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Scholarship for Privately-Financed International Students

The information on this page is for privately financed international students who are currently studying at Kyoto University and who wish to apply for scholarships.

Only those who have "College Student" (or "Pre-College Student") status of residence are eligible to apply for or receive scholarships for international students. Scholarship recipients who change their residence status to any status other than "College Student" will immediately lose their right to receive the scholarship, and must refund the scholarship money for the month in which their status of residence changed.

Please note that a few scholarships are available for prospective students who have already passed the entrance examination and are intending to enter the university. Please contact the relevant faculty and graduate school administration offices for further information on scholarships that can be applied for through the university.

Scholarships Available to Privately Financed International Students at Kyoto University

There are two types of scholarships available to Kyoto University students: those which are applied for through the university, and those which are applied for directly to the institutions providing scholarships. Application requirements vary among scholarships, so students are advised to read the application guidebooks carefully. Notice that the selection processes for scholarships are very competitive since the financial resources of the scholarship programs are limited, and the number of applicants is increasing.

Announcements regarding scholarships received by the University are usually distributed to all applicable faculties/graduate schools. The administration offices generally give notices to students on their bulletin boards. Students who wish to apply for these scholarships are advised to pay close attention to the notices posted by their faculty/graduate school offices.

Scholarships Which May Be Applied For After Entrance to the University

・ Japanese Government (Monbukagakusho: MEXT) Scholarship【Domestic Selection】

Japanese Government (Monbukagakusho: MEXT) Scholarships are funded by Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) of Japan. There are three ways to apply for such scholarships: embassy recommendation, university recommendation and domestic selection. The domestic selection option is only available to privately financed students currently studying at a university in Japan.

Additionally, to be eligible to apply, a student must meet one of the criteria below. Applications should be submitted through the university, which will select candidates to recommend to MEXT. For details, please inquire at the administration office of your faculty or graduate school after entering Kyoto University.

【Eligibility Criteria】

  1. The student is currently enrolled in an undergraduate program, or is currently studying as a research student, and is expected to be enrolled in a graduate degree program (master's, professional, or doctoral) on April 1 of the forthcoming year.
  2. The student is currently enrolled in a graduate degree program (master's, professional, or doctoral). 
※ For further information, please referr to "Application Period, Eligibility and Benefits (Domestic Selection for MEXT Scholarships)."
  • Honors Scholarship (Gakushushoreihi)

Privately financed international students studying at a university in Japan are eligible to apply for an honors scholarship offered by the Japan Student Services Organization (JASSO). As of April 2011, undergraduate student awardees receive \48,000 per month, and graduate student awardees receive \65,000 per month. Applications are generally accepted following admission to the university.

For further details, please refer to "Scholarships Applied for through the University" and the JapanStudent Services Organization (JASSO) website (External Link).

  • Scholarships from Private Foundations

The application process for scholarships from private foundations varies. Some can be made directly by individual students, and some must be made through the applicant's university.

Each year, Kyoto University selects and recommends international scholarship candidates to approximately 50 private foundations based on an intra-university selection process. Each organization commonly offers a scholarship of between \30,000 and \180,000 per month to one or two students. Applications are generally accepted following admission to the university. (A few scholarships accept pre-entrance applications from prospective students who have already passed the entrance examination and are intending to enter the university.)

Currently enrolled students who wish to apply for such scholarships are advised to regularly check the bulletin boards etc. of their faculty or graduate school for announcements. For further details, please refer to "Scholarships Applied for through the University." Please note that some of the scholarships require applicants to have a certain level of Japanese language ability.

Websites Providing Scholarship Information

For information on scholarships with or without university recommendation, please visit the following websites by JASSO and such.