3 Little-known Short Course Scholarships in Japan for International Students

A short course is a learning program that provides training in combined content of specific skills in a short period of time. What makes it different from a university course is that short courses often lean towards the more practical side of things and have less theory. Short courses can give you a more hands-on experience within your field of interest.

Short courses vary throughout different institutions in how and what is provided in each program. However, they usually take 1 to 12 months to complete. Short courses can be completed in so many ways such as university short courses, residential college courses, as well as online and distance learning short courses.

If your study destination is Japan and you choose to take a short course as an alternative way to upgrade your skills, you might want to check out the following Japan short course scholarships. These scholarships are offered specially for short courses in Japan for foreigners.

JASSO Student Exchange Support Program (Scholarship for Short-Term Study in Japan)

The Japanese Government (MEXT) Scholarship, funded by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), is available to seven categories of students: Research Students (Graduate Degree Students and Research (non-degree) Students), Teacher Training Students, Undergraduate Student, Japanese Studies Students, College of Technology Students, Professional Training College Students, and Young Leaders Program (YLP) Students.

The Japanese government expects short-term students exchange to further expand globally. The Japanese government has implemented Student Exchange Support Program as part of the MEXT subsidy projects since 2009, aiming to develop a responsible support system.

Under the Student Exchange Support Program, the Japanese government supports short-term international students studying in Japan and Japanese students wishing to study abroad for the purpose of encouraging inter-university exchanges, the internationalization of universities, and the globalization of Japanese society, fostering internationally-minded personnel, expanding international understanding and knowledge, and establishing a cross-border network of personal contacts.

The Japan Student Services Organization (JASSO), a government-sponsored non-profit organization promoting international student exchange, offers scholarships to a limited number of students. The scholarships are aimed at qualified students who are accepted by a Japanese university, graduate school, junior college, college of technology (3^rd grade or upper) or professional training college (hereafter referred to as “Japanese school”). These scholarships can only be available under a student exchange agreement or other student exchange arrangement on a short-term basis from 8 days to one year between Japanese school and the students’ home educational institution outside Japan (hereafter referred to as “home school”).

Exchange students may apply for the JASSO scholarship for Short-Term Study in Japan through a Japanese school, but it is not available to those expecting to:

• Receive financial support of more than 80,000 JPY per month from another source, or
• Reside in Japan without ‘Student” visa status, including Japanese nationals and permanent residents.

The JASSO Scholarship for Short-Term Study in Japan provides a monthly stipend of 80,000 JPY. The Program requirements, qualifications and amount differ within two types of student exchange programs:

• Short-Term Acceptance
  • Eligible candidates: Students enrolled in a foreign university who are admitted to a Japanese university for short-term study (for 3 months to 1 year) under the provision of inter-university exchange agreements.
  • Qualifications: Students enrolled in a regular course of study at a foreign university, etc.
  • Number of recipients: 1,800
  • Stipend: 80,000 JPY per month
  • Preparation allowance: 80,000 JPY
• Short-Term Dispatch
  • Eligible candidates: Students enrolled in a Japanese university who are admitted to a foreign university for short-term study (for 3 months to 1 year) under the provision of inter-university exchange agreements.
  • Qualifications: Students enrolled in a regular course of study at a Japanese university, etc.
  • Number of recipients: 760
  • Stipend: 80,000 JPY per month

Applications should be made to the Japanese school through the student’s home institution, together with those for the exchange program itself. Direct applications from the students themselves, to either the Japanese school or JASSO, will not be accepted.

To be eligible for the JASSO Scholarship for Short-Term Study in Japan, students must satisfy the following conditions:

• Students from all countries that have diplomatic relations with Japan. (Students from Taiwan and Palestine are acceptable.)
• Students accepted by Japanese school under a student exchange agreement or other student exchange arrangement with their home school.
• Students not having the financial means to study in Japan.
• Students eligible for ‘Student Visa”. (For study in Japan for 90 days or less, Japanese school will arrange the status of residence.)
• Students, upon termination of the period of study in Japan, will complete studies at their home school.
• Students demonstrating excellent academic and personal records at their home school.
• Students receiving more than 80,000 JPY in total from other scholarships for study in Japan are ineligible for this scholarship.

