The Rotary Yoneyama Scholarship for Overseas Candidates is a prestigious funding opportunity for international graduate students—Master’s or Doctoral—who plan to enroll at the APU Graduate School. It’s offered by Japan’s Rotary Yoneyama Memorial Foundation and provides both financial support and cultural immersion. Applicants must pursue both university admission and the scholarship separately.
Eligibility Criteria
To qualify for this scholarship, applicants must meet the following conditions:
- Non-Japanese citizens (dual nationals are eligible, but cannot hold Japanese citizenship at the time of application).
- Reside outside Japan at the time of application and have not stayed in Japan longer than 31 days cumulatively (unless due to family circumstances or participation in Rotary Youth Exchange during high school).
- Hold or be able to obtain a student visa for study in Japan.
- Have Japanese proficiency equivalent to JLPT N4 or higher.
- Be born after April 2, 1981 (i.e., under ~45 years old at time of award).
- Not have previously received a Yoneyama Scholarship.
- In good physical and mental health.
- Not hold another overlapping scholarship, unless it meets limited exceptions (e.g., tuition waivers or minor grants under 576,000 JPY/year).
Scholarship Benefits
- Financial Support: 140,000 JPY per month for two years—applicable to both Master’s and Doctoral students.
- Travel Expense Reimbursement: Up to 250,000 JPY to cover economy airfare and necessary travel-related costs after arrival in Japan.
APU-Specific Details & Application Schedule
Application Process:
APU supports the process by facilitating scholarship applications through its admissions system, but applicants must apply to both APU and the Rotary organization independently.
Timeline for April 2026 Enrollment:
- APU Application Deadline: October 20, 2025 (General Application 2).
- APU Result Notification & Recommendation Letter: APU will notify applicants of results and, for selected candidates, issue a recommendation letter that can be forwarded to the scholarship foundation.
September 2026 Enrollment:
- Application Deadline: September 16, 2025.
Adhere to the following steps to apply for the 2025 APU Rotary Yoneyama Scholarship:
- Indicate your desire to be considered as a candidate for the Rotary Yoneyama scholarship in the APU Online Application System and ensure your application is submitted to APU by October 20, 2025, for enrollment in April 2026.*
- Directly apply to the scholarship organization around October 2025. Inform the scholarship organization that the Letter of Recommendation from the chosen university will be provided after the application deadline.
- APU will issue a Letter of Recommendation to those candidates selected for the scholarship after the admissions results are announced.
Submit the Letter of Recommendation to the scholarship organization.
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