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Undergraduate students majoring in any field of study are eligible to apply for these scholarships. Japanese language study is not a prerequisite. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents and must be enrolled as undergraduates in a college or university in the United States before and during the time they are studying abroad. (For a list of the most recent recipients of the Bridging Scholarship, scroll down to the bottom of this page.)
Bridging Scholarship recipients receive a stipend of $2,500 (for students on semester-long programs) or $4,000 (for students on academic year programs). Students studying in Japan on summer programs are not eligible to apply.
Applications for Bridging Scholarships are accepted twice a year. For study in Japan beginning in Fall 2008, applications closed on April 7, 2008. Approximately 50 scholarships for Fall 2008 will be awarded; recipients will be announced at the end of May.
Applications will next be accepted from students who will be studying in Japan beginning in Spring 2009, for a semester or an academic year. The deadline for receipt of applications is October 6, 2008.
Please submit three copies of all materials except letters of recommendation and transcripts. Faxed or e-mailed applications will not be accepted. All materials must be received by the end of business on Monday, October 6. The results of the competition will be announced by the end of November. Selection will be made by a committee and will be based on academic potential and financial need.
Each scholarship recipient will be expected to send a brief report about his or her study in Japan to the ATJ office within 60 days of returning from abroad. These reports will be valuable both for students who plan to study abroad in Japan and for teachers and advisors who are helping students to select suitable programs of study.
Instructions for Applicants
Please submit the following to the ATJ office:
- A completed application form (three copies). A printed application can be requested from the ATJ office by phone, fax, or e-mail, or downloaded in text format or pdf format. (You may need to download a free copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader in order to view and print the pdf version of the form.)
If you can't download the form, please request one from the ATJ office by phone, fax, or e-mail.
- A short essay (up to 500 words) introducing yourself, explaining your interest in study in Japan, and outlining what you hope to achieve by participating in a study abroad program (three copies).
- An official transcript from your college or university.
- A letter of recommendation from someone who knows you and is knowledgeable about your abilities and potential, preferably a professor or instructor in your major field. (This may either be submitted together with the application or mailed separately to the ATJ office; please note that it must be received by the application deadline date in order for your application to be considered.) Faxed or e-mailed letters will not be accepted.
For further information on the Bridging Scholarships or the application procedure, please contact Susan Schmidt, Executive Director of the Bridging Project Clearinghouse, at the ATJ office: atj@colorado.edu.
Bridging Project Clearinghouse
Association of Teachers of Japanese
Campus Box 279
240 Humanities Building
University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309-0279
Phone: 303-492-5487 Fax:303-492-5856
E-mail: atj@colorado.edu
Web: www.colorado.edu/ealld/atj
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SPRING 2008 BRIDGING SCHOLARSHIPS AWARDED
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DECEMBER 2007 -- Seventeen undergraduate students from colleges and universities across the United States have been named recipients of Bridging Scholarships for Study Abroad in Japan.
The winners will receive awards of up to $4,000 to assist with their living expenses while they study in Japan beginning in spring 2008. Since 1999, a total of 810 scholarships have been awarded to students studying abroad in Japan.
The Japan-US Friendship Commission (www.jusfc.gov), an independent federal agency promoting mutual understanding between the United States and Japan, in an effort to highlight public / private partnerships, initiated the Bridging Project scholarship program and established a 501(c)(3) private foundation, the US-Japan Bridging Foundation, to accept contributions.
The goal of the Bridging Project is to promote study abroad in Japan by larger numbers of American undergraduate students.
Contributors to the Spring 2008 scholarship fund include AIG, Citigroup, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, Estee Lauder Group of Companies, FedEx, The Freeman Foundation, Goldman Sachs, Hartford Financial Services Group, JP Morgan, Lockheed Martin, McDonalds Japan, Microsoft, Morgan Stanley, Nishimoto Trading, Shinsei Bank, and Weyerhaeuser.
The scholarship program is administered by the Association of Teachers of Japanese, a professional organization of educators in Japanese language, literature, and culture.
The Bridging Scholars hail from a variety of schools--public and private, large universities and small colleges. Their majors range from computer science to fine arts, but they share a common interest in Japan, its language and culture. Their destinations also vary, from giant campuses in Tokyo to intimate consortium programs in rural Japan. A list of the Spring 2008 recipients, their home schools, and their destination programs follows.
Bridging Scholarship Recipients - Spring 2008
Erin AVERY (Western Kentucky University) / anthropology -> Kansai Gaidai University
Spencer BARNES (George Washington University) / business administration and finance -> Sophia University (CIEE)
Ryan BURGER (North Carolina State University) / computer science -> Sophia University
Olenka BURGESS (University of Oregon) / Japanese and comparative literature -> Japan Women's University
Shelby CARPENTER (Washington University in St. Louis) / humanities -> Kyoto Consortium for Japanese Studies
Kelly CHRISTENSEN (University of Mississippi) / international studies-> IES Tokyo (Meikai University)
Zach DOE (Montana State University) / graphic design -> Kumamoto Gakuen
University
Danielle FORSYTH (University of Michigan) / anthropology -> Nanzan University
Jennifer HAYDEN (Boston University) / international relations and economics-> Kyoto Consortium for Japanese Studies
Raymond HOLLAND (Temple University) / American studies -> Temple University Japan
William LI (University of Louisville) / electrical engineering -> Kansai Gaidai University
Kelly NISSEN (University of California, Berkeley) / genetics and Japanese -> Doshisha University
David OTT (University of Colorado, Boulder) / business and accounting
-> Kansai Gaidai University
Michie RUSHLANDER (University of Pittsburgh) / finance and marketing -> IES Tokyo (Kanda University of Foreign Studies)
Erik SJOBERG (West Texas A & M University) / mechanical engineering -> Aoyama Gakuin University
Mary SMITH-WALTER (Roanoke College) / art and education-> Kansai Gaidai University
Kheng SOK (University of California, Berkeley) / Japanese -> Tsuru University
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