Assembling the MEXT Scholarship Application requirements is like a scavenger hunt with secret rules.
The required documents are not simple. In fact, one of the most confusing parts of the MEXT scholarship application is the Letter of Recommendation. Most of the source of the confusion is really bad explanations by Monbukagakusho and the universities. I single-handedly processed over 500 MEXT scholarship applications and I think I’ve seen nearly every question there is. So after reading this article, you should know everything you need to get your application in order.
Required Documents for the University-recommended MEXT Scholarship
Note 1: These are the requirements as listed by Monbukagakusho. The university that you apply to may have additional requirements. If you’re confused about those, please ask in the comments!
Note 2: I am not including the Application Form or Field of Study and Research Program Plan here. Each of those is complicated enough to merit its own article.
- Letter of Recommendation
- Photograph(s)
- Government-issued ID (e.g. passport)
- Transcript/Grades Record/Record of Marks
- Certificate of Graduation or Expected Graduation
- Proof of Outstanding Academic Performance
- Outline of Graduation Thesis
- Objective proof of language ability and/or specialized academic ability
- Certificate of Health
Additional Requirements for All Documents
- All documents must be in Japanese or English or have an official Japanese translation attached.
- To the maximum extent possible, all documents should be typed (not handwritten) and should be printed on A4-sized paper.
*I know that Americans, Mexicans, and others do not typically have access to A4-sized paper. You will not fail the application for submitting on letter-sized.
*Indonesian transcripts and a few others tend to be printed on very long pieces of paper. Those are OK to submit. - Documents will not be returned to you under any circumstances.
- Late and/or incomplete submissions will not be accepted under any circumstances
One more note: “Your Current University”
“Your current university” or “your most recent university” are going to appear several times in these instructions and in the university’s application guidelines. Only universities that you attended for degree programs- specifically, bachelor’s, master’s, or PhD, count. Certificate programs, associates degrees, short-term study abroad, job-related training or anything else does not count.
If you are currently enrolled in a degree program, then “your current university” is obviously the one you are enrolled in- even if you are in your first semester. Even if you plan to quit that university to take the MEXT scholarship.
If you are not enrolled in a degree program, then “your current/most recent university” is the last one that you earned a degree from.
If you are in a dual, triple, etc., degree program, then it’s a little fuzzier, but for convenience, the university that you are attending as of the time of application makes the most sense. (Typically, that would also be the last university in the program).
Got all that? Good. Let’s get in to the documents.
The Monbukagakusho Letter of Recommendation – University Recommended MEXT Scholarship Application
Update: The description below only applies to the Unviersity-recommended MEXT scholarship application process. If you’re applying through the Embassy, you do not need to worry about this.
If you are applying to a university, I have a clarification about who needs to write your Letter of Recommendation, based on the relationship between your universities. You can find that clarification in my article about the 2018 University-Recommended MEXT Scholarship Application Process.
First, forget everything you know about letters of recommendation or letters of reference. MEXT does not care if the person writing it actually knows you or supervised you. All that matters is that it meet three basic requirements:
- Addressed “To The President of [Name of University]” – You MUST have the president’s title in there. I saw a few applicants try to get cute and write the president’s name. Good job on the research, but since they didn’t write the title, it was no good.
- Recommend you for the the scholarship – Somewhere in the letter, it must say that the person is recommending you for the Monbukagakusho Scholarship. This should be obvious, but I still see people leave it out.
- Signed by the Dean or Higher – Vice Deans, Department Heads, Advisors, etc. are all no good.
The Address
Really, as long as the greeting says “To the President of [University Name],” that’s all you need. No fancy templates or formal structures.
Do not write “To Whom it May Concern.” That will not be accepted.
Contents
Include the following sentence somewhere in the letter: “I wholeheartedly recommend [your name] for the Monbukagakusho Scholarship at [the university].” Since some people out there are going to take me too literally, replace the words in brackets with your information. The rest of the contents don’t really matter (but having concrete proof of your merit doesn’t hurt).
Yes, I have seen applicants leave the brackets in before. Don’t be that guy.
How to Get a Letter of Recommendation from the Dean
Point 1: The Dean doesn’t need to write the Letter, he/she just needs to sign it. Here’s how you get that done:
- You write a draft of the letter. Include all the required points (don’t leave room for the Dean to screw it up), and include a few highlights of your academic achievements. Make sure to include the Dean’s signature block (or ask your advisor to put that in).
- Take the letter to your academic advisor. Tell him/her that you need a Letter of Recommendation signed by the Dean of the faculty and show them the draft that you’ve written to make it easier on the Dean.
- Invite your advisor to edit it as he/she sees fit. Then ask her to take it to the Department Head for approval and submission to the Dean for signature
With the possible exception of writing the draft yourself (that’s something I added based on my personal experience), this is how Letters of Recommendation work in Japan. Deans don’t write them (they don’t know most students personally, after all), they just sign it based on their trust of the professor and department head that ask them to do so.
One word of warning: Get started early. I’ve found that Deans and Department Heads tend to be gone a lot to attend conferences or visit partners. MEXT is not going to accept a Vice-Dean’s signature because the Dean was out of the office. In that case, you’re going to need a university president, provost, etc.
Photographs
I’ve seen a shocking number of mistakes on this one in the past, for something that seems to simple. Just make sure you carefully read the instructions. Here’s your checklist:
- 3.5 cm wide by 4.5 cm high. (Portrait style, not landscape!) If you can’t get photos printed in that size, then use a ruler and scissors to trim them to the appropriate size yourself.
- Professionally printed on photo paper. Printing them on printer paper or blurry photos that you printed out yourself will not work
- Formal ID-style photo: It should show you from the armpits up, facing straight forward, with no glasses or hats (religious headwear is acceptable where culturally required).
- Photo must be no more than 6 months old. If it matches your old passport photo, you’re going to get caught!
- Plain, white background. No patterns, designs, crowds of people or anything else.
- Write your name and nationality on the back in ballpoint pen. Make sure it doesn’t show through to the front.
- Send three photos (even if the school only asks for one). You don’t want to have to express mail a replacement if something happens to your only photo.
- Attach one photo to the application form with glue or double-sided tape. Do not staple your photos.
Yes, it really should be straightforward, but I have seen applicants screw up every single one of those requirements in the past.
Government-Issued ID
Basically, this has to show your full legal name (in English letters) and birthdate.
If you have a passport (even if it’s expired and you’re renewing it), send a copy of that. If you don’t, then send a birth certificate, national ID, driver’s license, family register, or any other document that shows your full name and birthdate. Then go apply for a passport.
Certificate of Grades/Marks (Transcript)
All you need here is an original transcript in English. If you can get that issued by your school, then you’re set.
If your school does not issue transcripts in English, then you need both the original document issued by your school and a certified translation.
Certified TranslationsThe best way to get the translation is to have it certified as accurate by an official (e.g. registrar) or professor at your school. If you can’t get that, you’ll need it translated and certified accurate by a professional translator.
Make sure that the translator’s certification is in English! This was a particular problem with Vietnamese applicants in my experience. The accuracy certifications were only written in Vietnamese, so that does no good.
