UNHCR Refugee Higher Education Program (RHEP)
UNHCR Refugee Higher Education Program (RHEP) is a program implemented by universities in Japan which supports
1
refugees who live in Japan,
2
to complete an undergraduate or postgraduate degree program,
3
through scholarships from universities.
The aim of the program is to provide access to higher education for refugees in Japan who would otherwise have difficulty completing an undergraduate or postgraduate degree program. The students’ tuition fees and other study expenses will be funded by the universities. At the discretion of the universities, additional scholarship stipends may be paid to the students on a monthly basis.
※ This program is operated by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Representation in Japan and the RHEP Alliance.
Partner Universities
Undergraduate degree programs
Postraduate degree programs
- Waseda University
- Soka University
- Teikyo University
- Kansai University
- Sophia University
- University of the Sacred Heart
- Kwansei Gakuin University
Please also check the websites of individual universities for further details relating their graduate programs.
Number of Students to be Admitted
| Universities | Location of the Campus | Number of Openings (Undergraduate) | Number of Openings (Postgraduate) |
| Kwansei Gakuin University | Nishinomiya-shi and Sanda-shi, Hyogo | 3 (JPN 2, ENG 1) | 2 (JPN or ENG) |
| Tsuda University | Kodaira-shi, Tokyo | 1 (JPN, female) | - |
| Soka University | Hachioji-shi, Tokyo | 1 (JPN) | 1 (ENG) |
| Sophia University | Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo | 1 (JPN or ENG) | 1 (JPN or ENG) |
| Meiji Gakuin University | Minato-ku, Tokyo and Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa | 1 (JPN or ENG) | - |
| University of the Sacred Heart | Shibuya-ku, Tokyo | 1, including postgraduate (JPN, female) | 1, including undergraduate (JPN, female) |
| Kansai University | Suita-shi, Takatsuki-shi, and Sakai-shi, Osaka | 1 (JPN) | 2 (JPN or ENG) |
| Hiroshima City University | Hiroshima-shi, Hiroshima | 1 (JPN) | - |
| Waseda University | Shinjyuku-ku, Tokyo | - | 2 (JPN or ENG) |
| Teikyo University | Hachioji-shi, Tokyo and Utsunomiya-shi, Tochigi | 2 (JPN) | 2 (JPN or ENG) |
| Tenri University | Tenri-shi, Nara | 1 (JPN) | - |
| Yamanashi Gakuin University | Kofu-shi, Yamanashi | 2 (JPN 1, ENG 1) | - |
| Kanagawa University | Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa | 1 (JPN) | - |
| Kyoto Koka University / College | Kyoto-shi, Kyoto | 2 (JPN) | - |
＊JPN = Japanese degree programme / ENG = English degree programme
List of Faculties
- Japanese degree programme - Undergraduate
- Japanese degree programme - Master
- Japanese degree programme - PhD
- English degree programme
Expectations for RHEP Students
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Students must complete, with satisfactory academic performance, an undergraduate degree that is, in principle, a maximum of four years in duration.
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Students must submit a progress report and a financial status report to the RHEP Secretariat twice a year.
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During the course of their studies, students must complete at least one RHEP project; for example, students may participate in a seminar as a speaker.
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Students must participate regularly in RHEP follow-up meetings and interviews following their graduation from university.