The MEXT (Monbukagakusho) Scholarship is the best way to gain a foothold in Japan and start your life here. Here is my collection of the best advice for that scholarship.
MEXT Scholarship/Monbukagakusho Scholarship Application Guides
What new MEXT Scholarship guides would you like to see?
Let me know in the comments below!
Hi Travis,
I would like to check regarding visa application of a MEXT Scholar. I am in the midst of getting all the admins done and finally gotten my accommodation in Hokkaido settled. So I was getting all flustered on the visa application form on the “Guarantor or reference in Japan” and “Inviter in Japan” parts. Do I need to apply for an COE?
Please advise! Thank you very much in advance and hoping to hear from you soon!
Hi YiXuan,
There is a special visa application process for MEXT scholars and you do not need a CoE.
You should have gotten instructions from the Embassy or University about how to apply. If not, I recommend that you contact the nearest Japanese embassy or consulate to your home and ask them how to go through the application process. They should have your name on a list of MEXT scholars for their area and guide you through the process.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
Thank you for the highly informative guide! It was very useful. I was wondering if you had insight into domestic selection for MEXT scholarships. I’m currently studying for my PhD, and have gotten through to a university interview stage a couple of times, but always seem to fall short. My GPA is 2.7 on the MEXT scale, so I’m definitely eligible. I’m not really sure what I can do to help my application stronger, so if you had any advice regarding what things universities might be looking for I’d greatly appreciate it.
Thank you for your time.
Amanda
Hi Amanda,
I’m glad you found it helpful!
I really should put out a guide on the MEXT domestic selection with all the questions I’ve been getting on it lately. Stay tuned for that!
Just to be sure, it sounds like you’re currently enrolled in a Japanese university in a PhD program and that you interview for the MEXT domestic selection scholarship each year. I’m going to base the reply on that assumption.
With MEXT domestic selection, there are a very limited number of places available to each university. My former university never had more than 3 and it was one of the larger, more international schools. It wouldn’t be surprising to learn that many universities only had 1. So, the competition is intense.
At my university, we did a unified scholarship application process twice per year. Based on the results of that – documents and interview – we’d rank each of our internationals students. Then the top student would get recommended for the best scholarship they were eligible and on down the list. Basically, you would have had to be one of the top two international grad students (out of over 1000) to get the MEXT domestic selection recommendation. To get there, you would have had to have essentially perfect grades and nail the interview (which, of course, depends on the makeup and temperment of your interview panel).
In my experience, the interview was usually the killer. Students struggled to present their research and its applications in a way that made sense to and intrigued the interview panel (in many cases by being too technical) in their limited time. Since you have experience with the interview now and know what they ask, I’d recommend practicing that with people from different backgrounds to make sure it has the intended effect and you know your responses down cold.
Your university might be different, of course, but that’s all I know from personal experience. Perhaps another commenter can add more.
Good Luck,
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
Thank you very much for your blog. It is super informative!
I have a question here. I am from Malaysia and I have been to the lab I am interested to pursue my PhD in recently for a short internship stint. Thus, now I am trying to apply for a scholarship to continue with my PhD at the lab.
The thing is the graduate school I am planning to enroll in have a Special Program for International Graduate Students under MEXT sponsorship. The application for admission this year is over, but it will open in Jan 2017 for admission Oct 2017. In the meanwhile, application for MEXT via Embassy Recommendation is already open now for admission Apr or Oct 2017.
My supervisor recommended me to apply under the Special Program, as I would have a higher chance of being accepted.
My question is – can I apply to the MEXT via embassy recommendation in the meantime first? As the Special Program application is only open next year, where the decision for the Embassy Recommendation is already out.
I hope you can understand what I am trying to ask. It’s a bit confusing.
Hope to hear back from you. Thank you very much!
Hi Benjy,
I would probably recommend that you do apply for the embassy recommendation in the meantime.
From what I understand, the Embassy-recommended MEXT scholarship results are announced anywhere between Dec – late Jan. So, you could conceivably apply for the Embassy-recommended scholarship and have the results before you apply for the Special Program at your chosen university.
If you pass the primary screening for the Embassy-recommended scholarship, which you should know in July or August 2016, then you are almost guaranteed to get the scholarship, though official results come much later. Once you pass that screening, you could gamble and get only one Letter of Acceptance for the school you want to go to.
In that case, you would be almost certain of getting the scholarship and being placed in your desired university as early as September 2016. And, if you didn’t pass the Primary Screening, you could always fall back on the Special Program application as a backup plan.
Good Luck!
-Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
Thank you very much for your reply.
Thanks for your recommendation. I will take it into consideration as this is what I planned to do as well.
Sorry but I have another question for you here. I will put it in a scenario here.
I am from a life sciences background – more specifically virology and genomics. Let’s say during my application, for my research proposal, I plan to study on the molecular virology of the flu virus. Then I got accepted into a university and will enroll there. After enrollment, what if I want to change my research topic to something else or my supervisor wants to change my research topic? Maybe something like studying on the protein expression and vaccine development of flu virus. I mean, it still will be on the same subject matter, just a different approach. Is that allowable? Or is it that our research must stick to what is written in our research proposal?
Hope to receive your reply soon. Thank you very much! And keep up the great work!
Hi Benjy,
Sorry I did not meet the “soon” request. I have quite a backlog here and very little time to get to them.
I am not an expert in your field, but I do not think that would be a problem. As long as you have your supervisor’s agreement and your new research is similar enough that it’s with the same advisor and in the same lab, you should be fine. MEXT is primarily going to be concerned with whether you’re still enrolled in the same graduate school and course and that your graduation is not delayed. My understanding is that they leave the research decisions up to the university.
Good Luck!
-Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
Thank you very much for your reply! 🙂
Hello. . I read on http://www.jref.com that you will publish a guide about the MEXT Scholarship through University recommendation. I would be very indebted if you share your valuable experience. There is little information (in english) about that way of applying for the Scholarship.
Best Regards,
Tovar Emeterio
Hello Tovar,
Yes, I am working on the outline for that guide now! It’s going to be quite long, so it will probably come out in multiple articles so that I don’t make everyone wait until the end!
-Travis from TranSenz