If your school does not issue extra original transcript or if your school only issues “pdf originals”: Take a copy to the registrar and have them sign to certify that it is identical to the original. You should do this even in the case of “pdf originals”, rather than sending them directly to the university that you’re applying to. Japan still doesn’t trust electronic signatures in most cases.
Additional Requirement for Transfer Students
If you transferred schools or participated in a Dual Degree program, you’ll need the transcript from all schools you attended for your last degree.
Less that 2 years of Grades on Transcript? Additional Requirement
The MEXT scholarship requires two years of grades, so you’re going to need the transcript from your previous degree program, too. You will also need the “explanation of the grading system” from your previous degree, which I will cover below.
This is usually a problem for Master’s students who only have 1 year of grades on their transcript at the time of application.
Certificate of Graduation or Expected Graduation
Do not send your only diploma to apply for the scholarship!
In Japan, it’s easy to get extra certificates of graduation (which are not diplomas) saying that you’ve graduated, so they think it will be easy for you too. (And they really don’t care if it isn’t).
If You’ve Graduated Already
Check your transcript. If your transcript shows your degree awarded and awarded date, then it can double as a certificate of graduation (it’s a formal certificate and it shows your graduation).
If your transcript doesn’t show it, then a copy of your diploma that is signed by the registrar as being an accurate copy will work. You could also get a letter from your registrar confirming your graduation date and degree earned.
If You Have Not Graduated
You need a “Certificate of Expected Graduation” that states your expected graduation date, to show that you will graduate before you start your MEXT scholarship.
The problem is that a lot of universities don’t want to certify that you will graduate, because it’s up to your performance, so it isn’t guaranteed. Here’s how to get around this problem:
Your university needs to certify that you will graduate by [date] provided that you complete all of your remaining requirements as expected. Essentially, the university is saying that they know of no reason why you would be unable to graduate by the expected date.
This certificate can (and should) be conditional on your performance.
Proof of Outstanding Academic Performance
In almost all cases, this takes the form of a “explanation of grading system.” Search wikipedia for “Academic grading in [your country name]” to see an example of what this is.
Without it, the Japanese university is not going to have any idea whether the grades on your transcript are any good or not. For example, if you earn a 70% in the US, that’s below average and would correspond to a “1” on the
Monbukagakusho grade conversion
But if you earn a 70% in some universities in India, that is “Outstanding” and would correspond to a “3” on the MEXT scale.
Huge difference.
The thing is, even if the staff at the university know that system, from past applicants, etc., they still need you to submit proof because they need the formal documentation to be able to submit your recommendation to Monbukagakusho.
In many cases, this explanation is printed on the front or back of transcript itself- especially if your country uses a letter grade system, the ECTS system, or a point scale. If that’s your situation, great, you can skip down to the next section.
If your grading system isn’t on your transcript, talk to your registrar and ask them if they have a table or other document that explains in. If they do, get a copy of it and have the registrar sign it.
Another place you can check is your study abroad office. If your university does any student exchange or study abroad, they need to be able to convert grades between your institution and universities overseas, so that office might know how to help you.
In the worst case scenario, I know of applicants who wrote up a chart themselves, based on the model on wikipedia, and got the university registrar or their academic department head to sign it.
Applicants from Marks System Countries
Japan is always going to refer to “grades” but when you hear this, think “marks.”
I know that in marks systems, you add up the total number of marks earned across all classes and then divide that by the total number possible to get your final graduation grade. But Japan is going to convert your grades class-by-class. Monbukagakusho requires that it be done that way.
So if you have a system that looks like:
| Class | % of Marks |
|---|---|
| First | 70+ |
| Upper Second | 60-69 |
| Lower Second | 50-59 |
| Third | 40-49 |
| Pass | 30-39 |
Then the Japanese university is going to go class-by-class through your transcript and convert your grades to the 3.0 GPA system.
Other “Proof of Outstanding Academic Performance”
In the event that you absolutely cannot get an explanation of your grading system, you’re going to face an uphill battle to get consideration from the university, but it is still possible, in theory.
Basically, if you are too “unique” of a situation, or require too much work, the university is going to favor applicants who make it easier on them. So you should do as much legwork as possible and make it easy for the professors and admin staff where you’re applying.
Remember, at this stage of the application, you’re just one of hundreds of people competing for a handful of slots. The university doesn’t know who you are or what you’ve done, so they have no reason to give you special attention. You need to earn their attention.
Other forms of proof of academic performance can include class order of merit, academic awards or other external recognition in significant or international venues. Papers published in known, peer-reviewed journals or presentations in (preferably international) conferences.
Anything that can be evaluated numerically is in your favor: “first place”, “number one”, “top student I have ever seen”, etc., are all good buzzwords.
Still not clear? Hit me up in the comments below!
Outline of Graduation Thesis
If you don’t have a graduation thesis because your degree didn’t require one, then use your most significant paper instead. The paper should be related to the topic you propose in your Field of Study, of course, and should be your best/most significant work.
Unlike this blog post, the outline should be short and to the point. One page is a good target, but I’ve seen 1/2 to 3/4 of a page work just fine. Don’t go any longer than 1 page unless the university specifically tells you to.
Don’t send the whole thesis, either. It’s going to cost you extra postage and nobody is going to bother reading it.
Objective Proof of Language Ability
You want formal international test scores, such as TOEFL or IELTS for English or the JLPT for Japanese.
Do not send institutional tests, such as the TOEFL ITP, a “TOEFL prediction test”, or a test created by a local testing center- nobody is going to trust those as being accurate. The institutional tests say right on the score report: “Not to be used for admissions purposes.”
Don’t even waste your time.
Yes, these tests are expensive, but don’t expect the universities to care. The Monbukagakusho scholarship is a merit-based scholarship, not need-based. If you start complaining to the university about cost at this point of the application, you’re going to poison your relationship and your chances.
The universities in Japan know that, in most cases, you can get an English language proficiency test score (TOEFL iBT) in about 3 weeks, if you’re really trying, and they will look up when tests are offered in your country if you try to claim there is no availability.
Just a heads up. I saw that excuse a lot- and usually wrote those applicants off as too lazy to consider for the scholarship.
What if my Education was in English?
If English is your first language, you can almost certainly get this waived. (There may be one or two stubborn universities that will insist on another form of proof like a GRE English score, but I haven’t confirmed this).
If English is not your first language but you graduated from university in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, the UK, or the US, most universities will consider that sufficient, although they may ask you to also submit a copy of the proof of language ability you submitted when you first enrolled in that university.
If you’re from India, Bangladesh, Ghana, or any other country where English is not the primary language of daily life, but you attended tertiary education in English, do not expect to get this requirement waived.
By this time, almost every university in Japan has admitted at least one international student who graduated from an English-taught program only to find out that the person has no English ability whatsoever. They graduated from the English program by getting extra tutoring outside of the class in their native language, or because the program wasn’t really all in English to begin with.
Heck, this has been known to happen in “English-taught” classes in Japan, too.
