BRIDGING SCHOLARSHIPS

The Association of Teachers of Japanese Bridging Project offers scholarships to American undergraduate students participating in study-abroad programs in Japan. Funding from private foundations and major U.S. corporations has made it possible for ATJ to award 100 scholarships annually to assist students with the travel and living expenses they will incur while studying abroad in Japan for a semester or an academic year. Contributors to the scholarship fund include Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, The Freeman Foundation, JCC Fund, JP Morgan, Japan-US Friendship Commission, Lockheed Martin, McDonalds Japan, Mitsubishi International Corporation, Morgan Stanley, Nomura Holding America, Shinsei Bank, Temple University - Japan Campus, Toyota Motor Corporation, and Mr. Masamoto Yashiro.

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 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. Sixty-nine scholarships for Fall 2009 have been awarded; the list of recipients is posted below.

Applications will next be accepted from students studying in Japan in Spring 2010; the deadline for receipt of applications will be October 6, 2009.

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:

1. 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.
   

   Bridging Scholarship Application Form
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2. 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).
   

3. An official transcript from your college or university.
   

4. 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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FALL 2009 BRIDGING SCHOLARSHIPS AWARDED

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June 2009 -- Sixty-eight undergraduate students from colleges and universities across the United States have been named recipients of Bridging Scholarships for Study 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 Fall 2009 scholarship fund include Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, The Freeman Foundation, JCC Fund, JP Morgan, Japan-US Friendship Commission, Lockheed Martin, McDonalds Japan, Mitsubishi International Corporation, Morgan Stanley, Nomura Holdings America, Shinsei Bank, Temple University - Japan Campus, Toyota Motor Corporation, and Mr. Masamoto Yashiro.

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 Fall 2009 recipients, their home schools, their majors, and their destination programs follows.

Bridging Scholarship Recipients - Fall 2009

Bridging Scholarship Application Form
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