APPLICATION FORMS AND INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE YOU BEGIN: The attached forms must be used when applying to the College Womenfs Association of Japan (CWAJ) Scholarship Program for the Visually Impaired to Study Abroad. *Please note You must meet each requirement in order to qualify for the scholarship. CWAJ allows no exceptions to these requirements. You may not apply from abroad. Neither your application nor anything else you send to us will be returned. Any materials in addition to those requested in this application will be disregarded. I. ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS Scholarship for the Visually Impaired to Study Abroad (SVI-SA Program) 1 Scholarship of \ 3.0 Million 1. Applicants must be visually impaired women or men with a Certificate of Disability Grade 1-6. 2. Applicants must be Japanese nationals or special permanent residents (tokubetsu eijusha) of Japan living in Japan from the time of application until March 31, 2010. Applicants currently studying or living abroad are ineligible. 3. Applicants for an undergraduate award must have completed at least two years of undergraduate studies in a Japanese university (four-year course) by March 31, 2010, and must be accepted for a third year in a university program by March 31, 2010. 4. Applicants for a graduate award must have graduated with a degree from a Japanese university (four-year course) by March 31, 2010. 5. Applicants must be accepted in an undergraduate or graduate degree program at an accredited university or research institution abroad by April 10, 2010, and must be enrolled within that year for the 2010 scholarship program. 6. Applicants must submit a TOEFL or IELTS score as a part of the application. The test must have been taken after October 1, 2007. Instead of a TOEFL score, applicants may submit an IELTS score, taken after October 1, 2007. 7. Holders of scholarships greater than \1.0 million from any other scholarship foundation or from company scholarship programs (kigyo ryugaku) are ineligible. Financial aid and awards from the university where the applicant will study are excepted from this limitation. 9. Members of CWAJ are ineligible. II. INTERVIEWS AND SELECTION Interviews of the finalists will be held in Tokyo. You should plan to be available during the month when interviews are being held (see the timetable below). You will be notified at least two weeks in advance if you have been selected for an interview. Finalists who are traveling from more than 100 km outside Central Tokyo will receive a transportation subsidy from CWAJ. The interview will be conducted in English. Applicants will be notified of the results in writing. CWAJfs methods, rankings and judgments are proprietary and totally confidential. CWAJ does not enter into any discussion of its decisions. III. SVI-SA PROGRAM SCHOLARSHIP TIMETABLE November 13, 2009: Deadline for requesting application forms by e-mail and mail. Application forms will continue to be available on-line. Period of acceptance: Sunday, November 1, through Wednesday, November 25, 2009: Applications must be postmarked on or between these dates only or the application will not be considered. February 2010: Interviews and notification of recipient. IV. INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMPLETING CWAJ SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION FORMS Form 1 Application for Scholarship 1. Personal Information. Fill in all items. Address for Future Reference should be an address where you expect to be able to receive mail for the next several years. for example, the address of parents or close relatives. 2. Educational Qualifications. List your most recently attended university first, then all others in reverse order. 3. TOEFL or IELTS Score. Indicate highest score received on any tests taken after October 1, 2007. 4. Previous Study Abroad/International Experience. Include all international assignments, travel, study, conferences or other experiences, except for brief vacations. 5. Proposed study program. Fill in all information that applies. 6. Work/Volunteer/Other Experience. Use this space for significant extracurricular as well as work and volunteer experience. Attach additional sheets if necessary. 7. Significant Publications, Presentations, Honors and Awards. Include both academic and non-academic awards and honors. Information on published work should include name and date of publication, and publisher. Indicate whether presentations were refereed or non-refereed. Attach copies of the abstracts or programs of presentations and copies of title pages of publications, showing authorsf names. 8. References. List names, titles, and institutions of individuals to whom you will be giving Form 3, the Letter of Reference. 9. Financial Information. List all forms of financial aid you have received during your education, including current and promised aid. Indicate the beginning and ending dates of the periods during which you received each form of financial aid. In the second space, list scholarships you have applied for but have not yet received. Form 2 Essay Complete the essay in English using both pages of Form 2. Your essay may be word-processed or handwritten and may be completed on another sheet of paper and pasted to Form 2, but it must not exceed 750 words. Sign your application on the second page of the form. Form 3 Two Letters of Reference Give a copy of this form to two different professors and/or employers or other persons who know you well in an academic or professional capacity. Remind them that references must be in English or have an English translation attached. The original must be sealed in an envelope marked gConfidential.h The referee should sign or stamp across the envelope seal and return the sealed envelope to you for inclusion in your application. The person completing the reference must not be a relative or personal friend. V. COMPLETING YOUR APPLICATION Follow the instructions on the checklist below exactly. Late or incomplete applications or applications with insufficient copies will not be considered. APPLICATION CHECKLIST Your application must include ALL of the following documents (a to f) in one envelope, clearly marked gAPPLICATION ENCLOSED, SVI-SA PROGRAMh. Any document that is NOT IN ENGLISH must be accompanied by an English translation. a) One original set plus two copies of your completed application (total of 3 sets), each application set must include, in the following order: i) Form 1, Completed CWAJ Application. ii) Form 2, Essay. iii) Certified Transcripts in English, including transcripts of any transferred credits, from every undergraduate and graduate university you have attended (past or present), along with an explanation of the marking system. This explanation is crucial for the Selection Committee to properly understand each transcript. If your university has an official document explaining its system, please include it. If it has none, ask the university to provide a brief explanation or do your best to explain it yourself. b) One photocopy of your TOEFL or IELTS score. c) One photocopy of your Certificate of Disability. d) Two CWAJ Letter of Reference Forms (Form 3) completed by two different professors and/or employers or persons who know you well in an academic or professional capacity. e) Two envelopes (12cm x 23.5cm) with your name and current address in Japan with the postal code printed on them and an \80 stamp affixed to each. f) \1000 yubin ko-gawase for handling costs. (You can obtain it at a post office. Do not write anything on it.) NO CASH OR STAMPS WILL BE ACCEPTED. MAIL your application to the address below, postmarked on or between Sunday, November 1 and Wednesday, November 25, 2009. Do not send by yubin kakitome (registered mail) or takuhaibin. CWAJ Scholarship Committee CWAJ Center 2-24-13-703 Kami-Osaki Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 141-0021 (SVI-SA Application Enclosed) CWAJ does not accept applications from persons living outside of Japan. We regret that we will be unable to respond to any application filed by a person whose current address is not in Japan. End of Instructions.