CWAJ Graduate Scholarship for Non-Japanese Women to Study in Japan (NJG) 2027

The Non-Japanese Graduate Program (NJG), established in 1981, supports graduate study in Japan for non-Japanese women who are enrolled in a PhD degree program at a Japanese university. Women students from 50 countries have benefited from the NJG Program. Scholarships are awarded based on a candidate’s academic excellence, the quality and feasibility of her proposed study, and her potential to contribute to society. The Scholarship is merit-based, and has no limit on the field of study or age of the applicant.

• Table of Content
• About College Women's Association of Japan (CWAJ)
• CWAJ GRADUATE SCHOLARSHIP FOR NON-JAPANESE WOMEN TO STUDY IN JAPAN (NJG) Postgraduate Scholarship
• Aim and Benefits of CWAJ GRADUATE SCHOLARSHIP FOR NON-JAPANESE WOMEN TO STUDY IN JAPAN (NJG) Postgraduate Scholarship
• Requirements for CWAJ GRADUATE SCHOLARSHIP FOR NON-JAPANESE WOMEN TO STUDY IN JAPAN (NJG) Postgraduate Scholarship Qualification
• Interview date, Process and Venue for CWAJ GRADUATE SCHOLARSHIP FOR NON-JAPANESE WOMEN TO STUDY IN JAPAN (NJG) Postgraduate Scholarship
• Documents Required for Application
• Application Deadline
• How to Apply

CWAJ GRADUATE SCHOLARSHIP FOR NON-JAPANESE WOMEN TO STUDY IN JAPAN (NJG) Postgraduate Scholarship

Aim and Benefits of CWAJ GRADUATE SCHOLARSHIP FOR NON-JAPANESE WOMEN TO STUDY IN JAPAN (NJG) Postgraduate Scholarship

• Scholarships of ¥2.0 million will be offered in 2027.

Requirements for CWAJ GRADUATE SCHOLARSHIP FOR NON-JAPANESE WOMEN TO STUDY IN JAPAN (NJG) Postgraduate Scholarship Qualification

An Application ID Number is required to submit your scholarship application and your letters of reference.

Please check that you satisfy all of the following criteria for eligibility for this scholarship:

Eligibility Requirements (2027)

To be eligible, an Applicant must:

• Identify as a woman.
• Be a non-Japanese national who does not have permanent residency in Japan.
• Be enrolled in a PhD degree program in a graduate school of a Japanese university during the entire scholarship period of April 2027 to March 2028.
• Live in Japan from the time of application until the end of March 2028.
• Not hold scholarships greater than ¥1.5 million from any other scholarship program for the duration of the CWAJ Scholarship. Financial aid and awards from the university where the applicant will study may not be subject to this limitation.
• Not have received a CWAJ award in the past, nor be a CWAJ Member.

The following are ineligible:

• Individuals currently studying or working abroad are ineligible. Applicants are required to be residing in Japan at the time of their application.
• Applicants who attended junior and/or senior high school in Japan (grades 7 through 12). An exchange program during that time of up to one academic year from the applicant’s home country is acceptable.
• Former recipients of CWAJ awards and members of CWAJ are not eligible.
• Individuals completing their PhD program before March 2028.

Interview date, Process and Venue for CWAJ GRADUATE SCHOLARSHIP FOR NON-JAPANESE WOMEN TO STUDY IN JAPAN (NJG) Postgraduate Scholarship

Scholarship Timeline

From July 2026
Registration for Application ID Number on website (Form A). Links to the other Application Forms will be available after registering for an Application ID Number.

Deadline: Monday, October 5, 2026, 22:00 JST
Application with required documents (Form B) and letters of references (2 x Form C) must be submitted online by the deadline.

February 2027
Interviews: usually held on a weekend

March 2027
Notification of recipients

May 2027
Event announcing CWAJ 2026 scholarship recipients

Documents Required for Application

You will be required to submit:

• an application essay, your education transcripts (including PhD transcript if you have started your PhD work),
• two letters of recommendations,
• a copy of your Japanese residence card (zairyu card), and
• a ¥2,000 application processing fee.

All materials are to be submitted in English. All personal material will be deleted at the end of the application evaluation process.

Finalists will be interviewed online or in person in Tokyo. Candidates should plan to be available during the month when interviews are being held (likely February) and will be notified at least two weeks in advance if they have been selected for an interview. Applicants will be notified of the results by email.

Message about AI: CWAJ understand that applicants might want to use AI tools to revise or improve their essays. However, CWAJ would like to offer a word of advice: essays which reflect an applicant’s own voice and effort will be evaluated more favorably than generic and impersonal essays generated by AI.

Check also:
Erasmus Mundus Scholarship 2027
Global Korea Scholarship 2027

Application Deadline

How to Apply

For more information, kindly visit CWAJ scholarship webpage.