Unless you enroll in a national or public university’s medical school, the tuition fees for six years of medical school are extremely expensive.
The most expensive school, Kawasaki Medical School, has a total tuition fee of 45.5 million yen over six years.
However, by taking advantage of various systems, it is no longer a dream to go on to a private medical school that you would have given up on because of the high tuition fees.
Don’t give up on your dreams because of money, and take advantage of support systems.
In this column, We will explain the scholarship system for medical school.
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List of public scholarships available to medical students
List of public scholarships available to medical students
Japan Student Services Organization Scholarship
This is the most common scholarship, with 1 in 2.6 students receiving it.
The amount of the grant and eligibility for the system will vary depending on whether you commute from home or away from home, whether you attend a private or public university, your household income, grades, and other factors.
Grant type (no repayment required)
Students from households that are exempt from resident tax or equivalent
will be provided
with exemptions or reductions on tuition and entrance fees, as well as a grant scholarship of up to 75,000 yen per month .
Loan type
There are interest-free Type 1 scholarships, interest-bearing Type 2 scholarships, and special increased loan scholarships at the time of enrollment.
The first type of scholarship will provide a maximum of 64,000 yen per month, and the second type of scholarship will provide a maximum of 160,000 yen per month (if you are enrolled in a private medical school from outside your home).
The selection criteria are more lenient for loan-type scholarships than for grant-type scholarships, and more lenient for Type 2 scholarships than for Type 1 scholarships .
It is possible to combine grant and loan types, but in that case there is a limit to the monthly loan amount.
Tuition reduction and exemption system for national and public universities
In the first place, at national and public universities, tuition fees are the same as those for other departments, so the financial burden is not great.
As a guideline, the entrance fee is around 200,000 yen and tuition fees are 500,000 to 600,000 yen per year.
The total cost over six years will be around 3.5 million yen, which is about one year’s tuition at a private medical school.
In addition, each university has a system for exemption from admission fees and tuition fees .
New support system for higher education
This is a new system established in 2020 that allows households that are exempt from resident tax and similar households to receive reductions in entrance fees and tuition fees, as well as the provision of grant-type scholarships .
Regional quota
This system was created in response to issues such as a shortage of doctors in rural areas and uneven distribution of medical specialties, with the aim of eliminating areas with a shortage of doctors.
In areas where there is a serious shortage of doctors, there is a system that provides scholarships on the condition that applicants work in the area for a specified number of years after graduation .
In addition, there are university-specific scholarships where the selection is made at the time of enrollment, and scholarships that are not designated by a university and where the selection is made after enrollment.
Correctional medical officer training student
The job of a correctional medical officer is to provide medical care in correctional facilities such as prisons and jails.
A monthly grant of 150,000 yen is available to medical students in their third year or above .
There are provisions for exemption from repayment if you work for a certain period of time after graduation .
Department of Medicine, National Defense Medical College
Upon enrollment, students will gain the status of special national civil servants as Ministry of Defense employees.
There are no entrance fees or tuition fees charged upon enrollment, and clothing and meals are loaned or provided, as well as a monthly student allowance of 110,000 yen and an end-of-term allowance .
After graduation, they are required to serve as senior medical officers in the Self-Defense Forces for nine years .
List of private scholarships available to medical students
There are medical corporations and public interest incorporated associations that will lend tuition funds, provided certain engagement requirements are met.
Each school is founded with a certain philosophy, so you should be able to find one that matches your career path.
The loan amount is also high.
Tokushukai Scholarship
This is a system where Tokushukai Group will lend 150,000 yen per month for up to six years to medical students enrolled in a medical school of a domestic university who wish to work at a Tokushukai Group hospital after graduation .
The interest rate is 2% per year, but there is a provision for exemption from repayment.
In addition to the initial two-year training period, including two months of community medical training, repayment will be waived if you work at a Tokushukai Group hospital for two-thirds of the loan period.
Of this period, your place of employment will be designated for one-quarter of the period.
If you withdraw, you will have to repay the loan amount plus interest in full.
Min-Iren Scholarship
This system provides medical students enrolled in a medical school at a university in Japan who wish to work for Min-Iren after graduation with a monthly loan of 80,000 yen for up to six years .
