Scholarship Amount

This is a full scholarship.

Eligibility

• Full scholarships are available for high school students who are children of full-time U.S. employees of Sony Corporation of America (SCA) (including Sony/ATV, Sony DADC, Sony Biotechnology Inc.), Sony North America (SNA), Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE), Sony Music Entertainment (SME), or Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE).

• Previous recipients of a YFU scholarship are not eligible. The employee must have completed one full year of employment prior to the deadline.

• To enable Sony to award scholarships to as many different families as possible each year, only one scholarship per employee family may be awarded in a given program year.

• Academically, the applicant must have a “B” average or better (3.0 on a 4.0 scale).

• This program is not open to children of Japanese transfers.

• Parent must be a full-time U.S. employee of SCA (including Sony/ATV, Sony DADC, and Sony Biotechnology Inc.), SNA, SPE, SME, or SIE at the time the student departs for Japan.

• U.S. citizens or students with permanent U.S. residency may apply.

• All applicants will be notified of their status (via email) in April.

Age Requirements

TBD for the summer 2025 program.

Complete Application Includes

• Complete Online Application

• 1 Teacher Recommendation

• Host Family Letter

• 3 Short Answer Essay Questions

• Application Fee (non-refundable)

• Health Certificate

• Parent-student agreement

• 5 Candid photos

• 1 Passport sized photo

Application Fees

$75 (non-refundable) due at the time of application

Scholarship Covers:

• Round-trip international airline travel

• Round-trip domestic airline travel

• Placement with a carefully selected host family, generally in and around Hiroshima.

• Regional orientation for scholarship recipients and parents

• Preparatory materials

• Three-day Japan specific orientation at the beginning of the program

• 24/7 support services in host country

• Comprehensive Insurance

Scholarship Recipients are Responsible for

• Passport

• Visa fees (if necessary)

• Any excess luggage tariffs

• Personal spending money

• Upon returning home, scholarship winners are expected to complete at least one presentation in their school or community to share their experiences, teach others about the culture in their host country, and encourage other students to participate in foreign exchange.

• Within one month of returning home, the student must provide a 1 - 2 page report and captioned photos detailing their exchange experience.

Orientation

Japan scholarship winners will participate in a special mandatory Japan Pre-Departure Orientation. Students may not miss orientation or arrive late in Japan. Additionally, students may not schedule to leave the program early or extend their stay in Japan. All students must fly to and from Japan together.

Left to Right: Trent Mulrooney, Sr. Executive at Sony DADC Distribution along with 2019 Sony Corporation of America Scholarship winners Nolan Wang, Ryanne Biernat, Justin Lee, Claire Sorvala, and Maya Sorvala (Kevin Cavicchia not pictured)

Notes

• Scholarship programs are subject to change or cancellation without prior notice.

PLEASE KEEP A COPY OF THIS PAGE AND YOUR APPLICATION MATERIALS FOR YOUR REFERENCE.

If applying for multiple scholarships, please indicate each scholarship's name and code on your application. All scholarship recipients are required to travel on the YFU group travel dates, and to complete the entire program. 

For more information regarding YFU and the scholarship selection process call 1.800.TEENAGE or refer to the Scholarships Overview section of this web site.