The 2018 University-Recommended MEXT Scholarship Application Guidelines are Out!
Most universities in Japan will have already started – and in some cases finished – their application process before MEXT released the official guidelines. To find out how and when each university accepts applications, you’ll have to contact them directly. However, here are the important changes and things to know for this year’s application, whether you’re starting now or already in the process.
University-Recommended MEXT Scholarship for Research Students (Graduate Students)
This article (and every article I have written about the MEXT scholarship to date) focuses on the scholarship for graduate students. There are only seven universities able to recommend undergraduate scholars for the MEXT scholarship in this year’s application process. You can find the list on page three of this document. If you’re interested, please follow up with those universities.
University-Recommended MEXT 2018: Overview
What’s changed this year?
Overall, the application process is very similar to what I have covered in previous articles. However there are a few significant changes. In the interest of getting this out in a timely fashion, I will cover the changes in depth in this article and refer to older posts for the details that have stayed the same. Sound good? OK, here we go.
Changes
I will cover each of these in detail below, but here’s an overview.
- Eligibility Criteria: Key updates/clarifications in academic background, language proficiency, grades, residence in Japan, and nationality.
- Slot Availability Calculation: Some variation from last year. See below for a complete description.
- Priority Graduate Programs are Back: In 2017, MEXT selected a new group of priority graduate programs, which have a pre-determined slot allotment and a much higher chance of earning the scholarship, if you qualify.
- Application Form: Like the application form for the Embassy-Recommended MEXT Scholarship, the application form is now an excel file. It is mostly similar to the Embassy version, but there are several additional questions that I will cover below. I’ll also share a sample filled form.
- Field of Study and Research Program Plan: The FSRPP format now matches the format for the Embassy-Recommended scholarship! That means there’s the additional question about your research in the past. For my tips on how to complete that document, please see the article on the Field of Study and Research Program Plan. I won’t rehash it here.
- Other Required Documents: Clarification about the Letter of Recommendation and ambiguity about the medical form.
OK, now let’s get into the details.
First, What Hasn’t Changed
The award amount. The scholarship benefits are still as follows:
- Exemption from paying tuition
- Monthly stipend:
- Research Students: JPY 143,000/month
- Master’s Degree/ Professional Degree Students: JPY 144,000/month
- PhD Students: JPY 145,000/month
- (Undergraduate Students: JPY 117,000/month)
- Cost of Living Adjustment: JPY 2,000 – 3,000 in selected areas
- Round-trip flight ticket to Japan (covered by MEXT or the university). Note: only the international portion of the ticket is covered. You are responsible for all domestic travel costs in your home country and in Japan, plus the airport usage fees and fuel surcharges.
This is still one of the most generous scholarship packages I know of anywhere in the world.
Most of the Application Process has Not Changed
Most of the articles I have written on the University-recommended MEXT scholarship are still completely valid. I am only going to cover the changes below and refer you to older articles for the rest.
I will update the out-of-date portions of those old articles as soon as possible.
2018 University-Recommended MEXT Scholarship Eligibility
For most criteria, there are no changes from the eligibility criteria I described in the past. However, there are some key differences described below:
Birthdate: Update and Clarification
This changes every year, of course. But this year, there is a new exception possible.
The basic requirement is that you must have been born on or after 2 April 1983.
Exception 1: If you previously graduated from MEXT’s Young Leaders Program no more than 5 years prior to the start of your studies and are applying for a PhD, you are still eligible.
Exception 2: New If you were born before the date above but you were not able to apply while you would have been eligible due to one of the following reasons, as approved by MEXT, you may still apply.
- Mandatory military service
- Civil war or rebellion in your country
- Suspension of higher education activities in your country
Note: Exceptions absolutely will not be granted for the following reasons: personal financial situation, family reasons, health reasons, previous education or employment-related reasons.
I think it would be a hard sell to qualify for this new exemption. It probably applies to about 0.001% of potential applicants. But it’s a nice gesture, I guess.
Academic Background: Simplified!
The previous academic background criteria were unnecessarily complex and resulted in thousands of inquiries about eligibility exemption. (I got hundreds, myself, and I don’t even work for MEXT!)
The criteria is now much simpler: You must be academically eligible to enroll in the Masters or PhD program you are applying to, as determined by the university.
This leaves the decision in the university’s hands and does not make them jump through hoops to meet a poorly-defined MEXT rule. Trust me, that’s a good thing!
To find out what the eligibility criteria is for your particular university, you’ll have to check their website directly.
GPA: Change of Evaluation for Applicants Without a GPA
If you earned grades or marks during your last degree, this does not affect you, but MEXT finally clarified how to evaluate applicants who did not earn grades in their previous program.
If you do not have any grades earned in your previous program, then your Letter of Recommendation (more on that below) must state that you are/were in the top 30% in order of merit of the graduating class of your university (or of your college/faculty in cases where this is determined on a faculty level).
Note that the GPA takes precedence. If your GPA is under 2.30 on the MEXT 3.00 scale but you are within the top 30% of your graduating class, you are not eligible.
Proof of Language Ability: Key Clarification
Universities are now required to collect formal language proficiency test scores from all nominees. This means that you have to submit TOEFL or IELTS scores for English or JLPT scores for Japanese. Other official tests may be accepted on a university-by-university basis, but these are the tests pre-approved by MEXT, so if you have a choice, target one of those!
Informal tests, such as TOEFL prediction tests, university course records or exam scores, TOEFL ITP (institutional test), etc., are not going to be accepted and universities do not have the leeway to make exceptions.
However, there is no minimum score. You just have to have a score.
Residency in Japan: Clarification
Another of the most common questions I have seen is, “If I’m living in Japan now, can I apply?”
The criteria for this used to be vague, but this year MEXT has made it clear at last! The newly clarified criteria is (Note: translation is my own):
“You must apply for a student visa at a Japanese embassy or consulate outside of Japan (in principle, in your country of nationality) and arrive in Japan with a student residence status. Applicants who already hold a residence in Japan such as Permanent Resident, Long-term resident, etc., must surrender that residence status and return to Japan with a student visa. There is no guarantee that persons in such cases will be able to re-obtain permanent residency or long-term residency again after their period of study.”
Furthermore, in principle you must leave Japan and return to your home country at least 2 months before the start of your scholarship and not return until the date designated by MEXT. Universities are obliged to confirm at the time of your application that you have a definite plan to return home by that date, regardless of the outcome of the scholarship application.
Nationality
The application guidelines are only going to say that you must have citizenship in a country with formal diplomatic relations with Japan and that you may not have Japanese citizenship.
But there is something else you should be aware of on the back end: Universities are required to have at least 75% of their nominees come from designated priority countries. So, if your country is not on the list below, you have a much lower chance of getting the scholarship.
Priority Countries
Africa | ||
---|---|---|
Algeria | Angola | Benin |
Botswana | Burkina Faso | Burundi |
Cabo Verde | Cameroon | Central African Republic |
Chad | Comoros | Cote D’Ivoire |
Democratic Republic of the Congo | Djibouti | Egypt |
Equatorial Guinea | Eritria | Ethiopia |
Gabon | Gambia | Ghana |
Guinea | Guinea-Bissau | Kenya |
Lesotho | Liberia | Libya |
Madagascar | Malawi | Mali |
Mauritania | Mauritas | Morocco |
Mozambique | Namibia | Niger |
Nigeria | Republic of the Congo | Rwanda |
Sao Tome and Principe | Senegal | Seychelles |
Sierra Leone | Somalia | South Africa |
South Sudan | Sudan | Swaziland |
Tanzania | Togo | Tunisia |
Uganda | Zambia | Zimbabwe |
Americas | ||
Argentina | Bolivia | Brazil |
Chile | Colombia | Ecuador |
Guyana | Paraguay | Peru |
Suriname | Uruguay | USA |
Venezuela | ||
Asia | ||
Bangladesh | Bhutan | Brunei |
Cambodia | India | Indonesia |
Laos | Malaysia | Maldives |
Mongolia | Myanmar | Nepal |
Pakistan | Philippines | Singapore |
Sri Lanka | Thailand | Vietnam |
CIS and Russia | ||
Armenia | Azerbaijan | Belarus |
Kazakhstan | Kyrgyzstan | Moldova |
Russia | Tajikistan | Turkmenistan |
Uzbekistan | ||
Europe | ||
Albania | Austria | Bosnia and Herzegovina |
Bulgaria | Croatia | Cyprus |
Czech Republic | Greece | Hungary |
Kosovo | Liechtenstein | Macedonia |
Montenegro | Poland | Romania |
Serbia | Slovakia | Slovenia |
Switzerland | Ukaraine | |
Middle East | ||
Afghanistan | Bahrain | Iran |
Iraq | Israel | Jordan |
Kuwait | Lebanon | Oman |
Palestine | Qatar | Saudi Arabia |
Syria | Turkey | UAE |
Yemen |
You can find the original list in Japanese here.
There are several notable countries not on that list, including (but not limited to): China, South Korea, all of North and Central America (except the US), all of Oceania, all of Scandinavia, the UK, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain.
Students from China and South Korea make up nearly 48% of all international students in Japan, but they are not on the list. So if you’re from either of those two countries or from another country not listed above, you’ll be facing an uphill battle to get a slot.
All Other Eligibility Criteria
For all other eligibility criteria, please refer to my previous article on the subject!
Now, speaking of slots. . .
Slot Calculation: How Many Nominees Each University Can Select
The number of nominees any university can submit is based on the number of international graduate students enrolled as of May 1, 2017, multiplied by the percentage change in self-financed international graduate students from 2016 to 2017.
That means, if a university somehow doubled its number of self-financed (i.e. non-MEXT scholarship) international graduate students over the past year, they could get double the slots. Of course, if they lost half of their self-financed international graduate students, they would lose half of their slots, too.
I have not been able to find any data reporting specific enough to determine the number of self-financed international graduate students, so I cannot tell you what that percentage change will be. But if you make the assumption that it is only going to be a few percentage points, you can more or less rely on the chart below, which shows the base slots available.
I have checked the number of international graduate students enrolled as best as possible for several top universities in Japan, so I will list those in the table, as well.
Base Slots
Number of International Graduate Students Enrolled | Number of MEXT Scholarship Slots | Universities in the Category |
---|---|---|
1001+ | 9 | University of Tokyo, Waseda, Tohoku University, University of Tsukuba, Osaka University, Kyushu University, Kyoto University, Hokkaido University, Nagoya University*, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Hiroshima University |
801 – 1000 | 8 | Kobe University |
601 – 800 | 7 | Ritsumeikan University, Keio, Chiba University |
501 – 600 | 6 | Sophia University |
401 – 500 | 5 | Meiji University, Yokohama National University, Kansai University |
301 – 400 | 4 | Doshisha University, Josai International University |
201 – 300 | 3 | Takushoku University, Hosei University |
101 – 200 | 2 | Ritsumeikan APU, Chuo University |
0 – 100 | 1 | Japan University of Economics, Osaka Sangyo University |
*Reporting was not sufficiently detailed for this university, but this is my best guess based on data available.
Additional Slots
Each University may recommend up to two additional nominees if the university is willing to cover their travel expenses.
Maximum Number of Slots
If you combine the figures above, the universities with the highest number of international graduate students are able to recommend up to 11 total students for general category slots. That’s out of all of the applicants, across all graduate schools.
To give you an idea about the competition level, I was responsible for MEXT applications at a mid-high ranked private university several years ago, and we got up to 400 applications per year for the University-recommended MEXT scholarship. So, the competition is intense and you need to be doing everything you can to make your application shine!
Please don’t take this as discouragement. Take it as inspiration to take your application seriously and do everything you can to be one of those 11!
Note for Non-Priority Countries: If you’re going the math, a maximum of 11 slots means that university can recommend a maximum of 2 students from non-priority countries. 3 would be more than 25%. Only universities with 6 slots or more on that chart above can recommend as many as 2, (6 + 2 additional slots = 8), so you are probably best off choosing one of those universities.
Slots Are Not Guaranteed
MEXT does not guarantee that they will accept all nominees, even if they are within the maximum slot number. This is really beyond your control, but here are the things MEXT will consider when determining whether to accept all nominees from a particular university.
- The overall nomination situation across all universities
- MEXT’s budget
- The students’ Field of Study and Research Program Plan contents
- Key university internationalization data, including international partnership activities, number of privately financed students enrolled, number of foreign students earning degrees, ratio of foreign faculty, etc.
