As reported in April, JICUF and Pathways Japan launched the Japan-Ukraine Education Pathways program to bring Ukrainian students fleeing the war in Ukraine to Japanese education institutions. JICUF has mainly been involved with the Japan-Ukraine University Pathways (JUUP) which aims to facilitate the admission of Ukrainian students to universities in Japan. At the time of our last report, ICU was the sole participant of JUUP, but since then, the network membership has grown to 18 institutions.

The five Ukrainian students who were selected out of 68 applicants arrived on the ICU campus on May 20. Although the spring term courses were already underway, the students began to audit classes immediately, and participated in the Summer Course in Japanese over the summer break. Starting with the fall term, the students will be able to audit classes and earn credit. 

For the Ukrainian students at ICU, ICU covers the tuition and dormitory fees, while Shiseido and JICUF cover the students’ living expenses. JICUF has also paid for the costs associated with the students’ travel, including the airfare from Warsaw to Tokyo, accommodation in Warsaw and Tokyo, and travel insurance, as well as the initial set-up fee to help the students purchase necessities.

Sophia University was the next university to join JUUP, and decided to recruit 10 students from the pool of applicants who had applied to ICU. Eight students that were selected were able to travel to Japan in July, and two are still waiting for their visas to be issued.

Then in June, JICUF and Pathways Japan opened a second application for 16 additional universities offering a total of 73 scholarships. The universities that joined JUUP are:

Bunkyo Gakuin University
Daito Bunka University
Ferris University
Kansai Gaidai University
Kansai University
Kansai University of International Studies
Keio University
Meiji University
Musashino University
Rikkyo University
Ryukoku University
Soka University
Temple University, Japan Campus
Tokiwa University
Tokyo Woman’s Christian University
Waseda University 

We received 287 applications, and matched 45 students to 12 universities. A few students withdrew, and 41 students are set to begin their studies in Japan this fall. 

JICUF and Pathways Japan set up the Japan Education Pathways Network (JEPN) in May and invited institutions that have expressed interest in receiving Ukrainian students to join. The Network is not only open to institutions that have joined JUUP, but also to others which have received Ukrainian students through their own initiatives. The purpose of JEPN is to create a community of like-minded institutions which will share best practices, learn from experts, and collaborate when possible to ensure that Ukrainian and other displaced students are able to thrive in Japan.

ICU and JICUF would like to ask for your continued support. If you are in the US, please consider making a donation to JICUF’s Ukraine Student Fund (USF), as your donation will be tax deductible. If you are in Japan, please donate to ICU here. Your donations will help cover the students’ tuition, dormitory fees, and living expenses. To those who have already donated, we extend our deepest gratitude.