Similarly, submitting grades from English as a second language courses isn’t generally going to work, either. Just because you can pass a class doesn’t mean you have any ability (Japan’s own English language education – one of the worst in the world – proves this).
No Test Score?
If you don’t have a test score and you legitimately can’t get one by the application deadline because there is no test offered, then some schools may allow a workaround. Where I worked, we would allow exceptions as follows:
You need to go the the head of the English language department at your university and have that person administer (or sign off on) a personal examination of your English language ability. The result of that examination will have to be very specific- such as “The applicant has English language skills equivalent to an IELTS band of 6.5 in reading, listening and speaking, and 7.5 in writing.”
Just saying “the applicant’s language ability is sufficient to complete a degree in English” was not enough.
Objective Proof of Specialized Ability
For most applicants, this won’t apply. Don’t send in your Microsoft Word training course participation certificate (yes, I used to get those – and throw them out). Don’t send in your community service participation certificates- unless it was directly related to your field of study.
Relevant certificates are professional or government licenses related to your field of study. For example, if you’re applying for an architecture program and you have passed the LEED Exam, that’s relevant. If you’re applying for a public health program and you volunteered for Doctors Without Borders, that’s relevant.
I processed over 500 of these applications and never once saw a relevant certification. So, if you don’t have one, don’t worry about it.
Certificate of Health
This requirement will vary from university to university. Monbukagakusho only states that “universities are responsible for ensuring applicants are physically and mentally healthy.” It doesn’t require a specific form. However, a lot of universities will use the Embassy-Recommended Monbukagakusho Scholarship health form for the sake of simplicity.
If your university uses the Embassy form form, here are a few things to keep in mind:
- Every field is mandatory – double check that everything is complete before leaving the doctor’s office.
- Related to that – the forms is really badly designed, so you might want to consider highlighting the fields for your doctor before going to the exam. It’s easy to miss some of them.
- Don’t forget your name, sex, and birthdate in the top row – I had to send dozens of medical forms back to applicants because their names were missing (how do we know you were the examinee?)
- The X-Ray fields are the ones that trip applicants up the most.
- You must have a chest x-ray, even if your doctor doesn’t think it’s necessary.
- You need to fill in the date that the x-ray was taken as well as the film reference number (the index the doctor would use to look it up again in the future). In some cases, the reference number might just be your name and the date- that’s fine. Leaving it blank is not.
- Do not send actual x-ray film through the mail.
- If you are attaching test results, make sure they’re in English and highlight everything that corresponds to one of the fields on the form.
You’re (Almost) Done!
You should now be ready to collect and submit all of the required documents for your Monbukagakusho Scholarship application. Hopefully, with this list you can breeze through the requirements and spend your time where it’s most needed- on the Field of Study and Research Program Plan.
The only mandatory form that I haven’t discussed yet is the Application Form. That one gets its own article next, and I’ll walk you through the badly-translated and poorly worded questions one-by-one.
In the mean time, if your university requires any other documents that I haven’t mentioned above, tell me about them in the comments below, and include a link to the university application page, if you can!
Questions?
Before asking any questions in the comments below, please read through the MEXT Scholarship Application FAQ top page and specific FAQ pages to see what I’ve answered already and to find tips about how to get your questions answered faster.
You can ask your questions in the comments here, on the FAQ page, or by email and I will answer them by updating the FAQ and letting you know when the answers are available.
I’d also recommend signing up for my mailing list to get notified whenever I have updates to any of the FAQs or new articles about the MEXT scholarship!
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Hello Travis,
thanks for all your insights about the application process.
I have already submitted my documents (graduate MEXT scholarship) to the Japanese embassy in my country. Nonetheless, I was checking your article and you pointed out something important. A certified translation of academic transcripts and graduation certification(title) documents. I thought everything was fine but I forgot to adjoint an English certified translation of those two documents (I just submitted the original ones in Spanish). Do you think this will affect me in passing the first revision of the documents? I mean my university doesn’t provide those certified translations but I could find an official notary to make the proper translation later. Is it possible to make such a thing?
Thanks for your help
Hi Abdi Alejandro Gutierrez,
You are required to submit the English translations, but I think that if that is all that is standing between you and being invited to the next step of the application (the tests and interviews), then the Embassy may contact you to ask you to resubmit them. I can say for certain that when I worked at the university level screening applications, we always invited applicants to submit the missing documents instead of simply rejecting them.
Generally, you wouldn’t need a notary’s certification on the translation, the translator’s certification should be fine, as long as you submit the original translation. (If you submit a certified copy of the translation, then you would need a notary to certify that the copy was accurate, but not to certify the translation).
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis!
Does medical certificate can lower your chances in any case? I was wrongly diagnosed with a disease that was wrongly detected in my X-ray. But my doctor marked “YES” in medical certificate that I am fit to study in Japan since I don’t show any symptoms.
I didn’t have any time to do the x-ray again due to the deadline. I’ve done it recently and my x-ray results are actually fine. My recent doctor assumes my previous x-ray got mixed up with someone else.
Hi Sub,
As long as your doctor has checked that you are fit to study in Japan, then the Medical Certificate shouldn’t hurt your chances! (Any disease that you have recovered from and no longer need treatment for would not be a problem).
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis, Thanks for all you do. I’m currently in 300l and in my country there’s a 6months plus academic strike going on… I’ve been planning and preparing for mext 2023 university recommended (research student)… Which usually opens application in December. Due to the strike by December I’ll be in 400l 1st semester, can certificate of expected graduation work in this case?… By God’s grace I’ll be done with my bachelors before entry in sept 2023. Plus will my 3years + 400l first semester transcript be enough?
Hi Bunmi,
If you will graduate by August 2023, then you are eligible to apply, but of course you can only select a Fall start. You would need a Certificate of Expected Graduation, as you said. It is also fine to apply with your current transcript as long as it shows all of the grades that you have earned so far.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you so much!
Dear Travis
THE UNDERGRADUATE APPLICATION GUIDE says that
notes 9. For applicants with “⑧Certificate of university entrance qualification examination”, this document may be submitted in place of documents No. ③, ④ and ⑤.
3 is for transcript
4 is Certificate(s) of graduation of
school/university attended
5 if for recommendation letter
does it mean if we send certificate of university entrance qualification examination we don’t have to send no 3,4,5.
Hi Rediet,
The “Certificate of university entrance qualification examination” refers to a test you take instead of enrolling in upper secondary education to prove that you have equal academic ability to a high school graduate. It is usually for home-schooled students or students who drop out of school. If you have completed secondary school in your home country, that would not apply to you. (In other words, it does not refer to a test that high school graduates would take to get in to university.)
If you graduated (or will graduate) from secondary school, you must submit documents 3, 4, and 5.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
hello Travis, I hope this message meets you in good health. so I have a bunch of questions I would like to ask so I hope you don’t mind.
I’m applying for the mext undergraduate program and I just graduated from high school last year due to on going academic strike in my country, it still isn’t decided if I’ll get admission into the local university I chose, can i still apply?
