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Hello, I applied to MEXT in 2022 and passed the evaluation but failed the exam. I applied again in 2023 with the same subject. The only thing that changed was that I got a reference letter from the workplace but I couldn’t even pass the evaluation. I want to try again this year but I can’t understand why I wasn’t accepted last time. What do you think the problem could be? Thank you for the valuable information you provided.
Hi Kima,
Since I have never seen the contents of your application, I cannot guess what the problem might be. But one thing I can say is that the steps of the evaluation are cumulative. So, even though you mentioned that in 2022 you passed the document screening and were rejected after the exams, the problem might still have been with your application documents (Grades or Field of Study and Research Program Plan are the most likely areas) weren’t strong enough to put you in the top of the applicant pool. If everyone above you also had similar test scores, they might have eliminated the bottom X% of applicants after that stage.
Keep in mind, too, that it’s always a competition with the other applicants. So the same application could do better one year and worse the next.
At this point, the only thing that is really under your control is improving your Field of Study and Research Program Plan, so I recommend you put your effort there to strengthen your case for your next application.
Good Luck!
– Travis
Thank you for your answer. I have an another question I applied by adding my 2022 transcript and reference letters to my 2024 application. I wonder if this could be a problem? Will we need to get a new reference letter and transcript from the school every year?
Hi Kima,
The transcript shouldn’t be a problem, as long as the 2022 transcript was complete and showed all of your courses from that degree. If there have been any changes since then, you would need to submit the updated version.
For the Letter of Recommendation, I would recommend getting a new one. There’s no rule saying that it has to be within a certain time period, but as a reviewer, whenever we saw one that was a year or more out of date, it always made us wonder why the applicant wasn’t able to get a new one. Since you are expected to submit the original with the application, we assumed that there should be a new one for each year.
Good Luck!
– Travis
Good morning sir!
I am really happy and grateful for your service. Thank you very much sir!!!!
I’m from Nigeria 🇳🇬. I’m preparing to apply by 2025 as a research student. Please I’m confused about the “abstract of thesis” section.
I studied architecture in my undergraduate in the university of Nigeria, Enugu campus. In my department, we don’t write thesis rather we do what we call “Jury” or architecture project defense. Students are given brief to come up with an architecture design on a project and we develop the drawings and are judged and graded by it.
However, I’m organizing my academic works to develop my portfolio. So, I’m asking would my portfolio serve as an abstract of thesis?
Hi Uduma,
An “abstract” means a half-page to one-page summary. So, you could consider your portfolio to be your “thesis” but you would still need to write a brief summary of it to count as the abstract.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi, hope you’re doing well ,
I’m a political science student applying for masters in International relations but, the problem is I feel lost…at the beginning I choose a topic about a comparative analysis in disability “A Comparative Analysis of Disability Care Policies in Japan and Lebanon: Lessons and Opportunities” but the thing is some people told me that this topic is not related to IR and I should writes about two state relations directly.
what do you think? any tips?
Hi Layla Khansa,
I agree that this topic does not sound like it fits in political science/IR. That field would focus more on the structure of government or relationships between states.
Maybe in law? Public policy? Healthcare? Perhaps even cultural studies.
My advice would be to find researchers working on a similar research theme in Japan (you would have to do this anyway, to fill out the Placement Preference Form), then find out what graduate school and department they are affiliated with at their universities. That should help you figure out what the best major would be to study your research topic.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you for your time and sorry for asking another question.I searched in the IR faculties for some professors and i saw them adding public policies and international development in their bio.So, should I add their names when choosing and stick for IR major?
another problem is that if i need to choose another topic related to IR i find it hard because I come from a small country that has insignificant relation with japan that’s why i think my topic would not be as important as the others and at the same time if i write about japan rlt with other country i wont be able to write how I’m going to benefit my country with this research.
again sorry for asking too much but i’m feeling lost and its hard to ask my doctors for help .
best regards,
Hi Layla Khansa,
Make sure that the professors’ actual ongoing research (e.g. their recent publications or at least the courses they teach) are similar to your research topic. If you find that their research is similar to yours and the courses that you want to take are available in those graduate schools, then you can select that graduate school and list those professors by name.
As long as your research fits and the courses you want are there, then the name of the graduate school isn’t as important.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Dear Mr Travis,
Hope this email finds you well, thank you for your emails and support.
