Akita University Scholarships for International Students 2026

Akita University’s main scholarships are designed for students who are actually enrolled at Akita University (i.e., studying as a university student in Japan), and the university’s scholarship pages don’t advertise a separate “online-only” scholarship track.

Both exist, but it depends heavily on the faculty/program: many degree courses in Japan (especially professional fields like medicine) are primarily in Japanese, while some programs and tracks offer substantial English-taught coursework.

For example, the Faculty/Graduate School of International Resource Sciences highlights “Specialized Education in English,” where students take specialized courses taught entirely in English (after building academic English first).

Most scholarships focus on student status, academic merit, and financial need rather than a single university-wide age rule.

However, some major scholarships have clear age criteria. For example, MEXT scholarship guidelines for certain categories (such as Research Students) specify birthdate-based eligibility requirements, and these can change by year and scholarship type.

If you’re targeting MEXT or other government/foundation scholarships, always check the exact guideline for your category (Undergraduate / Research Student / etc.), because those are the cases where age rules are most common.

In general, scholarships at Akita University are tied to being an eligible student (and meeting merit/need criteria), rather than being restricted to only one subject. That said, Akita University is comprehensive, so scholarships may support students across many fields.

• Medicine: Akita University has a School/Graduate School of Medicine. International students can apply via international student admissions routes, but medicine applicants typically face strong Japanese/EJU-related requirements, and instruction is commonly Japanese in medical programs in Japan.
• Engineering & STEM: Akita University has Engineering Science and other science/engineering-related faculties, plus Informatics and Data Science, and International Resource Sciences (which spans science/tech and social-science/policy).
• Business (and business-adjacent): Akita University is not primarily branded as a “business school,” but business-related interests often fit under policy/management-style programs like Resource Policy and Management in International Resource Sciences.
• Humanities & Education: Akita University has Education and Human Studies, and International Resource Sciences also explicitly spans Social Sciences and Humanities as well.

From the recipient side, Swati Sucharita Das pursued a Ph.D. in material science (Physics) and notes her “CGPA of 10/10,” showing how STEM applicants often present very strong academic backgrounds for major scholarships.

Many Akita University-related scholarships are open broadly to “international students,” meaning there’s no single nationality restriction: eligibility is usually based on your student status (e.g., privately financed international student, exchange student), academic standing, and financial need.

As a real example, Swati Sucharita Das is from India and received MEXT support for her Ph.D., illustrating that applicants from many countries can be eligible depending on the scholarship route.

It depends on your program and pathway. For degree admissions, Akita University’s self-funded international student selection uses EJU and other evaluation components, and for some faculties (e.g., International Resource Sciences) English test scores like TOEFL/IELTS/TOEIC may be included in evaluation (depending on the route).

For scholarships, language scores can help, especially when they are part of admissions evaluation, but they aren’t always the “main differentiator.” For example, Swati Sucharita Das says her “excellent academic records” and “research proposal” plus a professor’s recommendation letter were key, showing how merit and research fit can matter a lot for major scholarships.

Akita University does not have one single published “minimum GPA” that applies to every department and every admissions route. Admissions decisions vary by faculty and by exam pathway, and are commonly based on a comprehensive evaluation (e.g., EJU scores, university tests/interviews, and academic records like transcripts).

In some cases, specific score thresholds apply for specific routes (for example, medicine applicants can face explicit EJU performance requirements in Japanese and science/math in the international student selection criteria).

On the scholarship side, some programs do use GPA thresholds for continuation (for example, certain MEXT-related program guidelines may require maintaining a GPA such as 2.30 or above to avoid losing the scholarship).

A strong academic record + clear fit with your program is a common theme. Akita University notes that scholarships are generally awarded to students with outstanding academic records and character (often alongside financial need conditions, depending on the scholarship).

From the recipient perspective, Swati Sucharita Das highlights a top academic background (“CGPA of 10/10”) and emphasizes that her “excellent academic records” and research proposal helped her succeed. This is a helpful benchmark for competitive scholarships like MEXT.

Practically, strong transcripts, evidence of research or projects (especially for STEM), and strong recommendation letters are especially valuable for scholarship selection.

Exact documents depend on the faculty and admissions route, but common requirements across Akita University’s international admissions pathways include: an application form, academic transcripts (high school or university), test results used for evaluation (such as EJU, and sometimes English test scores like TOEFL/IELTS/TOEIC), and identity/immigration-related documents needed to obtain “Student” residence status.

Akita University also has routes that screen applicants using “application documents” and an interview (including online interviews for some routes), and pre-arrival admissions mention academic performance evidence such as high school transcripts and language scores.

For scholarship applications, recipients often prepare additional scholarship-focused materials. For example, Swati Sucharita Das says her “research proposal” and her professor’s recommendation letter helped her application, so for research scholarships, expect research plans and recommendation letters to matter heavily.

Yes, Akita University charges examination/application-related fees, and the amount depends on your student category. For example, a published international student guide lists an “Examination Fee” (e.g., 17,000 JPY for undergraduate and 30,000 JPY for graduate in the fee table). Because fees and waivers can vary by category and year, it’s best to confirm using the latest Akita University admissions materials for your exact program.