By transcripts, do things like National examinations taken by all final year senior high school students counts as one also, is it possible to use submit my date of birth certificate along with my application form as my passport won’t be ready before the deadline. I also haven’t taken any language proficiency exams so will my application be accepted?
I would also like to ask if a registrar ( the wife of the proprietor of my high school) or a former provost of a federal school ( the proprietor) can handle my recommendation letter? please bear in mind that the school I attended was a private establishment so I don’t exactly belong to the schools that their title works.
Hi David,
You do not need to be admitted to a university in your home country in order to apply for MEXT, as long as you are qualified to apply, then you should be able to apply for the MEXT Scholarship.
In general, transcripts refer only to the grades that you have earned at your high school. However, you should check to see if the embassy in your country also wants you to submit the national examination results.
You are not required to submit a copy of your passport for the Embassy-Recommended MEXT Scholarship, at least not at this point of the application, so you shouldn’t need to worry about the birth certificate.
Your letter of recommendation must come from the school that you attended, not from an official at another school (unless the person was a teacher at your school when you were there and has since changed jobs – in that case, they could still write a letter, but they would have to state that they were your teacher/principal during your studies).
I hope that helps!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
I have a question regarding to the scholarship i.e i won’t be able to get my original documents back even after getting selected so, instead of original documents should i just send them a photocopy of certified English translation my documents but still when i go through the guidelines it says send 1 original and 3 photocopy of the original documents what do i do ?
Hi Lovey,
You will not get your documents back, but a Certified Copy will be accepted as an original. An official at your university can certify the copies as being true to the original.
Note that you would need a certified copy of the original documents and certified copies of the certified translations. Just submitting the certified translations would not be acceptable.
Once you have the certified copies, you can make 3 photocopies of those.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi, thank you for your article. I had a question regarding the research paper or study plan. I’m going to be applying for the UG program. Nowhere in the documents required does it mention submitting a Personal Statement or Study Plan, do I still need to submit these? Could you sort of list the docs we’ll need to submit for undergrad embassy track only please?
Hi Khudija Hashmi,
This article is about the University-Recommended MEXT Scholarship required documents for the Graduate scholarship, so the specific list of requirements is not going to apply to you.
I recommend that you check the application guidelines for the Undergraduate Scholarship as well as the requirements listed by the embassy in your country, since they might have additional requirements or might not require everything all at the beginning.
MEXT has not released the guidelines yet for the 2022-2023 application process, but you can refer to the application guidelines from 2021-2022 on the official Study in Japan site.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello.
I want to apply for MEXT scholarship for PhD and regarding that , i wanted to ask two questions. In my country , the bachelors was of 2 years and and masters was 3.5 years , so technically my education rounds up to 17.5 years . The Education Commission in my Country grants an Equivalence Certificate in this case to indicate that the study is equivalent to 18 years . Do i have to submit this equivalence certificate as well?
Another question is that suppose i submit the application with my ID card and during the time of screening , i change my house . so should i have to change my house address on the documents or should i have to tell embassy about it?
Hi Mazy,
I would recommend submitting a copy of the equivalence certificate – it would be better to have it than not, even if it should not be required.
But even without it, there is no specific “years of schooling” requirement anymore for a PhD. As long as you have a Master’s Degree, you should count as qualified.
If you change your address during the application process, I would recommend informing the embassy, just in case they try to send you any documents by mail at any point of the process. You should not need to resubmit the documents though, unless it is before the application deadline. (They should be able to tell you when you contact them!)
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis!
First of all I would like to thank you for all you do, it is of great help. I would like to ask a silly question since I’m confused. I’m applying for the embassy recommended scholarship, so for the LOR, is it okay to just address it like “To the President” and leave it at that?
Hi Chiineilhing Khongsai,
The formatting requirements I describe in this article are only for the University-Recommended MEXT Scholarship. For the embassy, the format is not so strict (there’s also a template form that you can use, though it isn’t required).
For the Embassy-Recommended MEXT Scholarship, it is fine to address the LOR “To Whom it May Concern”, or your recommender could also address it to the Ambassador (using the formal title – be sure to look it up on the Embassy website if you use that approach).
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Tranvis! Thank you for the reply. To add to that query, is it okay to have a signature of the dean in addition to that of the academic advisor or is that not required? Even if not required is it still a good idea to get the signature?
Hi Chiineilhing Khongsai,
For the Embassy-Recommended MEXT Scholarship, the letter can be signed by your advisor or the Dean or President. So, it would be OK to skip your advisor’s signature and have the Dean sign it directly.
If you want to include both signatures, though, I don’t see any problem with that approach and it certainly cannot hurt!
(I don’t think it will make as much of a difference as having better grades or a better-written Field of Study and Research Program Plan, so it’s not important enough to worry about if you can’t get the Dean’s signature, but it could help a little bit, so if you can get it, there’s no reason not to do so!)
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Good day sir! I would like to ask who is the best will give a recommendation letter for an embassy scholarship? Is it okay that our Professor is in the major subject or the Dean of our Department?
Thank you so much and God bless!
Hi MEIN,
For the Embassy-Recommended MEXT Scholarship, the letter can be written by the president, dean, or your academic advisor. The higher-ranked the person is that writes it, the more impact that will have (even if your advisor clearly knows you best). But overall, I don’t think that makes nearly as much difference as your grades or your Field of Study and Research Program Plan.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis!
I’m applying for the University Recommended MEXT scholarship and my physical documents might be slightly delayed in reaching the university but I’ve sent the same documents by mail. Would my application still count?
Hi Tomiwa,
In general, application deadlines in Japan are the date/time by which the application must arrive, so if it gets there late, it would not be accepted.
It the university has told you that they will accept it because you sent the digital versions first, or if the courier you used had guaranteed that the documents would arrive by a specific date and they were late (and you can prove it), then the university might be willing to make an exception on a case-by-case basis, but I wouldn’t count on it. If you do want to ask if an exception is possible, I recommend that you do so as soon as possible, not wait until after the documents arrive.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis! So I’m applying for the University Recommended MEXT scholarship and I’m not sure how long it would take my physical documents to reach there due to a slight delay but I’ve sent in all my documents my mail and my university has done the same with my transcripts. Would my application still count?
Hi Tomiwa,
In Japan, the application deadlines are “arrive by” deadlines, not postmark deadlines, so I would not expect them to accept your application if it arrives after the deadline. When you sent your documents, if you used a courier service or trackable express service, they should have given you an estimated delivery date in most cases, so you would want to make sure that date was before the university’s deadline.
There might be some provisions due to mail delays due to the pandemic, but that would be a university-by-university decision, so you would have to contact them directly.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis, Nagoya City University requires a Certificate of Distinction or rank of academic record among the whole class for the application but our university does not provide such certificates. However, there is a table in my academic transcript showing the grades and its equivalence. Will that suffice as proof of high performance?