However, am applying for the scholarship through embessay recommendation, I have an important inquiry, is the recommendation letter from workplace required?, in my case am working but I can’t submit it, is it enough to submit the recommendation letter from the professor?
Waring for your help and thanks in advance.
Best Regards
Hi Suhaib Banat,
If you are working full-time, then the letter of recommendation from your workplace is required. (In part, it shows that your employer is aware of your goal to study in Japan and that you will be able to get out of your job if you are selected.)
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
greetings,
I have an issue regarding the research theme and plan. you talked about a title and subtitle, i have never been to Japan hence i cant relate my research to Japan cities or features. Is it a must my research must ne linked to a feature like a lake or city in Japan or, i can use my home country. also, i am in my last semester at University, I will have my results in October and will officially graduate in January next year, do i qualify if i have a letter of prospective graduation.
Hi Oliver,
There is no requirement that your research be linked to a geographical feature in Japan. But there must be a reason why Japan is the best place to conduct your research and a way that you research results can benefit Japan and/or your home country.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi, I have a question please
In the 2025 Placement Preference Application Form for the Japanese MEXT scholarship (research students), there are columns for the preferred name of the university, name of graduate school and name of academic advisor.
I am an artist. I graduated from the department of Fine and Applied Arts, majored in photography/graphic design and I am looking at applying to:
1. The university of Tokyo (Graduate School of Arts and Sciences)
2. Tohoku University (Graduate School/ Faculty of Arts and Letters)
3. Kyoto University (Graduate School of Letters/ Faculty of Letters)
I made researches to the best of my knowledge and got these three as my preference but I’m stuck at finding out the names of the Academic Advisors for the Faculties/ Graduate Schools of these three universities.
I have browsed and searched deeper, I still couldn’t get the information on the Academic Advisors. I don’t want to leave the spot open on my application as I’m really trying my best to be thorough as that my application is considered and granted. What should I do?
Hi Favour,
With your background, I think you should be applying to a Master of Fine Arts, if you want to continue your studies in photography and graphic design. In that case, I don’t think any of the universities you listed are appropriate. “Arts” in the context of those graduate schools does not refer to fine arts. You might be able to find a program in art history or something like that, but not in producing art.
You must be able to find the list of faculty members at the universities you are applying to. When you’re looking on their website, you won’t be looking for “Academic Advisors”, you will be looking for a list of faculty members and their areas of specialization. Since almost all graduate schools require that you identify a potential advisor in advance, this information should be available. (It took me about 2 minutes to find it for Tohoku, for example, but for Tokyo, they only had it available in Japanese.)
Again, I think you probably need to search for a new list of universities if you want to pursue fine arts, but in any case, you will need to make sure that the program you identify has at least one professor in your field and also offers a degree in your field!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
The application for STC in my country just opened today and they changed the Qualifications and Conditions. Previously last year there was no minimum grade requirement for STC but this year they made 60% minimum in 12th (or 11th or 10th) grade the problem is in 11th grade my grades were lower than 60 because i had some problems in my family due to which i couldn’t score well. Upon reading the requirements i felt like my whole world just fell apart i don’t know what to do coz i have been preparing for this scholarship and i even took JLPT just for it and today i found out i am not eligible. i feel like giving up on everything that worked so hard coz it all went down the drain. i am still thinking of applying regardless and just hope for a miracle but that would be too optimistic. is there any advice you could give or anything that i could do at this point?
Hi Gene,
My area of expertise is with the MEXT Scholarship for Research Students, not the STC, so my knowledge is limited.
I can tell you that there are never any exception possible for MEXT’s requirements. But on the other hand, this doesn’t sound like a MEXT requirement, since they would not establish a minimum grade in the local system. That was probably decided by the embassy in your country.
In that case, I can’t say whether or not an exception would be possible, but they probably set that grade so that it was close to MEXT’s official minimum. If your grade is close to the minimum requirement, it may be very difficult to win the scholarship, since it is based on merit.
I think the only thing to do would be to ask them directly.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
👋 Travis
I’m Roz from Algeria 🇩🇿, I willing to apply for MEXT 2025 season, and I confused about one thing that is I’m interested to study PUBLIC HEALTH MANAGEMENT and I’m employed for one year now as midwife, and my certification of graduating will be delivered before 7 years of service 😭, so “employment certification it is considered as something prove my degree ? as something prove my nature of study.