The loan involves an internship at a Min-Iren hospital, monthly student meetings, and regular interviews.
There are provisions for repayment exemption depending on the number of years of employment at a designated medical institution.
In addition, if you withdraw, lump sum repayments will be interest-free, while installment repayments will be at an annual interest rate of 2%.
The two above are particularly large-scale systems, but we will introduce several other unique scholarship systems as well.
Public Interest Incorporated Association for the Promotion of Community Medicine
A corporation established primarily by graduates of Jichi Medical University with the aim of promoting medical care in remote areas will be granted a monthly loan of 200,000 yen.
Hokuto Medical Corporation
Regional medical care centered around Utsunomiya City, Tochigi Prefecture, with a monthly loan of 150,000 yen.
Medical Corporation Hisayukikai
Medical and welfare services for the mentally disabled and elderly with dementia. Please inquire for details on loan amounts.
Oyama Memorial Hospital, Medical Corporation Zenjinkai
Regional medical care centered around Ibaraki Prefecture, with a maximum limit of 10 million yen.
Social Medical Corporation Meiwakai Medical and Welfare Center
Regional medical and welfare facilities, mainly in Tottori Prefecture, provide monthly loans of 200,000 yen.
Heisei Memorial Hospital, Toho Medical Corporation
Regional medical care centered around Shimane Prefecture, monthly loan of 150,000 yen.
Medical Corporation Wakeikai
Psychiatric care centered in Toyama Prefecture, monthly loan of 200,000 yen.
Private foundation and local government scholarships
Scholarship programs offered by private foundations and local governments are also available.
There are school recommendation types, where you apply through your school, and general open types, where you apply yourself. Whether the grant is a loan or grant, and the amount of the grant, also differ depending on the organization.
After enrolling, check with the university’s scholarship office.
List of scholarships provided by private medical universities
With the aim of cultivating talented individuals, each university has established a variety of scholarship programs.
Jichi Medical University School of Medicine
This university was established with the aim of improving medical care in remote areas.
All admitted students will receive a loan of 23 million yen, equivalent to six years of tuition fees .
In addition, scholarships of up to 150,000 yen per month will be provided to those who request them .
However, there are post-graduation employment requirements.
University of Occupational and Environmental Health, School of Medicine
This is a university established with the aim of training industrial physicians.
All admitted students will receive a total of 20 million yen in scholarship loans, so the total tuition fees for the six years will be approximately 10 million yen.
However, there are post-graduation employment requirements.
Additionally, there are universities that offer scholarship programs at the time of admission.
Students are selected based on their academic exam scores, interviews, and essay writing, and are offered scholarships, tuition exemptions, and reductions.
Please be aware that you may no longer be eligible for the grant after enrollment depending on your grades and conduct after enrollment.
As examples, we will introduce the scholarship and scholarship programs of several private universities.
Keio University School of Medicine
As part of the Special Human Resource Development Project Scholarship, we have a large-scale grant scholarship system in place that awards approximately 10 students each year from their first through fourth years 2 million yen per year, totaling 8 million yen over four years.
International University of Health and Welfare, School of Medicine
As part of the Faculty of Medicine scholarship program, approximately 50 students each year are exempted from paying the entrance fee of 1.5 million yen, and a grant of 2.5 million yen is also available in the first year, and 2.3 million yen in the second year and beyond.
Kitasato University School of Medicine
As part of our special scholarship program, we offer a system in which a small number of students each year are exempt from or receive a reduction in the total amount of entrance fees and tuition fees of 38.9 million yen.
Even after enrollment, many universities offer their own in-house scholarships to students with excellent grades but financial difficulties.
Summary of medical school scholarships
In addition to the above systems, you can borrow several million to tens of millions of yen as educational loans from the Japan Finance Corporation or banks. There are various
types of scholarship systems, such as loans and grants, those with and without income screening, those that can be used in conjunction with other scholarships and those that cannot, those with and without interest-free loans, and those with and without provisions for exemption from repayment, so it is important to check the regulations carefully.
If you use these systems effectively in combination, you can graduate from medical school with zero tuition fees, even if you are in financial difficulty.