Here’s the example of the table in my transcript:
1.0 98-100 Excellent
1.25 95-97 Excellent
1.5 92-94 Highly Satisfactory
1.75 89-91 Highly Satisfactory
2.0 86-88 Satisfactory
2.25 83-85 Satisfactory
2.5 80-82 Fairly Satisfactory
2.75 77-79 Fairly Satisfactory
3.0 75-76 Passed
4.0 Conditional
5.0 Failed
Hi Angelo Bundac,
As far as I know, a table like the one you shared should be sufficient proof of academic distinction, since it will allow the university to interpret your grades.
As far as the MEXT application is concerned, most universities will ask for proof of academic distinction, and many give the grading system as one example of the types of proof accepted.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Please, I applied for MEXT scholarship this year but unfortunately wasn’t able to get my transcripts submitted in time for the deadline. If I’m automatically considered ineligible, will i be informed? Or i just won’t hear anything from them?
Hi Tomiwa,
If your application is incomplete, then I think it is sure to be rejected. Not every embassy will contact rejected applicants, it varies from country to country.
If they have given you an estimated date when they would contact successful applicants (or when they would hold the interview) and that date has passed, then you could contact them to ask about your status.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis I’m Frank Cabrel, from Cameroon, final year BSc Student applying for the MEXT scholarship for Research students and I really need your enlightenment concerning the following worries:
1. Concerning the abstract of my undergraduate thesis, should I insert the whole thesis or just a page to the Embassy when submitting my application documents?
2. For the photographs i have already stapled them on the three copies required for submission…..what can I do now because I’m to submit it with other documents next week?
3. When submitting the documents to the Embassy , should I put each document in a separate envelope before filing the various envelopes in a folder ?
4. My doctor filled my medical certificate with a Blue pen…..is that also an issue?
5. It’s again about the photograph on my application form; it did not fit in the box appropriately so am I required to trim the photo in such a way that it will fit in the box properly ??
Please i need your reply it’s very urgent and I’ll be very much grateful and indebted to you if you could help me with these.
Thanks
Hi Frank Cabrel,
1. You should include a one page abstract, NOT the whole thesis.
2. I recommend removing the photos that you have stapled and replacing them with new photos that you glue to the forms (without any staple holes in them!)
3. It is not necessary to put each of the documents in their own envelope, but I recommend putting them in order inside a document protector so that they do not get damaged in the post.
4. No, it is not a problem if the doctor used a blue pen.
5. No, your photo should meet the dimensions specified in the application guidelines. When you print the form, the box may be a different size, but that is not a problem.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis
Please I am applying for the Embassy recommended…and my School is asking me for the address to be written on the transcript and I think it should be the Embassy…if I am right
Hi VICTOR Ayodeji Alalade,
You should check with the embassy where you are applying. They will tell you if you should have transcripts sent to them directly, or if they should be sent to you so that you can turn them in with the rest of your application documents. It can be different at each embassy, so it is best to ask them directly.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis i am currently applying for the 2022 MEXT scholarship, in the application form there is a column for JPLT, English Proficiency and TOFEl but since this test havent neen conducted yet and i currently havent written any TOFEL or IELTS, is it okay to continue?
Also the part where we are asked about ” triggers for chosing japan” and “why japan for course of study” am i supppses to write a statement of purpose or just be direct about there culture ?
Thanks
Hi Angel,
Unless your embassy says otherwise, it is not required to submit language proficiency test scores. You should take language tests at the embassy during the primary screening process.
For the essay questions in the application form, I recommend you check out my article about that form for my tips. But in general, you should use every answer to relate back to your research theme and goals for the scholarship.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
hello transenz
am applying for the undergraduate mext schorlarship
i want to know if the use of to whom it may concern can be used in my recommendation later since it will be written by the dean of studies of my high school.
In Onwe Miracle,
For the Embassy-Recommended MEXT Scholarship, it is acceptable to write “To Whom it May Concern” in the recommendation letter.
The requirement to address the letter to the president of the university that I described in this article is for the University-Recommended MEXT Scholarship.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
HELLO!
From where we can have the health certificate? Kindly inform me, I’ll be thankful for that.
Hi Aliha Amin,
You can download the file from the Study in Japan website, then you would need to get it completed by a medical doctor in your country.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello! I want to know is MEXT for post doctoral scholarships too?
Hi Jun,
No, postdoctoral studies are specifically mentioned as being not allowed in the eligibility criteria.
It is possible to apply for a MEXT Scholarship to earn a second PhD, though.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello
Dear travis,
I’m little bit confused about the term “1 original, 1 copy” can you please explain it? if I talk about transcript or degree then it is valid (original stamped copy and one is the photocopy of stamped degree( but in case of other documents such as research proposal and health certificate etc. How can I distinguish between original and copy, while I’m taking black/white printout of these documents the original and copy looks the same? and if we considered the research plan, in this case, I have taken the printout then how can I manage the original and copy? please facilitate me and guide me about this term.
Thanking in advance
Hi Ali Raza,
For documents like your transcript and certificate of graduation, it is pretty clear, I think. For the health certificate (which should be filled out by hand by the doctor) and letter of recommendation, it is also going to be clear which is the original and which is the copy.
For your application form, the original is the one that you sign and date by hand (and the one with the original photo attached, if you attach a physical one). But for documents that you simply print out, like your Field of Study and Research Program plan or thesis abstracts, there is no difference between the original and the copies. That is not going to be a problem.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis, I will apply for Embassy Rec. MEXT Graduate scholarship. I have a question for you. This year, it was written ” Recommendation letter from the president/dean or the academic
advisor ”. I m confused, I did not take any course from dean nor from the president of my department. If I take recommendation letter from one of my professors with the signature of the dean or the president, that is also ok? I do not understand what they mean ‘academic advisor’ ?
Hi Can,
Yes, it’s fine to have someone else, like a professor that knows you, write the letter of recommendation then have the Dean or President sign it. I think this is the normal way of things. You should never be asking the Dean or President to write a letter of recommendation from scratch!
At Japanese universities and in many other countries, every student has an Academic Advisor, which is a person that helps them choose their courses for registration and makes sure that they are on track for graduation. That person usually has the best overall understanding of the student’s complete academic progress throughout their degree. (When a graduation thesis is required, the academic advisor is also often the thesis advisor, too.)
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis!
I would like to know if I need to pass Transcript Records in my current univ that I am attending. I am still a freshman and just started the 2nd semester this month. Do I have to still include this ? Thank you.
Hi Dianne,
It sounds like you are applying for the undergraduate scholarship. In that case, yes, you need to submit your transcripts from your current university and your high school.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis, thanks a lot for this article, It was of great help.
I’m an Indian applicant applying for engineering fields and I have a question regarding the document “certificate of university entrance qualification examination”.
In the 2022 application guidlines it is stated that If I possess this document then I can use it to replace my acedemic transcripts, graduation certificate and the letter of recommendation. But I am not sure as to what this document refers to, are they talking about the EJU or is a certificate of a standard engineering entrance examination(JEE) sufficient?