Thank you so much for this amazing 👏👏 website
Keep up ✊️
Hi Roz,
I am not familiar with the academic system in Algeria, but is your employment part of your official degree program (like a residency requirement for medical doctors), or have you already met all of the requirements for graduation?
A “Certificate of Graduation” does not need to be a diploma. It can be a letter from the registrar of your university affirming that you have met all of the requirements for graduation and are considered to have earned your degree, but that the university policy is that they will not issue the diploma for 7 years.
If the years of service are part of the degree requirement, then you would not yet be considered to have completed your degree and would not be eligible. If your degree is complete, but the years of service are required because the government funded your studies and you owe them working time, or something like that, you would have to make sure in advance that they would permit you to leave and continue your studies in Japan prior to the scholarship application.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
How can I apply for japan scholarship as an undergraduate student?
Hi Ainna,
The application guidelines should be released on the website of the Embassy of Japan in your country sometime in April. In the meantime, you can find last year on the Study in Japan site so that you can start preparing for the application process.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
When submitting the test, it was written that applicants for a bachelor’s degree should pass Japanese English mathematics and if they chose science, then there are two subjects from physics, biology and chemistry, and if I choose computer science, then it belongs to science? So I’ll have to choose two subjects to choose from? (Just when I was looking for it in the site it was written that the faculties of science in Japan are related to the study of nature, combining different subjects like physics info or mathematics, and I do not need this) , so my direction relates to science?
Hi Zhansaya,
The application guidelines show what category each field belongs to and the corresponding tests you have to take. Computer Science should fall into the category of “Information Engineering”, which is in “Natural Sciences A”. So, you would have to take the test for Japanese(B), English(B), Mathematics(B), Chemistry, and Physics.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hey Travis, hope you’re doing well. Can you please tell me from where İ can apply for mext scholarship. Actually no one is helping me with this. And do tell me how to get application form
Hi Hamdia,
I suggest that you start reading some of the articles that I have linked here, especially “Applying for the MEXT Scholarship: The Basics“. That one should answer your questions.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
I have a doubt, I’m planning on applying for MEXT for masters. I am a B.Tech graduate and want to do M.Tech in the same field but I don’t want to do research, I just want to get master’s so is it possible for me to do that. Do I need to write a research plan even if I don’t need to research? Please let me know.
Hi Sreedevi L K,
You must do research to earn a Master’s Degree. There are no taught Master’s degrees in Japan. Every one of them requires some kind of research or culminating project.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis, I hope you’re doing well.
I asked you some questions before and your answers helped me a lot. And thankfully i passed the University internal screening for MEXT.
However, I got some more queries for the next process, I hope you’ll help me out with this too…
1) The university is asking me to send Degree/Diploma/Certificate of graduation to them for the second screening. Unfortunately, I don’t have any, although I graduated last year in April (It is because my home university have a rule that one will only get his/her DEGREE after annual convocation of the previous academic year i.e. in June 2024).
So, I’m thinking to get Certificate of Prospective graduation from my home university but as I’m already graduated will this apply to me?
If so, do you have any format for it?
It’ll be so much helpful, please help me out with this.
Hi Denji,
A “Certificate of Graduation” can be any document signed by an official at your home university that certifies that you have met all of the requirements and completed your degree.
Based on my past experience, some universities with similar systems to yours issue a “Provisional Certificate of Graduation” that certifies that you have graduated and states the date that the degree itself will be awarded. If you do not have anything like that, a letter from your registrar saying that you have met all of the requirements and graduated (with the date that you did so) and indicating the date that your diploma will be awarded should be fine.
I do not have a format for such a certificate, but it could be a freeform letter, as long as it indicates the information above and is signed by a university official on university letterhead.
If your university’s academic transcripts show that your degree is complete, then that could also be considered a “Certificate of Graduation”, since it is an official university certificate that shows that you have graduated.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi travis.
I just got a clarification from my prospective professor and he explained the same and also shared a draft with me.
Thanks for your assistance ☺️.
Hi Denji,
Glad to hear it! Good luck with the rest of your application process.
– Travis from TranSenz
Just one more quick question:
Does university recommended MEXT scholars have to pay for visa on their own?
