The Japan Airlines Scholarship Programme is on its 37th year of offering short-term scholarships for selected college and university students.
One participant from the Philippines will fly to Japan and take part in lectures, discussions, and fieldwork designed around this year’s main theme: “Tourism and cross-cultural understanding”.
The Programme will run from the 27th of June to the 13th of July 2010. All JAL scholars will be based mainly in Tokyo, but will also fly to Ishikawa City in Kanazawa Prefecture for the Asia Forum, as well as homestay in other locations.
The JAL Foundation and Japan Airlines will shoulder airline tickets to and from Japan, as well as transport, accommodations, and insurance costs of all Scholars during the length of the Programme.
Prospective applicants to the JAL Scholarship Programme must satisfy a basic criteria:
• Must be a Filipino citizen, and is an undergraduate or post graduate student of a recognized Philippine college or university;
• Must be 20 to 24 years old when the program commences;
• Must have an interest in social contribution and environmental issues;
• Must have an interest in Japan and be willing to experience Japanese culture and customs;
• Must be healthy, cheerful, and able to get along well with others;
• Must have a strong command of English (if the applicant has taken TOEIC or TOFEL examinations, please provide results).
College and University students who have satisfied the above criteria, and wish to apply for the Programme, are asked to submit the following requirements:
• Write an essay in English that centers around the theme “Tourism and cross-cultural understanding”;
• The essay should be about 400 words, and must be typewritten or printed in double-space on a standard A4 sheet;
• Five copies of the essay must be produced and submitted without any identifying marks whatsoever;
• Submit a sealed envelope containing a sixth copy of the essay bearing the applicant’s signature, plus the applicant’s bio-data complete with signature, two 2×2 ID pictures with the applicant’s name written in the back, and a copy of the applicant’s latest certificate of enrollment from their college or university.
Applications may be hand-carried or sent via courier to The JAL Scholarship Programme, Japan Airlines, 2nd Floor Oledan Square, 6788 Ayala Avenue, Makati City 1226, Metro Manila (MAP) on or before 9th April 2010. For inquiries and clarifications, you may contact Ms. Rosalie Bailon at 02-886-6991 (phone) or 02-886-7000 (fax).
9th April 2010 Revisions
Three major clarifications have been made to the application requirements: 1) the minimum age required is 20 years old; and 2) the deadline for submission of entries is on 9th April 2010; and 3) the essay word limit is more or less 400 words.
JPOP Manila 
Kailangan po ba na marunong mag nihongo din? bukod po sa good command in english? Tingen ko ay kaya ko namang iexpress sarili ko sa ingles ng mahusay, ngunit ang aking nalalaman sa nihongo ay medyo konti lamang.
At cultural exchange lang po ba icocover sa scholarship program na ito?
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knowledge of the japanese language is an advantage but not a requirement. JAL scholars already have a set schedule and agenda so if you would like to tackle a topic other than those discussed in the programme outline, please consider a different programme instead. good luck!
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hi rose, the mechanics i got from ms. salie says the deadline is on April 9, 2010… there might have been some confusion?
by the way, to those who wish to learn relevant info. or testimonials as regards the program last year (JAL Scholarship 2009) you might visit my site, http://dgatesb.multiply.com/tag/jal%20scholarship%202009, i made a day-to-day account of our experience there.. ganbare!
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the 26th march deadline was from the pamphlet distributed internationally; it is possible that the philippine deadline was moved to a later date. i tried calling miss sally on the day i posted this entry but was not able to get through, so thank you very much for this clarification.
i was part of batch 2000 myself (lol — that was so long ago) and it was tonnes of fun. there were two of us from the philippines — both ladies, and we stayed in tokyo for about a month at the yoyogi olympic memorial centre. good times!
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Oh, the age requirement has changed…
Too bad for me then, I am only 19 now. But since I’ll be turning 20 by june, I can still try going for the scholarship next year.