Thanks in advance
best regards
Hi Sahib,
A “Certificate of University Entrance Qualification Examination” typically refers to a test that someone would take if they did not complete traditional schooling in order to prove that they have equivalent academic ability to a high school graduate. If you have graduated from high school (or will do so), then you would not have this document. Conversely, a person who passed that exam would be someone that never completed high school, so they would not have a Certificate of Graduation, academic transcripts, or anyone to write them a Letter of Recommendation.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
I had a query regarding the thesis asked in the application. So I am from India doing my Bachelor’s currently and we don’t have to write a thesis when we graduate our Bachelor’s but since I will be applying for Master’s in Biotechnology for MEXT scholarship they’re asking for graduation thesis.
Is it mandatory to submit my thesis and research plan to get in?
Hi Shruti,
If you have not written a thesis or published a paper in the past, then you do not need to submit the thesis abstract. It is only mandatory for students who have one.
However, the embassy may ask you to submit an abstract of a major paper or project, instead, as a different example of your academic ability. This is entirely up to the local embassy, so I recommend that you check with them directly.
If they do not require you to submit an abstract of another paper, then it will not hurt your application, so you do not need to worry about that.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Dear Travis,
I hope this comment finds you well.
I’m applying for 2022 MEXT scholarship for research students Embassy recommended.
I have a question concerning the recommendation letter.
Is it necessary for it bo sealed in a confidential envelope? Or it can be acceptable if I just put it normally like the other papers in the dossier ?
Hi Maya,
It is not necessary to be sealed. The template that MEXT offers says that it must be sealed, but that is from several years ago when that was a requirement. The application guidelines no longer require the letter to be sealed, so it is fine for the recommender to give it to you unsealed and for you to include it normally with your other documents.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Another question!
I just read your post of required documents and in the MEXT guidelines for the Personal Photograph, it only mentions that is should be upper-body, plain background, and no hats.
It doesn’t say anything about wearing glasses, and if it should be of frontal view. So which should I go by?
I do wear medical glasses and they are sort of a part of my identity, so isn’t it okay to just wear them, since the photos are only to see what we look like.
also what happens to application with photos that go against these guidelines?
Hi Alda,
You are right, the guidelines say nothing about glasses. I think they are fine to have in the photo as long as they do not significantly obscure your face (i.e. oversized frames, etc.). In general, think of the photo like one that you would submit for a passport or other government ID. It should be able to be used to identify you.
If your photo does not meet requirements, they would likely ask you to resubmit a new one.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi, so I am currently a first year student in university and I am preparing to apply for MEXT undergraduate.
On the required documents it says to include a certificate of expected graduation, or something like that, and it is really confusing in the guidelines. As I am not sure if me, as a first year student is also required to have this document?
Like, my graduation will probably be in 5 years….
Hi Alda,
It sounds like you do not plan to graduate from your current undergraduate program before starting the MEXT Scholarship. In that case, you do not need to submit a Certificate of Expected Graduation. Instead, you would submit a “Certificate of Enrollment” for your university as well as transcripts for any semester for which grades are available.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi,
I wanted to know if i have to send signed/stamped photocopies of the documents or the original ones?
Hi Hania,
For documents issued by the university (such as your transcript or certificate of graduation), a copy that is signed/sealed by a university official (a “certified copy”) can be accepted as an “original”. A copy certified by a notary should also be acceptable.
Never submit your only original document, since you will not receive the application documents back.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis
Should the transcript and degree certificate be sealed and sent from my university to the embassy directly or can it be sent to me while i submit it to the embassy, together with the rest of my documents and while submitting my thesis should i also send the cover page?
Also do the recommendation letters have to be directed to a university of my choice in Japan or to MEXT?
Thanks
Hi Angel,
I recommend that you check the submission instructions from the embassy where you plan to apply. They should tell you how they want them sent in (transcripts, letters of recommendation, etc.).
You will be submitting all of the documents to the Japanese embassy in your country.
You should not submit your thesis, just a half-page to one-page abstract. So there would be no cover page in that situation.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
for undergraduate, I have to submit a transcript of all 12years of school or a transcript of only the previous two years
Hi Aditi,
If you are applying for the Undergraduate Scholarship, you need to submit a transcript for all years of your “Upper Secondary School” (also called “High School” in some countries). Typically that would be three to four years, depending on your country’s education system.
You would also need to submit transcripts for any semesters of university study that you have completed. But you do not need to submit transcripts for middle school (lower secondary school) or lower.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
hello travis
i m applyimg for UG mext scholarship for year 2022
i would like to ask that what do they simply mean when they asks us ti give them an original and a copy of application form and other stuffs together.. Can you explain it a lil bit ? do they want a b/w print of the application form we filling as a copy ?
Hi Shivanshu,
One original and two copies means that for all of the documents that you are required to submit, only one needs to be original (or certified copy). The original should be the application form that you sign by hand and attach the photo to. Likewise, the original transcript would be the one issued by your school. Once you have all your documents together, just make two photocopies of each of them.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis,
with Covid is it still necessary for a two year masters program? My program is 18 months but it was in Malaysia. Also, to prove that English is my first language do I just say that I am an American citizen that lived in the US for a decade? Do I need something else?
Thanks,
Noor
Hi Noor,
For two years, do you mean the degree program in Japan, or your qualifying degree program?
COVID-19 has not changed the degree program length in Japan, so it would still be two years to earn a master’s here, in general. But it sounds like you’re referring to a degree you’ve already completed. Typically, if you are applying for a PhD in Japan under the MEXT Scholarship, the duration of your previous degree is not a factor. For the Embassy Recommended MEXT Scholarship, the requirement is just that you hold a Master’s degree. For the University Recommended MEXT Scholarship, MEXT leaves it up to each university – they just require that the university confirm that you are qualified to apply for the degree.
Regarding your English language proficiency, this also varies depending on whether you are applying for the Embassy or University scholarships. For the Embassy, there is no particular requirement that you have to meet in advance, since you will take a language proficiency test during the primary screening. However, if you are a native speaker/English is your first language, then I would recommend mentioning that in the application form.
If you are applying via the University, each university is going to set its own requirement. If English is your native language, then that should meet the requirements. But, if you are a US citizen whose first language is not English, that might not be enough on its own. It would also depend on when you lived in the US. If you graduated from a US university, though, that would probably be enough in most cases. You should check with the university that you want to apply to for their requirements.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello!
I am applying for a second masters and my first masters is not completed yet. They asked me to submit an expected graduation certificate but my university doesn’t issue such certificate mentioning the future dates. What can I do in this situation? Please help.
Hi Mimmi,
You do need to provide that Certificate of Expected Graduation for the MEXT Scholarship application, there’s no way around it.
However, it does not need to be a formal certificate. A letter from the registrar or other university official is enough. It also does not have to guarantee that you will graduate. It just needs to say that if you complete and pass all of your courses as expected, then you would be able to graduate by the date given in the letter.
I hope that helps.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Is it okay if my thesis supervisor (Professor) issue the letter? Because my university in Bangladesh doesn’t issue such letter mentioning future dates. It’s their policy.
