Scholarships for foreign residents in Japan (not for study abroad)

Which scholarships you can use in Japan depends mostly on your residence status. As of October 2026, JASSO’s benefit scholarship accepts permanent residents, holders of the Japanese-spouse or permanent-resident-spouse status, long-term residents who plan to settle, and some dependents raised in Japan. It does not accept student-visa holders, who have a separate ¥48,000-a-month program through their school.

Most “scholarship Japan” searches are about studying abroad. This page is for people who already live in Japan, or whose children do.

Quick guide by status

The list comes from JASSO’s rules. Check your own case with the scholarship office, since your situation (and the year’s rules) can differ. This is general information, not legal or visa advice.

JASSO benefit scholarship and tuition support (if you are on the list)

Japan’s higher-education support system, started in April 2020, combines a benefit scholarship that you do not repay with tuition and entrance-fee waivers or reductions. It covers universities, junior colleges, technical colleges and vocational schools that have been confirmed by the state or local government. Households must meet income standards. JASSO gives the scholarship and the school handles the tuition reduction. Since FY2025, large families get tuition support with no income limit. JASSO has a funding simulator to estimate whether your income qualifies.

For foreign nationals, JASSO’s rules say you can apply only if you are:

• a statutory special permanent resident;
• a holder of 永住者, 日本人の配偶者等 or 永住者の配偶者等;
• a 定住者 who intends to live in Japan permanently; or
• a 家族滞在 who meets all four of these: entered Japan by the end of the school year in which you turned 12 (or graduated a Japanese elementary school), graduated a Japanese junior high school, are graduating or have graduated from a Japanese high school, and intend to work and settle in Japan after university.

You must show proof of status, such as a copy of your 住民票 or residence card. If your period of stay has run out because your renewal is pending, bring proof of the renewal application. Dependents also need proof of their entry date.

JASSO’s FAQ says anyone with another status, such as 留学, has no right to apply. The page we read is JASSO’s advance-booking page for high school students. Its FAQ gives the same status list for JASSO scholarships in general. For amounts and income limits, use the simulator and JASSO’s leaflets.

If you are on a student visa

You are not eligible for the benefit scholarship above, but there is a program built for you. The Monbukagakusho Honors Scholarship for Privately Financed International Students (JASSO’s page now calls it the Program for Accepting International Students):

• Who: privately financed students with 留学 status at universities, graduate schools, junior colleges, technical colleges, vocational colleges, university preparatory courses and Japanese-language institutions, who are strong academically and in financial difficulty.
• Amount: ¥48,000 a month at graduate and undergraduate level, ¥30,000 a month at Japanese-language institutions.
• Period: normally one year (April to March) or six months (October to March).
• How to apply: through your school. Each school has a quota based on its international student numbers, so some schools cannot take applications.
• Conditions: a previous-year grade coefficient of 2.30 or higher; JLPT N2 or higher, EJU Japanese of 200 or more, or CEFR B2 English; average money from home of ¥90,000 a month or less; and a dependent in Japan, if any, earning under ¥5 million a year.

The program is a monthly allowance, not a full ride. Compare it with your costs in the language school cost guide. If you plan to work while studying, see student visa work permits.

The MEXT scholarship is for people coming to Japan

The Japanese Government (MEXT) scholarship pays a monthly stipend, exempts tuition and includes round-trip airfare. Research students must be under 35. Because airfare is included and applications go through a Japanese embassy or an exchange-agreement university, it looks aimed at people applying from abroad. We did not find a route for residents. If you are already here, the programs above are the ones to check.

High school tuition support for your children

High school tuition support (高等学校等就学支援金) is a separate national program. Tochigi Prefecture’s guide lists the eligible statuses for non-Japanese students at high schools: special permanent resident, permanent resident, spouse of a Japanese national, spouse of a permanent resident, a long-term resident who is recognized as intending to settle permanently, and a dependent who graduated a Japanese elementary and junior high school and intends to work and settle in Japan.

Things to know:

• You must apply. The school sends you the instructions.
• The money goes to tuition. It is not paid to the student.
• It is generally not paid to people who already graduated from high school or have studied more than 36 months (48 for part-time or correspondence courses).
• This is Tochigi Prefecture’s guide to the national program. Ask your child’s school for the current rules.

For earlier schooling, see enrolling a foreign child in school.