Graduate Program in Sustainability Science (GPSS)

2 years English open

Scholarships

Only the support routes relevant to this programme are listed. Amounts marked as references must be reconfirmed for the applicant's award year.

Asian Development Bank – Japan Scholarship Program (ADB-JSP)

Separate application

  • As stated by GSFS: "Be a national of an ADB borrowing member country; Be nominated from an appointed educational institution (GSFS), and seeking for master degree; Have at least two years of full time professional working experience in a relevant field of your bachelor course study, at the time of application; Not be more than 35 years old at the time of application; Agree to return and work in his/her home country for at least two years after completion of master study at GSFS…; Not have a master degree at the time of application. Second master seekers are ineligible to apply for ADB-JSP." ADB's own general requirements add: be "a national of an ADB borrowing member country and Japanese ODA scholarship-eligible country"; "Not hold dual citizenship of any developed country"; "Have gained admission to an approved master's course at a Designated Institution"; "Hold a bachelor's degree or its equivalent with superior academic record"; two years' full-time professional experience "acquired after a university degree"; "proficiency in oral and written English"; "Be in good health"; "Not be living or working in a country other than your home country"; "Not be already enrolled in graduate degree programs"; and exclusions for ADB staff, their close relatives and staff of Designated Institutions. ADB lists the eligible citizenships explicitly (39 countries and areas including Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Uzbekistan and Viet Nam). Master's only — doctoral applicants are ineligible. Applicants to the Division of Biosciences or the Division of Transdisciplinary Sciences cannot use the scheme; GPSS can.
  • Funded by the Government of Japan and administered by the Asian Development Bank; GSFS's Division of Environmental Studies and GPSS have been designated ADB-JSP institutions since 2000. GSFS itself does not restate the benefit package — "ADB-JSP, financed by the Government of Japan and organized by
  • Apply through the separate ADB-JSP admission route (see admissionsRoutes route-adb-jsp), not through the GSFS online application system: upload the designated application form, the Field of Study and Research Plan, transcript and graduation certificate to the designated Google Form by the published deadline, and have two recommenders email their letters directly to the International Liaison Office. "Should I contact ADB-JSP directly and send a set of application forms? — No. ADB-JSP accepts applications from the designated institutions only."
  • Passing the GSFS screening does NOT award the scholarship, and admission to GPSS does not carry it. GSFS only nominates: "GSFS will nominate successful candidates who have submitted all the required documents to ADB (last March)", and "ADB-JSP notifies us of the selection result (May)". ADB says so in terms: "Completion of the information sheet or admission by the academic institution does not mean that you have been accepted for a scholarship; you should not take any action with respect to your current employment or otherwise, until you have been informed by the institution that you have been awarded a scholarship." "Only candidates who have been offered admission and endorsed by the participating academic institutions will be considered for the scholarships by ADB." Selection is competitive and ranked: applicants "Receive evaluation results from partner institution following its assessment and shortlisting of applicants and final selection of scholars by ADB, based on the selection criteria applied by the Japanese executive director." Nomination is further conditional on documentary form: "Only those who have been able to submit the documents that meet our criteria by March 20, 2026 can be nominated to ADB-JSP." GSFS cannot nominate anyone over 35: "GSFS is not allowed to recommend any candidates who are over 35 years old to ADB" — note that ADB's own page allows the age limit to be waived "in exceptional cases with the expressed endorsement of the Government of Japan", but GSFS states flatly that it will not recommend such candidates. Professional experience must postdate the bachelor's degree and be related to it; work as an undergraduate research assistant does not count. The scholarship covers the scholar only, not dependants. Neither GSFS nor ADB publishes how many awards are allocated to GSFS or GPSS.

Japanese Government (MEXT) Scholarship — University Recommendation

Separate application

  • "candidates for the MEXT Scholarship will be selected from among successful applicants in the General Admission (Schedule B) who meet the eligibility criteria". The eligibility criteria themselves are MEXT's and are not reproduced on the GPSS page.
  • MEXT scholarship terms are set by MEXT and are not restated by GPSS. What GPSS and GSFS do publish: "MEXT scholars are exempted from paying these fees" (admission fee JPY 282,000 and tuition JPY 535,800/year), no application screening fee is charged to MEXT scholarship recipients, and "The applicati
  • No separate application. "No additional application documents are required for those wishing to be considered for the scholarship at the time of application." "Selected candidates will be nominated to MEXT as scholarship recipients after confirming their interest."
  • Not guaranteed to run at all in the current cycle: "GPSS plans to apply for the special program under the Japanese Government (MEXT) Scholarship (University Recommendation), which allows priority allocation of scholarships to international students. Please note, however, that the implementation of this program is subject to approval by MEXT and is therefore not guaranteed for this year. We will announce the result of the application on this website as soon as it becomes available." Even if the programme runs, being admitted to GPSS does not confer the scholarship — candidates are selected from among successful applicants and then nominated to MEXT, which makes the award. No number of places is published.

