2025 UNHCR-Refugee Higher Education Program (RHEP)
Kansai University (Kansai)
Requirements for Refugees Applying for RHEP at the Graduate School of Law,Graduate School of Science and Engineering, and Graduate School of Societal Safety Sciences(For candidates with sufficient language skills for pursuing a degree in English)

1.

UNHCR Refugee Higher Education Program: RHEPUNHCR Refugee Higher Education Program (RHEP) is a program implemented by partner universities andcoordinated by UNHCR Representation in Japan and Japan for UNHCR (hereinafter referred to as “the RHEP
Secretariat”).

2.

Details of Application
We will select those who are eligible for the UNHCR Refugee Higher Education Program conducted in collaboration
with Kansai University and recommend them to the Kansai University Graduate School.
1) 【Spring Semester 2025 Admission】(English course) :Master's Degree Program

Graduate School

Major

Ph.D Degree Program

Field

Graduate School

Law and Politics- Global Cooperationof Lawmajor

CourseMajor- Mathematics

Graduate Schoolof Science andEngineering

Engineering Science- Electrical, Electronic

Major

and Information- Mathematics- Electrical, Electronic
and Information

Engineering
Environmental and- Chemical, Energy

Integrated Science andUrban Engineeringand Environmental

Engineering Major

Major

Engineering

Chemistry, Materials
and Bioengineering
Major

FieldEngineering- Chemical, Energy
and Environmental
Engineering- Life Science and- Life Science andBiotechnology

Biotechnology

Graduate Schoolof Societal
Safety Sciences

Disaster Prevention
and Reduction Major－2) Number of refugee candidates to be recommended : maximum two＊
* 1 of the 2 candidates was accepted as a scholarship student of the UNHCR Refugee Higher Education
Program (RHEP) in the master's program of the Kansai University Graduate School and have completed thecourse (those who are expected to complete in March 2025) and wish to continue to the second half of thedoctoral course at Kansai University Graduate School, and is recommended by the graduate school.
3) Eligibility criteria : the candidate must a) be a refugee or a person in need of international protection with a residency permit granted by the Japanese
authorities (excluding Japanese nationals);b) have no other means of support for university studies;c) understand that the objective of the program is for the selected candidate to commit to their studies diligently;d) have sufficient academic capacity to pursue studies at either Master or Doctorate course;e) have English language skills sufficient for pursuing a graduate degree from any of Kansai’s schools that offer acurriculum in English; andf) meet other criteria for applicants as stipulated by Kansai University.＊

*Please see the application guideline of Kansai University for details.
Please contact the Secretariat of UNHCR Refugee Higher Education Program during the application period(Friday, July 5, 2024 to Tuesday, August 6,2024) if the candidate is required to undergo the pre-screening.＊＊＊＊ Pre-screening: In cases where it is difficult to submit the required documentation and/or to certify theabovementioned criteria including but not only "those who have completed 16 years of formal schooling in aforeign country,".
4) Scholarship:
Kansai will waive the student’s tuition and other admission related fees.
In addition, a monthly stipend (for daily subsistence) will be provided in the amount decided by the university
until the completion of the course, within the study period allowed for the course.
5) Schedule:
Process for selection of candidates to be recommended for admission by UNHCR and Japan for UNHCR:● Application period for RHEP

From 5 July (Fri) to 6 August (Tue) 2024

● Interview

31 Aug (Sat) 2024

● Selection of candidates for recommendation
to Kansai

The beginning of September 2024

Process for selection of candidates for admission by Kansai University Graduate School :For more information, please see the application guideline by Kansai University● Dates for submission of application documents＊

From 20 December (Fri) 2024 to 10 January (Fri) 2025

● Date of entrance examination

22 February (Sat) 2025

● Date of announcement of results＊＊

28 February (Sat) 2025

＊After confirming the application documents, the Secretariat of UNHCR Refugee
Higher Education Program will submit the application documents to the Kansai University Graduate School.
＊＊The program selects candidates for recommendation to Kansai, but the final decision as to which candidates
are successful is made solely at Kansai’s discretion.

3.

