UNHCR-Refugee Higher Education Program (RHEP) is a program implemented by fifteen universities in Japan which supports
- refugees who live in Japan,
- to complete a undergraduate or graduate degree program,
- through scholarships from the 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 graduate 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.
As of October 2025, the RHEP Alliance will join the organization and take over Japan for UNHCR ‘s role in RHEP by the end of March 2026.
This website will be closed at the end of March 2026, and the information will be transferred to the following:
“RHEP Alliance”
https://rhepalliance.org/
“RHEP Online Information Session 2026” to be held
February 17 (Tue) and 20 (Fri), 2026
For more information, please visit
https://rhepalliance.org/information-session
From the 2025 entrance examination, applicants can also apply for Kwansei Gakuin University’s graduate school.
There are now 15 partner universities as follows;
※This program is not a time-limited program.
Undergraduate degree programme
| Universities | Campus | Number of openings |
|---|---|---|
| Kwansei Gakuin University | Nishinomiya-shi and Sanda-shi, Hyogo | 3 positions (Japanese degree program 2, English degree program 1) |
| Meiji University | Chiyoda-ku, Suginami-ku and Nakano-ku Tokyo / Kawasaki-shi, Kanagawa | 2 positions (Japanese and English degree program) |
| Tsuda University | Kodaira-shi, Tokyo | 1 position (Female candidates only, Japanese degree program) |
| Soka University | Hachioji-shi, Tokyo | 1 position (Japanese degree program) |
| Sophia University | Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo | 1 position (Japanese or English degree program) |
| Meiji Gakuin University | Minato-ku, Tokyo / Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa | 1 position (Japanese or English degree program) |
| University of the Sacred Heart | Shibuya-ku, Tokyo | 1 position (Female candidates only, Japanese degree program) |
| Kansai University | Suita-shi / Takatsuki-shi / Sakai-shi, Osaka | 1 position (Japanese degree program) |
| Hiroshima City University | Hiroshima-shi, Hiroshima | 1 position (Japanese degree program) |
| Teikyo University | Hachioji-shi, Tokyo / Utsunomiya-shi, Tochigi | 2 position (Japanese degree program) |
| Tenri University | Tenri-shi, Nara | 1 position (Japanese degree program) |
| Yamanashi Gakuin University | Kofu-shi, Yamanashi | 2 position (Japanese degree program 1, English degree program 1) |
| Kanagawa University | Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa | 1 position (Japanese degree program) |
| Kyoto Koka University | Kyoto-shi, Kyoto | 2 position ( Japanese degree program) |
Graduate degree programme
| Waseda University | Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo | 2 positions (Japanese or English degree program) |
| Soka University | Hachioji-shi, Tokyo | 1 position (English degree program) |
| Teikyo University | Hachioji-shi, Tokyo / Utsunomiya-shi, Tochigi | 2 position (Japanese or English degree program) |
| Kansai University | Suita-shi / Takatsuki-shi / Sakai-shi, Osaka | 2 position (Japanese or English degree program) |
| Sophia University | Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo | 1 position (Japanese or English degree program) |
| University of the Sacred Heart | Shibuya-ku, Tokyo | 1 position (Japanese degree program) |
| Kwansei Gakuin University | Nishinomiya-shi and Sanda-shi, Hyogo | 2 position (Japanese degree program 1, English degree program 1) |
* Japanese degree program: for applicants who aim to complete the degree in Japanese
* English degree program: for applicants who aim to complete the degree in English
※The list of the faculties
● Japanese〔Undergraduate〕（PDF/735KB）7/4Update!!
● Japanese〔Master〕（PDF/559KB）7/4Update!!
● Japanese〔PhD〕（PDF/334KB）7/4Update!!
● English（PDF/269KB）7/4Update!!