Asian Program

Japanese

FAQ

FAQs for RONPAKU Applicants

1. How do I go about applying for a RONPAKU Fellowship?
2. My home institution does not come under the jurisdiction of a JSPS counterpart organization. / I am from a country in which there is no JSPS counterpart organization. May I apply?
3. When should I apply for the program?
4. May I apply to JSPS directly?
5. I already have a PhD degree from a university in my home country. Am I qualified to apply for a RONPAKU Fellowship?
6. I don’t know anybody to ask to be my Japanese advisor. May I ask JSPS to introduce me to one?
7. What is the eligibility of a Japanese advisor?
8. When may I receive my selection result?

1. How do I go about applying for a RONPAKU Fellowship?

RONPAKU applicants are to prepare Forms 2, 3 and 4, and send them to their prospective Japanese advisor. The prospective advisor is to fill out Form 1 and submit it along with all the other forms to JSPS through his/her university.

2. My home institution does not come under the jurisdiction of a JSPS counterpart organization. / I am from a country in which there is no JSPS counterpart organization. May I apply?

Yes, you may. RONPAKU applicants who do not have a JSPS counterpart organization in their country are to submit a recommendation letter (Form 4-2) filled out by a third-party researcher, instead of Form 4-1. (However, if an applicant in a country with a JSPS counterpart organization submits a Form 4-2, JSPS will not accept the application.)

3. When should I apply for the program?

JSPS accepts applications once a year, usually in early September. Please note that JSPS counterpart organizations may set an earlier closing date for issuing a recommendation letter. Applicants in countries with a JSPS counterpart organization should ask them for deadline details in advance.

4. May I apply to JSPS directly?

No, you may not. All applications need to be submitted through a prospective Japanese advisor’s university.

5. I already have a PhD degree from a university in my home country. Am I qualified to apply for a RONPAKU Fellowship?

Yes. If you have not received a PhD degree from a Japanese university, you may apply for the program.

6. I don’t know anybody to ask to be my Japanese advisor. May I ask JSPS to introduce me to one?

I’m sorry, but JSPS is not in a position to introduce prospective Japanese advisors to applicants. Please use your faculty’s international network, academic societies or other means to find a prospective Japanese advisor.

7. What is the eligibility of a Japanese advisor?

A prospective Japanese advisor must be a full-time researcher who, as of April of the starting year of your fellowship, is engaged in implementing a doctoral course at the Japanese university where you will submit your PhD thesis.

8. When may I receive my selection result?

JSPS will inform you of the result by the end of next January.