- Whether the university has been responsible for students who became illegal overstays in the past
- If your universities have a formal partnership agreement: Any formal letter of recommendation will do! (Note: the Japanese university may still ask you to meet the criteria for #2 below, since they don’t know the relationship when you apply. If they ask in their application guidelines, you should be prepared to follow through.)
- If your universities do not have a formal relationship, but have a history of academic cooperation: The letter must come from the President of your home university or a Dean or higher.
- If there is no relationship or history of cooperation between your universities: You must obtain a letter of recommendation from the president of your home university.
Priority Graduate Programs are Back!
This year, MEXT revived the Priority Graduate Program Scheme, which could be great news for you!
Priority Graduate Programs are programs that have passed a screening by MEXT and are appproved to receive a specific number of slots each year for a three-year period.
The good news is that if your application falls under one of these programs (listed at the link above) then there is a significantly greater chance of getting selected. Instead of a competing for a maximum of 11 slots to be spread out across the university, you’d be competing for slots that are earmarked for a specific degree program.
The downside is that these programs often have more specific eligibility criteria that are not always public. For example, I know of programs in the past that were only available to Master’s level students who were taking the degree in Japanese, or were only open to nationals of two select countries (Note: These are both programs that no longer exist). Some universities may publish this information publicly. If so, great! But there’s a good chance it will not be available, as well, so it’s a gamble.
Even if you are targeting a Priority Graduate Program, you should be prepared to fall back on a general category slot (university-wide competition) if you don’t meet the eligibility criteria, so you need to focus on making your application as powerful as possible.
The Application Form Has Changed
The Application Form for the University-recommended MEXT scholarship has changed significantly from last year. If you’ve already applied this year for the scholarship, the university probably had you use last year’s form, so they’re going to need to ask you to resubmit this year’s form, instead.
Most universities, though, won’t ask you to resubmit this year’s form unless there’s a decent chance that they are going to select you as a nominee for the scholarship. So if you get that request, it could be good news.
OK, on to what’s changed.
The new form is similar to the Embassy-Recommended MEXT Scholarship Application Form, which I wrote about in detail earlier this year.
For the most part, I recommend following the instructions in that article. I am only going to talk about the changes here.
Biggest Change: Increased Emphasis on Avoiding Dual Awards
I think this has been the most significant mentality shift by MEXT for this year’s process. They are putting a lot more emphasis on making sure that universities do not recommend students who have earned MEXT scholarships in the past three years and are not applying for multiple scholarships.
MEXT is making universities ensure that their nominees are not applying simultaneously for the Embassy-recommended MEXT scholarship or for the University-recommended MEXT scholarship at another university.
There is a whole page in the application form dedicated to making sure you are not applying for two scholarships at once!
Past Japanese Government Scholarship Receipt
In the Embassy Form, MEXT asked about previous scholarship receipt, but they’ve made that question easier to answer this time around. Instead of making you fill in the type of scholarship you earned, you now get to select from a series of checkboxes. (By the way, click here to find out how to insert checkboxes in Microsoft Excel).
If you have received a scholarship in the past (other than Japanese Studies Students or Korea Joint Government Scholarship Program for The Students in Science and Engineering Departments), there is a section to fill in your education/research background since the end of your last scholarship. Although that will apply to a very small number of applicants, it should make it easier for those applicants to figure out if they’re eligible or not.
Most of you will be able to skip that chart!
Applying for Multiple Scholarships
Questions 9 and 10 ask if you are applying for another MEXT scholarship or a scholarship from any other organization, including your home country government.
You are not allowed to apply simultaneously for multiple MEXT scholarships – including university and embassy recommendation, so if you check “Yes” in question 9, consider yourself out of the running. The university will likely contact you to tell you that you have to choose only one.
Obviously, you have to be honest here (any falsehood on your application is cause for disqualification and, if discovered after your arrival in Japan, may require you to pay back any scholarship money already received). So, you have to make a choice.
If you’re applying for the Embassy recommended scholarship and you’re waiting on the results of the secondary screening, know that at this point of the application, your scholarship is practically guaranteed, so there is no reason you should be applying for the university-recommended scholarship, as well.
If you’re applying at two different universities for the MEXT scholarship – even if one is a general category and the other is a PGP – you have to choose just one.
Scholarships from other organizations: If you’re applying for other scholarships as a back-up plan, for example a government scholarship from your country or a scholarship at a university in another country, that’s not a problem. You just have to check the box acknowledging that you will immediately cancel that application and award if you are selected for MEXT.
Other Minor Changes to the Application Form
They added a section to the educational background to ask what degree you earned at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Fill that in with your degree type (e.g. BA, MS, BBA, etc.) and field, as shown on your diploma/graduation certificate.
Unlike the Embassy-recommended application process, there is no option to choose what month you want to arrive in Japan. University-recommended MEXT scholarships always start in the fall, except for some PGP programs with a spring start. In either case, the start date is pre-determined and out of your hands.
Sample Application Form
If you’re already a member of my mailing list, I have sent you a copy of the sample application form, so check your email.
If you have not yet joined, they I will send you a sample copy of the University-recommended MEXT application form and the Embassy-recommended application form when you sign up!
Note: This is a pdf sample form for the application for graduate students showing you how to fill in the answers. You should get the fillable form from the university where you’re applying, since they may have additional instructions or requirements.
Other Required Documents
There are no changes to the other required documents, but I have a few clarifications about some of the documents that cause a lot of confusion.
Letter of Recommendation
This only applies to the University-recommended MEXT scholarship application process. The requirements for the Embassy-recommended application process are significantly different.
The letter of recommendation is a free-form letter and I have written about it extensively in the article above. But I have a clarification about who needs to write the letter: It depends on the relationship between your current/most recent university and the university in Japan.
Remember to check the other requirements in the article above.
Those are all the changes for this year.
be sure to sign up for my mailing list to download the sample form and get updates whenever I have new information or guides about the MEXT scholarship.
If you have any questions, please ask in the comments, below. I can not answer questions sent by email.
Good luck with your applicataion!
Ads by Google:
Thank you very much for your information. Your dedication makes me impressive. Regarding the University Recommendation, I am preparing for the next December and I still have a lot of concerns. I would like to ask you some as follows:
1. My desire university said that they haven’t received any information about the MEXT Uni Recommendation yet for the next December, but you stated that we need to prepare before they announce. Thus, I am very worried that may be I don’t have enough time for LOR because they said the form and requirement will change each year.
2. I want to apply for a Master Course and I see that many universities require an entrance exam after passing all the MEXT progress. So what if we cannot pass that exam?
3. If we applied by University Recommendation, could we still apply for the Embassy for the next year’s April?
4. Do I have to write a CV, Letter of Recommendation and Research plan in a formatted form or free style? In my university, we have Chair of Department and my department is not under any school, it is called “department” because of its low amount of students. So I can’t have a sign from a Dean, should I ask the Rector for signing?
Hope to hearing from you soon. Thank you very much for your kind support.
Hi Mani,
Thank you for your kind words.
1. I understand your frustration! The application forms and some requirements change every year, but the Letter of Recommendation requirements have not changed in the 7 years that I have been working with this scholarship. If you follow the Letter or Recommendation guidelines in my article about the required documents, you should be fine. (I am working on an update to that article now, but it has been taking longer than expected.)
2. The format of the “entrance exam” varies by university. Often in the case of the University Recommended MEXT Scholarship, it is just a document screening (of the documents that you already submitted for the MEXT application). If the university decides to recommend you to MEXT for the scholarship as a degree-seeking student, then they would have already had to approve your acceptance to the degree program at that time, so you have nothing to worry about!
3. Yes, you can. But by the time the Embassy application process starts next year, you should already know where you stand with the University Recommended MEXT Scholarship. You would know if the university had recommended you to MEXT or not. If they did recommend you, then it is all but certain that you would receive the scholarship.
4. You are not required to submit a CV (unless your university asks for it – MEXT does not), the Letter of Recommendation is “free form” but there are several required elements, and the Field of Study and Research Program Plan should be completed on the designated form. For the Letter of Recommendation, if your university does not have a Dean (in a small university, it is often the person in charge of all academics at the university), then you would need to find someone higher, such as a provost, vice-rector, or rector, to sign the letter. The exact titles differ by university (I know there are some where the Rector is a political figurehead and the Vice-Rector is actually the president), but a department head would generally never be acceptable.
I hope that helps!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you very much, Travis. That indeed helps me a lot in my application. Keep spreading the good supports for other people! Hope that one day I will become more experienced and help you share more about the MEXT.
Hi Traviz. I just enrolled in program as an research student, and I have to take an entrance exam to enroll in PhD program. Can you share me some information about this kind of scholar? I heard that I just need to take an English proficiency test, an essay and an interview. So what chance do I have to enroll officially in PhD program?
Thank you,
Hi Lee,
I have talked about the difference between research students and degree-seeking students in other articles in past articles as well as my book, but essentially, you would still be taking coursework and conducting research, but you would not be “on the clock” for the three years that you have to finish your PhD after you officially start.
The entrance exam is unique to each university, so you would have to get more information from the university/graduate school where you will be enrolled. In some cases, it is merely a document-submission formality. In other cases, though, there is an actual exam and interview process.
I have never known a MEXT Research student who was unable to pass the entrance exam and move on to the degree, so the chances are very high, so long as you put in the effort.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
Thank you so much for your quick reply. Your information is so helpful. I’m really appreciated that.
Hi Travis,
I would like to apply for MEXT, but I found that there are no Exchange Agreement between my home university and Toyohashi University (NON-PARTNER UNIVERSITIES case). Unfortunately, it is very difficult to get the recommendation from the president and I just can get the recommendation from the Dean. So I wonder if I have any opportunity or not in this case?
Hi Ros,
Do you know if there is any other informal collaboration between your universities? Like a joint research project between professors, etc. (I recommend you check with your international office or whoever oversees academic linkages).
If there is any collaboration between the universities, then a letter from the Dean would meet MEXT’s requirements. If not, then I’m afraid the requirement, at least as of last year, was for a letter from the President in that case. It may change this year, and there may be collaborations that you are not aware of that would make a Dean’s letter OK, but that seems like a risk.
If there is another university you are considering where you do have a connection or exchange, then I might suggest shifting your attention there, to be safe.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
I heard that HOkkaido University willl not offer mext for 2018-2019. is it true ?
Hi Muhammad Saqlain,
I have not heard anything like that and have no reason to believe it would be true. It sounds pretty far-fetched to me, but it could be partial information or a miscommunication. Where did you get your information? I can try to look into it in more detail.
The application for scholarships to start in 2018 has long since passed and students would already be arriving to start their studies now. As for 2019, the application should be starting soon for the University Recommended MEXT Scholarship if it hasn’t started already.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
I am currently doing masters degree in university of toyama and I am suuposed to graduate in march 2019..
if I want to apply for MEXT through university reccomndation..can I apply to it while I am in japan or I have to be in my country >>
Hi Sherif Araf,
You can apply for the University Recommended MEXT Scholarship from Japan.
In almost all cases, the University Recommended MEXT Scholarship is for studies beginning in the fall semester, so you would have to return to your home country temporarily between graduation and starting your MEXT scholarship. That would meet MEXT’s requirements for leaving and arriving again for the MEXT scholarship.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi, Travis
Starting this fall, I will be enrolled at 2-year Master’s program as a MEXT scholar.
I had a quick question about an internship. Is it possible for a MEXT scholar to take a leave of absence for one semester and do an internship overseas (3-6 months) ?
I know that I have to be physically present in Japan and show up every month to collect monthly stipends. I wanted to know if a rule allows a student to take a semester off to do an internship as long as the student gives up stipends for that time period.
Thank you in advance! 🙂
Hi L,
It is not possible to take a leave of absence as a MEXT scholar or participate in an internship that takes you away from the university and your research.
If you miss your monthly sign-ins for 3 consecutive months, you would forfeit the scholarship altogether.
Also, if it becomes clear that are unable to finish your degree within the determined amount of time (two academic years) for your degree, you would lose the scholarship immediately. That is determined by the number of academic years from your date of enrollment, not by the number of semesters enrolled. So, if taking a leave of absence to participate in an internship extends your graduation date, that is grounds for revoking your scholarship. (Also, if you intend to participate in fieldwork or an internship overseas during your studies, that would violate the MEXT eligibility criteria and would result in losing the scholarship).
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Travis,
Thank you for your answer.
