The Bridging Scholarship is a life-changing opportunity to study abroad in Japan in a credit-bearing semester or academic-year program. Each year approximately 70-100 academically outstanding, financially deserving U.S. undergraduate students are selected as Bridging Scholars. In addition to receiving a cash stipend, Bridging Scholars participate in cohort programming designed to assist students build a future as a global citizen with a lifelong connection to Japan.
Bridging Scholars come to the program from disparate academic backgrounds and interests, often from traditionally underrepresented communities. Each class of scholars represents students from large public universities, small liberal arts colleges, and community colleges across the U.S.
The 2024-25 Bridging Scholars cohort included 84 students from 29 states. Sixty-seven scholars studied in Japan this fall and another 17 headed to Japan this spring. Scholar majors ranged from biochemistry to fine arts but all students shared a common interest in Japan, its society, and its language and culture. Their destinations also varied, from giant campuses in Tokyo to small colleges in rural Japan.
Eighty-two percent of past Bridging Scholars reported that their study abroad experience aided in their career and professional development; eighty percent of responding alumni report that they continue to communicate with their Japanese host family, friends, and professors, and fifty-seven percent are currently working in Japan or for a U.S.-Japan related organization.
Qualifications:
1. Applicants must be U.S. citizens enrolled as undergraduates in a college or university in the United States before and during the time they study abroad.
2. Students majoring in any field of study are eligible to apply.
3. Japanese language study is not a prerequisite.
4. Students must study in a semester (at least 3 months) or an academic-year program in Japan and must earn credit that will transfer to their home campus in the U.S.
5. Students who have already begun their study abroad in Japan are not eligible to apply.
6. Scholarships must be used for tuition, travel, or daily cost-of-living expenses.
Scholarship Amounts:
1. Semester scholarship: $2,500 cash stipend.
2. Academic-year scholarship: $4,500 cash stipend.
Please ensure that you read all sections carefully. Your application will not be complete until all sections are marked "Complete" and you submit.
To apply, click "Apply Here". You will proceed through a list of eligibility questions, and then will move on to the full application.