The Japan ICU Foundation and ICU will launch a new scholarship for students with refugee backgrounds. The Education Pathways Scholarship will support two new undergraduate students annually starting in April 2025. It is a full scholarship that covers tuition and fees, on-campus accommodation and stipend. JICUF and ICU will share the cost of the scholarship.

Displaced students who relocated to Japan through an education pathways program administered by Pathways Japan are the main targets of this scholarship. Education pathways programs enable refugees outside Japan to move to Japan for educational opportunities at language schools and universities. Eligible candidates are required to have some proficiency in Japanese, which will help them to successfully complete the Japanese Language Program (JLP) at ICU and find employment. 

JICUF first started supporting refugee students in 2017 when we launched the Syrian Scholars Initiative. Seven Syrian students were recruited between 2018 and 2022, and four of them are still enrolled at ICU. Through administering this program, we recognized the importance of rigorous Japanese language training before the students entered university. It is incredibly challenging for students without prior knowledge of the language to master it and pursue their majors at the same time. This not only puts them at an academic disadvantage, but presents a major challenge when searching for jobs. This led us to redesign our support for refugee students and require students to receive intensive language training first.

The Education Pathways Scholarship is open to refugee students of any nationality. Application opens on September 1st and closes on October 1st on our Refugee Education Japan initiative website.