Japanese Initiative for the future of Syrian Refugees (JISR)

Accepting Application for 2026 until March 6th, 2026.

News

* There are some articles written under anonymity upon their request since their background are refugees.

1. Background

More than six million of Syrians have been forced to leave their home country and fled to neighboring countries and beyond since the conflict started in 2011, and the majority of these refugees have been staying in host communities. Under their severe and harsh living conditions, the international community is required to support those refugees from a humanitarian standpoint. The protracted crisis is depriving the refugees from their opportunities to study, which is likely to become the main reason for considerable loss of human resources for the reconstruction of the Syrian Arab Republic (hereinafter referred to as "Syria") in the future.

Against this backdrop, the Japanese government announced in May 2016 that Japan would accept Syrian young personnel as students with the aim of offering educational opportunities to Syrian youths who will contribute to Syria's future reconstruction when it takes place. Accordingly, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has established the program "Japanese Initiative for the future of Syrian Refugees" (hereinafter referred to as "JISR") in cooperation with United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for providing higher education opportunities at a Master's degree level in Japanese universities to Syrian refugees who are staying in neighboring countries.

2. Objectives

The objective of JISR is to support Syrian refugees who have potential to contribute to the reconstruction of Syria in the future. This program offers opportunities for young Syrian refugees (hereinafter referred to as "Participants") to study in graduate courses for their Master's degrees at Japanese universities. This program intends to foster capable Syrian individuals to lead Syria's reconstruction and peacebuilding efforts at an appropriate time in the future, while enhancing their understanding of Japanese people, society and systems so as to strengthen the mutual friendship between Syria and Japan.

3. Program Outline

　1. Program Title: Japanese Initiative for the future of Syrian Refugees (JISR)
　2. Language of the Program: English
　3. Course: Master's Degree Program
　4. Number of Participants/year: Approximately 6 (Jordan, Lebanon and Türkiye combined)

4. Duration

Admission Schedule: November 2026 (For 2026 course)

  • Participants will come to Japan in November 2026 to take part in a Japanese Language Program until July 2027 before admission to Japanese universities.
  • Duration of enrollment depends on university. Please see "5. Standard Timetable (Years needed for graduation)" of Annex 5. University Information.

5. Target Participants

This program targets Syrian people residing in Jordan and Lebanon who have been registered as refugees or are known to UNHCR, as well as those residing in Türkiye who have been recognized as refugees by the Turkish government, and who will play leading roles in Syria's reconstruction and peacebuilding efforts in the private, governmental, or educational sectors in the future.

6. Fields of Study at Japanese Universities

Engineering, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Business Administration, Social Science (Peacebuilding, Political Science, Public Administration, etc.), and Health Science are specified as key fields of study. Not limited to the fields listed above, other fields may also be deemed to be acceptable if they contribute to Syria’s recovery and reconstruction.

7. Qualifications and Requirements

Applicant must satisfy the following requirements:

(1) Nationality
  • Syrian
(2) Age
  • Between 22 and 39 years of age (as of September 1st, 2026)
(3) Refugee Status / UNHCR
Status
  • Applicants who are registered as a refugee or are known to UNHCR.
  • For applicants from Türkiye, registration with the Turkish government for a temporary protection ID is required instead of registration with UNHCR.
(4) Education
  • Bachelor's degree holder (equivalent to at least 16 years of academic background) or university student in the final year of an undergraduate program who can present a certificate of expected graduation at the time of application.
(5) English - language Proficiency
  • English skills both in written and oral communication adequate to complete a Master's course.
(6) Academic Ability
  • Academic ability adequate to complete a Master's course.
(7) Understanding of the Program
  • Applicant is required to have a clear understanding of the objectives of JISR, and to have a strong intention to contribute to the peacebuilding and/or reconstruction of Syria in the future, as well as strengthen the mutual friendship between Syria and Japan.
(8) Others
  • Applicants are allowed to apply for other scholarships aside from JISR. However, after passing the all selection stages and accepted, the JISR participants are ineligible to receive another scholarships from Japanese government, such as Japan Student Service Organization (JASSO), Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), The Japan Foundation (JF) during the program.

8. Application Documents for 2026

9. Promotion movie

◆Please check following promotion movie for your application.

◆For your reference : Accepting Universities' Promotion Website

1. University of the Ryukyus_Engineering and Science *Only Japanese

2. International University of Japan

3. Kwansei Gakuin University

4. Hiroshima University *Only Japanese

5. Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University

6. Kobe Institute of Computing Information Technology

10. Poster and Flyer