What Kyoto University Graduate Scholarship for International Students actually covers.
Kyoto University, consistently ranked as Japan's second-most prestigious national university and among the top 50 universities in the world, offers a comprehensive range of scholarships for international graduate students, including exceptional candidates from African countries pursuing master's and doctoral degrees. As a research-intensive university with particular strengths in science, engineering, medical sciences, humanities, and the social sciences, Kyoto University attracts scholars from around the world who wish to work alongside Nobel Prize-winning and internationally distinguished faculty.
International students at Kyoto University can access multiple scholarship pathways. The primary route is through the Japanese Government (MEXT) Scholarship, available both via Embassy Recommendation and University Recommendation. For highly qualified applicants, Kyoto University's university-recommendation pathway offers a competitive route to full MEXT funding that includes a monthly stipend of up to ¥145,000 for research students, full tuition waivers, and round-trip airfare coverage. Once enrolled, students can also apply for private scholarship programmes, of which Kyoto University nominates candidates to approximately 90 each academic year, with monthly allowances typically ranging from ¥30,000 to ¥180,000.
For African scholars, Kyoto University is particularly notable for its research programmes in sustainability science, African area studies, and international development. The Center for African Area Studies at Kyoto University is one of Japan's oldest and most prestigious institutions dedicated to the academic study of Africa. Researchers and graduate students working on African history, ecology, public health, and social policy find a uniquely supportive intellectual environment here.
Prospective students are strongly encouraged to contact prospective supervisors directly before applying, as securing a faculty sponsor significantly increases the chances of both admission and scholarship nomination under the university-recommendation pathway.
Who can apply.
Open to masters, phd applicants seeking to study in Japan. Eligible nationalities are listed below.
46 more eligible countries — full list available on the official application page.
Every academic discipline is accepted.
This programme does not restrict by field. Research proposals across humanities, sciences, engineering, agriculture, and medicine are all accepted.
Four steps to a complete application.
Scholar Africa is a discovery and tracking platform — the application itself is submitted directly through the official provider site. The steps below mirror our HowTo schema.
Check eligibility
Confirm your nationality, academic level, and field of study match the criteria above.
Eligibility checklist
Prepare documents
Transcripts, recommendation letters, personal statement, and a valid passport.
Document checklist
Submit the application
Submit before November 30, 2026 via the official portal.
Submission checklist
Track your application
Use your Scholar Africa dashboard to monitor status and deadline reminders.
Post-submission checklist
What we checked, when we checked it.
Every scholarship on Scholar Africa goes through six checks (link, contact, organisation, winners, third-party, manual review). Kyoto University Graduate Scholarship for International Students currently scores 0.0/10.
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Other scholarships worth a parallel application.
Same eligibility window or destination. Many strong applicants apply to three or four programmes per cycle.