Japan to End $16.7K Living Stipends for Foreign PhD Students

• Japan plans to stop living subsidies for foreign PhD students from 2027.
• Currently, 39% of stipend recipients are international students, mostly Chinese.
• Foreign students can still receive research grants, but not living aid.

Japan's education ministry has revealed intentions to limit living expense subsidies for doctoral students to Japanese nationals, after parliamentary worries regarding the significant number of foreign recipients.

A proposal discussed at a ministry panel meeting on June 26 states that starting in 2027, international doctoral students will be ineligible for financial support for living expenses from the government's funding program, as reported by The Mainichi.

The proposal, awaiting committee approval, is set to begin in fiscal 2027 and will prevent foreign students from receiving yearly living subsidies between 1.8 to 2.4 million yen (US$12,535–16,714).

In the fiscal year 2024, 10,564 students were awarded these stipends, with about 39% of them hailing from abroad. Chinese citizens constituted the largest group of foreign recipients, totaling 3,151 individuals, which is 76%.

The matter received notice in March when a legislator brought it up in a parliamentary session, arguing that the funds should be given precedence to Japanese citizens.

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The support program was initially launched in fiscal 2021 to increase doctoral enrollment by providing assistance for students’ living and research expenses.

On June 26, the education ministry highlighted that the initiative was "primarily to support Japanese students who are hesitant to pursue doctoral studies due to financial concerns," according to The Asahi Shimbun.

The ministry observed that international students generally decide to undertake doctoral studies prior to arriving in Japan and are frequently financially equipped to study abroad on their own. "Living expense support will not be provided to international students," the ministry concluded.

Under the current scheme, international students would still qualify for research grants worth up to 1.1 million yen under the current scheme.