"Design the Future" Award for International Students

Keio "Design the Future" Award for International Students

Last updated : 2025/7/18

General application information (2026 academic year)

Refer to the following information.

2026 Application Information

The Selection Process (Details):
Each Graduate School performs a primary screening of applicants and nominates candidates to the Scholarship Committee. This committee then conducts a review of documents and conducts interviews for the final selection. Result of the primary screening will be announced only those who have passed it by the late of November and the interview will be scheduled on December 6, 2025. Detailed information will be sent to each applicant nominated for the Award.

2026 Application Form (Resume)

* Procedure of application vary according to the graduate school. Please see the table below for more information.

Application period & conditions of each Graduate School (2026 academic year)

Graduate Schools Application period Conditions
Letters

Sep 8 - Oct 3 in 2025 (must-arrive)

1. Applicants should submit the following documents:

Resume (designated form, should be downloaded from this website), Academic Transcript (both Undergraduate and Graduate Schools, in English), Research Achievements (e.g. list of papers, academic presentations), Japanese language proficiency test results or equivalent.

2. Applicants are required to ask his/her desired research supervisor (should be a member of the Graduate School of Letters) to send Recommendation Letter directly to the Office of Student Services.

3. Application documents should be sent to the following address:

Office of Student Services for the Graduate School of Letters, Keio University

2-15-45 Mita, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8345 Japan
(The application documents must reach us no later than Oct 3 in 2025.)

Economics N/A
The Graduate School of Economics will select successful applicants for the scholarship.
Recipients of this scholarship will be chosen from:
- applicants who are planning to apply for our Doctoral Program
- successful applicants who have already passed the entrance examination for our Master's Program
The Graduate School of Economics will contact eligible students individually for more details. We accept applications submitted only by those who get contacted by us.
Laws by Oct 2 in 2025

1. Applicants should submit the following documents:

Resume(designated form, should be downloaded from this website), Academic Transcript(both Graduate school(only for doctoral program), and Undergraduate, in English), Research Achievements(e.g. list of papers, academic presentations), Copy of JLPT(Japanese language proficiency test) results(N1 level) or EJU(Examination for Japanese University Admission for International Students) results, research plan document(Japanese only, free format), Self-recommendation letter(Japanese only, free format), Letter of recommendation(Japanese only, free format, written by desired research supervisor in Keio University would be preferable ).

2. Graduate school of law will select successful applicants for the scholarship.

Recipients of this scholarship will be chosen from applicants who have already passed the entrance examination or planning to apply for our Graduate school of law.

3. Application documents should be sent to the following address:

Office of Student services for the Graduate school of Law, Keio University

2-15-45 Mita, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8345 Japan

Human Relations Sep 10 - Sep 24 in 2025 (must-arrive)

【Eligibility for Application】

Applicants must be

- those who have already passed the entrance examination for the master's program of the Graduate School of Human Relations

or

- those who are planning to apply for Doctoral program

【Application Documents】
1. Resume (designated form, should be downloaded from this website)
2. Academic Transcripts from your home university (in English)
3. Copy of certificate JLPT (Japanese language proficiency test) "N1 level"
or
Copy of score report of EJU (Examination for Japanese University Admission for International Students) "Japanese as a Foreign Language"
4. Research Achievements (e.g. list of papers, academic presentations)
5. Recommendation Letter (designated form): Please ask your desired supervising professor in the Graduate School of Human Relations Sociology to prepare the recommendation. The recommendation must arrive by the application deadline and be submitted directly to the Graduate School of Huma n Relations section at the Office of Student Services by the desired supervising professor.
* Please check the contact email addresses of the faculty members from the following website Faculty Profiles.

https://www.hr.keio.ac.jp/en/index.html

Application documents should be sent to the following address:

Office of Student Services for the Graduate School of Human Relations, Keio University