How to Apply1) Required Documents : Please submit all documents listed below A. through H.
If you belong to Kansai University or Kansai University Graduate School and have gotten a recommendationfrom your faculty or graduate school, please submit H. documents.
(Note) At Kansai University Graduate School, to avoid a mismatch between the applicant's research plan andthe professor's specialized field / academic field after admission, we recommend you to have a contact withthe professor whom you would like to have as your academic supervisor in advance before applying for thisprogram.
When contacting the professor, please refer to "How to search and contact the Professors information(https://www.kansai-u.ac.jp/Gr_sch/tc/index.html)" on the Kansai University Graduate School Entrance
Examination Information Website. Based on the field or theme you are interested in, search for a professor
whose current work closely matches your own research, and contact him or her via E-mail directly.
Professors’ E -mail address are listed in the "Introduction / Educational Research Contents" websites oneach graduate school homepages, "Kansai University Graduate School Information (Digital Pamphlet)" etc.
If there is no E -mail address listed, please contact him or her by letter (mail) before applying.

The link to the application will be available on the webpage of Refugee Higher
Education Program (http://rhep.japanforunhcr.org/en) from 5 July 2024 (Fri). Forms
A. RHEP Application
Formmay change each year, so those who have previously applied to RHEP will need tosend a new application with updated information using the forms specifically designed
for the year of application.

B. Passport Photo

Please affix a passport photo to the first page of the RHEP Application Form.

C. Certificate of(expected)
graduation/degree
and academic

Certificate of (expected) graduation/degree and official transcript from the formal
educational institution of your last enrollment.
If you are unable to submit an official transcript, please submit a statement of facts
describing your educational background.

transcriptD. Proof of English
language proficiency（Mandatory）

Official proof of language proficiency (e.g. the results of TOEFL, IELTS or TOEIC
scores for English).
The letter should be about 1 to 2 pages (A4 size). Please have the referee enclose
the letter in an envelope with his/her signature on the seal of the envelope. On theE. One Letter ofRecommendation

surface of the envelope, please have the referee write the name of the applicant and“Recommendation Letter for the RHEP Application” and hand it to the refugee
applicant. The referee must not be a relative of the applicant.
(Note: Please DO NOT send originals. Send only copies. )Applicants must submit BOTH documents a) and b), as well as ONE of the
documents listed below from c) to e).
a)Documents certifying your residency status; andb)

Residency card or resident registration form (juminhyo) which indicates thewhole family unit;andc)

Certificate of Refugee Status; ord)

The Certificate of Settlement Record by the Refugee Assistance Headquarters(for Indo-Chinese refugees); ore)

Proof of Refugee Statusa)

Other documents certifying refugee-like status (for asylum seekers whowere granted special permission to stay on the bases of humanitarianconsiderations, a letter from your lawyer, NGO or other third party who
Ｆ. Proof of Legal Status

supported you or your family member with the refugee-like status (e.g. yourparent) during the time of the refugee application, outlining the application
history and describing the reasoning for the result of your/your family’s
refugee application).
b)

For those (explicitly or implicitly) provided international protection andnever had applied for asylum in Japan: official certificate from a government
agency; identity documents; or documents certifying the need ofinternational protection issued by NGO or other third party who supported
you and your family members at the time of arrival to Japan or at the timeof processing residency in Japan, describing the reasoning for your/yourfamily's need for international protection. Additional certificate/document
may be requested in cases where the submitted documents do not fulfil therequirements.
c) Certificate of Complementary Protection
Applicants must submit documents indicating all the income of members of thefamily who contribute to the household finances, including his/her father, mother,and him/herself (e.g. tax-income certificate, statement of earnings, etc.). This
Ｇ. Proof of Family’s
Financial Situation

should be based on earnings from the year before the application. Applicants shouldindicate the amount of financial support they receive from persons under a duty tosupport such as relatives (allowance etc.), and if relevant, the amount ofscholarship, fellowship, private support, livelihood protection and/or social security
payments being received.

Ｈ. Letter ofRecommendation by
the president of
the dean of yourfaculty or graduate
school*Use the form
designated by theThose who studying in Kansai University or Kansai University Graduate School and who
can receive recommendations from their faculty or graduate school. The letter must bear
the signature (including the position/ name) and seal of the dean of your faculty or
graduate school.
When applying, please consult with your academic supervisor if you can get arecommendation from your faculty or graduate school.

