Scholarships and Fellowships


Almost daily, we receive queries about obtaining scholarship funding from The Nippon Foundation. While, we do not conduct any such programs on our own, we do fund several programs through different organizations. Some of those that we support are listed below.

If you are looking for such funding, please feel free to peruse them to see if there is a program that fits you.

Further, at the bottom of some of the descriptions is a link to a list of scholars that are receiving funding through that program. Please click these links if you are interested in seeing what kind of research projects the fellows are pursuing, or what kinds of people have studied under these programs.

The Nippon Foundation International Fellowship Program

The Nippon Foundation
International Fellowship Program
Year Established2011
CoordinatorThe Nippon Foundation
Length of FellowshipMaximum 2 years
Fund SizeApprox. USD 1.2 million/year
PurposeThe Nippon Foundation International Fellowship Program provides highly motivated Japanese working in the public or private sectors with opportunities to further develop their abilities through mid-career study at overseas research or educational institutions. It is expected that, upon returning from their fellowships, the fellows will take the initiative, both individually and collectively, to address social issues in Japan and overseas, thereby acting as vital sources of knowledge and conveying that knowledge beyond their own national boundaries to help improve other parts of the world.

Guideline for Applicants [PDF]

The program’s official website is under construction but some program details are available at the links below:
http://www.nippon-foundation.or.jp/eng/current/New_Fellowship_Program.html
http://www.nippon-foundation.or.jp/inter/fellowship.html (text in Japanese)
Web Site See the links above

List of Fellows

The API Fellowships Program

The API Fellowships Program
(The Nippon Foundation Fellowships
for Asian Public Intellectuals)
Year Established2000
CoordinatorInstitute of Asian Studies, Chulalongkorn University
Length of Fellowship1 month to 1 year
Fund SizeApprox. USD 1.6 million / year
PurposeThe API Fellowships aim to promote mutual learning among Asian public intellectuals and contribute to the growth of the wider public spaces in which effective responses to regional needs can be generated. To this end, a maximum of 6 such people are chosen annually from each of the five nations of Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand. These fellows then conduct research projects in one of the other four nations, thus contributing both to the advancement of mutual understanding, and creating networks of the regions top thinkers--the kind of networks that are necessary to guide Asia into the future.
Web Sitehttp://www.api-fellowships.org/body/

List of Fellows

Bangladesh Scholarship Council Program

Bangladesh Scholarship Council Program
Year Established1995
CoordinatorBangladesh Scholarship Council
Length of Fellowship1 Year
Fund Size75,000 USD / year
PurposeThis project aims to promote higher education in Bangladesh by awarding scholarships to university students in the medical, engineering, agriculture, science, technology, commerce and humanities fields through the Bangladesh Scholarship Council.
Web Sitehttp://www.bscbd.org

List of Fellows

Gallaudet University Sasakawa International Scholarship

Gallaudet University
Sasakawa International Scholarship
Year Established1993
CoordinatorGallaudet University
Length of Fellowship1 year
Fund SizeUSD 2,000,000
PurposeThe Sasakawa International Scholarship is a partial-tuition program that The Nippon Foundation has established at Gallaudet University. This program is for deaf exchange students from developing countries who have met the entrance requirements of Gallaudet University, but who do not possess the financial means to attend.
Web Sitehttp://www.gallaudet.edu/

List of Fellows

Gallaudet University World Deaf Leadership Scholarship

Gallaudet University
World Deaf Leadership Scholarship
Year Established1996
CoordinatorGallaudet University
Length of FellowshipA maximum of 5 years
Fund SizeUSD 3,000,000
PurposeThe World Deaf Leadership Scholarship one of two scholarship programs that The Nippon Foundation has established at Gallaudet University. This program is for deaf exchange students from developing countries who have met the entrance requirements of Gallaudet University, but who do not possess the financial means to attend. It provides full tuition support. Graduates who have received this scholarship are expected to return to their home countries, to aid in the development of the deaf community there.
Web Sitehttp://www.gallaudet.edu/

List of Fellows

Japan-China Sasakawa Medical Fellowship

Japan-China Sasakawa Medical Fellowship
Year Established1986
CoordinatorSasakawa Memorial Health Foundation
Length of Fellowship1 year
Fund SizeApprox. 411 million Yen/year
Purpose The Japan-China Sasakawa Medical Fellowship is the result of a tripartite agreement between the Chinese Ministry of Public Health, the Japan-China Medical Association and the Sasakawa Memorial Health Foundation. In recent years, roughly 30 Chinese medical health professionals are given a chance to come to Japan each year to attend Japanese medical universities and learn the latest in medical technology. They are then required to return to their country to put their new knowledge to use, thus avoiding the "brain-drain" that so many countries have experienced as a result of similar scholarship programs.

