Graduate Financial Support Info

Kumamoto Gakuen University (KGU) offers a tuition exemption of 50% designed to reduce the financial burden of privately funded international students, who are highly motivated to study and who fulfill certain conditions, in order to allow them to concentrate on their studies. To be eligible for this exemption, an individual must have the status of residence "Student" as a degree-seeking privately funded international student.

Other scholarships including “MEXT Honors Scholarship for Privately-Financed International Students” offered by JASSO, the JEES Scholarship for International Students, and Kumamoto YWCA Scholarship are also available to apply through KGU, depending on the year.

KGU supports a part of the necessary expenses for making research presentations at academic conferences, and publishing papers in academic journals, in order to encourage the academic activities of graduate students and to promote academic research.

Making copies up to 1,500 pages are free of charge per year when photocopying documents and handouts for classes using on-campus designated copiers.

With the aim of realizing detailed guidance in undergraduate and graduate education and providing training opportunities for graduate students to become teachers and researchers in the future, KGU has established a teaching assistant program, with many graduate students participating every year. Through this program, students learn about education and research methods under the guidance of faculty members with abundant research achievements and practical experience, and receive a certain amount of remuneration, which is designed to play a role in providing financial support to graduate students.

KGU has established a research assistant program to enhance the academic research of the Graduate Schools and effectively promote research projects, as well as to foster young researchers through research support work.

The "Education and Training Benefit System" is an employment insurance benefit system that aims to support employees' proactive development efforts or medium- to long-term career development, and to promote employment stability and re-employment. Eligible persons include persons covered by employment insurance (employed) and persons covered by employment insurance (unemployed) who meet certain conditions and complete general education and training designated by the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare. The amount equivalent to a certain percentage of the educational expenses paid by the person himself/herself to the educational institution (the upper limit of 100,000 JPY) is paid from Hello Work (Public Employment Security Office). In our university, all the master's programs and professional degree program are accredited as a "General Education and Training Benefits Designated Course" so the graduates of those programs who meet the benefit requirements can receive benefits.

The long-term course is a course that allows students who continue to work while attending graduate school, to extend their school year if they have difficult taking the standard course of study (2 years of master's program, 2 years of professional degree program, 3 years of doctoral program).

Eligibility

Those who can apply for a long-term course shall fall under one of the following conditions:

1. Those who have a profession and are employed.
2. Those who have various circumstances such as nursing care, childcare, childbirth, etc.
3. Those whom the Graduate School admitted to have extenuating circumstances.

Long-term Course of Study Period

The course of study period for long-term course students is as follows.

By extending the study period as above, the tuition fee shall be divided up to reduce the cost burden of tuition per year. Please note that the long-term course students cannot apply for an Education and Training Benefit.