I just wanted to make sure on one thing. At the end of your answer, you said participating in an internship overseas during my studies will result in losing the scholarship. What if I participate in an internship overseas during summer vacation for less than 3 months? That way I could finish my studies withing two years and also not miss the sign-ins for 3 months. Will this also result in losing the scholarship?
Hi L,
The part I mentioned about intending to pursue an internship overseas is from the MEXT eligibility criteria. As far as I understand it, any intention to perform an internship overseas of any amount of time would disqualify you.
As a graduate student, you would be expected to be studying/research throughout the year, not just during semesters, and Japanese university summer vacations are only about 1 month anyway.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis!
I happened to read this conversation and I am sorry for jumping in.
So, as a recipient of MEXT scholarship, I understand that it is impossible to attend any internship/exchange program oversea and outside Japan, regardless of the amount of time. However, is there any way for us to join international activities? (such as travelling, volunteer works, etc)
Thank you for your help in advance.
Hi Sakae,
As long as you can work it out in your research/study schedule, then a trip of a month outside of Japan should be possible – possibly even close to two. It all depends on timing it around your classes and the signature dates at the university.
To the best of my understanding, the key, in terms of scholarship eligibility criteria, is that the trip cannot be essential to your studies.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello again,
So I applied for the for the embassy rec. and after passing the fist two stages i failed the interview and the only reason is because I am from a small heavily corrupt country. I have lived 3 mounts in japan and the interviewers are not sure if I am going to manage to live in japan 😀 Jokers.
Anyway i am not letting go and i will try and to get a university recommendation instead. I have read your posts and i think i have a good idea what i need to do. I have contacted few professors but no luck yet. Also Something that is worrying me, few of the universities have told me that the only way to get this uni recommendation is if your university and the Japanese university have some kind of partnership. Do you know if this is true or not? In the letter that i am send thing to the professors i am attaching the research plan that i have and i am also telling them that I will write a new one if that dont like the topic. Do you think this is a good think to say or not? And please help me with any advice that you think will aid me in any way possible. Thanks man you are great. looking forward to your reply
Hi Velislav,
I am sorry to hear that you had trouble with corruption and the embassy interview. One of the advantages of the University Recommended MEXT Scholarship that I wrote about in my book was the freedom from local government interference. It sounds like that might benefit you.
It is true that some universities in Japan will only accept applications for the University Recommended MEXT Scholarship from current students or graduates of their partner universities, but last I checked, that was not the case for all universities.
I think it is fine to suggest that you would be willing to modify your research topic if the professor advises you to do so, but I would suggest that before you email the professors to begin with, that you research what their current field is and, when you offer to change your topic, offer to do so in a way that would bring it into closer alignment with their own. How flexible you need to be also depends to some extent on your field. I understand that in STEM fields, you might have to choose from research topics/experiments that your advisor offers, but in humanities, social sciences, etc., there would be considerably more freedom.
I am actually putting the finishing touches on an updated article about the University Recommended MEXT Scholarship for applicants for next year. If you’re on my mailing list, I will let you know as soon as it is available!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis,
Unfortunately, I have the same problem as Velislav, even worse – the Embassy did not even let me take the written exams. I am sure that this is related to extremely high corruption level in our country.
However, as studying in Japan is one of my goals, I am not going to give up applying, either for other scholarships or for the University recommended MEXT.
Could you please send me the link on your new article about the latest application procedure as soon as it will be finished?
Thank you!
Best wishes,
Amina
Hi Amina,
I am sorry to hear that you didn’t pass the primary screening. If you are signed up to my mailing list, then I will send you the link to the new article as soon as it is posted.
As you prepare for the University Recommended MEXT Scholarship, I would recommend that you do everything in your power to make your application as strong as possible. There is no government interference in this process, but the competition level is extremely high.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
I am a diploma in electrical engineer from bangladesh.with 3.35 gpa..can I apply for MEXT
Scholarship graduate program..
Hi Galib,
If your diploma is the equivalent of a bachelor’s degree in Japan, if your GPA converts to a 2.3 or higher on MEXT’s 3.0 scale (see conversion guidance here), and if you meet all of the other eligibility requirements listed in this article and the linked one, then yes, you would be.
Unfortunately, I do not know the degree equivalence in your case, and a cGPA is not enough information to convert your grades – you would have to convert them on a course-by-course basis for the most recent two years.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Travis,
I was admitted to a graduate school in Tokyo with MEXT scholarship(2018 University Recommendation scheme). I am currently employed and will be leaving to Japan with a leave of absence from my company.
As I was preparing the enrollment documents, I had a question regarding the “employment status” The enrollment guideline distributed by school mentions that some scholarships require recipients to remain employed (with leave of absence) while they are doing their study in Japan. I was wondering if MEXT scholarship program requires its recipients to remain employed (with leave of absence).
I could not find relevant content in the MEXT scholarship 募集要項, so I am guessing it won’t be one of the conditions. but I just wanted to make sure since no one know what will happen in the future!
Thank you for reading!
Hi L,
No, there is no requirement to remain employed under a leave of absence with the MEXT scholarship. You have nothing to worry about!
I know there are some scholarships in Japan that are specifically for government employees in other countries. I assume the reference to remaining employed would apply to those. (In that case, being employed in the first place would have been a condition of the scholarship application.)
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Traviz,
I am right now studying japanese in Osaka; i came across your post looking for opportunities to Study in Japan my Master´s. In the past i heard about Monbukagakusho but only through embassy recommendation. I have already finished my Bachelor in Mexico and would really like to try to apply to this Scholarship through University Recommendation, Do you think is possible? is there any guideline to follow? Thank you for your time!
Hi Luis Villalobos,
Yes! It is certainly possible to apply by University Recommendation. (Given the restrictions that the Mexican government places on its Embassy Recommendation scholars, the University Recommendation process might be better for you).
The first thing that you have to do is determine which university you want to apply to. You can only choose one for the University Recommendation. Each university is going to have its own individual application process and guidelines, and the application period can vary significantly from university to university.
Once you choose your university, I recommend that you dig around on their website to see what information you can find about the scholarship. In most cases, the application process will not begin for a few more months, though, so keep in mind that they may not have anything up-to-date.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
Really glad how much effort you put on your blog!
I have this doubdt, i have been speaking to my sensei and she is always telling me that to get into a National School (i Would like to try on Hokkaido) it is really difficult and always discourage me from that side, what would you say? do you think she is correct?
She is always telling me to go for more like Public Universities, but sometimes they do not have the MEXT or programs in english; what would be your opinion on this situation?
Thank you so much for your time and knowledge.
Hi Luis Villalobos,
If you are applying as a regular, fee-paying undergraduate student, then yes, the national universities are typically harder to get into.
For MEXT scholars, it depends on whether you are applying for the Embassy Recommendation or University Recommendation. I’m assuming you’re applying for the University Recommendation, but correct me if I’m mistaken.
For the University Recommendation, it is going to be intensely competitive no matter where you apply. The number of slots is limited, as I tried to indicate in the chart on this page, so typically only one, applicant could even be accepted into each graduate school. The competition is naturally going to be higher at better-known universities, but at the same time, you want to aim for one of the universities that has the most slots available (and none of the public universities have many).
Ultimately, I would recommend that you apply to the university you are most interested in studying at, understand that the competition is high, no matter what, and put together the strongest application you can!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello travis thank you for your encouragement I already sent a email to hiroshima university because it was my first choise they reply that in mid December they receive the mext information .
They suggest that I have to choose prospective supervisor and talk with him about my research because they will inform me through my academic advisor.
The problem it’s after I read your blog you make clear that mext don’t want pepole who apply for embassy first. (I didn’t pass the writing exam)
In my case I will be disqualified.
Hi Hanane,
I am afraid that I must have been unclear in one of my posts. There is absolutely no reason why applying for the Embassy Recommendation first would disqualify you from applying for the University Recommendation MEXT scholarship.
If you had passed the Embassy’s Primary Screening, then you should not apply for the University Recommendation, because they you would be applying for two MEXT scholarships at once. However, since you unfortunately did not pass the Primary Screening, there is nothing stopping you from applying for the University Recommendation – I would highly recommend that you do apply!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello!
I am an international student.i would like to apply for MEXT scholarship.i have aaccepted reply fropm a professor at Tokyo university.how can i carry out to get the scholarship for 2018 or 2019?
Hi Mina,
If you haven’t started your application yet, then the next opportunity would be for the University Recommendation MEXT scholarship for the scholarship starting in 2019.
I’m not sure what you mean about having accepted reply from a professor at University of Tokyo. Is that an admissions offer? Or just an informal agreement to supervise you if you get in?
I would recommend that you take a look at my article on how to get started with the application process.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
You blog is so helpful and thank you very much. Recently I got the email that I am granted the scholarship. I heard from somebody that the scholars still need to take the entrance exam. But my school didn’t tell me anything about entrance exam, and the department scheduled entrance exam date is before the time I come to Japan as well. Are entrance exam necessary to every MEXT scholars? Btw, I think I belong to PGP programs which last for 3 years only, without the first year for learning japanese.
Thank you!
JK
Hi JK,
Congratulations!
If you applied for the University Recommendation scholarship, then there is never an option to spend the first semester studying Japanese. That is only for the Embassy Recommendation application process.
As for the entrance exam, at some universities, the entrance exam is just a document screening. Often, for the University Recommendation, you actually pass the entrance exam during the document evaluation and (possible) interviews before the university recommends you to MEXT. If the university recommended you for the scholarship as a degree-seeking student, that should mean that you have effectively passed their entrance exam already.
(Applicants for the Embassy Recommendation are more likely to have to take the university’s entrance exam after getting the scholarship confirmation).
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thanks for your kind reply. I am more relieved about this. Now preparing to apply for visa. Thanks!
Hi Travis,
I am applying for University of Tsukuba at Physics Major. Do you happen to know about the announcement results for MEXT University Recommendation for Year 2018? My professor said on March that he already sent my documents to MEXT for process. Lately, I heard that some other MEXT participant already got their results from their professor. However, until now I still have not received news about it and when I asked my professor about the results 10 days ago, he said he still have not got any news about it. Is this mean that I am on Priority Graduate Program (PGP) ? I myself do not know whether I am on General Course (GC) or PGP since my professor did not say anything about it and when I check my major on the link you give above for PGP program, it does not mention my major (Physics) at Tsukuba. Do you have any insight about this?
Thank you in advance.
Just now I received an email regarding my scholarship. I got accepted for the MEXT University Recommendation Program. I guess it just some procedural delay since the one who sent the email is not my professor but the Division of Student Exchange. Thank you!
Hi Sabrac,
I just saw this comment after I wrote back to your last one.
Congratulations! I was sure you would hear good news in the end, it was just a matter of university timing.
Good Luck with your studies in Japan!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Sabrac,
The results were due to be released in June, which usually means by the last day of June. But, like you, I heard that some other applicants have already gotten their results (but all of those were within the last few days).
It may depend on the university – some universities might be prepared to inform their applicants immediately after getting the results from MEXT and others might have a few more bureaucratic steps to go through.
Since today is the last day of June, I would recommend that you contact the professor or the office that you worked with during the application process.
The PGP and GC results should have both been out together this year, but the results for scholars recommended under the Top Global Universities scheme are due to come out later.
I hope they can help you sort out your situation!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Dear Traviz,
I finally got the official announcement from my university that my MEXT scholarship has been accepted. Thank you very much for your great support, all your detail post relevant to MEXT scholarship are really helpful. Thank you again.
Lee Nguyen
Hi Lee Nguyen,
Congratulations!
Thank you very much for your kind comments and for sharing your success. There is nothing I like more than hearing back from people who have been able to use the advice here and find success in the application!
Good Luck with your studies in Japan!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hey Travis,
Just wanna let you know that your blog has been a huge help in tailoring my application. After got rejected for 2 years (3x applied, both University and Embassy), i have finally got accepted as 2018 MEXT University Recommendation Scholar in Kobe University. It was a journey in tailoring research plan and compromising it with professors, i guess. But yeah, many thanks. May luck and good life be upon you!
Ajie
Indonesia
Hi Ajie,
Congratulations!
Thank you very much for your kind words, as well. I am glad I was able to help in some small way.
Would you be willing to share the kids of changes that you made to your application to achieve success this time around? I know a lot of people would find that helpful! Please let me know if that would be possible.
Good Luck with your studies in Japan!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi, this is Ruchika from india. Do you happen to know about the announcement results for MEXT University Recommendation for Year 2018?
