StudyDesk Scholarships
About the IUJ scholarship routes
The International University of Japan, based in Niigata, admits graduate students once a year, in September. For the September 2027 intake it publishes one set of scholarship guidelines for non-Japanese master’s applicants, covering three paths. Category A is awarded directly by IUJ at the time of admission — the S. Nakayama Memorial Scholarships, which range from a 30% tuition exemption up to the Premium tier with full tuition and a monthly stipend. Category B is nominated by IUJ’s admissions committee after you pass the admissions screening; this includes the ADB-Japan Scholarship Program, the AEON Scholarship, the JERA Asia Scholarship, the Marubeni Scholarship, the Konosuke Matsushita Memorial Foundation award and the MEXT University Recommendation (Special). Category C is applied for directly with the provider — JICA programmes, the Japan-IMF Scholarship Program for Asia and MEXT by embassy recommendation — where you simply name IUJ as your chosen school. Most awards require you to hold a Japan student visa, which IUJ helps successful applicants obtain.
Eligibility
For the Nakayama awards, IUJ looks for newly enrolling international students with excellent academic records who will take part in campus and local-community life; recipients are expected to live in the IUJ dormitories in principle. The ADB-JSP is open to citizens of ADB developing member countries who do not hold dual citizenship of a developed country. You must gain admission to an approved IUJ master’s course, hold a bachelor’s degree with a superior academic record, and have at least two years of full-time work experience gained after the degree, in either the public or private sector. You must be 35 or younger at the time of application, in good health, proficient in written and spoken English, and be living and working in your home country when you apply. In principle you should not already hold a master’s or PhD or be enrolled in a degree programme, and you must agree to return to your home country for at least two years after completing the degree. ADB staff, their close relatives and staff of the designated institutions are excluded. IUJ notes that preference goes to applicants with lesser financial capacity and to women. For MEXT (University Recommendation), only international applicants from the 1st intake can be considered; you must be born on or after 2 April 1992, come from a country with diplomatic relations with Japan, hold a student visa, never have received a MEXT scholarship before, and be available for an online interview with IUJ faculty.
Benefits
The Nakayama Premium waives ¥250,000 of the ¥300,000 admissions fee, exempts full tuition — ¥3,200,000 per year for two-year programmes and ¥3,900,000 for one-year programmes — and pays ¥100,000 per month; Nakayama 100 gives a full tuition exemption, and Nakayama 90, 70, 50 and 30 give partial exemptions of 90%, 70%, 50% and 30%. These are one-year awards that can be extended to the second year on a commendable record, and the Premium and 100 tiers are reserved for the most capable candidates. Under ADB-JSP, the scholar pays ¥50,000 of the admissions fee upfront (reimbursed after enrolment) and receives full tuition, a monthly stipend including a housing allowance, a books and instructional-materials allowance, medical and accident insurance, a thesis or research allowance, and two one-way economy air tickets between the home country and Japan. The award runs for one year and may be extended if academic performance stays satisfactory; scholars may not take paid work that needs a work permit, though paid TA, RA or facilitator roles are possible with prior ADB approval. The MEXT university-recommendation award covers full tuition, a monthly stipend of ¥144,000 (subject to change), and airfare between the home country and Japan; successful nominees pay ¥50,000 of the admissions fee upfront and are reimbursed after enrolment. The award runs September 2027 to June 2029 for two-year programmes and to August 2028 for one-year programmes.
Documents required
IUJ’s 2027 scholarship guidelines do not publish a standalone documents list — everything is collected inside the online application. IUJ’s 2027 admissions guidelines list the usual items: the online application form, a personal statement, scanned transcripts and graduation certificates, two recommendation letters, an English test score (TOEFL, IELTS or TOEIC), the application fee, and a passport copy. Confirm the master’s checklist in the portal before you start.
How to apply
- Read the 2027 Scholarship Guidelines and the programme pages on iuj.ac.jp, and choose the master’s programme that fits your goals.
- Register on IUJ’s online application site, complete Phase 1 (admission) and then Phase 2 (the scholarship application), answering every question directly in the form.
- Submit in the 1st or, at latest, the 2nd intake — IUJ says 3rd-intake applicants are extremely unlikely to be nominated for a full scholarship, and only 1st-intake applicants can be considered for MEXT.
- Upload all required documents and make sure the application fee reaches IUJ by the round deadline.
- For Category C routes (JICA, Japan-IMF/JISPA, MEXT by embassy recommendation), apply directly to the provider and name IUJ as your graduate school.
- Wait for the admissions and scholarship decisions — IUJ nominates candidates to ADB, which makes the final ADB-JSP selection around July; MEXT nominees must submit extra materials on a short deadline set by IUJ.
FAQs
No — the scholarship application is Phase 2 of the same online admission application. You first complete the degree-application sections, then continue to the scholarship part and select the awards you want to be considered for.
No. There is no direct application to ADB. IUJ’s admissions committee nominates candidates from successful admission applicants, and ADB makes the final selection, informing IUJ around July.
IUJ’s official guidelines say applicants in the 3rd intake are extremely unlikely to be nominated for a full scholarship. Apply in the 1st or 2nd intake to be seriously considered.
ADB-JSP applicants must be 35 or younger at the time of application, with at least two years of full-time post-degree work experience. For MEXT (University Recommendation), you must have been born on or after 2 April 1992.
No — Japanese is not an admission requirement. Some partner awards add their own language terms: AEON asks for JLPT N3 or above, and JERA strongly encourages learning Japanese toward JLPT N2 during the degree.
The award is granted for one year and may be extended for the second year of a two-year programme, conditional on maintaining satisfactory academic performance as judged by IUJ.
Verified 17 Oct 2026 via IUJ 2027 Scholarship Guidelines (Master’s) PDF on iuj.ac.jp (scholarship categories, ADB-JSP eligibility and conditions, Nakayama tiers and amounts, MEXT ¥144,000 stipend and 1st-intake-only rule, Phase 1/Phase 2 application process), IUJ news page “Online Applications Now Open for 2027 Admissions” (2027 cycle open), and IUJ 2027 PhD Admissions Guidelines PDF (intake deadlines 16 Nov 2026 / 16 Feb 2027 / 16 Apr 2027, document checklist)
