The following information is updated for the 2025 application cycle
These scholarships provide up to $50,000/year and are for UTokyo students who wish to study at a university in the US and vice versa for 1 semester (2 quarters) or longer. A recipient who has received support for one year may apply again for the scholarship for a second year, but two years is the maximum number of years that the scholarship supports. Scholarships in this category include the ITO FOUNDATION U.S.A.-FUTI Scholarship, Hsun Kwei & Aiko Takizawa Chou Scholarship, and the FUTI Scholarship, but an applicant need only submit their application through a single portal. FUTI prepares one set of procedures for application, criteria, selection and awarding, and will notify recipients as to which scholarship will be awarded after assessing the best fit to fulfill the focus of each scholarship.
US university student → University of Tokyo
USTEP students from US universities to the University of Tokyo
The USTEP program is a student exchange program between the University of Tokyo (UTokyo) and partner universities in the US. FUTI assesses and awards scholarships to USTEP students in both directions, who have been, or are in the process of being, selected by resident universities and accepted by the host universities. For guidelines for USTEP students from US universities, see "USTEP Guidelines" below.
Non-USTEP mid-/long-term opportunities for students at US universities
FUTI does not have specific scholarship programs for non-USTEP mid-/long-term studies at UTokyo, though FUTI does have short-term scholarship programs for students currently at US universities going to UTokyo, mainly in the summer. If you are accepted by UTokyo in a specific mid-/long-term program and are interested in scholarships, please contact us.
Opportunities for students of UTokyo
Please refer to the Japanese Mid- to Long-Term Scholarship page for details.
If you have questions not answered on our FAQ page, please use our Scholarship Inquiry form.
USTEP Guidelines
For USTEP students from US universities going to UTokyo
Application Deadline
The last day of February of the year the study abroad is taking place. The recommendation letter(s) are also due by the same date.
Selection Criteria
- The purpose, will, aspiration, and achievability demonstrated in the essay.
- Your transcript.
- Leadership and initiative represented in the CV (Curriculum Vitae) or resume. View a sample CV here. There is no set format.
- One recommendation letter.
Each of these criteria will be considered with equal weight and evaluated as a whole. The Scholarship Committee may request an online interview with the applicant.
If a transcript cannot be provided for legitimate reasons, FUTI will infer a score and use a score range of 70-100% of the inferred score.
Selection Results
Applicants will be notified of the selection results by the end of April.
Anticipated Number of Recipients
About 1-2 recipients per year
Scholarship Amount
Amounts are determined based on need as shown in the application. Recipients may receive the full amount requested (yearly limit of $50,000), or only partial support even if the full amount is requested.
Scholarship Application
For USTEP students from US universities going to UTokyo
The application process for this USTEP Scholarship has TWO steps.
Step 1: Submit a preliminary application as soon as possible. This preliminary application asks for your name and email, and the name and email of your reference who will be writing your recommendation letter. The preliminary application not only provides FUTI with preliminary information, but also notifies the reference with instructions on submitting the recommendation letter. Please contact your reference as early as possible to request a recommendation letter. Only one recommendation letter is required, but more than one may be submitted. There is no deadline to submit this preliminary application, but be sure to submit it early enough to give ample time for your reference to submit the recommendation letter by the application deadline.
The online application system does not have a “save” function, so please have all necessary material prepared and gathered before applying.
Step 2: Submit the following material (1-7) through the FUTI online application form by the application deadline. The recommendation letter, item 8 below, will be submitted directly by your reference by the same deadline. Please note that the applicant will not receive a confirmation when the recommendation letter is submitted.
- Provide the name of the program you are participating in and indicate if already accepted or awaiting results.
- Provide an itemized list of estimated costs (tuition, housing, food, airfare, insurance, etc.)
- Financial support from other sources such as assistance from your current university, aid from a foundation, support from relatives, or savings.
- The requested amount of support from FUTI.
- Academic transcript.
- CV in English which includes your academic background, work experiences, thesis or research topics (if any), extracurricular activities, publications & reports, awards & prizes (e.g. scholarships), etc. FUTI regards leadership initiative as an important criteria for consideration. Please indicate this in the CV. As an example of what is expected view a sample CV here. There is however no set format, so please use the CV format of your choice.
- A concise essay in English of approximately 500 words expressing what you aim to achieve with the study abroad. FUTI values the applicant’s will to contribute to the societies more than the advancement of the applicant’s career.
- The recommendation letter can be in either English or Japanese. The recommendation letter must:
- Be on a letterhead of the reference’s affiliated university, company, etc.,
- have a date,
- and be signed/stamped by the reference.
Please ask your reference early for a recommendation letter in order to give them ample time to submit the letter by the deadline. It is preferable that the reference is a professor who knows you well, but an outside person who knows your character, academic strengths, or performance is also acceptable.
Please note that this application is for a scholarship to support your participation in USTEP, and not an application to get into the USTEP program.