Since its already july and didn’t hear anything from professor and university as well, I am getting more anxious.
hoping for kind and and fast reply.
thank you in advance.
Hi Ruchika,
As far as I know, universities got the results from MEXT last week and most have already notified their applicants.
If your university notified you that they were recommending you to MEXT, but they still haven’t gotten in touch, I would recommend that you
1) Check your spam email box (scholarship notifications can often look like spam and get automatically filtered)
2) If there is nothing there, contact the office that said that they were nominating you and ask them if the results have been published yet.
If you were nominated for the Top Global University category scholarship, instead of the standard University Recommendation, then those results are not yet out, as far as I know.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you sir. Today I have got the confirmation mail from my professor that MEXT has finally approved my application.
Thank you very much for your kind reply.
Hi Ruchika,
Congratulations! I am very happy for you!
Good Luck with your studies in Japan!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello sir,
this is Ruchika from India.
I got the MEXT Scholarship via University recommendation. My Professor told me that I will join university as a RESEARCH STUDENT and then will enroll in PhD after 6 months.
today, I received the MEXT scholarship certificate which states my scholarship term from October 2018 to march 2020 only. It makes me little confused about the scholarship term since my PhD is for 3 years.
Please reply soon.
Thank you.
Hi Ruchika,
Congratulations on earning the MEXT Scholarship!
Your award period is perfectly normal, don’t be concerned. That is the maximum award period for you as a research student. (The maximum duration is 18 months, for scholars who arrive in the fall semester).
However, when you pass the entrance exam and enroll as a degree-seeking student, you will apply at the same time to extend your MEXT scholarship to cover your entire PhD, so you would get a new award period of three years that starts when your PhD enrollment starts. It is not necessarily guaranteed that your scholarship would be extended, but as long as you are working hard and have a positive relationship with your advisor, it should not be a problem at all.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
hello sir,
This is Ruchika from india, a successful MEXT research scholar for oct 2018 entrance.
But, I didn’t get my flight tickets yet and university office is not replying my mail.
what may be the reason ?
Is it late or normal ?
thank you
best regards,
Ruchika
Hi Ruchika,
Did you earn your scholarship via the Embassy Recommendation or the University Recommendation? If you are an Embassy Scholar, the university wouldn’t be able to answer your questions anyway – they would probably have to ask you for your ticket information. For University Scholars, I think the university also gets a copy of your flight information.
If my memory serves me correctly, it should be a travel agency that contacts you directly about your tickets. The travel agency, in turn, is contracted by MEXT, so there are several layers of bureaucracy involved. It is not unusual for the information to come late, within a month of your arrival in Japan.
I would recommend trying to call the University or Embassy where you applied, if you are concerned. There are VOIP calling services, like skype or google, that you can use to call phones at a relatively cheap rate.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi!
I have done my B.Sc in Industrial Engineering. I also have a Diploma in another different field. I think my Diploma is considered as Higher Education (Undergraduate). Where shall I fill it in the 2018 form? Shall I fill both degrees in the same column of Higher Education (Undergraduate)?
Thanks in advance.
Farah daylac
Hi Farah Daylac,
If your diploma is higher than high school but lower than a bachelor’s degree, then I would recommend that you include it in the tertiary education/undergraduate line.
By the way, this article is for a different version of the application form (University Recommended MEXT Scholarship). If you are applying for the Embassy Recommended MEXT scholarship for 2019, I would recommend you refer to the article I wrote about that specific application form!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
Thank you very much for your kind information regarding MEXT Scholarship Application!.
A few months ago I applied for MEXT Scholarship (University Recommendation) and I have done all screening by The University. In early April I got an email from my supervisor that I had passed the university screening and I was nominated to MEXT by The University. My supervisor also said that It is a high chance that I will get the scholarship.
Recently I read your post about “2018 University Recommended MEXT Scholarship Application”. At the “Proof of Language Ability: Key Clarification”, It is written that “Informal tests, such as TOEFL prediction tests, university course records or exam scores, TOEFL ITP (institutional test), etc., are not going to be accepted and universities do not have the leeway to make exceptions”. I used TOEFL ITP (Institutional TOEFL) for MEXT Scholarship application and It makes me very anxious. Is there any possibility that I will not get the scholarship because I used TOEFL ITP score on my application?.
Please kindly advise on my problem and great thanks in advance for your kind attention.
Regards,
Andi
Hi Andi,
I meant that comment about unofficial test to refer to a possible change in the future. I’m sorry if it was unclear!
This year, the requirement says that applicants should have official tests to the maximum degree possible, but does not require them. I was speculating that this change meant that it could be required in future years.
Since you have already passed the university’s screening, you should have nothing to worry about at this point. They would not have risked selecting you for nomination if there was a potential problem with your application!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank a lot for this. Please let me know what is the chance to get selected by the MEXT which is recommended by the University. I am selected for the Scholarship which is to be recommended to the MEXT by the University.
Is there any case that MEXT will reject the scholarship even if the student submitted the proper document? Please let me know.
Hi Ronaldo,
I answered this in a response to a different comment you left, but the chances of being rejected by MEXT after the university nominated you are practically zero.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Same Case with my Application. I submitted the English certificate given by my University. I am selected by the University Recommendation for MEXT Scholarship.
I would like to know what happened to your application? Is it selected by the MEXT? Please let me know.
Hi Ronaldo,
After the university selects you for nomination to MEXT, it is no longer a competitive application process. MEXT is only going to double-check to make sure that you havn’t violated any rules, such as being nominated by multiple universities, or that you aren’t an internationally wanted terrorist or someone else who wouldn’t be able to get a visa.
I have never heard of anyone who was nominated by the university that did not receive the scholarship in the end. It is just a matter of waiting for MEXT’s paperwork processing for the final result.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis,
Thanks a lot. It means a lot. Now, my tension is gone. I really really appreciated what you are doing for the community. You deserve applause. Your post helps me a lot.
Thanks for everything.
Hi Ronaldo,
Thank you very much for your kind words! I am very glad I could be helpful in your application.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
Thank you very much for your kind information regarding MEXT Scholarship Application !.
A few months ago I applied for MEXT Scholarship (University Recommendation) and I have done all screening by The University. In early April I got an email from my supervisor that I had passed the university screening and I was nominated to MEXT by The University. My supervisor also said that It is a high chance that I will get the scholarship.
Recently I read your post about “2018 University Recommended MEXT Scholarship Application”.
At the “Proof of Language Ability: Key Clarification”, It is written that “Informal tests, such as TOEFL prediction tests, university course records or exam scores, TOEFL ITP (institutional test), etc., are not going to be accepted and universities do not have the leeway to make exceptions”. I used TOEFL ITP (Institutional TOEFL) for MEXT Scholarship application and It makes me very anxious. Is there any possibility that I will not get a scholarship because I used TOEFL ITP score on my application?.
Please kindly advise on my problem and great thanks in advance for your kind attention.
Regards,
Andi
Hi Andi,
For this year, MEXT’s requirement said that “to the maximum degree possible” applicants should have those tests. It did not make it mandatory and did not make any particular score mandatory. If you made it past the university’s screening with the ITP, then there should be no problem with clearing MEXT.
Your test report does not get sent to MEXT, so they would only see it if they requested additional documentation on you from the university, which rarely, if ever, happens.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hey, is it right to leave some spaces blank which don’t really apply to you?for instance, on visits or stays in Japan.
Hi Anthony,
I recommend writing “n/a” or “none” for blanks that do not apply to you, unless it is part of a multi-part question where you are only supposed to answer part 2 if you wrote a specific answer in part 1.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi,
I appreciate your support.
Please I have a question. My professor already helped with getting my COE and invitation to Japan to write the entrance exams for October 2018 start date as a privately funded student. Thereafter I went to the embassy and I got a cultural activities visa for one year stay in Japan which will be changed to a student visa after my admission to the PhD course. I had planned to travel by early July to ensure my 3 months visa validity does not elapse because the exams is for August. he informed me last week to apply for MEXT scholarship university Recommended and I have started the process.
To my question what happens to my cultural activities visa when I am picked by MEXT? You said in your blog that a student visa is needed from the embassy. Do I go back to the embassy and tell them I do need a student visa when I am yet to use the visa issued.
Thank you
Hi Ade,
If your advisor told you to apply for the University Recommendation now for a program to start in 2018, then it is likely that it is part of the Top Global University Scholarship slots. That’s the only one I know that might still be accepting students at this point.
In that case, the system is a little different. You would not have to apply for a visa in your home country and should be able to change to a student visa in Japan as soon as you get your admission to the program.
If it is not the Top Global University Program (or not the scholarship program for 2019), then your process would be different, but that is the only thing I can imagine at this point of the year.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thanks so much for your reply.
I checked the application form and it’s the top global university slots. Please can I get further details about the scholarship project. The benefits and other details about the program.
Hi Ade,
The biggest difference in terms of benefits is that you do not get the flight ticket to and from your home country paid by MEXT. The other benefits (tuition exemption and stipend) are the same.
The duration is also different. For the Top Global University slots, they are awarded on a year-to-year basis, so you would have to renew your scholarship each year. But your university may do this automatically. So much about this application process is up to the universities’ individual discretion that it is difficult to say for sure, I’m afraid.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thanks for your kind reply.
I got myself in a little situation yet and I do not know what to do.
I was advised to delay my arrival to Japan because the PhD course starts by October and coming earlier will result in me spending so much on living expenses prior to my start date. So I planned my travel few weeks before my visa validity expires.
All along I forgot that or would I say I was not aware that I have to be in Japan before the Certificate of eligibility expires. Sadly it expires today and my flight is fixed for next week.
I am puzzled, I got to learn I must enter Japan while the COE is valid while going through your blog today.
Please at this point what do I do. I am just going frustrated here.
It’s likely I will get the super global university scholarship based on the feedback I got after the interview.
Please do not forget I was told to apply for the scholarship program.
Forgive my long message. Do they elongate the Certificate of eligibility validity or do they have to reissue another and how do I go about it.
Thanks and God bless you for the good work you doing here.
Hi Ade,
Yes, unfortunately, you must enter Japan while both the visa and CoE are valid. I would recommend that you contact the university, let them know what happened, as ask them if they can contact the Immigration Bureau for further instructions. The CoE is issued by the immigration bureau, so they would have the most knowledge of your options.
Let them know about your flight schedule too, to make it clear that it is urgent.
In the worst case scenario, they may have to reissue a CoE, but if anyone can find a workaround, it would be the university and immigration bureau.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Dear Travis,
Thank you so much for this amazing post. I’ve read all comments on this post and it makes me a less anxious about the final and official anouncement from MEXT in July, as I’m recommended by Tohoku University in PGP Program.
However, I just realized that the copy of the diploma and transcript I sent wasn’t certified. Would that be a problem? Would it cause MEXT to decline the recommendation?
Thank you so much.
Hi Ira Novianti,
Thank you for your kind words!
Congratulations on getting nominated! If you have reached this stage, then there is no reason to think that MEXT would reject your application. As far as I know, MEXT does not even check the original certificate of graduation. It is not one of the documents that universities have to submit to MEXT for the secondary screening.
So, you should have nothing to worry about!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Dear TranSenz,
One of professor replied me that he is agreed to accept me in his group under MEXT scholarship. Now i don’t know what to do else, is there any link or guidelines can you give me that i follow and continue my process towards MEXT? I will be highly thankful to you.
Regards:
Izaz Ali
Hi Izaz Ali,
That’s great to hear that you have a professor willing to be your supervisor!
At this time, you should start working on your application for the Embassy-Recommendation MEXT Scholarship, since that is the process that is currently accepting applications. Refer to the nearest Japanese embassy or consulate for instructions for your area.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Traviz,
I finally got the official announcement about the scholarship last Friday (June 8th). I got it! 😀
It’s waaay earlier than I thought it would be.
Thank you so much for giving me so many helpful information through this blog.
Hi Ira Novianti,
That’s great news, congratulations!
Best of luck with your new life in Japan!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Ira,
I am also selected by the Tohoku University with the recommendation for MEXT Scholarship?
How long it takes to get the final official from the MEXT?
Please let me know.
Thanks
Regards
Ronaldo
Hi Ronaldo,
The official results are supposed to be released in June for the University Recommended MEXT Scholarship, but in recent years, MEXT has been a few weeks late on a pretty regular basis, so I would expect early July.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Dear Travis,
I had applied for the MEXT scholarship in 2016 but didn’t clear the interview. I am actually above 35 now but I am still interested to apply for reserach in Japan. As most of the scholarships have age limit so I wanted to know if I can apply for other scholarships (which does not have age limit) for reserach purposes. OR if there is any other way to apply for scholarship by directly contacting the schools or universities.
