In light of the difficult economic situation due to the pandemic and following in our footsteps from fiscal year 2020, this year Ritsumeikan University decided to conduct the “Ritsumeikan University Emergency Student Support Fund 2021” in hope of allowing our students to continue their studies with greater peace of mind. Applications were collected from students and corresponding financial support was issued from the fund to those deemed eligible on the 31st of August, 2021.

As in the previous year, this fund was made possible by the generous donations of our alumni, faculty, staff, and others related to the university. We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to all of our supporters.
Today we are pleased to report with information on support provided, and a few words of gratitude from our recipient students.
All Ritsumeikan University faculty and staff commit to continue supporting our students so that they may study free of concern.

＜Outline of this fund＞
(1)Amount of Support: 30,000 JPY/student
(2)Eligibility: Undergraduate and graduate students who met all requirements.
＊For detailed eligibility criteria, please check the “Ritsumeikan University Emergency Student Support Fund” webpage.

＜Payment Report＞
No. of Students Supported: 2,491 (Domestic Students: 2,155, International Students: 336)
Value of Support Issued: 74,730,000 JPY *Transferred on Tuesday, August 31,2021.

＜Student Testimonials＞

1st year student [College of Gastronomy Management]
I entered the College of Gastronomy Management in the middle of the covid-19 crisis. My family runs a tourism business, so our income decreased due to the pandemic. Despite the tough situation, I decided to enroll since I had wanted to study about gastronomy since high school.
As a recipient of the support fund, I would like to use my award to deepen my study both in and out of the classroom. Specifically, I’m planning to go and speak with farmers, and to learn about inactive, overgrown farmland and food loss by seeing it with my own eyes. It is important for me to get a firsthand look rather than relying on information from the internet alone. In the future, I would like to share the real-world knowledge I’ve learned with as many people as possible. To that end I will continue to actively pursue my passion, gain experience and do my best so that I can one day contribute to society. I truly appreciate all the people whose generous donations have made this support fund possible.

3rd year student [College of Information and Science Engineering]
I appreciate that I was selected as a recipient of Emergency Student Support Fund. This support fund will financially support me, especially in this pandemic situation of covid-19. I had to quit my part-time job after covid-19, since the store that I was working at closed. I tried to search for other part-time jobs afterwards, but there are not many places that are looking for foreign staff nowadays. As I will start my graduation research from next semester, I will spend more time preparing my graduation research during the summer vacation. Thus, I will be able to use this support fund and focus on my study rather than finding a part-time job. Moreover, this support fund will be used for purchasing Japanese books and the JLPT registration fee. As I can study more efficiently and take the JLPT test, it will be helpful for my future career in Japan as well. I would like to thank you again for the Emergency Student Support Fund. I hope that one day I will be able to contribute to Ritsumeikan University.

4th year student [College of Science and Engineering]
Since the state of emergency was declared last year, I gradually lost my part-time jobs and I was left without income for several months.
After a long struggle searching for a new part-time job I finally found one. Shortly thereafter a state of emergency was once again declared, however, causing my workplace to shorten work hours. With my work hours reduced on the one hand and with an internship and other responsibilities on the other, I was left with no choice but to survive on my savings alone. To make matters worse, as my graduation is fast approaching, in addition to living expenses I also need money to conduct research for my thesis. Faced with these pressures I resigned to the fact that I may need to give up on my research.
In this darkest hour of mine I found out about this support fund and applied for help. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for supporting students like myself who are in financial trouble. As a symbol of my gratitude I will work harder than ever towards the realization of my research, and ensure that it’s relevant to society in the eventual post-corona world.

2nd year student [Graduate School of Information Science and Engineering, Master’s program]
Amidst the pandemic my income as a part-time restaurant employee, and not only that, but my mother’s income as a worker in the hotel industry, diminished severely. At one point my family couldn’t provide me with any monthly allowance at all, and as I live on my own, I was reduced to surviving on the little income I had left from my part-time job and by withdrawing from my small savings. It was under these circumstances that I learned about the Ritsumeikan University Emergency Student Support Fund, decided to apply, and thankfully, was selected for the award.
Thank you to all of the alumni, faculty, staff, and friends of the university whose kindness has made this support fund possible. Thanks to you it’s looking like I will be able to survive without the need to pinch every penny, despite only having a meager part-time income. I will continue to conduct my research activities with diligence, will do my part to contribute to the development of technology, and finally, will do my best to mentor the underclassmen and women in my lab as they pursue their graduation research. It is thanks to your support that I can continue with my studies. I would like to express my deepest gratitude.