Japan Foundation Scholarship to Study United Nations University Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability

The scholarships listed below are competitive and may be awarded to eligible students who have been accepted for enrolment in the MSc in Sustainability programme. There is no separate application form for the scholarships as it is part of the main online application form for admission. Interested applicants must provide the necessary information and documents for the scholarships when applying to the master’s degree programme.

Japan Foundation for UNU (jfUNU) Scholarship

Coverage

The jfUNU scholarship provides a monthly allowance of 120,000 JPY as a support package for a maximum of 24 months. The tuition fees may be waived for the scholarship recipients.

Eligibility Requirements

Applicants must meet the following requirements:

• Applicants must be persons from developing countries* who can demonstrate a need for financial assistance;
• Applicants who are currently living in Japan under a working visa are NOT eligible for the scholarship;
• Applicants who are already enrolled in other postgraduate degree programmes are not eligible. This includes those who have already obtained a master’s degree at an institution other than UNU-IAS; 
• Applicants must not be recipients of other scholarships concurrently.

*Developing countries included in the latest OECD DAC list.

Additional Requirements

• Recipients of the JFUNU Scholarship are required to write a short essay on their learning and experiences at UNU, which is submitted to the donor organisation.
• Before graduation, each recipient is requested to submit a note of appreciation to the donors with reflections on their future plans.
• Recipients agree to foster collaboration with jfUNU through participating in jfUNU activities, events, and other opportunities offered to the student body.

UNU Rector’s Scholarship

Coverage

The UNU Rector’s Scholarship covers the full cost of tuition and provides a monthly allowance of 130,000 JPY (subject to change) for living expenses for a maximum of 24 months. Travel costs to and from Japan with a fix amount are also covered, and a research allowance is provided. Other costs such as visa handling fees and health/accident insurance must be covered by the student.

Eligibility Requirements

Applicants must meet the following requirements:

• Applicants must be persons from developing countries* who can demonstrate a need for financial assistance;
• Applicants must have a demonstrated interest in the broader work of the United Nations;
• Applicants who are currently living in Japan under a working visa are NOT eligible for the scholarship;
• Applicants who are already enrolled in other postgraduate degree programmes are not eligible. This includes those who have already obtained a master’s degree at an institution other than UNU-IAS; 
• Applicants must not be recipients of other scholarships concurrently.

*Developing countries included in the latest OECD DAC list. 

Additional Requirements

• Recipients of the Rector’s Scholarship are required to write a 400-word paper each year describing their learning and experiences at UNU. For the final paper, recipients are encouraged to reflect on their future plans.
• Recipients agree to foster collaboration with UNU through participating in activities, events, and other opportunities. and promoting UNU activities amongst the student body.
• Recipients agree to uphold the core values of the United Nations, such as integrity and respect for diversity. [Top]

Resona Bank Scholarship

Coverage

The Resona Bank scholarship covers the full cost of tuition and provides a monthly allowance of 130,000 JPY (subject to change) for living expenses for a maximum of 24 months. Travel costs to and from Japan (up to JPY 260,000) are covered, and a research allowance is provided. Other costs such as visa handling fees and health/accident insurance must be covered by the student.

Eligibility Requirements

Applicants must meet the following requirements:

• Applicants must hold citizenship of a developing country* and demonstrate a need for financial assistance;
• Applicants who have demonstrated interest in the broader work of the United Nations;
• Applicants who are currently living in Japan under a working visa are NOT eligible for the scholarship;
• Applicants who are already enrolled in other postgraduate degree programmes are not eligible. This includes those who have already obtained a master’s degree at an institution other than UNU-IAS;
• Applicants must not be a recipient of other scholarships concurrently.

*Developing countries included in the latest OECD DAC list. 

Asian Development Bank–Japan Scholarship Program (ADB–JSP)

A limited number of scholarships are offered for the MSc in Sustainability programme under the Asian Development Bank–Japan Scholarship Program (ADB–JSP). The award of the scholarship is based on application selection results. Only applicants that are accepted for enrolment in the UNU-IAS Master of Science in Sustainability programme can be considered as candidates for the ADB scholarship.

Coverage

Full tuition, subsistence allowance including housing allowance, thesis research allowance, medical and accident insurance, books and instrumental allowance will be covered by the scholarship. The monthly subsistence allowance including housing allowance for one person for the academic year 2022-23 is JPY 147,000 (subject to change). An economy class airfare will also be provided for the most direct route between the scholar’s home country and Tokyo Narita International Airport.

Further information is available on the ADB website. 

Eligibility Requirements

Applicants must meet the following requirements:

• Citizenship in a developing country that is a borrowing member of the Asian Development Bank (applicants from countries that are no longer borrowing from ADB are not eligible for the ADB–JSP Scholarship);
• A Bachelor’s degree or its equivalent with superior academic record (for applicants from Nepal, Bangladesh or Pakistan who have earned their Master’s degree in their home country and have completed only 16 years of education, their master’s level education will only be equivalent to a Japanese bachelor’s degree);
• At least two years of full-time professional working experience (acquired after a university degree) at the time of application;
• Oral and written English communication skills sufficient to be able to pursue studies;
• Not more than 35 years old at the time of application;
• In good health;
• Should agree to return to his/her home country after completion of studies under the programme;
• Executive Directors, Alternate Directors, management and staff of ADB, consultants and relatives of the aforementioned are not eligible for the Scholarship;
• Applicants living or working in a country other than their own home country are not eligible for the ADB-JSP scholarship, with the exception of those who are working in ADB developing member countries;
• Applicants who are already enrolled in postgraduate degree programmes are not eligible. This includes those who have already obtained a master’s degree at an institution other than UNU-IAS;
• Applicants who have never studied abroad;
• Not a recipient of other concurrent scholarships or funding to support the study.

Application Documents

Interested applicants should submit the following documents in addition to the application documents required by UNU-IAS. Please upload/submit the following documents when instructed by the Admissions Office:

• ADB-JSP Information Sheet
• Certificates of annual income of the applicant
• Certificate of family income (parents’ income if single or income of the spouse if married)
• Employment certificate that demonstrates two years of full-time work experience

Note: Each income certificate must show annual income in your local currency and US dollars, and be written in English with a signature or a stamp. Please only submit authorised certificates issued by public agencies. For parents who are retired, unemployed or deceased, kindly submit a certificate issued by a local agency, company or government, with a signature or a stamp as applicable. 

The Japan Educational Exchanges and Services (JEES) Scholarship

Coverage

The scholarships will provide 50,000 JPY for living expenses for a maximum of 24 months. However, travel costs to and from Japan, visa handling fees, and health/accident insurance costs must be covered by the student.The tuition fees (10,000 USD per year) will not be waived.

Eligibility requirements

Applicants must meet the following requirements:

• Applicants must be from developing countries listed in Appendix 2;
• Applicants who will receive more than 50,000 JPY from other funding agencies are not eligible for the scholarship;
• Applicant’s residential status in Japan must be “student”.

Priority will be given to applicants who have been involved in volunteering and/or activities related to international cooperation. Applicants who are willing to engage in such activities are also eligible to apply. Following graduation, applicants are expected to continue to update the organisation on their career progression. 

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