University.
Please send the required documents to the following address by simplified registration (kani-kakitome). On the front

of the envelope, please write in red “RHEP Application Enclosed”.
Applications should be postmarked on or before the below deadline. Application forms that arrive after the duedate will in principle not be accepted. Interested candidates are advised to send the package well in advance toavoid late applications.
Note that application packages will not be returned.

Please refrain from sending numerous applications.

2)

Application Deadline : 6 August (Tue) 2024 (postmarked)

3)

Please submit applications by simplified registration (kani-kakitome) to:
c/o Japan for UNHCR
Secretariat of UNHCR Refugee Higher Education Program
6F Minami Aoyama HY Building, 7-3-6 Minami Aoyama, Minato-ku,
Tokyo 107-0062

4.

Selection of candidates to be recommended to Kansai
The process for the selection of candidates to be recommended will include screening of application materials andinterview.
(Note) Persons who studying in Kansai University or Kansai University Graduate School and are recommended bytheir faculty or graduate school, and meet both application qualifications listed in the above and listed in
the Application Guidelines of Kansai University Graduate School will be screened based on application
documents and interview. Persons whose results meet the RHEP recommendation qualifications will be
preferentially recommended.
１）Application Screening :Applications will be accepted between : 5 July (Fri) and 6 August (Tue) 2024
Please note that applications that arrive after the due date will in principle not be accepted.
A notification letter, indicating whether or not they have been short listed, will be sent by RHEP
Secretariat by the middle of August via mail.
2）Written test
RHEP will assess candidates' English written proficiency with English test scores.
3）Interview :Date: 31 August (Sat) 2024
Location: Online（For details, see the admission ticket for examination that will be distributed to applicants
who have passed the document screening.）
The interview date stated above is yet to be confirmed. For the exact date, please refer to the convocation
letter and the admission ticket for examination.
The final results are scheduled to be available at the beginning of September via mail.
 Inquiries as to the result will not be accepted under any circumstances.

 The final decision as to the candidate who is to be recommended to Kansai will be made by the selectioncommittee, consisting of UNHCR and Japan for UNHCR staff, individuals with educational backgrounds/NGO
staff and affiliates from language schools. (TBC) Based on the discretion of the selection committee, regardless of the number of applicants, not all places
may be filled.

5.

Recommendation to Kansai and selection by Kansai
Information regarding the selection process by Kansai will be provided to the selected candidate of RHEP at a later date.
The final decision as to which candidate is successful is solely at Kansai’s discretion.
Accepted students will be asked to fulfill their commitment and responsibilities set by UNHCR as RHEP scholarshipstudents. The students will be required:①

to submit progress reports to RHEP Secretariat twice a year;②

to regularly participate in follow-up meetings and interviews after graduating from the university; and③to undertake at least one RHEP project (e.g. participate in a seminar as a speaker) during the time of
their studies.

*Details of the abovementioned-reports/assignments will be provided by RHEP Secretariat after students are
accepted by the university.

6. Notice and Disclaimer
For the purposes of equity, UNHCR / Japan for UNHCR and the selection committee will not respond to inquiries about
the application screening process, the content of the examination, and matters relating directly to the result.
Furthermore, as the RHEP selection is undertaken by UNHCR and Japan for UNHCR, please do not contact Kansai
University regarding the program and selection process. On the other hand, please make sure to contact professors at
the university of your choice in advance, to confirm that you will be able to study the research theme of your choice.
For candidates who have applied for a university located far from your residence, you may need to move at your own
cost from your current place of residence at the time of application. In addition, depending on the academic year anddesired school or faculty, the location of your campus may change. Please consult carefully with your family (especially if
you are a minor) and/or employer when choosing a university and academic program before applying to this program.
UNHCR and Japan for UNHCR will protect personal information in conformity with the relevant confidentiality policies.
UNHCR and Japan for UNHCR will only refer to the applicants’ personal information when it is necessary for carrying out
operations, including reviewing the program and its outcomes, and gathering statistical data for conducting publicity
activities. Applicants’ personal information will only be shared with partner universities as and when it is necessary, inorder for candidates’ recommendation to the relevant university.
*From 2016, the program is coordinated by UNHCR Representation in Japan and Japan for UNHCR.