Meiji Jingu Japanese Studies Research Scholarships

There are two Meiji Jingu Japanese Studies Research Scholarships available. Each scholarship is valued at £7,000 in total.

Scholarships are for one year only, but it is possible to reapply if an award recipient has demonstrated outstanding potential for research. Please note that this scholarship cannot be held during the Extension of Writing-Up (Continuation) status.

Eligible programme

• Any full-time MPhil/PhD programme where the student will be working on some aspect of Japanese Studies.
• Part-time programmes are not eligible.

Candidate criteria

• Open to UK/EU and Overseas applicants
• Current PhD students at SOAS, or newly enrolling full-time MPhil students with an offer of admission are eligible.  Newly enrolling MPhil students may be given preference.
• It is important that your referees comment on your skill in Japanese in the areas of reading, composition and speaking.
• Applicant must possess an MA degree from SOAS or an equivalent institution in a relevant subject.
• Candidates must have an offer of admission by the scholarship deadline.
• Applicants (new admissions, i.e. starting in September 2024) must meet the English language condition of their offer of admission to study at SOAS as soon as possible. If your offer is conditional on English, please arrange your English test and ensure you meet the English requirements as soon as possible. Please note that this scholarships does not cover funding or even allow for Pre-sessionals. 

Candidate assessment

• MPhil candidates will be assessed on academic merit and the strength of their proposal.
• PhD candidates will be assessed on academic merit, the results of their research during the previous year and proposal.
• Some consideration will be given to financial need.

Scholarship application deadline

• Scholarship Applications must be received no later than 12:00 PM (midday UK local time) on 15 May 2024.
• New applicants only (new admissions, starting in September 2024): You must also submit a complete application to your programme as soon as possible and then submit an application for the scholarship. Please note that complete applications for admission can take 4 weeks to be considered by the Department, although this duration can vary depending on the time of year.  You should be prepared to wait up to 6 weeks in busy periods. 
• Late or incomplete applications will not be considered.

Notification of results

The scholarship shortlisting and awarding period is expected to completed by the end of July 2024, at the earliest. Successful candidates will be contacted first and once all awards have been allocated, the unsuccessful candidates will be notified.

Scholarship application procedures

Applicants should follow the following steps:

Step 1 - Apply for the scholarship by 12:00 PM (midday UK local time) on 15 May 2024

You can apply for this scholarship via the online application form

Current SOAS MPhil/PhD students only: In addition to the online scholarship application form, you will also need one academic reference. Please contact scholarships@soas.ac.uk for the reference form that will need to be completed by your nominated referee by the scholarship deadline. If this part is not completed, you will not be considered for this award. 

Step 2 - Apply for your  programme

Guidance on how to apply and what makes a complete application can be found on how to apply (research).

For enquiries, please contact the Scholarships Department:

Email: scholarships@soas.ac.uk 
Telephone: +44 (0)20 7074 5090