Asian Languages and Cultures: Scholarships and Fellowships

The Japanese government has created a scholarship fund to help make study in Japan more feasible for students participating in exchange programs. These grants are administered through Japan Study (and Waseda University). The Association of International Education Japan (AIEJ) manages this grant program. Scholarships include a settling in allowance of 50,000 yen, round-trip transportation between the home institution and Japan, and a monthly stipend of either 80,000 (@135 yen/$ = $600) per month for ten months. These are need-based grants. Applications can only be completed after students are accepted as participants in Japan, usually in March. Successful applicants are only notified in late June or July that they will receive a grant. This late notification date means that all Japan Study participants should initially consult with their local financial aid officers to plan an aid package assuming such grants are not available. Should you receive a grant Japan Study will aid you in explaining the grant to your financial aid office. Please e-mail Japan Study (japanst@earlham.edu) at Earlham College for more information about scholarships and eligibility requirements.
Also, see the AIEJ home page.

The Japan America Society of Minnesota (JASM) will award the Mondale Scholarship to Minnesota undergraduate students enrolled in Minnesota colleges and universities who want to broaden their knowledge of Japan through a combination of study and travel. JASM will offer up to $3,000 in scholarships.  The selection committee has the discretion to award up to three $1,000 scholarships or two $1,500 scholarships. The awards are specifically to be used for travel to or within Japan before, during, or after the student’s specified term(s) of study. Learn more at mn-japan.org

Offers scholarships for travel and living expenses for a semester or year for undergraduate students wishing to study in Japan. Japanese language background is not required. Awards range from $2,500 – $4,000, depending on the length of the study program in Japan. A new option, the Morgan Stanley Dean Witter award, is offering two $10,000 scholarships to US students who will be studying in Japan for the academic year. Eligible students include juniors and seniors from a US university with an interest in economics or international finance. Must supply the ATJ application plus a 6-10 page essay on varying topics. Contact: ATJ,  e-mail atj@colorado.edu. Web site is international.ucla.edu/funding/article.asp?parentid=17162

The Japan Foundation offers several grants in Japanese Studies and arts-related Programs. Contact for more information: The Japan Foundation 145 East 32nd Street, 12th Floor New York, NY 10016 212-481 – 8753  Email: info@us-jf.org. Look under “Grants Awarded” on website us-jf.org/

Monbukagakusho (Ministry of Education, Science and Culture, Government of Japan) offers two scholarships, (A) the Japanese Studies and (B) Research scholarships, to students who wish to study at Japanese universities. Available to undergraduate and graduate students.  See the web site at studyjapan.go.jp.

Offers scholarships for foreign students studying at a Japanese high school, university undergraduate or postgraduate course. Bonus for students of Japanese language schools who came to Japan for the purpose of study or research. For more information, contact the ITOH Scholarship Foundation, JC Building., 3-6-22 Shiba Koen, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-0011,  ii.umich.edu/cjs

Offers two full-year undergraduate scholarships for study only at Reitaku University in Chiba, east of Tokyo. Scholarships include airfare, tuition, dormitory fees, and a modest food stipend. Must be a full-time student at an American university, have two years of Japanese language classes, be under 25 years of age, and be an American citizen. Address: 5335 Wisconsin Ave., NW Suite 900, Washington, DC 20015. E-mail: ricejp@erols.com
reitaku-u.ac.jp/eng-page/campus-life/Foundation.htm

Scholarship applicants must return to their home country after scholarship ends. Students must be in their 3rd or 4th year of study, and must be under 30. Students must study at one of the Universities or graduate schools specified by the foundation. Contact: Sakaguchi Electric Heaters Co., Ltd, 1-12-2, Sotokanda Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan.

The Bailey Scholarship is intended to promote increased participation in the Council on International Education’s International Study Programs by members of groups that have traditionally been under-represented in study abroad, especially ethnic minority students. Applicants will be asked to specify a group to which they belong and which they believe is under-represented in study abroad. Applicant must be a U.S. citizen, self-identified as belonging to an under-represented group, and applying to a Council Study Center program or University Direct Enrollment Service institution for an academic year, semester, or summer session. The program at Sophia University in Tokyo is a Council program. [http://www.ciee.org/study/asia/japan/tokyo/index.htm] Awards are usually made in the amount of $500. The award will be applied toward the applicant’s program fee. ciee.org/study-abroad/scholarships/

The Bowman Travel Grants provide assistance to students participating in educational programs in non-traditional destinations, including Japan. The planned program must be administered by Council, a Council Member Institution, or a university that has been appointed as an Official International Student Identity Card (ISIC) Issuing Office. [The program at Sophia is administered by Council.] ciee.org/study-abroad/scholarships/

