Josai Central European Exchange Program 2026

Josai Central European Exchange Program will again be accepting students from Central Europe from the 2026th academic year with a scholarship provided by JASSO.

The scholarship program got re-selected by JASSO this February and from the 2026th academic year they will be able to provide a monthly stipend of 80,000 yen to outstanding students nominated by partner institutions as part of their academic support.

The program is designed to give students who have a keen interest in Japan, its people and culture, the opportunity to visit and study in-situ, while undertaking a further step in their own personal development. From the 2026th academic year intake, they will be able to offer the Japanese Studies Program at JU as well, as a non-scholarship option for those who wish to work on their Japanese language skills in a native environment.

2026 Josai Central European Exchange Program: Terms and Conditions

Placement of Students and Available Courses

Students will be permitted to take courses outside their faculties. It is understood that applicants’ main interests lie in upgrading their Japanese language skills, and enhancing their knowledge and understanding of Japanese culture. Courses have been prepared with students’ academic interests and career goals in mind.

Acceptance Requirements:

Tuition and fees - The cost of tuition will be waived.

Financial Support - A living allowance of 80,000 yen per month for 11 months. The scholarship program is implemented thanks to a grant provided by the Japan Students Support Organization (JASSO). The Japanese Studies Program (Bekka) is not eligible for the scholarship as it is designed for beginners in Japanese between JLPT N5~N3.

Japanese Language Proficiency

Due to the limited number of classes taught in English at both universities, we recommend that applicants have Japanese language proficiency sufficient to participate in classes taught in Japanese. If the applicant does not possess a JLPT N1  or N2 certificate, we ask that an instructor familiar with the student’s language skills write a letter of recommendation  stating that the applicant’s Japanese language proficiency satisfies the required level.

Required Academic Grades

• As the program is funded by JASSO, their rules on applicant’s academic records apply.
• Link to Student Exchange Support Program (Scholarship for Short-term Study in Japan) page by JASSO: Click HERE
• JASSO grade requirements are not applicable for the Japanese Studies Program; however, it is important that the applicant has sufficient grades for an exchange student to represent their home university.

Requirements

• There is no age restriction to apply for the exchange program.
• Applicants must be registered as a full-time undergraduate or graduate student in one of our partner universities at the time of application and throughout the entire period of their study period. Failure to maintain a registered student status will result in the suspension of the student exchange.
• Applicants must be able to obtain a "Student" status of residency in Japan to participate in the program. (Applicants who already have the legal status of “Resident in Japan” are not eligible to apply for the program.)
• Applicants must demonstrate both high levels of motivation and academic achievement.
• Applicants must be recommended by the university at which they are enrolled.
• Applicants must be available to start classes in September.
• Applicants enrolled are expected to take Japanese language courses during their time in Japan.
• Students are expected to return to their home countries once the exchange program is completed.

Duration

The duration of the exchange program is one academic year (two semesters or four quarters) starting in September, 2026. 

Other Points to Consider

• The applicant may be assigned to either of the universities and any of the faculties listed above.
• Applicants may indicate their preferred faculty(ies) or the Japanese Studies Program (Bekka) on the application form. If an applicant applies for both a faculty and the Japanese Studies Program(Bekka), the application will first be reviewed as a scholarship application for the faculty. If the applicant does not meet the requirements set by JASSO, the application will then be reviewed as a non-scholarship exchange application for the faculties of JIU and/or for the Japanese Studies Program.
• The student will be expected to show enthusiasm to engage in academic and cultural events related to JU/JIU.
• All participants must enroll in the Japanese National Health Insurance Plan during their stay in Japan (premium is approximately 20,000 yen per year).
• The cost of textbooks will be approximately 30,000 yen per semester.
• Students are expected to pay for their own meals.
• Students are expected to purchase their own airline ticket.

Application Procedure

Required documents must be submitted electronically, preferably as a PDF file, to iec@josai.ac.jp by no later than 13 April, 2026 (no hard copies necessary).
The documents must be sent by the staff of the applicant’s university. We are unable to accept documents directly from applicants.

Required Documents:

• Completed application form
• Recommendation letters from two instructors of the student’s home university
• Application essay
• Transcript of academic records from the student’s home university

(Notes)

Our mail system will not accept files larger than 10MB (depending on how your mail is routed, smaller files may also be rejected before reaching us). We advise you to kindly send each application separately, to compress files before attaching, and/or to use an outside storage system.

We have noticed several cases where the scanning process was not properly executed. Please recheck the result of the scan before sending it.

Selection Procedure

1. Vetting of application by Josai University and Josai International University (April/May). We ask applicants to express their commitment to work hard and to use this opportunity to enhance their future career possibilities. Also, we hope that they will work in some capacity as a bridge of goodwill between the two countries in the future. Other various factors, such as field of study, language ability, the balance of the number of students among the home universities of applicants, etc. may be considered.
2. Screening interviews may be implemented.
3. The number of scholarships granted by JASSO is for 20 students. However, if an applicant is not selected for the Josai Central European Scholarship Program, there is also the opportunity for the applicant to be selected and accepted as an exchange student at either JIU faculties or JU’s Japanese Studies Program (Bekka). The number of exchange student intake at the Japanese Studies Program may be revised based on availability.
4. Students will receive the result of the selection procedure via their home university (mid to late May). Students accepted to JIU will be required not only to submit the application documents but also to enter required information into the online system used by JIU at a later date. Regarding the online system, both the student and the assigned coordinator will be contacted after the selection process is finished and the student’s admission is decided. Please note that students applying to JU are not required to enter information into a separate online system. After all information of the participants is confirmed, the department in charge at the host university (both JU and JIU) will contact each accepted student directly about details of the immigration procedures.
5. Students are to arrive in Japan in September on a designated date set by the host university