2009-2010 CWAJ SCHOLARSHIP FOR THE VISUALLY IMPAIRED TO STUDY ABROAD APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS Scholarship for the Visually Impaired to Study Abroad (SVI-SA Program) 1 Scholarship of ¥ 3.0 Million BEFORE YOU BEGIN: Scholarship for the Visually Impaired application forms are available in PDF and WORD. Application forms may be downloaded from CWAJ website (http://www.cwaj.org) or be obtained by request from the CWAJ Scholarship Committee by email (scholarship@cwaj.org) or by writing to the CWAJ Center. Make sure to specify you are applying for Scholarship for the Visually Impaired to Study Abroad (SVI-SA). Please note You must meet each requirement in order to qualify for the scholarship. 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 (1 to 8) 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 of Japan living in Japan from the time of application until the end of March 2009. 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 the end of March 2009, and must be accepted for a third year in a university program by March 31, 2009. 4. Applicants for a graduate award must have graduated with a degree from a Japanese university (four-year course) by the end of March 2009. 5. Applicants must be accepted by April 10, 2009 in an undergraduate or graduate degree program for the 2009-2010 academic year at an accredited English-speaking university or research institution abroad. 6. Applicants must submit a TOEFL score at the time of application. The TOEFL must have been taken after October 1, 2006. Instead of a TOEFL score, applicants may submit an IELTS score, taken after October 1, 2006 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. 8. Members of CWAJ are ineligible. II. INTERVIEWS AND SELECTION Interviews of the finalists will be held in Tokyo. Candidates should plan to be available during the month when interviews are being held (see the timetable below) and will be notified at least two weeks in advance if they have been selected for an interview. Finalists who are traveling from more than 100 km from Tokyo will receive a transportation subsidy from CWAJ. The interview will be conducted in English. Applicants will be notified of the results in writing. CWAJ’s methods, rankings and judgments are proprietary and confidential and will not be discussed with any applicant or other party. CWAJ does not enter into any discussion of its decisions. III. SVI-SA PROGRAM SCHOLARSHIP TIMETABLE 1. Friday, November 14, 2008: Deadline for requesting application forms by mail or e-mail. Application forms will continue to be available on-line, but will no longer be mailed to applicants. 2. November 1 to Wednesday, November 26, 2008: Period of acceptance: Applications must be postmarked on or between these dates only or the application will not be considered. 3. February 2009: 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, 2006. 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, and to account for any period longer than three months when you were not working or in school. 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 authors’ names. 8. 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. Confine your essay to the space allowed on the form. 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 “Confidential”, signed or stamped by the referee across the envelope seal, and returned 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 “APPLICATION ENCLOSED, SVI-SA PROGRAM”. -- Any document that is NOT IN ENGLISH must be accompanied by an English translation. a) One original set plus 2 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 (1) photocopy of your TOEFL or IELTS score. c) One (1) photocopy of your Certificate of Disability. d) Two (2) 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 (2) envelopes (12cm x 23.5cm) with your name and current address in Japan 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 between Thursday, November 1 and Wednesday, November 26, 2008, inclusive. -- Do not send by registered mail (yubin kakitome) or takkyubin. 141-0021 CWAJ SCHOLARSHIP COMMITTEE SVI-SA PROGRAM CWAJ CENTER 2-24-13-1202 Kami-Osaki, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 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 notin Japan. For more information about SVI-SA program, please send your inquiry in English or Japanese to scholarship@cwaj.org End of this document.