Application Process
The Kawamura Fellowship is open to students at Harvard University and MIT. All students, including those at the graduate level, at Harvard and MIT are eligible, though preference will be given to undergraduate students. Candidates from all academic specialties will be equally evaluated. There is no preferred major or concentration; rather, the Program seeks to bring a diverse group of outstanding students from all backgrounds in the sciences and the liberal arts. Proficiency in Japanese language is neither required nor an advantage in the selection process.
Most past fellows have not had any Japanese language experience prior to coming to Japan on the Fellowship. The Program welcomes applicants from all nationalities, although candidates must be able to obtain entry visas within a reasonable period of time. Because the Program is designed to introduce the Fellows to Japan and its culture, applicants who have never been to Japan are preferred. Besides demonstrated academic excellence or intellectual strength, as well as extra-curricular achievement and genuine interest in Japan, a personal capacity to maintain a positive approach to new experiences is an important quality for the Kawamura Visiting Fellows. Prospective applicants should be open to interaction with the Japanese people and to actively experience a different life style, and have the ability to conduct themselves properly in any occasion. Re-application to the Program will be accepted; neither advantage nor handicap is attached to those re-applying.