In an effort to make study abroad opportunities available to the widest possible audience, Council’s International Study Programs Division offers scholarships each year to students who demonstrate both academic excellence and financial need. Eligibility Available to Council Study Center applicants only. Applicants must be from Academic Consortium member institutions (Mac is a member). Awards are usually in the amount of $500 or $1,000. The award will be applied directly to the applicant’s program fee. See ciee.org/study-abroad/scholarships/

Fellowships are for students intending to pursue a career in the Foreign Service. Eligibility: US citizen, completed sophomore year, with an overall GPA of at least 3.2. Preference is given to minority students. Contact: The Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation, Dept. of State Foreign Affairs Fellowship Program, Box 2437, Princeton, NJ 08543-2437. woodrow.org

Administered by the Institute of International Education -supported by the Freeman Foundation. This award is designed to encourage more undergraduate U.S. citizens and permanent residents to study in East and Southeast Asia. Students will receive awards in the amount of $3,000 – $7,000, depending on the length of the study abroad program. Priority is given to students with the most need, and to those with limited prior experience in Asia.  E-mail: Freeman-ASIA@iie.org or iie.org/en/programs/freeman-asia for further information.

Provides scholarships of up to $5,000 for students of limited financial means to pursue study programs outside of the United States for up to one year.  This program aims to broaden the student population studying abroad by focusing on students who might not otherwise be able due to financial constraints.  The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State fosters mutual understanding between the United States and other countries through international educational and training programs. The bureau does so by promoting personal, professional, and institutional ties between private citizens and organizations in the United States and abroad, as well as by presenting U.S. history, society, art and culture in all of its diversity to overseas audiences. Further information is available at http://www.iie.org/Programs/Gilman-Scholarship-Program.

MRC is pleased to announce the availability of one $4,000, three $2,000, and several $1,000 study abroad scholarships. Competition is open to undergraduate students currently matriculated at a Midwest college or university which is a member of IIE’s Educational Associates program. Applicants must be U.S. citizens and permanent residents of the area served by the Midwest Regional Center of IIE. To be eligible, students must receive credit for their studies abroad and this credit must be applied to the completion of an undergraduate degree. Additionally, students must be in good academic standing and have had little or no previous study abroad experience at the university level. To find out if your institution is a member of IIE, check with your campus’ study abroad office or e-mail meas@iie.org. Students matriculated at an IIE member institution in the following states and who are permanent residents of one of these states are eligible to apply: Illinois, Michigan, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Indiana, Missouri, Ohio, Kentucky, Minnesota, Pennsylvania (Western).
Students pursuing a degree at a non-member institution but studying overseas under the auspices of a Midwestern member institution’s program are not eligible to apply. These scholarships may be applied to a study abroad experience of any duration greater than 4 weeks in any part of the world.  Applications for semester-long or longer are encouraged, as are applications for non-Western countries. More details at iie.org/Offices/Chicago

Available for students studying in Africa, Asia, Eastern and Central Europe, Latin and South America and the Middle East, all defined as “critical to national security.” Excellent awards available for students who are willing to seek employment with a federal agency or office involved in national security affairs. (If, after a “good faith” effort, you are unsuccessful in identifying federal employment you can fulfill the requirement through work in the field of higher education in an area of study for which the scholarship was awarded.) Visit their web site at: nsep.gov/initiatives/borenscholars/  E-mail: nsep@iie.org

Members of this society are eligible for aid. Please contact the local faculty advisor of Phi Sigma Iota or the national office (Hamilton College, Dept. of Foreign Languages, Clinton, NY 13323) for more information.

Offers three types of scholarships. Applicants must initially apply for scholarships through local Rotary Clubs. Contact: Local Rotary Club or The Rotary Foundation, One Rotary Center, 1560 Sherman Avenue, Evanston, IL 60201. Phone – 847-866-3000. Website: http://www.rotary.org/foundation/educational/amb_scho/index.html

Scholarships can be used for an undergraduates’ Junior Year Abroad. Selection is based on character, need, scholastic achievement, objective, motivation, potential for leadership, and good citizenship. Contact: Youth Foundation, Inc., 36 West 44th Street, New York, NY 10036.

These are the financial aid for study abroad pages from some major US educational institutions. Some of the information may apply only to students from that specific institution, but other information may be of use to Macalester students.

Bridging Scholarship  http://www.aatj.org/studyabroad/scholarships

Michigan State University studyabroad.isp.msu.edu/

University of Colorado colorado.edu/OIE/StudyAbroad/economics.html

University of Illinois uic.edu/uic/

Northern Illinois University
niu.edu/index.shtml

Mobility International USA
Cross-cultural experiential learning for people with disabilities.
miusa.org/

International Study and Travel Center,
a non-profit, student-based organization at the University of Minnesota with the mission of facilitating and promoting international opportunities.
umabroad.umn.edu/financial/scholarships/index.html