Japan China Medical Association (Chinese)
Japan China Medical Association (Japanese)
Web Site See the links above

List of Fellows

The Nikkei Scholarship

The Nikkei Scholarship
Year Established2003
CoordinatorThe Association of Nikkei and Japanese Abroad
Length of FellowshipA maximum of 5 years
Fund SizeApprox. JPY 117,750,000/year
PurposeThe number of post-secondary level exchange students that came to Japan in 2005 was more than 120,000. However, most of these students came from Asia. The number from Central and South America amounted to no more than 1 percent of the total. Although scholarship programs run by the national or local governments do exist, there is some question as to whether they truly meet the needs of those who want to study in Japan. This program on the other hand, tailors specialized programs of study to fit with the future plans of the students. In addition, the program aims to create leaders for the next generation who can help in the development of their countries. Finally, we hope that this scholarship will form the basis for new bridges between Japan and Latin America.
Web Sitehttp://www.jadesas.or.jp/EN

List of Fellows

The Nippon Foundation Ryoichi Sasakawa/Norman Borlaug Scholarship

The Nippon Foundation
Ryoichi Sasakawa/Norman Borlaug Scholarship
Year Established2002
CoordinatorEscuela Agricola Panamericana
Length of Fellowship4 years
Fund SizeApprox. USD 623,000/year
PurposeZamorano University in Honduras was initially established in order to foster agricultural leaders throughout Central and South America. However, due to the difficult economic situation faced by many people in these nations, The Nippon Foundation has established a four-year scholarship program there, to enable the school's efforts to reach more deeply into the societies that it hopes to affect.
Web Sitehttp://www.zamorano.edu/Ingles/default.html

List of Fellows

NTID Ryoichi Sasakawa Scholarship

NTID Ryoichi Sasakawa Scholarship
(National Technical Institute for the Deaf,
at Rochester Technical Institute)
Year Established1993
CoordinatorNational Technical Institute for the Deaf (Rochester Institute of Technology)
Length of Fellowship1 year
Fund SizeUSD 2,000,000
PurposeThe National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID), administered by Rochester Institute of Technology, was the world's first technical institute oriented toward deaf people. Today it continues to be a leader in the field. This scholarship program helps deaf people from developing countries, who can demonstrate financial need, to take part in an exchange program at NTID. Following graduation, recipients are required to return to their home countries to aid in the support of the deaf communities there.
Web Sitehttp://www.ntid.rit.edu/

List of Fellows

Peking University Graduate Program in International Relations

Peking University Graduate Program
in International Relations
Year Established1996
CoordinatorSchool of International Studies, Peking University
Length of Fellowship3 to 4 Years
Fund SizeApprox. USD 600,000/year
PurposeThis program for Master’s and PhD candidates is an attempt to build a cadre of Chinese experts in international relations who have a focus or special interest in Japan. Students in the 3-year master's program divide their time between Peking University and Tokyo University. The 4-year PhD course, on the other hand, is split between Peking Univesity and Waseda University.Students are listed by their year of graduation.
Web Sitehttp://www.pku.edu.cn/ehomepage.htm

List of Fellows

Scholarship Program for Central Asian University Students in Turkey

Scholarship Program for
Central Asian University Students in Turkey
Year Established2003
CoordinatorJapan Turkey Central Asia Friendship Association
Length of FellowshipUp to 3 years
Fund SizeApprox. USD 430,000 / year
PurposeThis program provides scholarships to students from Central Asia who are studying at universities in Istanbul and Ankara. The program curently supports over 100 of the best and brightest students who have potential to initiate positive change in their home countries after graduation. During their scholarship term, the students will also participate in cultural seminars to learn and become familiar with the Japanese culture as well as the Japanese language.
Web Sitehttp://www.jatcafa.org/scholarship.asp

List of Fellows

University for Peace Masters Program in International Peace Studies

University for Peace Masters Program in International Peace Studies
Year Established2006
CoordinatorThe University for Peace
Length of Fellowship19 months
Fund SizeApprox. USD 1,200,000 / year
PurposeTo date, Japan and other Asian countries have been under-represented among staff at international organizations. To address this imbalance, the Nippon Foundation is funding a 19-month graduate program that allows Asian students to receive a Master of Arts in International Peace Studies from the United Nations mandated University for Peace. The program has the academic collaboration of Ateneo de Manila University, where students take an introductory English Training Module and courses related to Asian issues that are taught by Asian scholars. The foundation courses in international peace studies are received in the University for Peace main campus located in Costa Rica. The program provides 30 The Nippon Foundation scholarships per year, and will equip these students with the knowledge and language skills required to work at international organisations and NGOs in the fields of peace building and conflict resolution.
Web Sitehttp://www.upeace.org/academic/masters/SIPS.cfm

List of Fellows