Working professionals who are enrolled as students (e.g., part-time students)
Individuals who are students as of September 17, 2026, even if they graduate during the course period
The guidance for the first lecture will be sent to those who have been accepted.

Not Eligible

Continuing education students not enrolled in a degree program (e.g., course-only registrants, single-subject registrants)
Students of language schools or other non-accredited institutions
Working professionals who are not enrolled as students

Curriculum

Course Start Date: September 17, 2026
Application Deadline: August 17 (7:00UTC), 2026

*ID Registration Deadline: August 7 (7:00UTC), 2026
*Apply by August 17 to start learning early and get a head start before the course officially begins.
*The final Deadline is September 10 (14:00UTC), 2026
*To ensure you have sufficient time for pre-course preparation, we strongly recommend applying well before this deadline.
*For eligible applicants, a course acceptance notice and pre-course learning materials will be sent within 2–3 weeks after application.

Weeks	Date	Contents
Week1	September 17th	Introduction to Data Science
Week2	September 24th	Manipulating Data Using Numpy
Week3	October 1st	Cleaning Data Using Pandas
Week4	October 8th	Visualizing Data Using Matplotlib
Week5	October 15th	Supervised Learning
Week6	October 22nd	Model Evaluation
Week7	October 29th	Competition & Final Assignment Tutorial
Week8	November 5th	Feature Engineering
Week9	November 12th	Marketing and Data Science
Week10	November 19th	SQL
Week11	November 26th	Unsupervised Learning
Week12	December 3rd	Time Series Analysis
Week13	December 10th	Guest Session
Week14	December 17th	Special Contents

*Slight change of the contents may be made.
*We will offer supplemental sessions for absolute Python beginners prior to the main lectures.
*In addition to the lectures, the TAs (teaching assistants) will hold multiple online office hours.

Course overview

This is a three-month intensive program consisting of weekly 90–120 minute lectures, homework assignments, a competition and a final assignment.

Live Sessions

Every Thursday 11:00–12:30 (UTC)
(The first and final sessions are
scheduled for 120 minutes.)
You will be counted as present if you watch the live or archived lecture and submit the attendance form within one week.

Pre-Course Learning

Pre-Course Supplementary Sessions & Materials
(supplementary sessions for Python basics, pre-recorded video, slides, and practice files provided)
All pre-course learning materials will be provided prior to the main lectures.
Attendance to the pre-course sessions is not mandatory, but recommended for absolute Python beginners.

Technical Requirements

・Computer
・Stable Wi-Fi
Participation using only a smartphone is not recommended.
The course will use Zoom, Slack and Google services (Google Drive, Google Forms, Google Colaboratory, etc.).

Completion Requirements

Participants who complete the course will receive a certificate.
This course consists of approximately 22 teaching hours.
Please confirm with your home institution whether this course can be recognized as a credit-bearing course.
We will evaluate based on the following:

Attendance Survey

Submit the survey the required number of times

Homework

Submit the homework the required number of times

Final Assignment

Meet the required standards for course completion

Competition

Meet the required standards for course completion

How To Apply

You can apply in just 4 steps!

STEP 1

Register your email address

You can register using your institution’s email address.
Please enter the email address you normally use at your institution.
You will then receive an email containing a URL for the ID registration form.
Note: Not all school domains are eligible for registration. If your email is not accepted or you do not have a school-issued email address, please apply through the “For those without a school email address” option.

STEP 2

Create an Omnicampus ID

Create your ID for the course management system (Omnicampus). 
You will need the following:

A personal Gmail address
A valid student ID or another document that can verify your enrollment

Your registration will be reviewed by the admin office before it is approved. Once approved, you will receive a confirmation email sent to your Gmail address. You must attach an image of a valid student ID. If it is not attached, you will not be able to create an account on Omnicampus.

STEP 3

Log in to Omnicampus

Please check the email you received.
The message will include:

Login URL
ID 
Password

Follow the instructions to log in to Omnicampus.

STEP 4

Apply to GCI World

After logging in, you will see a list of available courses on the homepage. Select “GCI World 2026 September”.

*Students who have previously taken the course are not eligible to be selected as outstanding students.

ID Registration

Course Application

Q&A

View Full FAQs & Contact Us

Participation requirements

Please tell me the eligibility requirements.

You must be a student at an accredited school or an approved vocational college that can award a degree. You can also join if you can show proof of future enrollment. University non-degree students (such as auditors or single-course students) and students of language schools are not eligible. For more
information, please refer to the “Eligibility” section of the top of this page.

What skills or levels of understanding should I have before taking the course?

Many beginners have completed this course or become outstanding students. It’s OK if you haven’t experienced programming. All you need is the attitude to learn for yourselves with passion.

Could you tell me PC specs or tools that I need for the course?

If you can use Google Colaboratory, any computer is OK. A smartphone alone isn’t enough. You’ll need a computer. The course will use Zoom, Slack and Google services (Google Drive, Google Forms, Google Colaboratory, etc.).

I can’t take the classes in real time because of work or school. Can I take the course?

Yes, we will release the live recordings after the lectures so that people like you can follow the lectures. However, not all recordings will be made available (e.g. lectures taught by guest speakers). Thank you for your understanding.

Is it possible to take the courses again even if I have taken the same lecture?

Yes. However, you cannot be chosen as an outstanding student for fairness.

I’m now a student but I will not be a student on the kick-off day. Can I enroll in this course?

Those who are not students during the course period cannot take the course. Thank you for your understanding.

Applying

My grade is different between that on the kick-off day and that on the last day. Which grade should I enter?

Please enter your grade when the first lecture starts.

I applied but I haven’t received any email yet.

Please check your spam folder or make sure that you completed the process of applying. You need to apply for the course from your Omnicampus page after you register your Omnicampus ID.

I registered but now I want to withdraw my application.

Yes, you can. In that case, there is no need to contact the admin team.

I want to change my email address after application.

You can change it from your Omnicampus page.

Is this course free?

Yes, it’s free.

Is this course held in Japanese?

No, the course is taught in English.

Please tell me the criteria for deciding whether I can complete this course.

Please take a look at Course Requirements. Further details will be disclosed on the kick-off day.

Does this course give me any degrees or credits?

No. We will give you a certificate of completion if some conditions are fulfilled but we don’t give you any degrees or credits.

Please tell me about the certificate of completion.

We will post it on your Omnicampus page about one month after the course ends if you meet the criteria.

What is FAQ?

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