The Ito Foundation for International Education Exchange awards scholarships in order to promote mutual understanding between Japan and other nations and to nurture people who can make a positive contribution to the world. The Foundation has awarded one or more scholarships per year to a qualified University of Michigan student through the Center for Japanese Studies. The scholarship allows the student to enroll in a graduate program at the master's or doctoral level at an accredited university in Japan, or to pursue independent research affiliated with a university or university consortia research institution in Japan. It is the applicant's responsibility to identify and to apply for admission or research affiliation to the appropriate university or research consortia in Japan. The scholarship period typically begins in the fall. It is renewable for a second year contingent on satisfactory progress.
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The scholarship provides the following:
- Living allowance of 180,000 yen per month
- Tuition not to exceed 2,000,000 yen per academic year
- Travel expenses (actual amount, not to exceed the limit for each fiscal year)
More information on this fellowship can be found in the Ito Foundation Scholarship Application Guidelines 2012 (Download PDF).
Applicants must meet the following eligibility conditions:
- Student Status: Applicants must be one of the following types of students.
- Current University of Michigan graduate student enrolled in a graduate or professional program
- Current University of Michigan undergraduate student expected to receive their bachelor's degree in the current academic year (December, April/May, or August).
- University of Michigan bachelor's degree graduate who received his/her bachelor's degree in the immediately preceding academic year.
- Applicants must be a US national (US permanent residents may apply with prior permission)
- Excellent academic record and character
- Financial need
- Basic conversational Japanese ability is desired but not required
Please Note: Eligibility guidelines are determined by the Ito Foundation.
Monday, November 21, 2011, 5pm
The Center is currently accepting applications for scholarship awards beginning in fall 2012, the deadline for returning the application. All application materials must be received by the Center for Japanese Studies by the deadline.
Application materials should be submitted to:
Academic Services Coordinator
Center for Japanese Studies
University of Michigan
1080 South University Ave., Suite 4640
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1106
Please download and read the Ito Foundation Scholarship Application Guideline 2012 (Download PDF) carefully before completing the application materials.
The following materials are required:
- Application Cover Sheet (Download PDF)
- Ito Foundation Scholarship Application Form (4 pages) (Download PDF)
- Study Proposal (see the Ito Foundation Scholarship Application Guideline 2012 for topics that must be addressed in the study proposal and the appropriate length)
- Official University of Michigan transcript
- Official transcript of all other postsecondary institutions attended
- One academic letter of recommendation
- Two passport photos (one to be affixed to the last page of the application; write your full name on the back of the other photo and paper clip to your application cover sheet)
- Letter of admission or affiliation from a Japanese university, if available
It is the applicant's responsibility to apply for admission to the appropriate graduate program at a Japanese university or to secure a faculty sponsor and institutional affiliation as a research student. The Student Resources section of this website contains a section on Studying in Japan, with selected resources and information on Japanese universities.
Selection takes place in two stages. First, the Center for Japanese Studies Admissions and Fellowships Committee reviews all applications and submits a ranked list of all qualified candidates to the Ito Foundation. Final selection of the recipient is made by the Ito Foundation Board of Directors. Awardees are typically notified in late March.
Any questions about this scholarship and its application process may be addressed to the CJS Academic Services Coordinator at cjsfellowships@umich.edu.