Any little help from you also would be appreciated. Look forward for your response.
Regards
Hi Ruchita Bansal,
Unfortunately, the age limit is absolute for the MEXT scholarship and I do not know of any other full scholarships available to international students before enrollment. There may be some that have limited availability, but nothing that I am familiar with. I hope you are able to find something.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello! I plan on applying this year for the embassy recommended MEXT scholarship and I have a question: the model they attach each year for the letter of recommendation says it has to be sealed and signed across the seal of the envelope, but I used a format that’s not the one used in the example given by the embassy, so I was wondering, do I still have to put my letter in an envelope and ask the president of my university to sign across the seal? Also, another question regarding the TOEFL/IELTS scores, do we have to print a proof and attach it to the documents we give to the embassy? Thanks for your time, amazing page!
Hi Ines,
Thank you for your kind words!
Whether you use the template or not, the application guidelines do not state that the letter has to be sealed in an envelope. It should be fine to turn it is without sealing, but I would recommend that you double-check with your specific embassy to see if they have further requirements.
You are required to attach a copy of your language proficiency test scores to the application, but you do not need to submit originals or get them attested.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you so much for your quick response, I do plan on asking them directly, but since I can only ask questions on certain days where they offer talks and the closest one I can attend is still far away, I wanted to know earlier if you knew anything about those things so I could prepare beforehand, again, thank you so much!
Hi Ines,
You’re welcome! I hope it helped.
While you’re waiting for the next info session, my best advice would be to start working on your Field of Study and Research Program Plan and researching potential supervisors in Japan.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Dear Travis,
Hope you are well. I am Manobendro from Bangladesh. I found your blog as a helpful one. I highly appreciate your cordiality. I have applied for the nomination from University of Tokushima for the MEXT scholarship. About a month ago my professor informed me that, my application is going through the screening process. once the nomination result gets published, I was supposed to be notified. But still I have not got any notification from my professor as well as from the university. I am quite anxious regarding this. If I am not being selected, will I be notified?
Thank you.
Hi Manobendro,
It is up to each university to decide whether or not to inform unsuccessful applicants. Most do, as far as I know.
Since the results should already have been determined, I would recommend that you contact them to follow up!
By the way, have you checked your spam filter? Sometimes scholarship-related emails look like spam and end up in there.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
Earlier I posted a question regarding PGP MEXT nomination notification from the university.
Your answer helped me very much, and as you said, I received a notification that I was nominated to MEXT by the university. I want to say thank you again!
This time, I wanted to ask a question regarding a marriage as a MEXT scholarship recipient.
As I mentioned above, I was nominated to MEXT by university under a PGP scheme. Also, my boyfriend was nominated to MEXT by THE SAME UNIVERSITY (I think under 2013 PGP scheme, but I am not sure, since the university did not articulate on this).
We are planning to get married before we leave for Japan this September, and I just wanted to make sure if there is any limitation on receiving MEXT scholarships as a married couple.
To my knowledge, there was a limitation on this until 2006.
Since I depend on Google Translation to read Japanese documents, I may not be accurate.
But I found this on 2006年度 日本政府(文部科学省) 奨学金 留学生 募集要項.
夫婦の一方が既に日本政府(文部科学省)奨学金留学生として採用されている場合及び夫婦が同時に応募する場合は、他 の一方の者は採用しない。
But I did not see such limitation since 2007 募集要項 (and as you may well know, it is not in 2018 募集要項 either). So I am guessing it disappeared since then, and there will be no problem in me and my boyfriend receiving MEXT scholarship as a married couple. But I just wanted to double check on this by asking you. I will be truly appreciated if you could comment on this question.
Thanks in advance!
Hi L,
Congratulations on your nomination!
I have not heard of that condition existing since I started working with the scholarship in 2011.
I did see a note in the 2006 application for the Japan Studies Scholarship saying that from that recruiting period onward, it would no longer be a problem for spouses to apply simultaneously or for one spouse to apply after the other had already received the scholarship, so you should be fine!
I remember we had spouses of current scholars apply when I handled the applications, and we never rejected them on that basis.
I hope that helps!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you Travis! this was really helpful!
Hello, Firstly Thank you so much for providing these useful and Clear information.
In our country in order to finish high-school we do the national examination , These are my marks on transcripts in the previous 3 highschool years + national examination (They grade us in percentage in highschool except in national examination):
Year 1: 74%
Year 2: 65%
Year 3(the last year):68%
And in the national examination I got 85% and i was the first in my country. do you think i”m eligible to apply for MEXT Scholarship (undergraduate degree)?
Hi Peter Linn,
I don’t have any direct experience with the undergraduate MEXT scholarship and have not done any specific research there, so I cannot be sure that the GPA conversion works the same way as it does for the graduate scholarship. So, take what I have to say with a grain of salt.
It is not possible to convert your GPA based on your overall average. You have to convert each individual course. It matters how you arrived at that average. If you have several high grades and a few low grades your overall MEXT score would be very different from if you have all average grades.
For the graduate scholarship, at least, MEXT only considers the most recent two years of grades and would not consider a national exam score. Not all countries have those and MEXT guidelines apply equally to every country.
Things may be different for the undergraduate scholarship, but I am certain the grades would still be converted one-by-one.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis
My nickname is Sakae and I am from Vietnam. I applied to G30 program at Graduate School of Economics in Nagoya University AY 2018. I have already been accepted by Nagoya University and I am now being nominated by them for MEXT scholarship. Although they are now recommending me to Japanese government, in the email they said that “This is not assured you to have Japanese Governmental Scholarship”. So I now have mixed feelings and my first question is do you know how possible is my chance?
In addition, I have heard from my friends that for the MEXT scholarship university recommendation, there are some slightly different kinds of categories. Normally, in principle, the travel cost of international flights is paid by MEXT before and after the courses of the students. Meanwhile, it seems that for the “Super Global” category, travel cost will not be paid by MEXT and students have to bear it by themselves. However, when I was told that I had been recommended by Nagoya University to MEXT, they didn’t said that which category I would belong to. So, my second question is whether you have done any research about this “Super Global” category and could you tell me about it? (For your information, I know some of my friends lately nominated for MEXT scholarship ended up receiving everything included in MEXT scholarship allowance except for travel cost and they had to pay it by themselves. This is why they told me about “Super Global” category).
Sincere thanks for your help in advance.
Hi Sakae,
Congratulations on your nomination!
I have never heard of an applicant getting nominated but not receiving the scholarship in the end. The university cannot approve your scholarship all by itself, so it cannot guarantee that you will receive it. That’s why they say that it is not assured. But it is almost certain.
For the university recommendation MEXT scholarship, either MEXT or the university will pay your travel costs. (My understanding is that if you are one of the students where the university will pay your costs, then they are required to inform you of that). You should not have to pay.
The “Super Global” category you are referring to is not actually part of the University Recommendation MEXT scholarship, it is an entirely different category, called Domestic Selection. Domestic Selection scholars do not receive travel costs. As the name suggests, that scholarship is targeted at students who are already in Japan. Some universities do award it prior to your enrollment, but it should be an entirely separate application process and it would be clear from the outset that you would be in that category and have to pay your own travel costs. Again, you should have nothing to worry about!
I hope that has helped ease some of your worries!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis!
Thank you a lot for your answer. It helped to ease my worry!
Yesterday I sent an email to Nagoya University asking about the official result of MEXT Scholarship in 2018. Unfortunately they said that they couldn’t know when MEXT would release their final result. Do you have any idea or any guess about the release of official result this year? (based on your research of MEXT scholarship in other Japanese universities in 2018)
What is more, they couldn’t answer my question about the terms of MEXT scholarship in 2018 as well. I guess the monthly stipends, tuition fee exemption will not probably be changed; but for the travel cost of international flights, I have no idea what would be going on this year. I asked some of my friends applying to Nagoya University for the last years (they are from the same country as mine, same graduate school); they said that they had to pay their flight tickets by themselves, but I thought MEXT would cover these travel cost for us (as you said above). This is why I asked you about the “Super Global” category in which foreign students need to pay the tickets by themselves to arrive in Japan for their courses.
Actually paying the flight ticket by myself does not really matter to me as long as I could receive the MEXT scholarship, but I am just curious about this “new” category and it seems to be special of Nagoya University. Have you done any research about this?
Hi Sakae,
Would you be able to send me a link to the application guidelines that you followed?
There is no “new” form of the scholarship. The question is just what existing form of the scholarship you fall under. As I mentioned before, the Super Global University scholarships are part of the Domestic Selection scholarship category, where students do have to pay for their own tickets. The only other category that could apply is University Recommendation.
If I saw the application guidelines, then I might be able to help you figure out which one applies in your case! Depending on the scholarship category, the results release date might be different as well. For University Recommendation, the date is late June (although I would expect that MEXT will be late again).
For the scholarship stipend, my understanding is that the amount is subject to update with each fiscal year. The fiscal year just started in April, so it is possible that that information is not available yet.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis!
Thanks for your reply.
About the application guidlines, since there is no much information provided by Nagoya University about this scholarship, I think it may not be helpful to you if I send it to you.
However, I emailed to International office at Nagoya University the other day asking about the MEXT scholarship I am being nominated to. They told me that there would be no travel expenses provided by the scholarship.
From what you mentioned in your post and your reply above, it is unlikely that I am belonging to the normal category of MEXT Scholarship University Recommendation. It is even more unlikely that I am belonging to the Domestic Selection since I am an international student and I am living out of Japan. Therefore, I must be belonging to a category that you didn’t mention in your post.
After doing little research on the Internet, I figure out that I am most probably falling under an existing category which is called “Top Global University Project” of MEXT Scholarship. In this category, students are also recommended by Japanese University, get the tuition exemption and monthly stipend. It is just like general category of MEXT Scholarship University Recommendation, but the difference is that in this category no travel expense is allowed, and the term of the scholarship is shorter than the length of the course (thus it needs to be extended if expired). You can search on Google the words “Mext scholarship top global university project”, and the results show that some universities like Ritsumeikan, Titech,… are applying this kind of category. And I guess so does Nagoya University. (since they are all under Top Gobal University project in Japan).
I hope my reply is somehow helpful to you to add another existing category of MEXT scholarship that you are missing to your post. 😀
Hi Sakae,
Thank you for your reply.
I am familiar with the scholarship process you described above. I work at a Top Global University :). As I have been trying to explain, for MEXT’s purposes, the scholarship falls under the category of Domestic Selection. That means that the award benefits are the same as Domestic Selection. You can be selected for “Domestic Selection” even if you are outside of Japan at this time.
The difference is that universities are given more freedom in deciding how to administer the scholarship. The only requirement from MEXT is that they are only permitted to have a certain number of scholarships under award at any given time. Universities can choose to award the scholarship for the entire duration of your studies or they can choose to award it one year at a time and make you reapply each year. They are also free to select currently enrolled students or students who have been accepted to the university but are not yet enrolled.
I understand from your post that I need to make myself more clear in the future. We are both talking about the exact same thing, but my word selection was confusing. I am sorry about that. I will try to address it better in a future post!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis!
Lately I have received the message from Nagoya University that I have been accepted as the recipient of MEXT Scholarship under Top Global University Project. Finally I have ended this patience game.
Thank you a lot for your post about MEXT scholarship and the conversation above that helped me a lot to get to know more about this competitive scholarship. Your support is so helpful to us!!
Hi Sakae,
Congratulations! Thank you as well for sharing the information about that process as you went along.
By the way, I wrote to Hoang, but never heard back. I probably looked suspicious, but I hope that you two can connect in Nagoya.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Sakae. I’m also a student from Vietnam. I applied for the Graduate School of Law in Nagoya University at the same time with you, and I also was recommended by Meidai for the MEXT Scholarship. Travis once said that the result should be available in May so I think everything will be out of the light soon enough. Still, It’s May 1st now and I have to admit that I have been worried for like 2 months. If you have any new information about your situation or any interesting information from Nagoya University regarding MEXT scholarship, please update here for us all!