Thank you
Mimmi
Hi Mimmi,
I do not know of any cases in the past where an applicant submitted a letter from their advisor as a Certificate of Expected Graduation, so I cannot say whether or not it would be accepted, based on my experience. I’m afraid that you would have to contact the embassy for their instructions during the application process.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Dear Travis,
I am applying for university recommendation (Hokkaido University) and they asked me to issue it by my supervisor after listening to my situation. They informed me they have to submit some materials sothat MEXT confirms I will be graduating in April 2021. Moreover, I am applying for my second masters and the expected graduation letter is needed for my first masters. I have sent all the documents for my bachelors degree. Additionally, I sent the transcript of my first masters and now emailed the expected graduation letter from my professor. I was wondering if Professor falls into the category of university officials or not. As long as she works there, I think she should be a university official as well. What do you think?
I am so tensed right now.
Thank you
Mimmi
Hi Mimmi,
If the university said that it is OK for your supervisor to issue the letter, then you should be fine! The most important thing is that it meets their requirements. They will be the ones to vouch to MEXT that the document is sufficient.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Few more things!
1. As they asked for this document at this time, does it mean something positive for recommending me? There deadline for submission was 3 feb and asked for it the day before yesterday.
2. Approximately when can I know scholarship result?
Thank you very much for your reply!
Hi Mimmi,
Oh, I think I misunderstood your situation. I didn’t realize you were in the middle of the application process in your previous comment.
Should I assume that you are applying for the University Recommended MEXT Scholarship?
1. If the initial application deadline was Feb 3 and they are asking for the document now, I do not think that means anything positive – it likely means that your application was incomplete, so they need the document before they can review it.
2. If you are applying for the university recommended MEXT scholarship, they need to submit their nominations to MEXT by the end of March, so you should know by then if you have been selected by the university. If you have, then you are almost sure to receive the scholarship. However, the final official results are not expected until the end of June or possibly into July.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Dear Travis,
I hope my comment finds you well,
Thank you very much for your useful information,
I’m Ahmed form Iraq, sorry to bother you with my questions,
1)You mentioned that the letter of recommendation have include the title when addressed ,
In my collage they addressed it in this manner(Md, Phd) they told me that this is our protocol.
is this will affect my application chances? am i will be disqualify for this?
our system is really bad and they make every thing hard.
2) My transcripts of record is attached with my head department recommendation with her signature and department’s stamp and the dean mentioned that i was rank(1)from (143) and my general grade, is this enough? as my register refuse to release my grades so i took this alternative.
3) Who take the final call for the university selection?
Thank you very much and sorry to bother you
Hi Ahmed,
1. I do think that the Letter of Recommendation needs to include the title “President of the University” or similar. (It can include the name and degrees, as well, but the title should still be present). The reason is that the university needs to submit this letter to MEXT eventually, and the MEXT officials are not necessarily going to know the name of the university president off the top of their heads, so having that title in there makes it easier for them to check.
I do not think your application will be rejected over this, but you may be asked to submit a replacement.
2. This is going to be up to the university’s judgement. If you can obtain documentation from your university saying that they are not able to release your individual grades, not even directly to the university in Japan, then that would be helpful, I think. In that case, the Japanese university should understand that it is a university rule and accept it.
3. Ultimately, MEXT. In general, MEXT will approve the applicants nominated by the universities, as long as the universities have made sure that their nominees meet all requirements, but the ministry has the ultimate authority and could reject applicants if, for example, they decided to reduce the number of spots available to a university, or if they discovered a problem with your application (i.e. if you applied to multiple universities in the same year).
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Dear Travis,
Thank you very much for your response your very helpful,
So if my university send an email direct to the university in japan include my grades do you think this will be acceptable?
And you advice me to include a letter from my collage that explain collage rolls?
Thank you very much
Ahmed
Hi Ahmed,
If your university is able to send your grades directly to the university in Japan, then I think that would be ideal. If that is the case, you should include a letter in your application package stating that, due to university policy, your university is not able to release your grades to you and will be sending them directly, instead.
You’ll want to check the instructions at the university in Japan to see if they will accept your grades by email or whether they will need to be sent by post and make sure that your university sends them accordingly.
If they cannot send your grades even directly to the university in Japan, then in that case, the letter from your university stating that they do not release grades should be enough for the Japanese university to accept the documents that you mentioned above.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Dear Travis,
Thank you very much for your response, you helped me alot thank you very much.
I am graduated and have applied for many scholarships. Bad luck still not selected in any scholarship. This time I am going for mext. 😉
Hi Jan Afridi,
Good luck! The MEXT scholarship requires a significant amount of work and preparation, but if you have a strong background and are willing to put the work in, then I think anyone has a chance.
– Travis from TranSenz
Dear Travis,
Hello! I have a few questions regarding the pathway of undergraduate MEXT scholars after being selected for the scholarship.
1. Do they have to take the entrance exam before enrolling into Japanese universities? If so, are scholars allowed to select their preferred universities?
3. Can MEXT scholars take multiple entrance examinations from different Japanese universities? If yes, would all of the fees for the entrance examinations be completely covered by MEXT, or is it for only one trial?
Thank you!
Hi Yui,
The undergraduate scholarship is not my area of expertise, but my understanding is that after your year of language studies, MEXT places you in a university of their choice.
I have not heard of MEXT scholarship students having to take an entrance exam as part of that process, but maybe someone else with direct experience can comment and add their insight.
I am fairly certain that you do not get a choice in the university you end up in, so you would not have the choice of taking multiple exams.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Noted. Thank you so much for the reply and the amazing content Travis!
Hello Travis, after being placed in a university by MEXT, when you will come to Japan do you need to bring all the documents you submited at the embassy? Because I submited my originals paper, the embassy people insist on it the didn’t accept copies.
Hi Jude,
No, I’ve never heard of applicants having to bring all of the originals to Japan before. However, now that they are accepting applications for Letters of Acceptance by email, they might ask you to bring the documents that you had previously sent by email in hard copy (these should be the documents that you got back from the embassy, not the originals that you submitted to them).
If you had not yet graduated at the time of your application, you may also need an original Certificate of Graduation and your most recent academic transcript, but those would be “new” original documents, not what you submitted to the embassy.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello travis,
does the Certificate of Graduation have to be verified from foreign affairs in my country?
the Certificate of Graduation that i have now from my collage can’t be verified because it has the vice dean signature because we don’t have a dean at the moment that last one resigned and appointing new one take a while. and in iraq the foreign affairs don’t accept to verify just the one with dean signature
so what can i do?
i can take a document from iraqi dental association(iam a dentist) that prove my graduation and i can verify it is this acceptable?if not what is your advice?
thank you very much
Hi Ahmed,
This sounds like an issue that is specific to your country, and I am not familiar with the system there, so I don’t know that I can offer any useful advice. As far as I know, MEXT does not require the Certificate of Graduation to be verified by your Foreign Affairs ministry. Unless that’s specifically mentioned as a requirement by the Japanese embassy there, it may not be necessary.
In general, for the MEXT Scholarship, you need a Certificate of Graduation verified by an official at your university, and the Dean or Vice-Dean should count.
