The Mitsubishi UFJ Foundation for International Education (公益財団法人三菱UFJ国際財団) is a Tokyo-based private foundation funding international graduate students from Asian countries at Japanese universities with a monthly stipend of approximately ¥100,000. Established in the early 1990s by the Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, the foundation has consistently funded Asian master's and doctoral candidates across all disciplines. For the 2027 cycle the foundation continues its existing structure with applications opening in late summer 2026.
Stipend and structure
The foundation pays ¥100,000 per month, for 12 months, with renewal possible based on academic progress. There is no tuition reimbursement, no airfare, and no research grant. The stipend is deposited monthly into a Japanese bank account. Most recipients combine the award with a Japanese university tuition waiver — typically a 50–100% reduction on standard graduate tuition — producing an effectively fully-funded package. Our breakdown of the cheapest universities in Japan for international graduates shows which institutions stack best with this stipend level.
Who the foundation is for
The foundation prioritizes applicants from China, Korea, Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, and the Philippines. It accepts master's and doctoral candidates across all disciplines, with no formal quota by field. Applications from candidates whose research addresses Asian regional issues — finance, business strategy, regional cooperation, development economics — tend to be slightly more competitive, but pure STEM and pure humanities applicants are also funded. For applicants comparing this against the embassy MEXT track, our regional MEXT guides for Vietnamese students and Indonesian students are useful comparisons. The foundation is most often a fallback for Asian applicants who narrowly missed the embassy MEXT slot.
Application timing for 2027
The Mitsubishi UFJ Foundation cycle runs August–March. PhD and master's candidates planning April 2027 entry should target the autumn 2026 application window. The foundation is compatible with university tuition waivers and JASSO Honors. It is not compatible with MEXT, JDS, or other full-funding government scholarships. Browse all scholarships to identify other Asian-country-focused foundations that complement this award. For a broader funding strategy see our MEXT scholarship 2027 complete guide.