Thank you very much,
Hi Hoang,
I think the reference to the results being out in May was for a previous year. Starting this year, it looks like all results are released in June. However, that is for the University Recommendation category. For the special Super/Top Global University Category (Domestic Selection-type) of scholarship slots that Sakae and I were discussing, I do not have access to the release date information.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Hoang! Nice to meet you. It is great to know a friend from the same country applying to the same university.
For this category of MEXT scholarship (Super Global/Domestic Selection), as usual, the results seem to be released in mid-August (many senpai told me). It cannot be May as we are not falling in the University Recommendation category. And a couple of days ago I just received email from the G30 Program Office saying that they are now helping me to submit my apllication to MEXT and they asked me to confirm something (such as whether my research proposal is related to weapons, my current address, or where I intend to apply for a visa, etc.). Therefore, it is like a patience game before we get the offiicial final result result from MEXT.
I haven’t known any other applicant applying to G30 program in Nagoya University this year, so may I have your contact so that we will be able to keep in touch with each other?
My email is: [NOTE: Deleted for Privacy Purposes]. You can send me a message so that we can discuss with each other, maybe by email or any other personal contact that you often use.
[Note: Hoang, if you leave your email in a reply comment, I will send a message to both you and Sakae with each others’ email addresses, but I will not make it public to anyone else – Travis].
Hi there, my nickname is Yuki. It was very lucky to meet you guys in here! I’m also a student who applied for the G30 program of Nagoya University, I am accepted as a master student by the Graduate School of Medicine since this year’s fall. Today’s afternoon, some of my friends who are accepted by the graduate school of engineering recivied an email from the NU office, which told them that they can apply for a SGU scholarship, however, I didn’t get that email, I am a little worried about it, have you heard about this scholarship?
All the best.
As far as I know, SGU stands for Super Global University. If I understand it correctly, it is the MEXT scholarship and its category is Super Global University. This is a kind of MEXT scholarship during the period of implementation of the “Top Global University Project” by Japanese Government.
Hi Sakae,
That’s correct. SGU stands for “Super Global University”, which is the official Japanese name of the MEXT grant project. The official name in English is “Top Global University.” They are the same exact thing.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Dear Travis,
I really appreciate your information about MEXT Scholarship. If I receive a MEXT Scholarship (University Recommended), is it possible to extend it for a Doctoral program?
I look foward to hearing from you.
Hi Jessica,
If you were selected under the General Category scholarship, then yes, it would be possible. If you were selected for a PGP scholarship, the PGP program would have to have slots available at the PhD level as well as the Masters and the program would still have to be valid in the year that you wanted to move up.
Of course, you would only be able to extend to a PhD at the same university.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hey Travis! Thank you for your reply. I applied for a scholarship this year and I got university recommendation for 2018 MEXT Scholarship to study a Master degree. The final result will be in the end of June – I’m very anxious about it. If I get the Scholarship, I want to know if it will be possible I extend it for a PhD at the same university. I’m sorry – I think I’m a little confuse. Thank you for your support.
Hi Jessica,
If you were selected for a general category scholarship, then you would be eligible to apply to extend it after you complete your Master’s degree.
If you were selected for a PGP category scholarship, though, then you could only extend it if that PGP program had designated PhD slots available in that year.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Dear Travis
Firstly, I really appreciate your information about MEXT Scholarship which really helpful for me. I got university recommendation for 2018 MEXT Scholarship. Yesterday I got an email from my prospective university which said like this:
” Dear Soon-to-be xxx University 2018 MEXT Scholarship Recommendees ”
These notification email just want to make sure for the prospective student if they don’t apply in two universities by using MEXT Funding.
In this case, I just feel I am so happy when they said ” Dear Soon-to-be xxx University 2018 MEXT Scholarship Recommendees “, but on the other hand, I am still worrying whether I can get the scholarship or not. What do you think about this?
Secondly, if we got MEXT scholarship, is it possible for Ph.D. students (Because I am applying for Ph.D.) to have a chance become exchange students for few months in other countries?
Thanks for all your kindness information.
Regards,
Meitaya
Hi Meitaya,
Congratulations! It sounds as if the university has decided to recommend you. Once you are recommended for the scholarship, you are all-but guaranteed to receive it in the end!
At this point, you just have to wait for MEXT to complete its administrative check of applications (including checking to see if any applicants have applied to more than one university for the MEXT scholarship).
Unfortunately, as a MEXT scholar, you would not be able to participate in an exchange or in fieldwork or an internship overseas. You have to show up each month to sign for your scholarship stipend, so you must be physically present at the university during every month of the scholarship award.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Dear Travis,
I have a confusion. I am applying for the university recommended MEXT scholarship through Nagasaki university. My professor and Liaison international officers were very helpful and they told me (one month ago) that they are preparing my documents and were inquiring about information that will help them prepare the documents on their behalf or asking me to resend my documents after so edits they have asked for. Actually this made me feel good that they are taking my application seriously. However, when I read your article above that only 7 universities are eligible to recommend and Nagasaki is not one of them Now I am very worried about my Chances with MEXT…. So now Should I get myself off the hook and cut the hope or There is misunderstanding from me regarding “There are only seven universities able to recommend undergraduate scholars for the MEXT scholarship in this year’s application process” :((((
Hi Amr,
Only 7 universities are eligible to recommend undergraduate students for the MEXT Scholarship through PGP programs this year. If you are applying for a graduate scholarship, you have nothing to worry about!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thanks God
I am gald you told me that
Hi again Travis,
Today I received an email with a notification document signed from the president of the University that I have been nominated by Nagasaki University to the MEXT research student 2018. This is a great news for me of course and I take the chance to thank you for the useful information over the last year.
I just want to ask about the criteria of MEXT screening and how it works ? the result they said will be posted in June But I can’t wait xD
Someone told me that the MEXT screening is just a routine and checking your documents and making sure that you are meeting the eligibility terms. Just wanna hear a positive comment from you on that or correct me If I am wrong
Hi Amr,
Congratulations on your nomination!
Thank you very much for your kind words, as well.
Once you have been nominated by the university, your scholarship award is practically guaranteed. It is no longer a competition for slots. MEXT’s screening is really in place to review the university’s work. There are no additional criteria that you have to meet, because MEXT asks universities to make sure that you meet all of the requirements before recommending you.
The only “new” thing that they do at MEXT’s screening, to my knowledge, is to make sure that the same applicant has not been nominated by multiple universities. Obviously, universities cannot check that.
So, at this point, you should have nothing to be concerned about!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello, Travis:
Let me try to summarize my story as much as I can:
A friend of mine applied as a research student to Nagoya University through a professor recommendation and was given the MEXT Scholarship; then after one semester she applied to the Master’s Program and she got accepted (at the Graduate School of Environmental Studies, she’s a geologist) and is about to start her Master’s the next month. She and I were both rejected when applying to the MEXT Scholarship through the Japanese Embassy in Colombia (back in 2016), but while I decided to give it another try in 2017, she was lucky enough to work at a Colombian Geology Institute with links to JICA and contacted her now advisor, she was also given the chance to travel to Nagoya University for a work experience in 2017 (again, really lucky!) where she could finish the details for her application.
As I was saying, last year I applied again but was rejected a second time (still don’t know why) but her story gave me the courage to try to follow a similar path. I decided to apply on my own, I followed every single step with the hope that after being accepted by the university I’d be able to apply for the scholarship through a University Recommendation; I was convinced this was the easy and logical way. Long story short, after a really hard Skype interview with four professors last March 7th, last night I got the news that I was accepted! (For the record, I was admitted to the Graduate Program in Linguistics and Cultural Studies at Nagoya University; I want to carry out a comparative study between Rafael Pombo (Colombian Children’s literature author) and Kenji Miyazawa to come up with a pre-translation model for the translation of children’s literature). As I said, I was pretty sure that the next step was to apply to the MEXT Scholarship with the University support, little did I know that a professor should’ve been the one to “pick me” for this process (Am I right?) and that the chances for a G30 Program student to get this kind of assistance are pretty slim.
After this overview of my situation (I’m sorry I wrote so much), I’m really worried about losing the admission slot I obtained with so much effort. I’m supposed to pay the Registration Fee Before April 9th or else I’ll be deemed as withdrawing from admission. The thing is that, obviously, I may not be able to get the money to pay this within the expected time. Right now, the only possible route to take is to get a loan, pay for this fee, find the way to get there and, during my first semester at NU, try to find some kind of financial support from the university (The MEXT scholarship would be just wonderful). Do you think that sounds like a sound plan? Could I be recommended by the university for the MEXT Scholarship even if I paid for the first semester? Is it possible to do some sort of “Admission Slot Reservation”? Do you have any other suggestion? I’ve already sent a message to the Admission Office asking about the possible “slot reservation” but I think I’ll get a reply until Monda, in the meantime, I’d like to hear of more possibilities.
Thank you very much for your time and for this blog (I know it’s helped a lot of people). I’m really looking forward to your reply,
Warmest regards,
Ivan
Hi Ivan,
Thank you for sharing your story.
It sounds like there was some confusion about the application process.
You do not apply first to a university and then to MEXT – there is no situation where an individual applicant applies directly to MEXT. For the university recommendation scholarship, you would apply to the university for the specific application process for those desiring MEXT scholarships. (Unfortunately, Nagoya University does not make this process clear on their website, they just say that you have to contact the graduate school where you intend to apply in advance).
The university selects which candidates to recommend. But since there are many interested applicants and very few total scholarship slots available through this application, the chances are always very slim.
Unfortunately, it sounds to me like you applied for general admission and were not in the pool of applicants considered for the MEXT scholarship. At this point, there is no possibility of having it awarded for your entrance this year. The MEXT scholarship is also only available to those who apply before coming to Japan. You would not be able to apply for the scholarship after you enrolled in the university. (There is a domestic selection category of the MEXT scholarship available in some years, but it has been eliminated in general and is only available in some exceptional cases to Super Global University-selected universities. I would not count on getting this scholarship). Other scholarship opportunities for international graduate students in Japan are limited, as well. One of the best, and most commonly available, is the JASSO scholarship, but that pays 80,000 yen/month. It’s probably not enough to cover your tuition and living expenses, so you would still have to bear a significant amount of costs out of pocket.
If you want to study in Japan under the MEXT scholarship, I’m afraid your best choice would be to reject this admission offer and apply again through the Embassy this year. Maybe now that you have a stronger connection with a professor at Nagoya, due to this application process, that professor would be willing to review your Field of Study to help you improve your chances. Having the connection already should also help you at the interview stage.
Also, I was reading your research topic and it looks like it could fall under the field of “Japanese literature.” If you apply to a Japanese literature program through the MEXT scholarship, MEXT would require that you be fluent in Japanese, even if there was a degree program offered in English.
I’m sorry I don’t have better news for you, but I hope this helps.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi, again:
Thanks a lot for your thoughtful reply, Travis. I’m still trying to figure out what to do, as of now I think I’m going to try to make it there, through a loan or something, I REALLY REALLY don’t want to reject this admission. I’m afraid the chances are even slimmer if trying, yet again, through the Embassy Recommendation.
Thanks again.
Iván
Hi Ivan,
I wish you the best of luck with securing a loan or other scholarship while you are in Japan!
Good Luck,
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello dear Travis,
I have a query. This year I am applying for the university recommended MEXT scholarship from SAGA university. My professor and other international officers were very responsive and helpful earlier. But for the last few weeks they’re not replying to any of my emails. The result was expected to be published in the early March as mentioned in the university website. Can you guess what is actually going on? And what should I do now?
Hi Emmon,
There’s a good chance that they simply were not replying to any applicants during the screening process as a matter of policy.
Did they give a date for publishing the results? If they have and the date has passed, it should be reasonable to contact them and ask for the results.
I would recommend that you check your email spam folder first. Sometimes scholarship results emails sound a lot like spam and get sent there.
If there was no specific date, then I would suggest contacting them again on March 15, which is the end of “early March” for most purposes in Japan.
The university has to submit their nominations to MEXT by March 29 and should contact recipients first to make sure they are still willing to accept the scholarship, first, so the results will have to be out soon.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello dear Travis,
The international affairs division just informed me that they will inform me the result around the end of this week. So, do you think the result is not out yet? Does the university normally announce the result to all of the applicants in the same day? I am afraid that I was not selected 😣😣
Hi Emon,
In my experience, universities always issue results to all applicants on the same day, regardless of whether they were successful or not, so if your results are late, I would assume everyone’s are!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Dear Travis,
Thank you very much for your kind response. I hope that everything goes smoothly and the outcome is positive.