Japanese Government (MEXT) Scholarship — Embassy Recommendation

Separate application

  • "Those who wish to apply for a MEXT Scholarship with Embassy Recommendation to study in Japan are required to apply to the Japanese Embassy or a consulate in the country of citizenship, and follow their selection procedures as the preliminary stage… Only those who pass the preliminary selection at the Japanese Embassy or a consulate will be able to apply for admission to GSFS." "In GSFS, every department and the Graduate Program in Sustainability Science accept applications from those who are applying for a MEXT scholarship with Embassy Recommendation." Prior consent from a prospective supervisor is required for this scheme.
  • MEXT terms, set by MEXT. GPSS "warmly welcomes applicants who wish to apply through the Asian Development Bank-Japan Scholarship (ADB-JSP) and the Japanese Government (Monbukagakusho: MEXT) Scholarship (Embassy Recommendation)."
  • Apply at the Japanese embassy or consulate (April–June), then, on passing the preliminary selection, apply to GSFS under its separate Embassy-Recommendation guidelines (June–August). GSFS issues a conditional admission letter in September and MEXT announces the award in December.
  • IMPORTANT — this route does not lead directly into the GPSS master's degree: "GSFS does not accept the MEXT scholars through Embassy recommendation directly into their degree courses. Applicants must apply for a status of 'research student' instead of 'degree seeking student'." To move into the master's course a research student must still take and pass the GSFS entrance examination. "I have received an acceptance letter from GSFS, but after all I was not selected as a MEXT scholar. Am I still able to enroll in GSFS as a research student? — No. The letter GSFS issues… is a conditional admission letter. If a MEXT scholarship is not awarded, the letter you have received will be invalid accordingly." The GSFS window for April or October 2027 entry closed on August 6, 2026: "The application period for admission in April or October 2027 closed on August 6, 2026. Late applications will not be accepted. The application guidelines for admission in 2028 are expected to be posted on this website around May 2027."

Reservation Program for Monbukagakusho Honors Scholarship (JASSO)

Separate application

  • "International applicants who wish to enroll in the Graduate School of Frontier Science can apply for 'Reservation Program' for Monbukagakusho Honors Scholarship offered by Japan Student Services Organization (JASSO)." Listed by GSFS as available to applicants to "Any department at GSFS", which expressly includes the Graduate Program in Sustainability Science.
  • Monbukagakusho Honors Scholarship for Privately-Financed International Students, offered by the Japan Student Services Organization (JASSO). GSFS does not restate the monthly amount.
  • "Application for Reservation Program for Monbukagakusho Honors Scholarship must be submitted at the same time as applying for entrance examination." Applying at the entrance-examination stage is the only opportunity.
  • "Successful candidates will be recommended to JASSO, and the final decision should be made by JASSO." GSFS recommendation is not the award. GSFS also warns generally that "Scholarship programs applicable after enrollment are limited, especially it is very hard for master course students to get one", and advises applicants to "first seek the best scholarship program for yourself before or at the time of admission application".

The University of Tokyo International Student Support Fund

Separate application

  • Doctoral and master's students; international students only.
  • 50,000 yen per month.
  • Applied for through the Graduate School after enrolment; application period June or October. "There are restrictions on concurrent enrollment, so be sure to check each program's page for details."
  • Amounts and periods are as published on the GSFS financial support table, which carries the note "The contents of this page were developed based on a machine translation." Number of awards is not published.

GSFS tuition waiver, on-campus employment and other post-enrolment support

Separate application

  • Enrolled GSFS students; several items are doctoral-only (JSPS DC1/DC2, Research Assistant, SPRING GX, BOOST NAIS, Cooperative Education through Research Internships) and are not counted here. GPSS states that "nearly 30% of all students within the Graduate School benefit from these offerings, with approximately 70% of international students taking advantage of the available scholarship programs."
  • "The Graduate School of Frontier Sciences offers a variety of financial support programs, including scholarships, on-campus jobs, and tuition waiver programs." Master's-eligible items on the published table include WINGS TAKUETSU RA (up to 180,000 yen/month), on-campus BUKYOKU TAKUETSU RA jobs (in u
  • Applied for after enrolment through the Graduate School's student affairs portal; application periods vary per programme.
  • Nothing is guaranteed at admission; "There are restrictions on concurrent enrollment." Academic research grants (overseas travel grants) currently show "There will be no recruitment this year."

The University of Tokyo Fellowship (doctoral only — out of scope)

Separate application

  • Doctoral entrants only. Recorded here solely so that master's applicants are not misled into expecting it.
  • "The Todai Fellowship provides financial support to international students enrolling in doctoral courses at The University of Tokyo."
  • "Applicants must apply for this fellowship simultaneously when submitting their application for the entrance examination to the Graduate School of Frontier Sciences (GSFS)."
  • Not available to master's applicants; the doctoral course is outside the scope of this record.
Scholarships, nominations and fee exemptions are competitive unless the programme states that every admitted student receives the award. Admission on its own does not guarantee funding.
Programme sources (41)