Yamada Shintaro D&I Foundation Opens 6th Cohort for STEM Girls Scholarship

The Yamada Shintaro D&I Foundation announced that starting May 21, 2026, it is accepting applications for the 6th cohort of its lottery-based*1, no-repayment 'STEM Girls Scholarship.' The scholarship aims to support high school girls when they are deciding between arts and sciences tracks. The grant amount is 100,000 JPY per person, with plans to award it to approximately 500 students. Since its inception in 2021, the scholarship has been awarded to a cumulative total of about 2,200 students, amounting to approximately 270 million JPY*2. A joint study*3 conducted with Keio University in 2025 revealed that applicants who received the grant had a 26.6 percentage point higher probability of advancing to STEM fields compared to those who did not. Many scholars have also voiced that the scholarship was the deciding factor for their pursuit of a science track. The application deadline is noon on Wednesday, September 30, 2026.

In addition, the foundation will host online information sessions for teachers in charge of career guidance and scholarships to explain the program's outline. Details can be found at the end of the release.

STEM Girls Scholarship Application Page: https://shinfdn.org/scholarship2026

The university enrollment rate for women in STEM fields in Japan remains at 18.08%*4, the lowest among OECD countries. On the other hand, the OECD's PISA 2022 (Programme for International Student Assessment) shows that the academic proficiency of 15-year-old Japanese girls in science and mathematics is among the highest in OECD countries. Despite this high academic ability, the low enrollment rate of women in STEM fields is driven by structural factors surrounding career choices. Once students choose the arts track during their first or second year of high school, the rate of changing to the science track is only about 5%*5. Therefore, the key is how to encourage girls who feel that 'science might be an option' during their track selection period to actually pursue STEM.

This scholarship plays exactly that 'encouraging' role. Knowing that 'there is a scholarship supporting the choice of science' and being selected as a scholar itself leads to a sense of being supported in their career path, increased motivation, and anxiety relief, which strongly pushes them toward advancing in STEM fields.

*1: Lottery will be held if the number of eligible applicants exceeds the limit after preliminary screening
*2: Includes finalized recipients of the 2025 STEM Girls Scholarship
*3: Based on joint impact verification with the Makiko Nakamuro Laboratory, Faculty of Policy Management, Keio University (2025)
*4: Calculated from OECD 'Share of new entrants and graduates in each field of education by gender' (As of 2023)
*5: Based on the foundation's report for eliminating the gender gap in STEM fields, 'Project 0.91%' (Issued March 2026)

◾️ 6 Features of the Scholarship: Apply Even if Undecided

The scholarship application-to-grant process has been simplified as much as possible so that students can apply even if they are still deciding between arts and sciences.

- Grant amount of 100,000 JPY, no repayment required
- No income limits (no need to submit documents proving household income)
- No need to submit academic transcripts
- Can apply even if undecided on the track at the time of application
- Application completed in about 10 minutes via a web form, no interviews
- No restrictions on concurrent use with other scholarships

◾️ Flow from Application to Grant

1. Email Registration
Submit an email address via the application button on the foundation's official website, and a link to the application form will be sent via email.
https://shinfdn.org/scholarship2026

2. Submission of Application Form (by 12:00 PM, September 30, 2026)
Follow the instructions in the registration email and apply via the form.

3. Notification of Selection Results (Late November 2026)
All applicants will be notified of the results via email.

4. Submission of Required Documents (by February 28, 2027)
Prospective recipients must submit necessary documents such as a 'Career Path Confirmation Form' via the designated form.

5. Scholarship Payout (Around March to June 2027)
100,000 JPY will be transferred in a lump sum to an account in the applicant's name.

◾️ The Scholarship in Data
What hurdles do girls considering a science track face, and how do they utilize the scholarship? We present the reality based on data from applicants and recipients.

◾️ Online Information Sessions for Teachers
We will hold free online information sessions via Zoom for teachers in charge of career guidance and scholarships, covering the outline of the scholarship, student trends, and the results of past impact verifications. Each session consists of a 30-minute explanation and a Q&A segment.

Session 1: Monday, June 1, 2026, 16:00-16:30
Session 2: Friday, June 5, 2026, 16:30-17:00
Session 3: Thursday, June 18, 2026