Regards,
Emon
Hello Travis,
Still there is no response from the university and the time is running out, what should I do? I have sent email to the professor and also the international relation officer, still no reply. What is your suggestion ?
Hi Emmon,
If they said the result would be out at the end of last week and still haven’t contacted you, I think it’s a good idea to reach out to the person who told you that it would be out by the end of the week, last time.
If email isn’t working, you could try calling them. VOIP services like skype’s paid service can call Japan quite cheaply.
I would also recommend checking your spam box, if you haven’t already. Sometimes scholarship results notification emails look like spam to email services.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
Currently I am trying to apply MEXT scholarship via University Recommendation Program to Tsukuba University. I heard there are two crucial screening to in University Recommendation program, which is the University Screening and MEXT Screening. I already send the necessary documents for MEXT to my professor at Tsukuba. He also said already done the administration for it at early February. However until now I still have not got any information about the university screening results until now even though I heard the results are around end of February or something. What I want to ask are,
1. Do they announced the results to us one by one (University screening results first, and then the MEXT screening) or they announced the results altogether to us after we confirmed to go to Japan?
2. Are there any change about the schedule for University Recommendation program? Or do you know the estimated timeline for the procedure?
Thank you in advanced!
Hi Alvero,
1. Typically, universities would release the results of their screening first then the results of the MEXT scholarship later. I have never known a university to keep you hanging with no result until the end of the MEXT screening.
2. The timeline did change a little this year. In previous years, the deadline for universities to send recommendations to MEXT was in February for the general category and in April for the PGP. This year, however, the deadlines are all in March, so the university may have pushed back its screening process.
If they specified a results release date in the application guidelines and that date has passed, I would recommend that you contact the professor or the administrative office that oversees applications to check on the status.
(Before you do that, be sure to check your spam box, too. Sometimes university emails end up there, since they send out several very similar messages at once.)
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
Thank you for your reply, I just contacted my professor. he said that my documents are still on screening process. It looks like the screening process and it is indeed pushed back just as you said. While I don’t know about the exact date for the results, but from the deadline to send recommendation (March), I assumed I will get my results in one or two week.
Thank your for your help!
Hi Alvero,
Thanks for letting me know! I’m glad to hear that you were able to get an answer.
I hope you hear good news soon!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
I recently applied for the MEXT scholarship through university recommendation at Hokkaido University. After a couple of weeks of not hearing anything back regarding an interview (I wanted to know so I could adequately prepare), I decided to enquire to the graduate school whether or not there would be an interview process (I was unsure if one would be required as while on holiday in Japan last year, I took the opportunity to go up to the university and meet my potential supervisor which may have satisfied their requirements).
Over a week passed after I sent the email with no reply (which surprised me considering they are usually pretty prompt). I decided to contact my supervisor (who has always replied within 24 hours) about the situation, but after 2 days of waiting I still have received no reply from her!
Do you have any advice on how I should proceed further? Are you aware of any reason/policy why they might not be inclined to tell me whether or not I may be selected for an interview?
Many thanks,
Dale
Hi Dale,
It isn’t surprising to me that the professor/university would not comment on the evaluation process if it was ongoing. Answering your question may be considered to be giving you an unfair advantage over other applicants or may inadvertently indicate your results. (For example, if there was an interview and you weren’t selected for it – or if you were exempted because of your past visit – that would essentially tell you your screening results ahead of the release date).
If it was me, I would have written back just to say “we do not comment on the process or results during the screening period,” but many Japanese universities won’t even say that.
At this point, you are not likely to get any response from them at all until the final results are released. Did they give you a results release date or list one in the application guidelines?
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thanks Travis,
I thought there was probably some reason for the non-disclosure, I was more surprised by their lack of acknowledgement over my emails more than anything else, but if you say that they probably wouldn’t even comment then I suppose that makes sense.
Although they didn’t specifically indicate a results release date, from reading the application guidelines the university need to make their recommendations to MEXT between 19th – 25th March & other universities have set results release around the 16th March so I am expecting some indication around that time. I guess I have to hope that I impressed during my visit!
Many thanks for your help!
Hi Dale,
Thank you for your update.
It’s a common complaint of applicants – as well as international students in Japan – that Japanese university administrators don’t reply to emails in a timely fashion, but when they email you, they expect a response immediately. Unfortunately, as a university administrator, I can say that’s accurate. (Not in my office, though. I’m trying to impress the importance of reciprocality on my colleagues one at a time!)
I hope you hear good news soon!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
I received a reply from the international affairs department today, they are recommending me to receive the MEXT scholarship!
Your blog has been an invaluable source of information for me during this year long process, so I’d like to thank you for shedding some light on what has been a complex application process.
Many thanks,
Dale
Hi Dale,
Congratulations!
Thank you for your kind words, as well. I am glad that I have been able to help out.
Good Luck with your studies in Japan!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
I have been reading your site since 2 years ago and it has helped me a lot in my journey of applying for the MEXT scholarship. After trying several times in both embassay and Univ catergory, I have finally gotten a good news from Ritsumeikan University regarding my acceptance to their masters course and that i will be reccomended for the receipt of the MEXT scholarship. However, at this point I have few worries and question i would like to ask you advise for.
1. When I applied, Ritsumeikan was using the old MEXT form and has now requested me to fill in the PDF version of the 2018 form and email them ASAP. Does this mean I am in a very high chance of receiving the scholarship?
2. When applying for the course, They had a selection of ‘I would like to pursue stdueis at Ritsumeikan Univ even if i did not get the scholarship.’ Would they simply tell you that you are being ‘reccomended’ even if you are not? And then tell you that you have been rejected later. (This sounds stupid but i am quite worried about not getting the scholarship)
3. They have notified me that the announcment of MEXT result will be at the end of July. At this point is it possible to know whic category do i belong to? (General/PGP)
Lastly I would like seek your views on the likelyhood of me receiving the scholarship.
Once again thank you so much for helping so many people.
Have a good day!
William
Hi William,
Congratulations! If Ritsumeikan has confirmed that they are nominating you for the scholarship, you are nearly sure to receive it!
I’m happy to hear that I was able to help a little bit along the way.
1. Ritsumeikan University (like all universities), knows how many students it is allowed to nominate for the scholarship. I have never heard of anyone who received a university nomination not receiving the scholarship in the end. So, just getting to that point means you have a very high chance of getting it. Of course, they do need the new form from you to be able to submit that formal nomination.
2. No, they would not tell you that you are recommended if you really are not, don’t worry. Japanese university administrations are very cautious and do everything in their power to avoid risking complaints.
3. This year, both types of scholarship categories will release results at the same time, so it is not possible to tell from the date alone. Incidentally, MEXT says that it plans to release results by the end of June, but they said that last year and were nearly a month late, so that’s probably why Ritsumeikan is saying the end of July, just to be safe.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you so much for answering my questions. I feel so much at ease now.
Hi Travis,
William again. Previously, they have instructed me to fill in the new MEXT recommendation form and email the PDF version to ASAP. They also requested me to prepare the hard copy but told me to those first until MEXT gets back to them at a future date. However, till today I have not receive a reply from them to mail the actual copy of the new form to them. Should I continue to wait or should I email them to ask them regarding this? Thank you.
Pleae advise.
William
Hi William,
If they’re happy with the digital copy for now, then you should be fine! It sounds from your comment that they only plan to ask you for the original if MEXT asks them for it.
In my years working on the MEXT scholarship, we never had MEXT come back to us to ask us to resubmit a document, so I would think the chances are thin.
It may be that you never have to send the original. In the meantime, keep an eye on your inbox and be prepared to send it if you need to.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
Thank you so much for your prompt reply.
I have looked around and saw that universities must submit their recommendations to MEXT by the end of this month. At this point, I am a little worried as I have no knowledge of what do they need to submit.
They previously told me to hold on to the new hardcopies until a further date. (Right now they only have the old version of the form that I have mailed over previously.) Do they need the hardcopy of the new application form by the 29th ? Or the so-called submission of recommendation to MEXT is just them submitting the list of nominees for the scholarship? Or will soft copies do it for the time being? I am quite worried if they have forgotten about the deadline. Sorry for being a little paranoid.
Please kindly advise.
William
Hi William,
Everything universities need to submit is from the materials you submitted with the application or documentation that they have to create themselves.
Of the documents they collected from you, they need to submit your application form and Field of Study and Research Program Plan. It sounds like they have decided to print out the pdf you sent them and submit that, at least for now.
Typically, MEXT would ask the universities to submit the original forms, with your original ink signature, but since the form changed so dramatically this year, and late in the application process, they might have given a special dispensation to accept copies/scans and only request the originals if there is a problem with the quality of the scan or it is illegible, etc.
I would not worry about the university forgetting, especially not such a large and bureaucratic university as Ritsumeikan that does this every year.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Trasvis,
Thank for your reply, I am beginning to understand the whole process. However, they got back to me and I was told that I was not under the submission that is due on 29th March and they are still waiting for MEXT to get back to them.regarding submission. This got me very confused as from what I know for this year, every submission is due on 29th March? Please kindly advise.
William
Hi William,
Were you applying for the undergraduate or graduate scholarship?
There is actually a category of university-recommended undergraduate scholarships (PGP) with a later nomination date in June with results to release in early August. Ritsumeikan is one of the universities that has one of those programs.
Up to this point, I had assumed you were applying for the graduate scholarship, so I hadn’t mentioned that.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
I am applying for the graduate scholarship, which is the reason why I am puzzled by their reply saying that they have yet to receive instructions from MEXT for the submission of documents. Are they able to send data copies for October entries? Because I saw on the MEXT website that the April entries were allowed submission by data copies. Maybe they MEXT never got back to them regarding submission of the hardcopies? I was kinda hoping that you would be able to shed some light on this.
William.
Hi William,
Thank you for your update.
Unfortunately, we’ve gone beyond what I can research through publicly available records in English or Japanese. It sounds like there might have been some additional direct communication beyond what I have access to.
But Ritsumeikan has been in this business for years. I don’t have any reason to believe that they would be making a mistake that would put your scholarship in jeopardy.
I hope you get some clarification from them soon!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi, Travis
I got an email that I have passed university process and they said I will be recommended to MEXT. I have question regarding MEXT selection process. Based on what criteria do they select awardees? And how is the chance for me to get accepted? I was wondering bcs uni said it all depends on the MEXT whether they will grant the scholarship or no. Thanks
Hi Rika,
Congratulations!
At this point, it is not a competitive evaluation, anymore. MEXT is going to double-check to make sure that the university didn’t make any mistakes in their evaluation and that your research plan is appropriate for the degree level. The will also ensure there are no other problems with your application (for example, they will make sure that you weren’t recommended by two different universities, that your research isn’t related to weapons, and that you aren’t an internationally wanted criminal, etc.).
Finally, while MEXT has determined already the number of students each university can recommend, they might have to reduce that number if they have budget problems.
If all of that sounds frightening, then this might cheer you up: I have never heard of an applicant getting recommended by the university but not earning the scholarship in the end!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thanks a lot for the prompt reply !
It’s really helpful.
Hi, Travis and Rika,
Google lead me to this comment after several searches for the MEXT university recommendation.
I also just got an email said: “You’ve passed the selection of Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences as a candidate for MEXT scholarship, University recommendation.”
Does it mean that I’ve already got the university recommendation? or there’s still process that I should compete with other MEXT candidates in The University before the selection process go to the MEXT national level?
Hi Ami,
Congratulations!
That announcement means that you are selected to be recommended to MEXT. You do not have to go through an additional screening at the university level.
The university would have completed that screening before making the announcement.
All that’s left now is MEXT’s double-check, but that is more or less a formality.
Congratulations again!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello,
It seems that i have been chosen as an alternative candidate for a PGP program in TiTech. I wonder, realistically speaking, what are my chances of getting the scholarship? I suppose i would only be able to get it if one or more of the various candidates decline the offer, right?
Hi JohnDoe,
That’s right. Alternate candidates only move up if one of the primary candidates withdraws prior to the results being submitted to MEXT.
For the PGP scholarship, universities have to submit the nominations to MEXT during March 19 – 29 and they can only submit the final, primary candidates, so you would know one way or another by then if your selection became final.
It’s hard to say what the chances are, since it all depends on each candidate’s personal situation.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
I just wanted to let you know that i was selected for the scholarship,
Thank you so much for making these guides and helping people. A dream and a goal achieved.
Hi JohnDoe,
Congratulations! Thank you for sharing your good news. I am very happy for you.
