First applications for Team Tokyo Tech Student Support Program open

Published: June 1, 2020

The Institute recently established the Team Tokyo Tech Student Support Program to aid students affected financially by COVID-19, and the first round of applications for the program is now open.

The spread of the novel coronavirus has created an unprecedented situation and continues to affect the livelihood of students. Due to economic stagnation, certain students have lost their source of income and are struggling to pay for tuition and living expenses. It has become increasingly difficult for these students to maintain their university lives.

To ensure that these students can continue with their studies at the Institute, the Team Tokyo Tech Student Support Program offers help through various initiatives including an emergency loan program, extension of tuition payment deadlines, and tuition exemption for students who need to extend their enrollment period due to COVID-19.

Outline of Team Tokyo Tech Student Support Program

On May 8, the Institute announced the three following initiatives as part of the Team Tokyo Tech Student Support Program. Details regarding applications for and information about each initiative are available on the COVID-19 updates for all new students and current students page.

Emergency loan program

The Institute's independent COVID-19 Student Emergency Loans provide urgent financial support to students who have experienced a significant decrease in income due to the effects of the novel coronavirus outbreak. The first round of applications for these loans is now open. Students can view details regarding application conditions and procedures in Urgent Financial Support for Tokyo Tech Students.

Tokyo Tech will review students' circumstances at a later date, and may exempt those deemed to be experiencing severe financial hardship from full or partial repayment of their loans. In such cases, students will have their loans replaced with scholarships sourced from the Scholarship Fund.

Loan amount	JPY50,000 per month for each student for a maximum of six months. Loans are interest-free.
Repayment method	Students must repay the loan at the end of the month following the two-year period after the last month in which a loan was disbursed.¹ Payments must be made via bank transfer to an account designated by the Institute.
Eligible students	First round Students who have applied for tuition exemption² are eligible. Second round This round, planned for June, is open to all Tokyo Tech students.

1: If the borrower withdraws from the Institute or is subject to disciplinary action, etc., he or she must repay immediately the loan balance.
2: Eligible bachelor's degree students are those who have applied for the financial support system for higher education, special measures concerning tuition exemption, or Scholarship for Outstanding International Undergraduates.

Extension of tuition payment deadlines

Tuition payment deadlines for the first semester of academic year 2020 will be extended to Monday, September 28, 2020.³

All students are eligible regardless of level of study. This includes non-degree students, domestic and privately funded international researchers, exchange students, and international visiting students.

3: The deadline will be Monday, June 15 for those planning to complete their degrees in June 2020, and Thursday, August 27 for those planning to complete their degrees in September 2020. For exchange students and visiting international students whose enrollment period ends in September 2020, the deadline will be one week before the end of their enrollment period.

Tuition exemption during extension of enrollment period

As bachelor's degree students are attempting to complete their Independent Research Projects and master's and doctoral students are looking to complete their theses or dissertations, it is possible that some students may have to extend their enrollment period due to the current suspension of research activities at Tokyo Tech. To reduce the financial burden on students during this period, bachelor's degree students who planned to complete their studies in September 2020 will be exempt from tuition for a six-month extension period, while master's and doctoral students who planned to complete their studies in June or September 2020 will be exempt from tuition for a three-month period. Both of these pertain only to extensions past the standard duration of study required for graduation.

Due to delays caused by COVID-19, the thesis and dissertation review schedule for master's and doctoral students will also be made more flexible.

Support students who create a better future

The Team Tokyo Tech Student Support Program operates under the Scholarship Fund. The Institute gratefully accepts gifts to fund this program from anyone who wants to support Tokyo Tech students — the budding scientists and engineers who create a better future.

This program is supported by Tokyo Tech Fund

Tokyo Institute of Technology Fund

Contact

For inquiries regarding the emergency support:

Student Emergency Support Office

E-mail : seso-apply@jim.titech.ac.jp

For inquiries regarding the Tokyo Tech Fund:

Tokyo Tech Fund Office

E-mail : bokin@jim.titech.ac.jp

*: This article has been updated to add information on "Tuition exemption during extension of enrollment period" on June 29.