What is YLP?

The Young Leader’s Program (YLP) is one of the Japanese Government (MEXT) Scholarship Programs. Hitotsubashi ICS is the only institution in Japan where recipients of the prestigious and competitive YLP scholarships are eligible to study business management.
YLP aims to contribute to cultivating future national leaders in Asian and other countries, to contribute to establishing friendly relationships among various countries, and to improve policy planning activities by forming a network among national leaders through deepening their understanding of Japan. This scholarship is for entrepreneurs, business managers, public officials, and so on, who are expected to play active roles as future national leaders in their respective countries.

Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT): Young Leaders' Program

Currently, citizens of Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Philippines, P. R. China, Rep. of Korea, Rep. of Turkey, Romania, Singapore, Thailand, and Viet Nam (18 countries) are eligible to apply for a YLP scholarship at Hitotsubashi ICS.

YLP scholarship recipients at Hitotsubashi ICS come mainly from the business world. Unlike YLP students at other graduate programs, at Hitotsubashi ICS they are integrated with all other MBA students and must meet all the same graduation requirements to earn an MBA. The program duration is 1 year. YLP scholars receive approximately JPY242,000- per month in addition to exemption of the matriculation fee and tuition fee, and also an air ticket to Japan and from Japan.

YLP Admissions Criteria

To be considered for Hitotsubashi ICS's MBA program, YLP applicants must:

1. Be nationals of a country participating in the YLP.
2. Have at least 2 years of full-time work experience and be under 40 years of age as of September 1 of the entering year.
3. Be college graduates who have achieved excellent results.
4. Have good command of English (submission of TOEFL/IELTS score is optional, but applicants should have English ability of a minimum TOEFL iBT score of 100, TOEFL PBT score of 600, TOEFL CBT score of 250, and IELTS Academic score of 7.0 or equivalent).
5. Have general aptitude for business studies (although not strictly required, submission of GMAT/GRE score is highly desirable; GMAT score of 600 or above, or GMAT Focus score of 555 or above, or GRE score of 160 or above on Quantitative Reasoning and 150 or above on Verbal Reasoning is expected.)

What We Look For

We take a holistic approach that considers every component of your application, evaluating three broad areas:

• An employment history, essays, and personal references that reflect clear purpose, high motivation, and well-developed interpersonal skills
• General aptitude for business studies, as demonstrated by the GMAT or GRE score
• A strong command of English

While submitting a GMAT or GRE score is mandatory for general admissions, it is highly recommended but optional for YLP admissions. Candidates who choose not to submit a GMAT or GRE score will be required to take verbal and quantitative writing examinations on the interview day.

Application Process

YLP scholarship applicants must apply through the YLP application process, NOT the Hitotsubashi ICS application process. For the application procedures and further details, including Application Guidelines and Forms, please inquire with the Embassy of Japan in each of the countries participating in this YLP scheme. Please note that the application details (regarding the application period, etc.) differ from those for the standard application process and requirements. The application criteria and schedule vary from country to country.

* Due to copyright restrictions, past writing examination questions cannot be disclosed.

Pre-application consultation

Individual faculty members are not authorized to respond to questions regarding examinations and admissions. If you have any inquiries regarding MBA examinations and admissions, please contact our Hitotsubashi ICS Admissions Office from the ‘Contact’.

Pre-consultation for applicants with disabilities or other special needs

ICS does not discriminate against applicants based on disability in the admissions process. Every applicant is evaluated based on merit and their potential to succeed in our program.
Applicants who have disabilities or special needs that require some form of accommodation in the application process should notify the Hitotsubashi ICS Admissions Office by email at ics-opencampus@ics.hub.hit-u.ac.jp two months prior to the starting date of an application period. (If you do not know the application period, please contact the Japanese Embassy. Although the Hitotsubashi ICS Admissions Office will accept such notifications during the application period, it may not be able to make the necessary arrangements in time for the candidate screening.)
Requesting such type of accommodation in the application process does not obligate you to apply to Hitotsubashi ICS. Even if you are undecided about whether to apply to Hitotsubashi ICS, you may still make such a request. Please note that it may take some time for the Hitotsubashi ICS Admissions Office to respond, depending on the nature of the accommodation requested.

Upon request, we provide reasonable accommodations for the application process, including but not limited to:

• Application process support, such as alternative formats for application materials
• Exam accommodations, such as consideration of interview time based on the applicant's medical or disability-related needs.