2-15-45 Mita, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8345 Japan

Business and Commerce
Sep 8 to Sep 19 in 2025.
For Master's Program only.
1.Master's Program
1)Scholarship applications are accepted only from those who passed the entrance examination.
2)Applicants should submit the following documents:
Resume (designated form, should be downloaded from this website), Academic Transcript (Undergraduate Schools, in English), Research Achievements (e.g. list of papers, academic presentations)
3)Application documents should be sent to the following address:
Office of Student Services for the Graduate School of Business and Commerce, Keio University
2-15-45 Mita, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8345 Japan
(The application documents must reach us no later than Sep 19 in 2025.)
2.Doctoral Program
The Graduate School of Business and Commerce will recommend and choose the candidates for this scholarship from those who will apply for the entrance examination.
Medicine N/A The Graduate School of Medicine selects candidates who are deemed to have the potential to 'design the future'. Eligible individuals from among those who have passed the entrance examination will be asked to submit application documents upon our request. (There will be no public call for applications.)
Science and Technology
September 1, 2025~October 17, 2025

【 Eligibility for Application 】
1. The applicant is required to complete IGP online application by October 17, 2025.
2. The applicant must be recommended from his/her prospective academic advisor.

【Application Documents】
1. Recommendation Letter (prescribe form, we will offer a form after you nominated by your prospective academic advisor)
2. Resume (prescribe form, can be download from this website)
3. Self-recommendation Letter (free format)
4. Research Achievements (e.g. List of papers, academic presentations)


【How to Submit the Documents】
1. Submit scholarship application documents 2~4 stated on above section through IGP Online Application System:
https://www.st.keio.ac.jp/en/admissions/application.html
2. Request your prospective academic advisor to contact ao_st_inquiry@info.keio.ac.jp about recommendation.

Business Administration Aug 22 - Sep 3 in 2025
(must-arrive)

[Eligible Applicants]
MBA Program applicants for the Fall entrance examination; applicants should submit both application documents for entrance examination and application documents for this scholarship no later than Sep 3, 2025.
[Application Documents]
1. Application Form (designated form; Resume should be downloaded from this website)
2. Academic Transcript (both Undergraduate and Graduate Schools, in English)
3. Other supporting documents (e.g. research achievements such as list of papers and academic presentations, Japanese language proficiency test results such as JLPT N1 score)
*Application documents for this scholarship can be enclosed with the application documents for entrance examination, but must be clipped together or placed in a clear file folder so that they are clearly identifiable as documents for this scholarship application.
[Submit to]
Admissions Office of Graduate School of Business Administration,
Keio University
4-1-1 Hiyoshi, Kouhoku-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa 223-8526, JAPAN

Media and Governance N/A The Graduate School of Media and Governance will select, from among applicants, those recommendable for the scholarship.The
nominee will be asked to submit the scholarship application form separately, so you do not need to submit the form when you apply for the Graduate School.
Law School N/A

The Law School will select candidates from successful applicants who have already passed the entrance examination for LL.M. in Global Legal Practice. The candidates selected by Law School will be informed before the admission registration period.

Health Management N/A The Graduate School of Health Management selects students from prospective applicants who have the potential to 'design the future'. The nominee will be asked to submit the scholarship application form from the Graduate School.
System Design and Management N/A

The Graduate School of System Design and Management (SDM) will select a candidate who have the potential to 'design the future' from the successful applicants who have already passed the entrance examination in the application period I and II.
The candidate selected by SDM will be informed the candidate selection and the details on the scholarship application from SDM via email (around the end of October). Those who do not receive the contact from SDM on the candidate selection cannot apply for this scholarship.

Media Design N/A

The Graduate School of Media Design selects the candidates mainly from those who applied to our entrance exam based on their potential.
Those who do not receive communication from KMD regarding candidate selection cannot apply for this scholarship.
Details regarding the application for this scholarship will be provided only to those who have been selected as candidates.

Pharmaceutical Sciences N/A

The Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences will select candidates from among those who have passed the entrance examinations for our Master's Program or Ph.D. Program. The selected eligible students will be contacted directly with further details for this scholarship. Applications will only be accepted from those who have been contacted.

Other Scholarships Available

Other scholarships opportunities for graduate students are also available, including the Japanese Government Graduate Research Student Scholarship as well as scholarships provided by more than 100 public and private foundations.

Welcome to Keio University

Keio University was founded by Yukichi FUKUZAWA in 1858 as the first modern institution of higher education in Japan. To commemorate the university's 150th anniversary in 2008, Keio has launched the "Design the Future" Award for International Students.
This scholarship, aimed at highly talented international students with outstanding academic records, is possibly the most generous available from a Japanese university.
International students with the drive to become global leaders in academia, business, and public services are strongly encouraged to take advantage of this exceptional opportunity.