Of course, don’t submit your only original copy of the certificate. A certified copy should be acceptable, and it should be acceptable if that copy is also certified by a university official.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
hello travis,
this is ahmed from iraq .iam apllay through university recommendation i have some questions pleas,
i have a bechlor degree in dentistry can i applay to doctoral course?
my collage dosenot accept to give my my graduation certificate with the grades just the graduation certificate with general grade and my acadmic rank is it ok?or i cannot applay without the grade?there is an option that i can mention it in the letter of recomendation from my supervisor
also we donnot have a dean at the momment is it ok if the letter of recommendation from the head department?
Hi Ahmed,
Was your bachelor’s in dentistry a 4-year program or 6-year program? If it was 6, you should be able to apply directly for a doctoral program, but this will be clearly specified in the eligibility requirements, as well.
By the way, I am not aware of any dentistry programs taught in English, so you would most likely need to have native-level fluency in Japanese.
You do need all of your grades for all of your classes to apply. Usually, this is a different document from the certificate of graduation.
If you do not have a Dean in your faculty, then you would need a letter of recommendation from someone in a higher position than the dean. You would not be able to substitute a letter from someone in a lower position, such as a department head.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
thank you for your response
my bachelor’s in dentistry is 5 years program
the sum of my all study is 17 years
is there alternative way if they don’t give my my grade ?if it’s just mentioned in my recommendation letter?with the head department signature and stamp?what is the best way?
we don’t have some one higher than a dean and the last one was resigned and i takes a while to appoint new one so i’m afraid i miss the deadline.
now we have a vice dean only ..so what should i do who should sign it?
thank you very much you are so kind
Hi Ahmed,
Are you saying that your university cannot give you any record of your individual performance in your classes? I have never heard of that situation before. I don’t know how they would expect you to be able to go on to higher level education without it.
However, in cases where universities do not issue grades at all, there is an exception where if your letter of recommendation certifies that you were in the top 30% of your graduating class (including the number of people in your graduating class and your specific rank among them), then that can be accepted.
If there is nobody higher than a Dean in your department, then you would need to go higher in the university structure, such as the university president, chancellor, vice-chancellor, etc. However, if your Vice Dean also has the title of “Acting Dean” that may be acceptable.
As for your years of study, with a 5-year bachelor’s in dentistry and 17 total years of schooling, you should qualify to apply for a doctor of dentistry in Japan.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis,
this Ahmed again, sorry to bother you
i want to thank you for your useful information in the articles and for your responses its really benefited me a lot and i read most of the comments , as to my issue our vice dean have the title of (care of dean) and he signed me the recommendation letter with this title and he mentioned in the letter that he is taking care of the dean duties now(which he is)because as i mentioned to you before we don’t have a dean or president, is this acceptable? or should i wait for the college to assigned the new dean which may be delay further more
thank you for every think i really appreciate your help
Hi Ahmed,
If your Vice Dean is also the Acting Dean (Care of Dean, in your university’s terms), then a recommendation from him should be fine.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
I have completed 11 years of education in my home country. May I know if the 1 year preparatory program offered by before enrolling into a Japanese university (for undergraduate courses) can be counted as my 12th year of education?
Thank you, Travis.
Hi Yui,
No, only education completed prior to starting your MEXT-sponsored studies counts. You would not count the year of MEXT preparator education in Japan.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you for your kind reply Travis! I appreciate it.
Dear Travis,
I am applying for the MEXT Undergraduate Scholarship for Japanese Language and Literature Studies. May I know if I should ask the principal of the Japanese language school I am attending to write the recommendation letter? Or is it more advisable to ask my current university academic advisor to write it?
Thank you.
Hi Yui,
For the undergraduate MEXT Scholarship, the letter of recommendation must be issued by the high school or university that you are currently attending (or the one that you graduated from most recently). Do not get a letter from the Japanese language school, since that is not a proper university and would not count.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you for your reply!
I have another query regarding the translation of documents.
Is it acceptable if I translate the documents by myself, and get it certified by a teacher in my school?
Thank you very much.
Hi Yui,
For documents where the originals were issued by your school, it should be fine if you have the translations certified as correct by an official at the school. But you may want to double-check first where you intend to apply to make sure that they do not have any specific rules about translations.
In the case of submitting a translation, you will still need to submit an original in the original language, as well.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you so much Travis for your kind advice.
I am sorry but I have another question.
I will be completing my foundation studies on 24th April 2021 but the guidelines for the undergraduate applicants has stated that applicants have to arrive between 1st April 2021 and 7th April 2021.
May I know if that leaves me with no choice but to apply for direct placement where some universities start their academic year during autumn? If I do not apply for direct placement and follow the original procedure to take 1 year of Japanese preparatory education (before enrolling into universities), am I still able to join the preparatory classes in time?
Hi Yui,
You do have to be finished with your qualifying studies and be able to arrive in Japan during the designated time. So, if your foundation studies program does not allow that, then as far as I know, your choices would be to apply for direct placement or to wait a year to apply for the regular process.
However, the undergraduate scholarship is not my particular area of expertise, so if you can find someone else with more experience, you might want to check with them, or even with the Japanese embassy.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello I have several doubts that I’d love you to help me find an answer
1. Do the letter of recommendation has to be signed exlcusively by the dean? does it give an advantage?
2. I’ve used a calculator for the GPA since I live in guatemala and we usually don’t do any range of grading. I found a GPA calculator online and after considering the article linked in that site me score ended up being 3.11 out of 4.00. Does that make me unelegible?
3. Nowhere in the application form does it say my graduation certificate has to be translated, does it? and if so, who has to signed it?
4. When submitting the explanation of the scores, could I use a percentile calculus of the grades instead or beside the academic transcript? Since my GPA seems rather small and that wouldn’t make me competitive against private school (who usually give greater scores to students) would it make sense to make that annotation? is is worth it to give a trnascript of both the plain certificate and the percentile certifiicate?
Thanks in advance
and best regards
Hi Andres,
This article is about the University Recommended MEXT Scholarship, so there are some differences with the Embassy Recommendation.
1. For the University Recommended MEXT Scholarship, yes, your letter must be signed by the Dean or someone higher. For the Embassy Recommended MEXT Scholarship, your academic advisor can sign it.
2. It isn’t possible to determine your eligibility based on GPA scores on a different scale. You need to calculate your GPA on the MEXT 3.00 scale for eligibility and conversions have to be done on a course-by-course basis. Any other method will not give you an accurate number. I have a separate article about how to complete that conversion that should help.
3. In the application guidelines, it says “These documents must be written in Japanese or English, or translation in either of these languages should be attached.” So, a translation is required. In most cases, for any translation of an official document, such as a transcript or certificate of graduation, you would need it signed as an accurate translation by a professional translator, but for translation of university-issued documents, a university official’s signature could also be acceptable if you have translated the document yourself. If you are applying for the Embassy Recommended MEXT Scholarship, they may also allow you to submit a certificate that you have translated yourself without a signature, since they have bilingual staff at the embassy who can verify it, but you should check with them first.
4. You can submit your percentile records, but you must still submit your complete academic transcript of grades, and that should be what is ultimately used for the eligibility verification.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz