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Have you ever wondered:
- How can I apply for the MEXT Scholarship to study in Japan?
- Am I eligible for the MEXT Scholarship for research students (graduate students)?
- How can I make my application for the MEXT Scholarship stronger?
This guide answers all of those questions and more with clear explanations and bonus worksheets to help you follow along.
Get the Most Trusted Independent MEXT Scholarship Application Guide!
The MEXT scholarship is one of the world’s most generous scholarship schemes for graduate students. It is competitive, but if you know what the reviewers are looking for and how to approach the application, there is no reason why you cannot earn it for yourself!
How to Apply for the MEXT Scholarship introduces the scholarship benefits and requirements as well as its goals, then walks you through the process of creating an unstoppable application strategy.
What’s waiting for you: Free tuition. Living stipend of over 1.5 million yen per year. Round-trip flight to Japan.
Why this guide?
Travis Senzaki is an expert in the MEXT scholarship application process and has worked with over 1000 scholarship applicants over 7 years. He worked as the MEXT scholarship application coordinator at a large, private university for three years and has run the TranSenz blog ever since, where he has published over two dozen articles about the scholarship and answered thousands of applicant questions.
How to Apply for the MEXT Scholarship is based on those articles and questions, putting everything together in an easy-to-follow, step-by-step presentation. It is designed so that no matter how much experience you have with the MEXT Scholarship – whether you just heard about it today, or whether you have applied multiple times in the past – you will be able pick up at the right part of the application for you and follow through to created a strong, successful application.
Invest in Your Success
If you want anything worth having in life, you have to invest time or money (or both). How to Apply for the MEXT Scholarship is for applicants who don’t mind investing a little bit of money to save themselves a lot of time.
At less than 1,000 yen, the book costs less than 0.7% of one month’s scholarship stipend. Consider that winning the scholarship could be worth nearly 10,000,000 yen in stipends – not counting the free tuition and airfare. That’s a potential 10,000X return on your investment!
Pick up your copy, now, from TranSenz, directly or from your favorite online book store!
Here’s what others have said:
“I owe 99% of my coming so far to you (and 1% to sheer luck). Thank you so much for providing all these valuable information and managing the blog!” – Amber
“Thank you for being the greatest Sensei, I bought one of the books, and I cant get my hands off it. My confidence has elevated, I managed to arrange my thought process, and of course I am more confident to compete for this scholarship. Thank you for mentoring me through your great writings. I am hoping for a great outcome.” – Shabangu
“Thanks to all of your help, I have passed the primary screening for the scholarship, I contacted a Lab at Osaka university and they agreed to write me a letter of acceptance.” – Taylor
“Your good work in guiding numerous students across the globe regarding higher education in Japan is deeply appreciated by us all. Keep going!” – Afraz
Get started on your application today!
You will learn:
- What the MEXT Scholarship offers plus where, when, and how to apply
- The mindset you need to set yourself apart from other applicants and win the scholarship
- The difference between the embassy and university application processes, and how to get started with each
- How competitive the application is and why you need to develop an application strategy
- How to perform an eligibility self-evaluation – including checking to see if you have the grades to apply
- How to establish your application strategy and position yourself to overcome the competition and become one of the few, elite scholarship winners
The book also comes with worksheets, exercises, and resources to walk you through determining your eligibility and creating your application strategy.
Get Started Today!
This is a long application process – over a year in most cases – and you want to give yourself months to prepare in advance. Download and start reading today!
Want to Read it for Free?
If you want to check out the book, but don’t have the resources to buy it now, why not try to get it at your university library?
How to Apply for the MEXT Scholarship is available in print, through Ingramspark or Amazon, and in ebook through Overdrive, Bibliotheca, and Baker & Taylor which are ebook distribution networks for libraries, if your library stocks ebooks. Either way, your library should be able to order it through their normal purchasing channels. Here’s the information your library might need:
- Title: How to Apply for the MEXT Scholarship
- Author: Travis Senzaki
- ISBN: 978-4-909776-00-6
- Imprint: Travis Senzaki
- Year: 2018
Not sure yet?
No problem. In the meantime, why don’t you take advantage of the free resources I have to offer? If you sign up for my mailing list below, I’ll send you a sample completed application form, plus an email course introducing the MEXT scholarship and the most important things to consider as you start your application. No strings attached!
Sir i applied 3 months ago but still there i don’t find any sms or mial from your website. …
Hi Naeem Ullah,
I am just a blogger. I am not officially related to the MEXT Scholarship, so I have no way of telling what individual applicants’ results are. I would recommend contacting the embassy where you applied to check on the results.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hey sir,am kelvin phiri from Zambia.I did my bachelor’s degree in science with education at kwame Nkrumah university.I want to apply for a scholarship ,what should I do?
Masters scholarship in mathematics or science related programs
Hi Kevin Phiri,
Before you think about applying for the scholarship, you’re going to need to decide on what exactly you want to study, including your specific research topic. If you don’y have a specific research goal, your application has very little chance of success.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Kevin Phiri,
I have dozens of articles on this site about the process of applying for the MEXT Scholarship for graduate school in Japan. If you are interested in pursuing your degree in Japan, I suggest you start reading through those to get a better idea of the process and what you’ll need to do.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi my name is Ezra Yakubu, I want to apply for undergraduate course, cyber security.
Pls is there any help?
Hi Ezra Yakubu,
My area of expertise is in the scholarship for graduate students, so I don’t have any specific advice for undergraduate applicants. I think cybersecurity would fall under the category of information science and engineering when you choose your major in the application form.
Aside from that, if you follow the application guidelines and the instructions from your Japanese embassy, and write compelling arguments for why you want to study that field in Japan, that is the best you can do to give yourself a shot at the scholarship!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis,
I have recently found your website, and became quite surprised and interested in all the information you provide to everyone interested in applying to the MEXT scholarship. However, I have a quite different question to address you. From what I have read, notice that maybe I have missed it somewhere, no one has ever questioned you about applying to MEXT scholarship in an Performance graduate degree (ex. Music). So my question is:
Do you have any specific advice to someone interested in applying in a graduate degree in Music Performance? I propose this question because usually most of the graduate degree in Music around the world don’t require a research plan, as the degree is more focused in the performance itself and many graduate degree don’t even require a thesis, but just have classes and a final Recital or Concert. Having this in mind to you have any advice, knowing that the MEXT application requires a Research Plan?
Thank you for your time and attention.
Best Regards
Hi Filipe,
Thank you for your kind words.
My first advice with regards to a performance art graduate degree, whether in music or any other field, is to make sure you find a program that you have the language qualifications for. Most of those programs, as far as I know, are going to be taught in Japanese.
In terms of your “research plan”, actually one of my first resources when I was researching past successful plans was a FSRPP for an applicant in line art, which is a form of performance, and I have adapted his methodology into how to approach a research plan in a few cases.
If you are applying in performance art, then your “research plan” is your plan for how you will prepare for your final concert/recital/etc. What do you hope to achieve in your final performance, is it a combination of specific different styles? What is it about it that will make it worthy of an MFA, rather than just being a recital that could be given for a regular audience?
Your “research” then is all of the practice and mastery of methods and other skills that go into that final recital and help you achieve that unique performance.
My knowledge of performance music is rather limited, so I’m afraid I can only talk in general terms, but I hope that helps.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
I am Rejoice Elijah. A high school graduate from Nigeria. I want to apply for the MEXT undergraduate schorlarship 2020, but I couldn’t access the application form. I need your help please.
Hi Rejoice Elijah,
The best place to get the forms and any information about the application process is the website of the Japanese Embassy in your country. That should have links to all of the information that you need.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Greetings. I’m Tychael Harvie. I was unable to purchase the book that was intended to help applicants for the MEXT scholarship program and therefore I was unable to obtain certain information about the program. I am a student who is graduating from highschool this year in South Africa. I want to know if the program will allow for an applicant like myself to apply for a university scholarship.
Hi Tychael Harvie,
This book is focused on the MEXT Scholarship for graduate students, so it is probably a good thing that you didn’t buy it!
There is a MEXT Scholarship for undergraduate students, but it is not available in all countries. The best place to get information about it and whether or not you can apply is to check the website of the Japanese Embassy in your country for the application guidelines and specific instructions.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
hy
i want to apply for phd in japan on scholarship what procedure i should follow?
Hi Rubia Ismail,
You can choose either the Embassy-Recommended MEXT Scholarship or University Recommended MEXT Scholarship, but the former is accepting applications now, in most countries, and overall has the better chance of success, so I recommend that, if you can get your application together in time.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Transenz Japan, I am interested in applying for Medicine College in undergraduate mext scholarship , and I noticed in your posts that having a field of research and future perspective is crucial to guarantee this scholarship. By now I have not decided a specific area I want to study later, so should I start searching it so I can refer to it in my application and a further interview?
Hi Rodrigo,
My comments about the Field of Study and Research Program Plan are for the MEXT Scholarship for Research Students (Graduate Students). You do not need a FSRPP for the undergraduate scholarship.
You do need to have a firm idea of why you want to study your particular field and how you will contribute to society in Japan and your home country after earning your degree, though, so I would encourage you to think about that!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Sir Travis.
Thank you for helping us in this process for Mext scholarship. I tried to find a professor and I couldn’t. I read and followed one of your article talking about it but I couldn’t. we are less than two weeks before the deadline and I am truly worried about that part specially. if you can explain more or advice others simple article for it, I’ll be happy. Thanks
Hi Amouzoun,
I’m sorry to hear that you struggled to find a professor that you might want to ask to supervise you. Were you at least able to identify a university and graduate school that teaches your program in English? From there, you should be able to find a list of faculty members and their research interests or information about the courses they teach. That is a good way to find potential supervisors.
Other than that, I’m afraid there really isn’t much else I can suggest that is simpler than the article I had written about how to find potential supervisors.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi I’m klawu king an African student from Liberia west coast of Africa.
I’m a student of the African Zion university.
I’m a graduate student and willing to achieve my master degree in business administration in Japan but been searching for a scholarship before I found this.
Please I’m in need of your help to have me out or educate me now how can I be a part of this unique opportunity.
I love love to have a reply please.
Hi Klawu King,
It has been a while since your comment, but I hope you have taken the time to read the other articles on this site in the meantime. I have dozens of articles here about how to apply for the MEXT Scholarship and carefully reviewing all of them should help you understand exactly what you need to do to apply – and to succeed in the application!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello I’m Ashuja and I want to study in Japan,what steps may I follow??
Hi Ashuja,
Most of the articles that you will find on this site are dedicated to helping you apply for the MEXT Scholarship, so I hope they will help you with your goal.
The first thing you need to do is to figure out why you want to study in Japan and then look at the steps that are required to help make that goal a reality. I hope the articles here will help you!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis
I don’t really get the whole meaning of the quality of“ Field of study”.
I studied Chemical Engineering in my undergraduate studies. Am I required to just write Chemical Engineering in that space?
Please can you shed more light on it
Thanks
Hi Collins,
Which form are you referring to and which question?
In the Placement Preference Form, it is enough to say that you want to study chemical engineering as your major, but once you get into the Field of Study and Research Program Plan, you need to have a specific research problem, methodology, etc.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
I need form of Mext scholarship in english
Hi Gulsher Junejo,
All of the forms are bilingual in Japanese and English. You should get them from the website of the Japanese Embassy in your country. That website will also have specific information for you about when the forms are due and other important details.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
thanks alot sir for all the guidance… can you give the sample paper for science students for PHD student i am so confused what should i write in motivational section, Thankyou!
Hi Sajawal,
I’m afraid that the only samples I have are the ones that I send out to everyone who joins my mailing list.
Your “motivation” is your reason for pursuing your degree in the first place, and it should be related to the specific way in which you want to serve your country/society or the relationship between Japan and your country in the future. Of course, your studies in Japan should serve that goal.
I wrote more about having an application goal and theme in the book, as well as in my article about maximizing your chances for the scholarship.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi
My mission to Japan is to learn and study language course..
How should I summit?
Hi Nwaeze Chukwuka Jude,
This scholarship is for a full degree, not for Japanese language studies. I am not aware of any scholarships that only cover language school.
In some cases, during the MEXT Scholarship, you will have Japanese language training before the start of your degree, but ultimately, the scholarship is for the degree.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi transenz I am 20 years old at the moment and I want to apply for a graduate degree program.. By September next year I’ll be 22 (my birthday is August) I was born 1999
My question is I’ve noticed most universities in Japan has a requirement of being at least 22 before applying for masters. In two forms I have been asked to indicate the age I will be April 1st next year… I put 21 but I specified that I would like to start in the September semester. I will input universities that start in September as well as April too…
Will this hurt my chances?
Should I specify that I will be 22 in time for the September session or will the reviewers realize this
Hi Ummie,
In the application form, you need to fill in how old you will be as of April 1, 2021, which in your case would be 21.
April 1 is the start of the school year, so that is what is used for all official calculations. Even if you start your program in the fall, it is your age at the beginning of the academic year that matters.
There is no requirement for the MEXT Scholarship that you be at least 22 years old. If you have completed a bachelor’s degree, then that is usually the only requirement.
I have seen in some cases in the past that age was a requirement if your bachelor’s degree program was shorter than the Japanese expectation, but that eligibility criteria has been removed from the MEXT scholarship, at least, so it should not be an issue as far as I know.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Supuni sandunika.
Hello sir,
I’m twenty years old and i’ve done A/l examination in sri lanka and i ‘ve applied for the university in my country and i’m not started to study in university ..my ambition is to get a digree in japan ..can i get MEXT scholarship ??i think i’m not undergraduate student yet .please tell me can i apply for MEXT Scholarship ..what should i do to get that?Should i complete a digree in my country to get that??
Thank you and have a nice day
Hi Supuni,
The undergraduate scholarship is for students who want to apply for an undergraduate degree in Japan. If you have completed – or will be completing – your secondary education, then you would apply for that scholarship. If you have already completed an university bachelor’s degree, then you would apply for the scholarship for research students/graduate students.
Please see the website of the Japanese embassy in Sri Lanka for the specific details of the application process there as well as all of the application eligibility criteria, to make sure that you meet them.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Transenz,
By the virtue of your experience in the assessment of MEXT applications, is the quality, i. e. ranking of former university of study of the applicant considered?
Does University ranking has serious influence on an appllication?
Thanks.
Hi Fadaiya,
I processed applications directly for the University Recommended MEXT Scholarship, and in that case, it made a difference if your previous university had a relationship with the university in Japan. But aside from that, minor differences in ranking weren’t significantly considered. For most applicants, the universities in Japan would not be familiar with the difference in ranking of universities in your home country, unless we’re talking about world-famous universities.
In any case, the ranking of your university is not officially factored in to the application process in any way. (Besides, university ranking seldom has anything to do with the quality of undergraduate education offered there). It could impact a mental bias by reviewers, but ultimately, they have to show objective reasons why you were ranked the way you were.
If you went to a university with a lower reputation and are worried about that influencing reviewers, the best thing you can do is to impress them with the quality of your Field of Study and Research Program Plan. Ultimately, a strong applicant from a lower-ranked university is going to have a better chance than a weak applicant from a top-tier university.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
hello , I hope you’re doing good;
I was wondering when will be the official anouncement of the MEXT scholarship this year… is it going to be delayed or even cancelled beacuse of the current situation in the world ?!
thank you and have a nice day
Hi Imen,
The reports I have seen are that the application process will be delayed 1-2 months. Those announcements have come from embassies and consulates around the world.
So far, it does not seem like there is any indication that the scholarship will be cancelled, the process will just be starting late.
In the meantime, I recommend you make the most of that time to prepare as much as you can while you are waiting! Starting getting your application documents together and, especially, working on your Field of Study and Research Program Plan.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hy… Here is Muhammad Naveed Hashim.. I have done matriculation with above 80%marks and intermediate with above 70% marks and bachelors with above 65% marks and master with above 75% marks.Now i want to get MAXT scholarship for master of philosophy. Kindly tell me about it and also tell me about the eligibility for this scholarship.
Hi Muhammad Naveed Hashim,
This book goes into detail on all of those subjects, so if you want an in-depth understanding of the application process, eligibility, and how to proceed, I would recommend that you pick it up (or ask your library to purchase it in paperback or ebook format and borrow it from there). However, I also have a ton of free articles on this site that cover all of the questions you asked about, including how to apply, how to calculate whether your grades are eligible, etc. So, please have a look at those articles and if you have specific questions, feel free to ask in the comments of the appropriate article.
Check the “Monbukagakusho (MEXT) Scholarship” link in the header for all of my free articles.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi sir I have got 91 %in matic and 75 %in intermediate is this enough for mext scholarship
Hi Zaigham,
I have an article all about how to calculate your GPA on MEXT’s scale to see if you meet the eligibility requirements, so I would recommend that you read that, then calculate your grades to see if you are eligible.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
English 6
Maths 5
Science 3
Music 3
Biology 7
Geography 6
Hi John,
I cannot calculate your GPA for you, but I do have an article that will show you how to calculate it yourself to see if you are eligible.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Sir, I got 89% marks in matriculation & 60% marks in intermediate part 1, Is it possible to get mext scholarship with these marks
Regards Rehan Shahid
Hi Rehan Shahid,
Unfortuantely, it isn’t possible to make any guess about your eligibility based only on your final marks. I have an article all about how to calculate your GPA for the MEXT scholarship to make sure that you meet the eligibility requirements, so I suggest you refer to that to calculate your own eligibility. (The book also covers the same topic in more detail, with several samples of different grading schemes from around the world).
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi, I’m john iwont your scholarship in your university, I need to study masters in construction technology so please herpeme to continue my education thank and Gad bless u.
Hi Muhayimana Jean,
I am not offering the scholarship. I am giving advice to applicants who are applying for it. This site is a collection of everything I have studied about the scholarship over the past nine years, so I hope you can find the resources here that you need to help you understand the scholarship and how to apply!
I recommend that you start with my article introducing the scholarship so you can understand better how to get started.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi, i am interested in the scholarship to continue my education. I need a master’s degree in Education so please help me to have the form in order to fill in or help me for the guide
Hi Faya David Tonguino,
The forms and application guidelines for this year’s application process have not been released yet, so you will have to wait for those to become available.
Once they are, you will be able to get them from the website of the Japanese Embassy in your country. I would suggest that you start checking that website every weekday to see if the application process has started.
The application process for the Embassy Recommended MEXT Scholarship typically starts in mid April each year, so the guidelines release is already late this year. I assume the delay is due to having to adjust the application process for COVID-19 and social distancing, but so far I have not heard anything about when the announcement will be made.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
I am really looking for a sports (basketball scholarship in Japan…I need you help to get the info and assistance that I need
Hi Immanueal,
My area of expertise and this blog is focused on strategies to apply for Japan’s most prestigious and generous scholarship for graduate studies. I have no knowledge of the sports scene in Japan, so I recommend you find someone else who can help you in that area.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
I want to Study my education up to master fo4 foreign country thus I am ready for that
So wait you
Hi Ahmed,
There is nothing that you need to wait for me for. You are the one that is going to have to do the work to research the process and complete the application. This book and the wide variety or articles and guides on this site will help point you in the right direction, so I would recommend you get started with your research soon.
The application process for the Embassy Recommended MEXT Scholarship usually begins in April, so I would recommend that you get started learning more and preparing now!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi sir Travis. I computed my grades from 3rd to 4th year in college and the gpa is 2.18. Our grading system in our university was 1.0 being the highest 3.0 was passed and 5.0 was failed grade. I just want to know if that is also the same from mext gpa computation:-)
Hi Sonny,
I have an article about how to convert your grades to the MEXT 3.0 scale (3.0 is the highest) that should help you with that question. You will have to convert your grades to the MEXT system course-by-course and then take the average. Calculating the average in your home system and converting it will not work.
GOod Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz