A University of Tokyo scholarship can mean five different things. It can be a MEXT nomination, the university’s own fellowship, a fee exemption, a JASSO award or a private foundation grant. Each one has its own rules and its own timing.
The timing matters most. A University of Tokyo scholarship decided alongside admission shapes your whole plan. One decided after enrolment helps once you are inside the university.
This guide covers the five routes open to international graduate students at UTokyo, often called Todai. Every figure comes from the University of Tokyo’s own pages or the funder’s page, checked on 25 September 2026.
Table of contents
- What UTokyo costs before any award
- Route 1: MEXT University Recommendation
- Route 2: The University of Tokyo Fellowship
- Route 3: Tuition and admission fee exemption
- Routes 4 and 5: JASSO and private awards
- Every University of Tokyo scholarship compared
- Planning for October 2027 entry
What UTokyo costs before any award
A University of Tokyo scholarship is easier to value once you know the fees it offsets. The UTokyo admission fee and tuition page lists:
| Category | Annual tuition | Admission fee |
|---|---|---|
| Master’s and professional | ¥535,800 | ¥282,000 |
| Doctoral | ¥520,800 | ¥282,000 |
These are UTokyo’s own published rates. Other national universities set theirs separately, so compare each programme’s fee page. Measure any University of Tokyo scholarship offer against these two lines: what it removes from fees, and what it adds each month.
Route 1: MEXT University Recommendation
Under this route UTokyo selects applicants and recommends them to MEXT. The scholarship waives examination, matriculation and tuition fees. The MEXT 2027 guidelines list ¥144,000 a month for Master’s students and ¥145,000 for doctoral students.
How UTokyo runs it
UTokyo runs University Recommendation through its individual graduate schools. Its MEXT page states that most applicants are students on inter-university exchange agreements, and that application periods vary by graduate school.
The Graduate School of Science window
The Graduate School of Science runs a Special Selection for International Applicants from 15 to 30 October 2026, for April 2027 or October 2027 entry. Its page states that applicants in this period can apply for the University Recommended MEXT Scholarship for 2027. A later round runs from 7 to 22 December 2026 for October 2027 entry.
Two points to plan around
Nomination and admission are separate decisions, and quotas are small. Applicants must be born on or after 2 April 1992. Our MEXT University Recommendation guide explains the process, and our MEXT scholarship 2027 post covers the current cycle.
Route 2: The University of Tokyo Fellowship
This is the university’s own University of Tokyo scholarship for international graduate students. The University of Tokyo Fellowship page describes it as support for outstanding self-funded international students pursuing degrees at the university.
What it pays
Recipients receive a monthly research grant of ¥200,000 for the standard period of study in their graduate programme. The page reports 44 new recipients selected in AY2025.
How to apply
Applications go through the applicant’s affiliated or prospective graduate school. Contact that school’s international office for its internal dates. The fellowship is a living grant and does not cover tuition, so pair it with the exemption below where you qualify.
Who it suits
The fellowship suits a strong self-funded applicant whose graduate school backs the nomination. As a University of Tokyo scholarship it rewards academic record and research fit, so a clear research plan and supportive faculty contact help.
Route 3: Tuition and admission fee exemption
The UTokyo exemption page offers full or partial exemption from admission and tuition fees. Eligibility combines financial difficulty with outstanding academic capability. Newly enrolled and current students can apply. Research students cannot.
Timing and odds
UTokyo sets an application window each semester. For the second half of 2026, new students applied from 3 August to the last day of their admission procedure. The page notes that the chance of an admission fee exemption is quite low, so treat any saving as a bonus. Apply for this University of Tokyo scholarship route as soon as your admission is confirmed, since the window closes with the admission procedure.
Routes 4 and 5: JASSO and private awards
Route 4: JASSO Honors Scholarship
UTokyo lists the MEXT Honors Scholarship for Privately Financed International Students, run by JASSO. It pays ¥48,000 a month to graduate students. It is means-tested: the allowance received from home, excluding fees, must average no more than ¥90,000 a month. There is a language condition of JLPT N2 or CEFR B2 English. Our JASSO scholarship guide covers the detail.
Route 5: Private foundation scholarships
UTokyo also lists scholarships offered by private organisations. Amounts, conditions and dates vary by foundation, and most are applied for after enrolment through the university.
Every University of Tokyo scholarship compared
| Route | Monthly amount | Tuition | When decided |
|---|---|---|---|
| MEXT University Recommendation | ¥144,000 / ¥145,000 | Waived | With admission |
| University of Tokyo Fellowship | ¥200,000 | Your cost | Via graduate school |
| Fee exemption | None | Full or partial | Each semester |
| JASSO Honors | ¥48,000 | Your cost | After enrolment |
| Private foundations | Varies | Varies | Mostly after enrolment |
Reading the table
Among these, only MEXT University Recommendation is decided alongside admission and covers both tuition and living costs. Every other University of Tokyo scholarship improves your position once you are inside the university.
Planning for October 2027 entry
A final-year B.Tech student graduating in mid-2027 targets October 2027 entry. Our post on the MS in Japan intake for 2027 explains why October is the first realistic start.
Questions to ask your graduate school
Write to the international office of the graduate school you are applying to. Ask three things:
- Does it nominate applicants for MEXT University Recommendation in your intake, and when?
- When does it run its internal round for the University of Tokyo Fellowship?
- Which private foundation awards have its students received recently?
Each graduate school answers differently. Their replies become your University of Tokyo scholarship calendar, so record each one with the date it arrived.
Build the base first
Plan a budget your family can fund and evidence at the visa stage. Then add every University of Tokyo scholarship you qualify for. Our guide to Japan student visa proof of funds explains the funding evidence.
For options beyond Todai, see our guide to each Japan scholarship for Indian students. The best University of Tokyo scholarship plan starts with the right graduate school and its October 2026 window.
Sachin Gupta runs our Japan desk himself and takes every student conversation personally. Through WebMob he works inside Japan’s technology sector, and he has been to Japan nine times since 2023. Fifteen years leading counselling at Top Uni Admit. Around 175 students placed a year.
As Sachin puts it: “Worth asking any consultant who runs their Japan desk, and whether that person has ever worked in Japan.”
Book a call to check which University of Tokyo scholarship routes fit your programme and intake.
Sachin Gupta founded Top Uni Admit and runs its Japan desk. He handles every student conversation and every institutional contact for Japan personally. Top Uni Admit has advised Indian students on overseas study for fifteen years across Australia, Canada, the UK, the USA, Germany and France.