Scholarships

The Japanese Government (Monbukagakusho) offers Scholarships to foreign students who wish to pursue Japanese studies in Japan. The tenures of the Scholarships are for one academic year commencing from October 2007.

This scholarship application is different from the 'Student Exchange Programmes in Japan 2007-2008' which we sent out to 2nd year students (major, minor in Japanese Studies and those who take certificate courses) in December last year. Successful applicants of this Monbukagakusho Scholarship are granted with Yen134000 per month for Japanese studies but it's not guaranteed to have scholarship or any other forms of financial assistance for those who succeeded in getting a place through "Student Exchange Programmes in Japan 2007-2008".

Eligibility : Applicants must have studied in university for more than one year as of April 2007, and they must have sufficient Japanese language ability. Understand there may be some 1st year students who studied full-time credit-bearing courses in other universities before entering HKU, if you are one of them, you are eligible to submit your application.

**Please note that if once you have applied and been nominated for the "Student Exchange Programmes" and accepted the nomination, you have to withdraw the application for the Monkasho scholarship, or vice versa.


Deadline : Application forms and Information sheet can be obtained from the office of School of Modern Languages and Cultures (KKL 706) from January 5, Friday. You are requested to return the completed forms to General Office no later than January 31, Wednesday.

You are required to prepare the following before submitting your application.

1. One original and one copy of Testimonial issued by HKU

2. One original and one copy of Transcript issued by HKU (please mark subjecs related to Japanese language and Japanese culture)

3. 3 photos taken within past 6 months (passport size 6 x 4cm, upper body, full-faced, upcapped)

4. One original and one copy of Recommendation reference from your preferred advisor

Since the application of original Testimonial and Transcript from HKU take quite a period of time, we suggest you to take action NOW if you intend to apply for this scholarship.

All successful candidates will be informed by us through email as soon as possible, and they will be invited to attend a written test of Japanese language and an interview (will be short-listed from the written test) which are organized by The Consulate-General of Japan.

Written Test
Date : February 27 2007 (Tue)
Time : 14.00 - 16.00
Venue : Multi-purpose Room, 46/F, Consulate-General of Japan

Interview
To be advised later

The Course Guides of the 'Japanese Studies' programme in 2007 that are offered by various universities in Japan for this scholarship are now available in the library of The Consulate-General of Japan as a reference. You are welcome to visit the library during the opening hours.

Opening hours : 9.30 - 12.00 & 13.30 - 17.30 Monday to Friday
Address : 46/F, One Exchange Square, 8 Connaught Place, Central, HK
Contact person : Ms Maggie Lau (tel : 2532-2348)

Please Contact Lucilla Cheng at 28592049 if you need further information.

Monbukagakusho (Japanese Government Ministry of Education and Science) Scholarships

There are two types of scholarships offered annually by the Japanese government.

About ten Monbukagakusho Scholarships in Japanese Studies are offered each year to undergraduate students who are currently pursuing Japanese Language and Japanese Studies courses at tertiary institutions in Hong Kong.  The scholarships cover a year's tuition and living expenses to pursue a course in Japanese Language and Culture at a Japanese university designated by the Ministry of Education and Science. 

Applications usually close in March, with written tests and interviews held in April.   Only second-year students may apply for this scholarship.   In case many students apply, there will be a preliminary selection within the Department of Japanese Studies. 

Monbukagakusho Research Scholarships are awarded to Hong Kong students who wish to do postgraduate research in any discipline (except medicine and some other science subjects) at a Japanese university.  The duration of the scholarship is two years for a master's course, and three years for a doctorate course.  The deadline for applications is usually in June, and will be announced by the Registry.

The Japan Securities Scholarship Foundation

The Japan Securities Scholarship Foundation (JSSF) was founded for the public interest on July 1, 1973 with funds raised by donations from the securities industry in Japan.  Its main purpose is to give financial assistance to outstanding students and to subsidize programs for overseas students to study in Japan as well as academic research in general. 

The scholarship is comparable to the Monbukagakusho Scholarship and covers travel expenses, tuition and other educational fees, and living expenses.  One scholarship recipient is selected each year.  The basic period of the JSSF sponsorship is two academic years for a master's course student and three academic years for a doctor's course student, each of which is the shortest curriculum period required to obtain a master's or a doctor's degree respectively.

Required Qualifications:

1) An applicant must be of a nationality other than Japanese.  He/She must also be a graduate or prospective graduate of a university in South East or East Asian countries who has had at least one year of Japanese language training. 

2) The JSSF Educational Award is restricted to social sciences and humanities only. 

3) The applicant must be under 30 of age as of the date of the application deadline. 
4) The applicant must be in need of financial assistance.  (He/She cannot receive another scholarship during the period covered by the JSSF Educational Award.)

You must send in your application to the Registry of The University of Hong Kong usually in February