Visit JASSO’s Student Exchange Support Program web page to learn more. For further information and inquiry, students are advised to ask each home school.

AFLSP BXAI Summer Program

Bai Xian Asia Institute (BXAI) is an educational platform set up to provide scholarships and intercultural learning programs. BXAI is funded by Bai Xian Education Foundation (BXEF), a private family foundation incorporated in Hong Kong and established exclusively for charitable purposes. With its founding members’ contribution of US$10 million in aggregate to the BXAI Endowment Fund, BXAI provides up to 5 scholarships every year in perpetuity through its educational programs. One of the educational programs set up by BXAI is the BXAI Summer Program.

The BXAI Summer Program is an important component of the Asian Future Leaders Scholarship Program (AFLSP), a scholarship program run by the Bai Xian Asia Institute to support students in Asia to study abroad in leading universities across East Asia. Designed to extend learning beyond the classroom, the summer program aims to provide scholars with a unique opportunity to explore important topics, build community, and develop 21^st century skills in an immersive and engaging setting.

Through exchanges with influential global leaders, panel presentations, debates, and skill-building workshops, scholars are able to broaden their perspectives and develop a greater understanding of important issues that relate to Asia and its role in the changing global landscape. In addition, field trips, workshops, and special tours allow scholars to experience the local culture and customs of the host country, while various experiential activities provide opportunities for scholars to form treasured friendships and memories that will last a lifetime.

Scholarships for the BXAI Summer Program are offered through the AFLSP. The AFLSP awards up to 105 scholarships to high-caliber students in Asia each year to study abroad in leading universities across East Asia. Scholars are welcome to pursue their choice of undergraduate, master’s, or doctoral degree or exchange program (subject to specific restrictions at each university) at any AFLSP partner universities. AFLSP has 16 partner universities in 9 cities, which include:

• Anchor Universities:
• Hitotsubashi University
• Kyoto University
• Peking University
• The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
• Waseda University
• Zhejiang University
• Participating Universities:
  • Fudan University
  • Keio University
  • Kyushu University
  • Seoul National University
  • Shanghai Jiao Tong University
  • Taiwan University
  • The Chinese University of Hong Kong
  • The University of Hong Kong
  • The University of Tokyo
  • Tsinghua University

The AFLSP Scholarship offers each student up to 25,000 USD per scholar, which may be used towards university tuition, accommodation costs, and personal living expenses. The scholarship is available for a maximum of two years.

Students of Japanese ethnicity or nationality (including those who hold a Japanese passport or have a Japanese parent or grandparent) and who are existing students of Keio University, Kyoto University, Kyushu University, The University of Tokyo, or Waseda University are eligible for the AFLSP Exchange Scholarship. This scholarship supports Japanese students interested in a minimum one-year exchange at one of the AFLSP’s Anchor or Participating Universities in Greater China and Korea, namely:

• Fudan University
• Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
• Taiwan University
• Peking University
• Seoul National University
• Shanghai Jiao Tong University
• The Chinese University of Hong Kong
• The University of Hong Kong
• Tsinghua University
• Zhejiang University

The AFLSP Exchange Scholarship offers each student up to 12,500 USD for one-year exchange program.

Participating in the annual BXAI Summer Program is mandatory to AFLSP scholars. The official language of the BXAI Summer Program is English. As such, applicants should be fully conversant and have a firm grasp of the English language. Each applicant’s English skills are considered during the selection process, though the required level may differ depending on the university and program he / she applies for.

Go to the BXAI Summer Program web page to learn more.

Japanese Government (Monbukagakusho) Scholarship “Japanese Studies Program”

The Japanese Studies Program is for undergraduates who are enrolled in a foreign university. The program is available for studies in the field of Japanese language or other special trainings related to Japan. The duration of this program is one academic year.

Each year, a number of 190 scholarships are offered to students from 74 countries and regions around the world. The scholarship includes the following benefits:

• Monthly stipend of approximately 120,000 to 117,000 JPY
• Travel allowance of a round-trip fare (air ticket)
• Medical fee assistance
• Tuition waived for national universities; tuition for public and private universities paid for by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT)

For more information, refer to the Japanese Studies Program section on the Japanese government’s website.