Recent Posts
- 2020年11月2日 41 CommentsToday, I am excited to bring you a guest post from an Embassy-Recommended MEXT Scholarship applicant who passed the Primary Screening in 2020, Johnny Navarro. Johnny has been a frequent commenter on the blog and has been generous in sharing his experience in those posts, as well. Here’s his story …
- 2020年10月19日 151 CommentsCongratulations on Passing the Embassy’s Primary Screening! If you are reading this article, I assume you have passed the primary screening (or are preparing to pass in the near future). That’s a tremendous step! The vast majority of applicants do not make it that far. In fact, almost all applicants …
- 2020年8月16日 33 CommentsRecently, I had the honor to be interviewed by Khamida and Kayta, two amazing MEXT Scholarship winners, for their video podcast, Tokyo State of Mind. We talk about: What the MEXT Scholarship covers My background with the MEXT Scholarship and why I started this blog Common applicant mistakes Common points …
- 2020年6月1日 169 CommentsCOVID-19 Impact on 2021 MEXT Scholarship Application Schedule Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, MEXT released the application guidelines and forms for the Embassy Recommended MEXT Scholarship over a month late on May 22, 2020. The entire application schedule has also been pushed back, including arrival time in Japan. If …
- 2020年6月1日 53 CommentsAre you eligible to apply for the Japanese Government Monbukagakusho (MEXT) Scholarship? As I write this, the application guidelines for the 2021 Embassy Recommended MEXT Scholarship (apply in 2020/scholarship starts in 2021) have just been released. Here is a complete explanation of the most recent requirements. Embassy Recommendation MEXT Scholarship …
Hello, I have received the MEXT scholarship university recommendation for UG, from national univ. and they have asked to go back to my home country and return back with student visa. I live in Japan as dependent and done my schooling.
How this works? does it mean I am already awarded for MEXT, is there any alloted slot for national univ. what if i am unable to travel due to covid. Request your guidance. Thx
Hi Ram,
Congratulations! It sounds like you either received a PGP category scholarship. In general, the only way to get an undergraduate MEXT scholarship is through one of the (few) pre-approved PGP programs. In these programs, MEXT has already pre-approved the universities for a certain number of scholarship slots each year, so once the university nominates you to MEXT, you are essentially guaranteed to get the scholarship.
Also, if you are living in Japan already, then in general, you do need to leave the country once, apply for the special type of Student Visa for MEXT Scholars, then return. However, since Japan is not allowing new international visitors in at the moment (last I heard, the policy for MEXT scholars was still to be decided separately), that seems particularly risky. I would recommend asking the university if there is any exception to allow you to change your residence status while in Japan, due to travel restrictions from COVID-19.
When does your degree start? If you are starting in the fall, you may have a little time for the border situation in Japan to improve, but if it is a Spring 2021 start (in another week or so!) it would be urgent to check now.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you for the reply. My semester starts in fall. Few more clarifications.
1. What is PGP, is there any difference “Top General University”?
2. Regarding visa, is the COE to be obtained for MEXT scholar or just the student visa stamping, if so how long will it take to get the visa?
Appreciate your response.
Hi Ram,
1. PGP and Top Global University scholarships are completely different. A university does not need to be a TGU in order to get a PGP program approved. A PGP program is a specific degree program, usually with a limited set of eligibility, approved by MEXT for three years to have a specific number of scholarship slots available. The University does all the selection in that case and once students are nominated they are almost guaranteed to be accepted.
I considered that your scholarship type could also be TGU, but for that type, you would not necessarily need to leave Japan and apply for a new visa, as far as I understand, so that is why I thought you must be in a PGP program.
2. MEXT Scholars do not need a CoE. There is a special approval process for you. I am not sure how long the visa application process takes for MEXT Scholars, but I think it is under two weeks. Hopefully someone else with direct experience can add a comment with the answer!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you Travis, this helps. I shall update the out come and share our experience.
Hi I am Amrita
I am basically Nepalese but living in Japan on dependent Visa. I am BBA graduate and have 2.3 years of working experience in Nepal. Presently, I am looking for MBA courses here in Japan in English medium.
My query is to know whether should I get back to Nepal to apply MEXT scholarship or can I apply from Japan as well?
I would appreciate you if you can answer my question. Thank you.
Hi Amrita,
You can start your application while living in Japan, but you would need to return to your home country during the application process and stay there for at least a few months before the start of the scholarship.
The MEXT Scholarship is typically for applicants who are newly planning to travel to Japan (although the “Top General University” category scholarship is also for students who are already living in Japan, so you might want to target universities where that is available). If you apply via the Embassy-Recommended MEXT Scholarship, you are going to have to visit the Japanese embassy in your home country during the application process for the test, interview, etc., and also when you apply for your visa.
IF you apply for the University Recommended MEXT Scholarship, they are going to want to see that you are planning to return to your home country, regardless of the outcome of the scholarship application, at least 2+ months before the start of the scholarship, in general. (Of course, by that time, you would already know they outcome, so you could change your plans, as necessary).
To sum up, in most cases, you are not supposed to be applying from within Japan, but you can do so.
I hope that helps.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz