Kyoto University for Indian Students: Fees, English Programmes and Admission

Kyoto University: Key Facts

The facts not already in the box above. Each row names the official page it comes from and the date we checked it. Figures change, so confirm on the source before you rely on one.

Each row is dated with the day we checked its source.

Kyoto University Fees

Kyoto’s fee page sets one rate for each category of student and lists no separate rate for international students. You pay an entrance examination fee when you apply, a one-time admission fee when you join, and tuition every year, which can be paid per half year. The figures below are in yen and apply to students admitted in or after the 1999 academic year.

Source: Kyoto University, Tuition and fees, checked 27 October 2026. Research students pay ¥29,700 a month, a ¥84,600 admission fee and a ¥9,800 entrance examination fee. Kyoto says that if tuition is revised while you are enrolled, the new amount applies from that point on.

Kyoto charges ¥535,800 a year in tuition. The University of Tokyo, for comparison, charges ¥642,960 a year to undergraduates who entered in 2025 or later (UTokyo fee page, checked 27 October 2026). Living costs are on top of these figures. For a full cost plan, read our breakdown of the cost of studying in Japan.

English-Taught Programmes at Kyoto University

Kyoto lists these routes on its English-taught degree programs page. It adds that, beyond the listed graduate programmes, “there may be opportunities in individual laboratories or with specific academic advisors to earn a degree in English, especially at the doctoral level”.

Kyoto iUP (International Undergraduate Program)

Kyoto iUP is a 4.5-year programme: a six-month preparatory course, then four years of undergraduate study, ending in a bachelor’s degree in your chosen major. It is not taught fully in English. Kyoto labels it “Japanese + English”: in the first two years after the preparatory course, classes are taught in English and/or Japanese, and the final two years are “taught mainly or exclusively in Japanese”. You do not need Japanese to start, because the programme gives you intensive Japanese classes.

Applications for October 2027 entry are open now, from 2 November until 3 December 2026, 5 p.m. Japan time. You apply only through the Kyoto iUP Online Application System, not through MEXT: to the question “Is it possible to apply for Kyoto iUP through MEXT?”, Kyoto iUP answers “No, it is not.” Once you are in, a MEXT scholarship is still possible: Kyoto iUP says it “has some spots for Mext Scholarship (University Recommendation)”, with recipients “selected by Kyoto iUP among successful applicants”, and an iUP offer does not mean you get one. The MEXT Embassy Recommendation is a separate route, through the Japanese embassy.

Every Kyoto iUP student gets a full admission fee waiver and a full or partial tuition waiver for the four and a half years, plus a monthly allowance of up to JPY 120,000 during the six-month preparatory course.

Sources: Kyoto University, English-taught degree programs; Kyoto iUP, home page, Application Process, Financial Support and FAQ: Financial Support. Checked 27 October 2026.

Undergraduate International Course Program of Civil Engineering

A four-year course leading to a Bachelor of Engineering from the Undergraduate School of Civil, Environmental and Resources Engineering. Kyoto lists it among its English-taught degree programmes, with an intake of 30 students and entry in April. The first two years cover mathematics, physics and liberal arts, with scientific English and basic Japanese lectures available; specialised civil engineering lectures start in the second year. Students spend the first three years at Yoshida Campus, and in the final year may join a research group at Katsura or Uji.

Source: Kyoto University, English-taught degree programs, checked 27 October 2026.

Graduate programmes in English

Kyoto runs English-taught graduate programmes in fields including letters, economics, engineering, agriculture, energy science, informatics, biostudies, global environmental studies and management. It adds that there may be other chances, in individual laboratories or with specific advisors, to earn a degree in English, especially at doctoral level. Its graduate guide for international applicants sets out three steps: find a course, find a supervisor, then read the application guidelines. Applicants who have graduated, or will graduate, from a university outside Japan “may be required to apply as a research student” first, so check the guidelines of the graduate school you want. For more on how Kyoto’s master’s degrees work, read our Kyoto University master’s program guide.

Sources: Kyoto University, English-taught degree programs and Graduate Admission Guide for International Applicants. Checked 27 October 2026.

Scholarships at Kyoto University

The Japanese Government (MEXT) Scholarship is the main scholarship for international students at Kyoto. Kyoto’s MEXT page (dated as of September 2026) says scholars have their examination, admission and tuition fees exempted, and lists monthly stipends for research students of ¥143,000 (non-degree), ¥144,000 (master’s and professional degree) and ¥145,000 (doctoral). It notes these details are based on past application guidelines and subject to change.

One route is changing. In Kyoto’s words, the University Recommendation (General Program), a scheme for prospective graduate and research students, “is expected to be discontinued starting in the 2027 academic year in accordance with MEXT policy”, and “recruitment for this program will not take place for prospective students seeking admission in the 2027 academic year”. The Embassy Recommendation and the University Recommendation (Special Selection), for students in special programmes approved by MEXT, are still listed.

• Embassy Recommendation: apply through the Japanese embassy in your country. For research students, the application period is around April to May.
• University Recommendation (Special Selection): you first get admission to an eligible special programme, then Kyoto nominates you as a candidate and MEXT selects the recipients.
• Kyoto iUP: you apply only through Kyoto iUP’s own Online Application System, not through MEXT. Kyoto iUP has some MEXT (University Recommendation) spots, and picks the recipients from applicants it has already accepted, so a place does not mean a scholarship. The Embassy Recommendation is separate. Every iUP student also gets iUP’s own fee waivers and allowance (see above).

Sources: Kyoto University, Japanese Government (MEXT) Scholarship, checked 27 October 2026; Kyoto iUP, FAQ: Financial Support (Q12-3 and Q12-4), checked 30 October 2026.

Read our MEXT scholarship application guide and what the MEXT scholarship covers. For every Japan scholarship we track, with deadlines, see scholarships in Japan and Japan scholarships for master’s students.

Kyoto University for Indian Students

Kyoto does not list an office in India on its offices and facilities page, so you apply directly online. Indian students in Japan are a small but growing group: Japan’s student services agency JASSO counted 2,095 Indian students in Japan on 1 May 2025, up from 1,685 a year earlier.

Sources: Kyoto University, Offices and facilities, checked 27 October 2026; JASSO, International Student Survey 2025 (PDF, page 8), checked 27 October 2026.

Thinking about life in the city too? Our guide to studying in Kyoto covers what to know before you apply. Comparing Japan with other countries? Start with our Study in Japan page, which covers universities, costs, visas and our admissions support.