Hi Denji,
There is a special student visa application process for MEXT Scholars, since you’re essentially being invited to Japan and sponsored by the government itself. As far as I know, there is no charge for that application, but you should receive instructions later about how to apply.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis
I wish I had found your website earlier in my application process but a few of your articles have been pretty helpful. I applied for the Waseda University GSAPS MEXT admissions scheme, which from what I can tell is about the same only you don’t go through an embassy but rather straight to a university. Like a lot of other applicants I have some doubts and anxieties about my application but I think I did the best I could.
I applied for a second masters at Waseda, my undergrad GPA was a 2.8 but my grad school GPA was a 3.9. I majored in Political Science and History for my undergrad and East Asian Studies (with a focus on Japanese culture) for my first MA, both from the same state university. I have a lot of Japanese language education, I just never got around to getting a JLPT score. And before I went to grad school for my first masters I spent a year in Japan teaching English. My research proposal, which I was able to polish with the guidance of one of your articles, is about comparing Japans higher ed system to the United States’ and how well they can attract international students with the hopes they will remain as immigrants. I feel like my credentials are strong, I just hope I was able to express all that in a way that could be appealing to the committee.
I was wondering though, with this application I was required to get two letters of recommendation from two professors (very typical) but MEXT required that I get a letter of recommendation from someone higher up at my university, such as the dean or head of graduate studies. Is that normal? Does the embassy path require the same thing?
Hi Chris,
There are two primary routes to the MEXT Scholarship and it sounds like you are applying for the University-Recommended MEXT Scholarship. I cover that process in several of the articles here.
To answer your question, yes, for the University-Recommended MEXT Scholarship, you have to obtain a Letter of Recommendation from the Dean of your Faculty or someone of higher position that has to be addressed to the President of the university that you are applying to. The article I linked above has more information about that letter. (The other two letters you were required to get were a university-level requirement. MEXT does not ask for anything other than the Dean letter.)
The Letter of Recommendation requirements for the Embassy-Recommended MEXT Scholarship are different and for that application process, your academic advisor can write the letter, too. MEXT only requires the Dean-or-higher letter in the University-Recommended MEXT Scholarship.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Dear Travis,
I wish to apply for MEXT Scholarship of 2025 session. I’m currently doing my masters degree in marine biology and my dissertation work is on bivalves and their depuration. But I wanted to work 9n microalgae for my PhD and I even talked with a professor from Tokyo University and he advised me to write my proposal based on biofuel production from marine microalgae. But my previous studies and the intended research proposal for not have a connection, but both belong to the same field,ie: marine biology. Moreover I am not able to find any professors actively involved in research regarding bivalves and their depuration. So what should I do regarding my research plan? Please help if you are able to
Hi Arya,
I saw that you asked the same question on multiple articles, but it seemed most relevant to the article about the Field of Study and Research Program Plan, so I answered it there, first.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis, I have been studying your guides on the MEXT scholarship and reading your blog posts religiously during my application process. I would like to thank you for the invaluable guidance you have put out. Thanks to all your guides and advice, I have passed the first screening at the embassy. Fingers crossed for the letter of provisional acceptance.
Hi Beverly,
Congratulations on passing the Primary Screening and thank you very much for the feedback!
I wish you the best of luck in securing your Letters of Provisional Acceptance!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello! Can you please make a video about the criteria of MEXT that are not publicized? It would be so helpful to all.
Kind regards.
Hi Kayla,
Thank you for the suggestion. I have considered making some video tutorials and versions of my articles, but that would require an equipment investment to make quality videos, so that has held me up. I will add your suggestion to the list of ideas, though!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
What is the fee for your assistance on writing the study field and plan?
Hi Ronald,
I offer a review service and revisions for a completed Field of Study and Research Program Plan, not assistance in writing it from scratch.
You can find my fees, timelines, and the request form at the “Coaching Services” link at the top of the page.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Please as part of the documents required for the MEXT Scholarship application process.
It is required to submit research plan written within two pages. If which I’ve already written more than two.
I’m really kind of confused on how to go about it.
I would really appreciate it if you can guide me through it.
Hear from you soon.
Hi Juden,
Yes, it has to be two pages or less (including the instruction on the first page and the questions, not just your text). I have an article about what to include and about how long each section should be that should help you get under the limit. I have honestly never seen a FSRPP that needed to be more than two paves long to get the point across, so there should be a way to shorten yours.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz