Asian Youth Fellowship Program 2009

1. Features of the Asian Youth Fellowship Program

The scholarship grantees shall take a preparatory course in the Japanese language and other subjects for approximately 7 months at the Japan Foundation Japanese-Language Institute, Kansai , situated in Osaka, Japan. Grantees shall live in the provided dormitory through the Program. The preparatory course is developed for people who have never learned Japanese language before.

Grantees will thereafter be matriculated into Japanese universities as Japanese Government (Monbukagakusho) scholarship students (Research Student or regular course students) from April 2010.

The objective of AYF program is to nurture human resources for the regional cooperation and development of the area, as well as to promote and enhance friendship and mutual understanding among Asian countries.

2. Field of Study

We welcome students wishing to studying in the fields of: Humanities, Social Sciences, Engineering and Natural Sciences.

*Students pursuing study areas that would contribute to his/her country or region will be given preference.
* Fields of study must be one of those available at Japanese universities. Practical training given by factories or companies is excluded.

3. Qualifications

(1) Nationality:
Applicants must be nationals of one of the following countries; Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand or Vietnam.

(2) Age:
Applicants must be under 35 years of age as of April 1, 2010 (i.e. born on or after April 2, 1975)

(3) Academic Backgrounds:
Applicants must be university or college graduates, who have completed the fundamental education of their countries, basically of 16 years (those who will graduate from a university or college by the Registration Day of AYF may apply, but the grants may be CANCELLED if the grantees fail to arrive in Kansai on the starting day of the preparatory course).

(4) Study Area:
The study area must be in the same field as the applicant has studied (or is now studying) or a related one.

(5) Others:
a. Good proficiency in English is required.

b. Military men and military civilian employees registered on the personnel list are excluded.

c. Applicants should be in good health.

d. The grants may be canceled if grantees fail to arrive in Osaka, Japan, by the Registration Day of AYF, 2008.

e. The applicant whose spouse has already won a Japanese Government scholarship will not be selected as a grantee, and likewise in the case of a couple applying at the same time.

f. The applicant who has been awarded a Japanese Government (Monbukagakusho) scholarship in the past will not be selected as a grantee unless he/she has had a few years’ research or teaching experience after returning to his/her country.

g. It is not recommended for his/her family to accompany the applicant to Japan during the AYF program.

4. Terms of Scholarship

The scholarship will be granted for a period of about 7 months, in principle, from the date of arrival in Osaka to February 2010. After completing the AYF Program, the Japanese Government (Monbukagakusho) scholarship will be granted according to its own regulation.

5. Grant Coverage during Preparatory Course

6. Selection

(1) Japanese diplomatic missions concerned will select preliminary candidates from among applicants by means of a review of the documents submitted, in cooperation with the foreign governments concerned.

(2) Those who have been selected as the preliminary candidates will be recommended to Asian Youth Fellowship Screening Committee, Tokyo, Japan. The Committee will select grantees from among the preliminary candidates by means of an interview made in their respective countries by a mission member assigned and dispatched by the Committee.

(3) Final announcement will be provided by the Embassy of Japan in writing after Monbukagakusho’s approval to the decision by the AYF Screening Committee. The grantees of the Japanese Government (Monbukagakusho) scholarship for 2009 will be finally selected, on condition that they have completed the AYF preparatory course successfully, after university placement has been made.

AYF will provide the students with information on Japanese universities through the Program.

7. Application Procedure

Applicants must submit the following documents according to the instruction given by the Embassy of Japan in their own country by the date appointed. The documents submitted will not be returned.

* ORIGINAL means a certified true copy for certificates, transcripts and university diploma, not necessary the very original.
* COPY means a photocopy.
* Please note that you should contact the Embassy of Japan in your country or visit our website http://www.asiaseed.org/ayfj/ before submitting the application.

8. Notes

(1) More detailed information on this program is available at the Embassy of Japan

(2) A grantee will be deprived of his/her scholarship in any of the following cases;

a.  A false statement has been made on his/her application dossier.
b.  He/she violates any article of his/her pledge.
c.  He/she has been subject to disciplinary action by the Asian Youth Fellowship or has no prospect for academic achievement (e.g. failure to achieve a satisfactory level in the Japanese language).

(3) After finishing the preparatory course in Osaka, the grantee will be studying in Japan as a Japanese Government (Monbukagakusho) scholarship grantee. It is therefore recommended that the applicant should read the guideline to the Japanese Government (Monbukagakusho) scholarship.

Schedule for 2009 Students