Abstract This report presents regression discontinuity design (RDD) as a powerful analytical tool for use in applied linguistics showcased through our study of the impact of Japanese government study-abroad (SA) scholarships. RDD enables the estimation of causal effects in scenarios where a true experiment is not feasible by exploiting a naturally occurring cutoff point for treatment assignment. Because RDD may be novel to most readers in applied linguistics, this report provides a detailed step-by-step explanation of the standard RDD procedures our study exemplifies. The results section is crafted to reflect the conventional presentation style of RDD findings. Furthermore, the report’s concluding segment suggests scenarios within SA-related language learning research that could benefit from RDD application by enhancing the nuanced and precise interpretation of data in applied linguistics contexts.