Scholarships

Ritsumeikan University provides a range of financial support for international students. It also supports applications for scholarships offered by external organizations such as the Japan Student Service Organization (JASSO).

1. Scholarships available BEFORE Enrollment at RU

The Ritsumeikan University Tuition Reduction Scheme

Tuition Reduction Category	Amount of Tuition Reduction	Number of Students Accepted	Eligibility	Period
Undergraduate Category I	100% Reduction Ex.) 1,398,800 JPY → 0 JPY	Top 10% or less of the admissions capacity	Those who possess the status of residence "Student" by the time of enrollment.	One Year
Undergraduate Category II	50% Reduction Ex.) 1,398,800 JPY → 699,400 JPY	The next 10% or less of the admissions capacity
Undergraduate Category III	20% Reduction Ex.) 1,398,800 JPY → 1,119,040 JPY	All other admitted students not receiving a Category I or II reduction

* The above chart indicates Tuition Reduction Scholarship allotment for the first year of study.

The 1st Year: decided based on admission result.
The 2nd Year and onwards: decided based on the grades of each year.
The examples above indicate the annual tuition for GS Major students enrolling in 2025.
The RU Tuition Reduction Scheme will be revised for 2027 onwards.

For students of the College of Global Liberal Arts
For students of the JD program (Ritsumeikan University Home)

2. Scholarships available AFTER Enrollment at RU

Examples of other scholarships available for international students after enrollment:

JASSO scholarship: 48,000 yen/month
International Students Assistance Scholarship by RU Faculty/Staff: 250,000yen/year

Application for the above scholarships can be made after enrollment. Details will be explained at the information sessions each semester.

For further information on this scholarship, please refer to this page.

3. Scholarships for students of the College of Global Liberal Arts

700,000 JPY (College of Global Liberal Arts Scholarship for Study Abroad*)

300,000 JPY (Ritsumeikan University Study Abroad Challenge Scholarship*)

* This scholarship will be provided to all students who study at The Australian National University in this Dual degree program.
* Students cannot receive it in combination with other scholarships specified in university policies.
* Subject to change.

4. Scholarships for students of the JD program (Ritsumeikan University Home)

*This is the information for students who start their study at Ritsumeikan University (RU home).
If you would like to apply the program starting from American University (AU home), please visit AU SIS website.

In recognition of the academic excellence of the Program Students, AU will award the RU Home Students a scholarship of 30% of their AU tuition (not including fees). RU Home Students must maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 of AU GPA scale, assessed initially after the first two semesters at RU, and then each semester thereafter, to maintain the award.
*RU Home Students are not eligible for any other merit-based scholarships through the AU Admissions Office.

RU will also offer Ritsumeikan University Study Abroad Challenge Scholarship (JPY 500,000 / semester) to RU home students who achieve required academic scores at RU. The Scholarship will be paid upon application for a maximum of two years(4 semesters) during their study in AU.
*Subject to change.

5. Scholarship from the Japanese government

MEXT University Recommendation Scholarship, Special Selection

The MEXT University Recommendation Scholarship, Special Selection is a highly competitive and prestigious comprehensive "full-ride" scholarship sponsored by the government of Japan. As indicated by the name, an applicant must be recommended by Ritsumeikan University to MEXT, or as it's formally known, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan (known as the "Monbukagakusho" in Japanese), in order to be considered for the scholarship.