Thank you for updating this entry.
@Hiro:
Saw your entry on multiply entitled: “Could it be my ticket to Japan? *faints*” And I have to say, reading it made my heart beat faster than the ordinary. Haha. I was so inspired by your story, that while reading it I had this voice inside me that was telling me that I should really try out for the scholarship next year. Thank you so much for posting your link to your multiply site, I will surely be reading all of your entries on my spare time.
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@jin sorry — i think this has something to do with the fact that you will be traveling alone, instead of in pairs or groups of three like the previous batches. but please have a go next year! you never know, right? 🙂
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@rose:
Oh yeah, figures.
Yeah, I shall never know until I try. Thank you very much to you both, I really feel inspired right now. May I ask, are there a lot of people who join this kinds of scholarships?
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i have no idea on how many people actually join, but the final interview always has about ten applicants for consideration for the scholarship slot.
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@rose:
I see, thank you very much for answering my questions rose.
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@rose, we were both boys last year. i know you were a participant yourself, i frequented this site last year when i was applying for the program. really nice! this site was actually my inspiration too to diligently account my experience in the program, thinking it’s also the least i can do to payback JALFoundation – to spread the word ^_^ and i can no more than agree, JAL program was my best of times!
@jin, thank you so much! im really glad to hear you got inspired. that was exactly my reason for posting those testimonoals online.
but wait, correct me if im wrong but you said, you are TURNING 20 this coming June. YOU ARE QUALIFIED TO JOIN as early as now!! you still have 4 DAYS!!!
the flyer says:
“This contest is open to all bonafide undergraduate college students who are at least in their second year or post-graduate students currently enrolled in any university or college in the Philippines. All participants must be AT LEAST 20 years old but not more than 24 years old BY JUNE THIS YEAR. Contest participants must not have lived, stayed or studied nor repeatedly traveled in Japan prior to the contest. They must be in excellent health.” (caps supplied)
i really hope you get to read this post way before the deadline~
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hi Ms. Rose!
I called Ms. Chat Jao, one of the contact person indicated in the flyer, and asked whether its a minimum or a maximum of 400 words. She said its a minimum of 400, and I was confused, since here in your page it says that words should not exceed by 400. Moreover, as April 09 is a regular holiday, I asked her if there is any extension for the submission of essays; and she answered yes, and that will be until Sunday, or April 11. I would just like some clarification regarding the above mentioned info.
Thank you!
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hi rissa — the 400-word limit came from the flyer distributed internationally by the jal foundation. in any case, if ms. chat says that it’s the minimum for the philippine entries we should follow what she says. also, going over or under 400 words isn’t too difficult if you’re already nearing the limit so that shouldn’t be a problem. good luck!
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@hiro hi hiro, i was just wondering, i applied for this scholarship but what sort of questions did they ask you in your interview and how long was it?
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hello aaron,
i sent a reponse to your email. As i mentioned there, most part of the interview last year was about current events ^_^. Since they interviewed 8 people, one after another, each interview lasted for around 20 minutes~ They gave the decision the same afternoon. Those selected even went to lunch with the interviewers and the manager.
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Hi there! Will you be posting the finalists in your blog like you did last year?
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probably not since the programme has contacted this year’s finalists directly and declined giving out their names.
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Weeee, my friend was granted this scholarship! 🙂
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Hey there. What if you are an undergraduate student abroad, say Korea? Hindi pwede?
Thanks
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hi. the programme is already closed for this year, but in any case the scholarship is for native students studying in local universities, and they give special consideration for deserving students who have never been abroad for study or for pleasure. if you are already in korea on scholarship, i’m sorry but i doubt your chances of receiving a JAL grant is very good.
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Just asking, do you have scholarship for Ph.D. leading to humanities/ social sciences.
Thanks,
mikey
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this is a short term scholarship only — please consult with your university’s student services office for information on long term scholarships.
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thank you for your prompt reply.
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