Good luck with your studies in Japan.
– Travis from TranSenz
Does pregnancy affect your scholarship status
Hi Tiakom,
There are no specific rules concerning pregnancy that I am aware of, but you also do not get any exceptions to the rules for being pregnant (or having a child), which means tha tyou’re still expected to attend classes and research and any lost time will make it more difficult to complete your degree within the scholarship period.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis,
Thank you so much for your detailed explanation on MEXT scholarship. They really helpful!
I passed University Recommended MEXT scholarship screening last year and now studying as a Research Student.
My uni. is a private uni. and only held spring intake for Master Course. So last October, I passed Master’s Entrance Exam (I am the only foreign master student they will have!) and sent my application to change my status as a Research student (as stated 2 years) to Master Student (I want to extend it until 2 years and 6 month).
How do you think about my situation? How about my chance for MEXT extension?
Here’s some information that I got:
“An extension of the term of the scholarship will not be approved if the recipient fails to advance to a regular graduate degree program.
The scholarship will be cancelled if the recipient proceeds to a more advanced level of education without receiving approval for the extension of the term of the scholarship.
As the number of MEXT scholarship awards for students advancing from master’s to doctoral programs is quite limited, some recipients, despite meeting the eligibility criteria, will not receive an extension of their scholarship”
As stated, If MEXT doesn’t approve my application for extension and I still proceed to Master course, my scholarship will be canceled, right?. There isn’t much information about this so I am really afraid right now.
The application for extension of the scholarship period is taken around every November, but I haven’t got any information about when the result will be announced.
Do you know anything about it?. My master course will start in April and it’s so close.
Thank you!
Elyza
Hi Elyza,
If you passed the entrance exam, applied to extend your scholarship from the research student program to the Master’s degree through your university, and your university submitted all of the paperwork to MEXT, then I cannot imagine you having any problem whatsoever.
Extending your scholarship from a Master’s degree to a PhD can be challenging because of limited slots, but extending from research student to the degree program should never be a problem, unless you’ve done horribly at your university (but in that case, they wouldn’t recommend you, I think!)
In general, if you change your program without receiving permission from MEXT, then yes, you would lose the scholarship. The results of the extension application should be released by late February, according to MEXT’s guidelines, but I do not imagine you will have anything to worry about.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello. My name is Naro, and I am from Cambodia. Yet, I’m temporarily staying in Japan for my master’s degree, and I wish to apply for a Ph.D. program after completing my current degree. I have a question regarding where I can have a copy of my bachelor degree certified here in Japan. I am wondering if you could provide me some information about this. I am sorry since this question might be out of the topic. Thank you very much for your good sharing information.
Hi Naro,
If you’re applying for a PhD, wouldn’t you only need a copy of your Master’s degree certificate?
I don’t know of any certified copy services in Japan, but if the university that you are applying to is insisting that you need a copy of your bachelor’s certificate as well, I would recommend that you explain the situation to them. Since you’re in Japan now, they might be willing to have you visit them and show them the original for verification purposes.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
I’ve got some questions about uni-recommended MEXT scholarship.
I have already applied to UTokyo for a Global 30 program and when I filled in the online application for UTokyo, I have ticked the box saying that “I will not enroll without a MEXT scholarship”.
And in their websites, it is said that the university will directly recommend students to MEXT for the scholarship.
However, I haven’t found any information about the required documents or forms regarding MEXT scholarship through university although I have already submitted other required documents for university admission (no mentioning about MEXT).
In this case, where should I find the application procedure, deadline or information about applying to MEXT university-recommended scholarship?
Thanks,
Hi Mgpyae,
It sounds like Tokyo does its own internal screening first and only asks you to complete the MEXT documents if they select you for the nomination.
I would wait for instructions from the university. If they choose to nominate you, they should let you know hen what you have to do.
They should have provided a date for the release of results in the application process. If you don’t hear anything by then, then it might be worth reaching out to contact them.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you for your reply,
I think I will just have to wait for now~
Where are you getting this 75% percent figure from? I looked all over the place but all i can find is the list of priority countries, not a percentage or precise figure.
Hi John Doe,
It comes from the “2018年度研究留学生(大学推薦)推薦に当たっての留意事項” document on MEXT’s website (only available in Japanese).
The exact line is from 7. Recruiting and Selection, (4) General Category and PGP, subsection 1:
① 重点地域以外の国籍国からの推薦者数は、一般枠、特別枠(複数のプログラムがある大学はプログラム別に)それぞれにおいて推薦者数全体の 25%以下とすること。
Roughly translated, it says that nominees from non-priority countries must not exceed 25% of the total number of nominees for the general or PGP categories. (In cases where a university is recommending students under both categories, the 25% rule applies to both separately).
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi, I`m a freshman in University… Will i be able to apply?
Hi Tisha,
Not this year, but you’ll be able to apply for the scholarship for graduate students when you’re in your last year or so of studies. For more information about the application timeline, please see my article about the MEXT scholarship basics!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
I have been in the process of applying for the university recommended scholarship for Hiroshima University’s “Special Program for Global Leaders Leading International Society with Peace and Diversity” , which I am assuming is a priority program? It’s for a scholarship specifically with their graduate school for International Development and Cooperation. I’ve been going through this whole process primarily through a professor there that has agreed they would like to work with me on my research. Although he didn’t know anything about the MEXT program, so I told him about it, he asked the university and forwarded me the application materials for this scholarship late last month. It is the MEXT scholarship, it’s says all the same stuff about it etc. just specifically for this program with that graduate school.
I just received an email from him this morning talking about my needing to come to Hiroshima *THIS WEEKEND* to take an entrance exam. This has never been mentioned before, it’s not mentioned in the application materials. I’m a little freaked out but also thinking (hoping) he may just be misinformed. I’m following up with him to clarify, although I’m not expecting to get a reply right away because of the time difference, and my confusion and anxiety is just going to increase in the meantime. I am wondering if you could shed any light on what might be going on.
Hi Ania,
Wow, that’s a little surprising. I hope the email was just a mistake!
Hiroshima University does not make the information about its University-Recommended MEXT scholarship application process public, so I couldn’t check up on the process and what is usually required. I know they don’t have any normal application processes going on now.
The program you listed is not one of the 2017-selected priority programs, but there is a chance it was a 2013-selected programs. I have not been able to find an official, comprehensive list of the 2013 programs, but they are still eligible to select students this year.
I’m afraid the only advice I can give you is to keep trying to get a hold of the professor. If you do not get word today, you could also try emailing or calling the administrative office of the Graduate School of IDEC to ask for their assistance.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi, i did 3 years study in my home country, and final year in UK and graduated there. Can i provide the recommendation letter from the dean from my home country university instead of dean from the UK? Or the japanese government still require to get the recommendation letter only from the place where i graduated? This is because it is quite hard to obtain the reference letter from UK, since im already back in my home country.
Hi Sha,
I’ve dealt with the same problem with dozens of applicants. I’m afraid you will need the Letter of Recommendation from the university you graduated from. There is no flexibility in that situation. MEXT requires that the letter be from the Dean at the last university you attended.
You will also need the transcript from both universities and the certificate of graduation from the UK university.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi, is it ok if the academic letter and work reference letter is address “to the japan government” to mext? Instead of to the president of …university? As i just found out about this, and has received both letters. I am already chosen by japan university ascandidate for mext.
Hi Sha,
I’m afraid there is no flexibility on the academic letter of reference format for the University-recommended MEXT scholarship application. (The format is different for the embassy).
Since the letter of recommendation from your employer is not a MEXT requirement though, that one might be more flexible, but you’d have to check with the university since that’s going to be university-sepcific.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Also, if i failed to get my graduated university dean to sign the reference letter, only my academic advisor and my home country dean, is it high chance that my application will be rejected to receive the scholarship eventhough i am chosen by the japan university as a candidate to mext ?
Hi Sha,
The most important thing to do at this point is to follow the guidance of the university you applied to and get the documents they are asking for.
Based on the relationship between the university that you graduated from and the university in Japan, there may be some flexibility in who can write the letter, as I mentioned in this article. If that doesn’t apply in your case, then based on my experience, you would have to get the new letter signed by the Dean of the university you are enrolled in or graduated from most recently.
In general, if you cannot get the new letter signed by the Dean of your current university, then you would not meet the requirement of having submitted a complete application and so the university would probably not be able to recommend you to MEXT for the scholarship. (Even if they have told you already that they have selected you as a candidate, universities do not submit their final list of candidates to MEXT until March for Fall 2018 arrivals.)
Again, your university may have more specific guidance, so please refer to their word before mine!
Good Luck,
– Travis from TranSenz
how do i begin the application?
Hi Modou,
I’d recommend that you start with my article on the basics of the MEXT scholarship. That should get you going on the right foot!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Good day! How to answer this?
If you marked ①, ②, ③, ④ or ⑥ program above, have you have educational research experience exceeding more than three years from the first day of the month following the final payment of the previous scholarship to the beginning of the payment of this scholarship? If ”YES”, please specify the name of institution, the content, and the period.
I am applying for Ph.D course, does this mean my educational research experience in my masters degree?
Thank you
Hi Red,
You would only have marked one of those sections if you had previously received the corresponding scholarship. Have you received a MEXT scholarship in the past?
If so, you would write about any degrees earned since the end of your last scholarship as well as any research experience, either affiliated with a university or a research center.
If you have not received one of the scholarships corresponding to those numbers, then you do not need to complete this section!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
I would like to clarify:
So I need to mark “PROGRAM: ☑ Research students”
then mark ☑NO to “If you marked ①, ②, ③, ④ or ⑥ program above, have you have educational research experience exceeding more than three years from the first day of the month following the final payment of the previous scholarship to the beginning of the payment of this scholarship? If ”YES”, please specify the name of institution, the content, and the period.
Since I have not received one of the scholarships corresponding to those numbers?
Can I ask a sample of filled Application form?
Thanks a lot!
I have another question regarding:
15.日本における最初の入学希望課程
The first course you plan to take in Japan
should I mark –
□博士課程 Doctoral course or
□非正規生 Non-regular (Non-degree) course
I am applying for a Research student position leading to Ph.D.
Thank you very much!
Hi Red,
If you’re applying for a Research student position leading to a PhD, then your first course in Japan is research student (non-regular student).
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Red,
I offer a sample version of the application form to members of my MEXT scholarship mailing list, so you can get it by signing up there.
If you answered No in “8.(1). Have you been awarded a MEXT scholarship in the past?” Then you can skip the rest of question 8 and go straight to 9.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi
I have a question regarding embassy recommendation. I have done B.A Business Economics (3 years) which means 15 years of education. I have also done JLPT N2. Can I apply for the scholarship?
I want to do either Masters in field related to commerce or Japanese.
Thanks
Hi Zanki,
You should be able to apply with your degree, but it is up to the university to determine whether or not you meet their entry requirements, as I mentioned above.
Your field of study for your masters degree has to be related to what you’ve studied before in university, so it would likely have to be in the economics/commerce field. Unless you also minored in Japanese, you would not be able to apply for that field. Also, if you were to apply for a Master’s in Japanese, you would likely need to have N1. Most programs I know of would be a master’s degree in Japanese linguistics designed for native speakers, not Japanese as a Second Language.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi
Thanks for the quick reply. But on the embassy of Japan website the following is written :
. For Research Student/Master’s degree in Japanese Language
a) Students who have completed Bachelor’s degree / Master’s degree course in Japanese Language from a recognized university.
OR
b) Students who have completed Bachelor’s degree course in any subject from a recognized university and obtained N2 Certificate of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) conducted by the Japan Foundation.
Should I apply for Masters related to my field? Because I have seen the list of people who were selected and not a single of them are from commerce background might be because of the 3 years program?
Or Can I apply for Masters in Japanese Language?
Thank you
Hi Zanki,
I don’t know what each individual embassy gives out for guidance, I can only tell you what MEXT’s rules are.
The application guidelines for the Embassy-recommended scholarship state that you should apply in a field of study that you studied in university or a related field.
If you can make the case that it is related, then go for it!
Best Regards,
Travis
Howdy, I have a question about the letter of recommendation. You need a letter from the dean of a nominee’s home university, but does this have to be the current dean? Will a previous dean count?
Hi Andre,
I think it would be acceptable if you have graduated and the person was the Dean while you were studying there. But if you are still enrolled and supply a letter from someone who is no longer the Dean, that could look odd and earn you extra unwelcome attention.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz