A variety of scholarships are available based on merit and need. The general principles for granting scholarships are these. The full rates of tuition, room, and board at TCU cover only half of the total cost of educating a student at TCU. The university makes up the difference from donations and various subsidies. In that sense, even students who pay full-tuition and room-and-board at TCU, whether Japanese or International, automatically receive a huge amount of financial support. The university tries very hard to keep the cost down for everybody, especially since so many of our students come from the families of low-income pastors and missionaries in Japan and elsewhere and/or themselves plan to enter full-time ministry after graduation.
Given the low rates of tuition and room and board, very few scholarships are available to Japanese students, North American students, Western European students, or other students coming from families or situations with comparable resources. If the student's family does not have sufficient resources to pay the tuition and fees, the university expects students from these areas to take advantage of bank loans, support from their congregations, and similar resources.
Prospective international students from North America should note the following. In USA and Canada, there is an organization of schools with the same basic vision of higher education as TCU. This organization is called the Council of Christian Colleges and Universities. TCU was their first international affiliate (along with the International University of Vienna). It may be instructive for the student to compare TCU's total package for tuition, room, and board with the costs at these North American institutions. In many cases we charge 50% and in some cases even less. In practical terms, this means that North American students can obtain an education at TCU for half of the price of a similar education back in the States. And it should be remembered that American students are, in both tuition rates and scholarship opportunities, treated exactly the same as Japanese students.
The university, however, has raised additional scholarship funds for exceptionally able students from developing countries, where few people have the ability to pay for an education at the rates charged in Japan, North America, Great Britain, or similar places. No student should hesitate to apply to ACTS- ES because of lack of financial resources. The university will make every effort to arrange financing for highly qualified and highly motivated students who are also most in need of assistance.
Finally, it should be noted that although married persons are welcome to study at TCU, the student must still live on campus. There is a separate dorm for families. TCU does not, however, provide any scholarship or other financial assistance for family members. And it is almost impossible for spouses without adequate Japanese to find jobs to cover their own expenses and that of any children. Therefore, only unmarried students without any obligation to support other people (parents, brothers, sisters, etc.) will find it practical to attend TCU on a scholarship.
