University of Tokyo Scholarships for International Students 2026

If you’re looking for a scholarship to study an entire UTokyo degree fully online, that’s uncommon. Most UTokyo funding assumes you will be enrolled and studying in Japan (or at least formally enrolled as a UTokyo student).

Both exist, but it depends on the program. UTokyo notes that many undergraduate programs are primarily in Japanese and require sufficient Japanese ability at the time of admission, while it also offers English-taught tracks.

This matches recipient experiences too: Lim Zi Heng described doing intensive Japanese preparation and said his “undergraduate program at the University of Tokyo were taught in Japanese,” while Ana García Fierro specifically looked for “degree programs that were taught in English” when planning her path.

It depends on the scholarship. Many university/private scholarships do not use a single, universal “UTokyo age limit,” but some government-tied scholarships (including MEXT-related routes run through UTokyo units) do set birthdate/age conditions.

For example, UTokyo’s School of Science scholarship information (for a MEXT-linked track) states an age condition such as being “born on or after” a certain date.

UTokyo scholarships are available across a wide range of subjects, often university-wide (tuition exemptions, general international scholarships), and also through faculty/graduate-school specific programs. UTokyo also lists many scholarships offered by private organizations that cover diverse academic areas.

• Medicine / health: UTokyo’s Graduate School of Medicine includes internationally oriented programs—e.g., the School of International Health is described as an English-operated program where academic activities are conducted in English and “no Japanese competency is required,” and a large share of students are international. International students can be eligible for medicine-adjacent graduate degrees (public health, global health, international health) and related scholarships.
• Engineering / STEM: UTokyo has STEM-focused scholarships (including science-focused calls and MEXT-linked university recommendation routes hosted by specific graduate schools/faculties).
• Business / public policy: UTokyo’s public policy ecosystem (e.g., GraSPP) publicizes multiple scholarship routes (including well-known international development/public-policy scholarships, depending on the year).
• Humanities: UTokyo provides scholarships across disciplines

Medicine note (international students): International students can pursue medicine-related graduate programs at UTokyo (including English-operated ones), but for Japanese-taught undergraduate study (including many science/medical tracks), UTokyo cautions that a high level of Japanese proficiency is needed for Japanese-medium programs.

Many UTokyo scholarships are open to international students of various nationalities, but the exact eligibility depends on the funding source.

• UTokyo/private scholarships: Some are broadly open; others restrict eligibility by nationality/region (especially private foundation scholarships).
• MEXT-related scholarships: Nationality rules are set by MEXT (and can change by scholarship type/year). UTokyo’s MEXT-related calls has “eligible nationalities” defined by MEXT.

It depends on your program language and route. For Japanese-taught programs, UTokyo emphasizes that a high level of Japanese proficiency is required. For English-taught programs, English test scores are often requested (unless you qualify for an exemption).

Recipients show how variable this can be: Jagreet Walia said “TOEFL is mandatory,” while Ana García Fierro noted, “I did not have to take the IELTS or TOEFL exam” for one stage of her journey, but later added, “I only had to take the TOEFL, since my degree was taught in Spanish,” and “I also had to take the JLPT exam, and I got N3.” Meanwhile, Lim Zi Heng shared that in his case “Japanese proficiency is considered extra credit rather than mandatory,” even though he still invested heavily in Japanese study.

UTokyo does not have one single minimum grade that applies to every faculty/program and scholarship. Admissions and scholarships are program-specific and competitive.

Strong academics plus a clear fit with your chosen program matter a lot, especially evidence that you can thrive in the language of instruction and in UTokyo’s research/rigor.

• High grades and readiness: Jagreet Walia reported “maintaining a CGPA between 8 and 8.5,” while Lim Zi Heng cited a “Singapore A-level results of 4A*s” and described multi-stage screening and exams.
• Research alignment: Jagreet emphasized research preparation (e.g., publishing and workshops) as part of his profile.
• Proactive academic networking: Ana García Fierro described reaching out to professors and preparing targeted materials for research fit.

Documents vary by program (undergraduate vs graduate, faculty, and scholarship route), but commonly include: application forms, transcripts, graduation certificates, ID/passport pages, recommendation letters, essays/research plans, and proof of language proficiency where required.

Concrete examples: UTokyo’s Graduate School of Medicine application guide (School of Public Health) lists items such as an application form with photos, self-addressed envelopes, an exam fee (with exemptions for MEXT scholars), and academic transcripts among the required application documents. For MEXT-related scholarship routes, UTokyo-hosted guidelines commonly require records like official transcripts, proof of graduation/expected graduation, and evidence of academic excellence, and may require English score reports (e.g., TOEFL/IELTS) unless you qualify for a waiver.

Recipient experience can feel surprisingly “administrative”: Ana García Fierro said, “The paperwork was pretty straightforward,” while Lim Zi Heng described an initial “document screening” phase before exams/interviews.

Yes, most UTokyo admissions routes charge an application/examination fee, and amounts depend on the program.