Tokyo Tech News
Tokyo Tech News
Published: February 22, 2019
In order to ensure sustainable financial resources that will enable the continuous enhancement of its education and learning environment, Tokyo Tech has decided to increase tuition from April 2019.1 Alongside this change, the Institute has recently established the Tsubame Scholarship for Doctoral Students to provide outstanding students equal access to Tokyo Tech education. Through this new scholarship, which also comes into effect in April 2019, the Institute will be able to offer financial support to a greater number of doctoral students than in the past.
1 Annual tuition at Tokyo Tech for bachelor-level students enrolling in or after April 2019 and master's, professional master's, and doctoral students enrolling in or after September 2019 will increase from the current 535,800 yen to 635,400 yen.
In the context of fundamentally strengthening innovation in science and technology, Japan’s 5th Science and Technology Basic Plan calls for enhanced financial support for doctoral students. Tokyo Tech introduced a new education system that facilitates seamless transition from one level of study to the next in 2016, a move that would contribute to the Institute being named a Designated National University two years later. In line with this progress, the Tsubame Scholarship for Doctoral Students is the Institute’s latest attempt to support students in creating impact for Japan and the world.
In the past, the Institute provided financial support to doctoral students who completed teaching and research assistantships. However, with this change, Tokyo Tech expects to offer scholarships to 50 percent of its doctoral students, an over 25-percent increase compared to the previous system based on assistantships.
Ratio of students eligible for Tsubame Scholarship for Doctoral Students
Estimate based on number of enrolled doctoral students in AY2017
The Tsubame Scholarship for Doctoral Students does not exclude those who work as teaching or research assistants, nor those who receive tuition exemption, allowing financially disadvantaged students to secure financial support beyond tuition.
Students who enrolled in a doctoral degree program in or after April 20182 are eligible. Awards are provided over the duration of a standard doctoral degree program.
2 Recipients of the JSPS Research Fellowship for Young Scientists, MEXT Scholarships, overseas government scholarships, or other scholarships that do not permit funding from other sources, those receiving income as regular employees of a company or individuals who own a business, and those who have exceeded the standard period of a doctoral degree (unless illnesses and other extenuating circumstances were involved) are not eligible.
In the first year of doctoral studies, all recipients will receive the standard award of 480,000 yen per year. In the second and third years,3 students who show outstanding academic performance (approximately 20 percent of recipients) will be granted a special award, which is equivalent to their annual tuition of 635,400 yen.
3 As the new scholarship system is phased in, only the standard award will be made available in AY2019. Therefore, all doctoral students who enrolled in April 2018 and become scholarship recipients in April 2019 will receive the standard award in AY2019, despite entering their second year. Retroactive payments will not be awarded for AY2018.
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