Kyoto University International Undergraduate Program (Kyoto iUP)

Brief description:

The Kyoto University International Undergraduate Program (Kyoto iUP) is a 4.5-year scholarship program for non-Japanese students. It starts with a six-month preparatory course, followed by a four-year bachelor’s degree. You do not need to know Japanese when you apply. However, the final two years are taught mainly or only in Japanese, so students take Japanese classes along the way.

Host Institution:

Kyoto University, Japan

Level/Field(s) of Study:

Bachelor’s degree in these faculties:

• Integrated Human Studies
• Letters
• Education
• Law
• Economics
• Science
• Pharmaceutical Sciences
• Engineering
• Agriculture

Number of Scholarships:

40 students for October 2027 enrollment.

Target group:

Non-Japanese citizens from any country.

Scholarship value/inclusions/duration:

All Kyoto iUP students receive a full waiver of admission fees and a full or partial waiver of tuition for 4.5 years. Without a waiver, tuition is ¥296,000 for the preparatory course and ¥535,800 a year for the undergraduate course.

All students also receive up to ¥120,000 a month during the six-month preparatory course. After that, eligible students can apply for merit-based monthly allowances from supporting companies and organizations.

Students get a room in a Kyoto University International House for the first 12 months, which can be extended by up to six months.

Eligibility:

To apply, candidates must:

• Be a non-Japanese citizen who will hold Student residence status at enrollment
• By 30 September 2027, have completed 12 years of school in a non-Japanese system or an accredited international school, or hold an IB Diploma, A Levels, German Abitur, French Baccalaureate or European Baccalaureate
• Submit a TOEFL iBT or IELTS result taken after 1 November 2024, or Form C if you are a native English speaker or had at least five years of secondary school in English
• Submit results from at least one accepted standardized test, such as the SAT, ACT, EJU, IB Diploma, A Levels or an accepted national exam

There is no minimum English score, but successful candidates usually have around TOEFL iBT 90 or IELTS 6.5.

Science, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Engineering and Agriculture require mathematics and at least two sciences. Engineering requires physics and chemistry. Integrated Human Studies and Economics require mathematics. The last accepted test dates were 24 October 2026 for the ACT, 7 November 2026 for the SAT and 8 November 2026 for the EJU.

Application instructions:

Apply through the Online Application System. The application fee is ¥9,800, plus a ¥429 processing fee. Fee waivers are not available. To be considered for the scholarship, select “Yes” for the scholarship question in the online system. You do not need a separate application. Applications close at 5 p.m. Japan time on 3 December 2026.

It is important to see the Application Guidelines and visit the official website (link found below) for detailed information on how to apply for this scholarship.

Website:

Official Scholarship Website: https://www.iup.kyoto-u.ac.jp/about/overview.html