The Kyoto City International Foundation (公益財団法人京都市国際交流協会, KCIF) is a Kyoto-based foundation supporting international residents and students in Kyoto City. Among its programs, the foundation runs an annual scholarship for international graduate students at universities in Kyoto City, providing a monthly stipend of ¥80,000 for 12 months. Founded in 1989 as a city-affiliated international exchange organization, KCIF has built a reputation as the most accessible scholarship for Kyoto-area international graduate students — particularly those with documented financial need who are not on a full government scholarship. For the 2027 cycle KCIF continues its existing structure with applications opening in early summer 2026.
Stipend structure
KCIF pays a monthly stipend of ¥80,000 deposited directly into a Japanese bank account. The award runs for 12 months and is renewable. There is no separate tuition coverage, no airfare, and no research grant. The stipend is intentionally modest compared to top-tier private foundations like Honjo (¥150,000) or Sato Yo (¥180,000), but the acceptance rate is correspondingly higher and the selection criteria more flexible. KCIF is best understood as supplementary living-cost support — the recipient is expected to have their main funding (tuition waiver, partial scholarship, family support, or research assistantship) already in place.
Eligibility and selection
KCIF is open to international graduate students of any nationality enrolled at, or holding firm acceptance from, a Kyoto City university. Eligible institutions include Kyoto University, Doshisha, Ritsumeikan, Kyoto Sangyo, Kyoto Institute of Technology, and other accredited Kyoto-area universities. Both master's and doctoral candidates are eligible. Selection weights financial need alongside academic merit — this is unusual among Japanese scholarships and makes KCIF particularly valuable for applicants who do not have access to family financial support. There is no formal JLPT requirement but applicants in Japanese-medium programs benefit from at least JLPT N3 Japanese for daily life in Kyoto.
How KCIF fits into a Kyoto study plan
KCIF is most often paired with a Kyoto University or Doshisha tuition waiver. Unlike most Japanese private foundations, KCIF allows MEXT stacking in specific circumstances, making it one of the few scholarships that MEXT recipients can also hold. For applicants planning to study in Kyoto specifically, our overview of the cheapest universities in Japan for international graduates compares Kyoto-area institutional support packages. Browse all scholarships to identify additional Kyoto-area or city-affiliated options. For broader Japan study strategy, see our MEXT scholarship 2027 complete guide.