You already have your undergraduate degree under your belt but you still have this insatiable thirst for knowledge, perhaps, you might also be missing those fun and learning experiences back in your university days. But, is your financial situation an obstacle along the way of your postgraduate dreams or maybe, your finances might not be enough for you to go overseas?
Annually, Ajinomoto Philippines Corporation (APC) sends a Filipino scholar to Japan through the Ajinomoto Scholarship Foundation’s program. The Foundation’s 2020 Ajinomoto Postgraduate Scholarship Grant selects one student from six countries (Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam and Russia) who will be given an opportunity to pursue further studies in the field of science or technology.
Each candidate can choose to enroll in one of the specified Japanese universities, which include University of Tokyo, Kyoto University, Nagoya University, Ochanomizu University, Waseda University, and Kagawa Nutrition University. Then, they can either enroll first in a one-year research program and then continue on to a two-year master’s program or directly enroll in a two-year master’s program.
The University of Tokyo and Kyoto University are among Japan’s top universities with the former ranking 42nd at the World University Rankings 2019 list of Times Higher Education. The list ranks over 1,250 top institutions around the world, with Japan (103 Japanese universities) as the second most-represented country after the United States.
APC has successfully sent nine Filipino scholars to Japan since 2010 including latest scholar Ms. Anna Legaspi, a University of the Philippines- Los Baños alumna, who graduated cum laude with a degree of Bachelor of Science in Chemistry. Anna became a research student of the Graduate School of Frontier Sciences at the University of Tokyo last April 2018. She is set to start her postgraduate degree in 2019, having recently passed her master’s exam. Now that she is bound to start her master’s degree, Anna also expressed her eagerness to explore new areas of advanced science and technology as the University of Tokyo provides high-technology equipment needed for pursuing top-level research.