Questions about the MEXT scholarship? Ask them in the comments here or on the individual FAQ pages listed below!
FAQs Released so Far
Here are the links to the existing pages:
- Contacting Professors (Embassy-Recommended MEXT Scholarship Application)
- Field of Study and Research Program Plan
Explanation
Given the recent volume of questions, I am afraid that I no longer have the time to answer each question one-by-one and get you the response you want in a timely manner.
Instead, I will group similar questions and answer them in articles or during live Q&A video sessions. I will then post those videos (and transcripts, for those of you who prefer to read) in the subject-by-subject FAQ articles linked below.
Get All the Answers, Fast
If you want advance notice of the live video sessions, click here to join my MEXT Scholarship Mailing List. I’ll also send you the 2018 sample MEXT application form as my way of saying thanks.
Tips to Get Your Questions Answered Faster
For each live video Q&A, I will focus on a specific topic – typically, whichever one has the most pending questions and the most interested readers. There are some ways you can get your question featured faster:
- Be clear. Let me know what type of application process (Embassy/University/Domestic Selection) you’re asking about, what level (Undergraduate/Graduate), what year, and any other relevant details. If I have to guess what you mean – or write back to you to ask you to clarify your question, it’s going to take more time.
- Be detailed. If your question is “Please help me with the MEXT Scholarship application” or “I don’t know where to start,” then read through the articles that exist on this site first. Specific questions that are easier to understand and research will get answered first. If your question seems like it’s asking for a half-hour sit-down chat, then it’s probably not possible for me to answer in the FAQ.
- Be original. If there is an FAQ for your question already, please watch/read what I have posted in there already. If you ask a question that’s just been answered, it will take me longer to circle back to it.
- Don’t be selfish. Questions that can help more people will get answered first. If your question is specific to only your case, it’s going to take me longer to get to it.
Can’t Wait?
If you’re really in a hurry, you can join the community of TranSenz Supporters on Patreon. These are people who generously donate to help me cover the site costs and production expenses for this website for as little as a few dollars a month.
As one small way of expressing my gratitude to them, I answer their questions on a priority basis, including individual questions.
If you are interested in becoming a TranSenz supporter (whether or not you want faster answers), you can get all of the details here.
Subject Specific FAQs
As I release and publish new Q&As and Q&A videos, I will post each of them on a separate page for that subject. Before posting a new question, please check to see if it’s already been answered, to save yourself some time!
If you can’t find an answer, you can post your question in the comments on the subject-specific page or on this page. Once I’ve created a new answer, I’ll reply to your comment with the link to where to find it.
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Good day Travis
Thank you for been helpful thus far,
I am a citizen of Nigeria and I applied for the MEXT scholarship for 2018, to the Nigerian-Japan embassy, I’m yet to get a response
I submitted on the 7th of June
How do we know we have been selected
Your reply will be deeply appreciated
Hi Jude,
If the embassy hasn’t contacted you, then I would recommend that you contact them to ask!
Good Luck,
Travis from TranSenz
Hi there, I’m wrapping up my application form, and everything is done except for the ‘study program in Japan’ part. In the ‘MEXT Scholarship: Field of Study and Research Program Plan’ article you wrote, you said that the study program ‘should cover two years for a Master’s Degree and three for a Ph.D.’.
I am currently applying for a scholarship for a research student position, which would take a year. My plan is, of course, to advance to a two-year Master’s program afterwards. My question, therefore, is the following: should I write a program that covers only the 1 year as a research student, or 3 years as a Master’s student?
Hi Rutger,
I’ve put together an FAQ about the Field of Study and Research Program that I hope will answer your question.
Check out the link above!
Good Luck,
– Travis from TranSenz
Dear Travis,
I want to ask your opinion… I am currently waiting for MEXT acceptance after being nominated by Osaka University.
When I ask the assistant of my professor, he said that Osaka University has received the result from MEXT. Howevwr, up until now I have not received any news and the assistant said to wait until he receive from the headquarter/admission office.
Is this a sign that my application getting rejected or am I reading it too far?
Thank you for your concern.
Yours sincerely
Hi Evan William Chandra,
I hope you’ve heard good news by now. This is way too late to help you, but since there is another results release date coming up for the PGP candidates, it might help them to answer.
Some universities have a few internal procedures they go through before releasing the results to applicants. Usually, it has more to do with the universities being bureaucratic than your results!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
What are the chances of an alternate recipient getting the scholarship (specifically for the Young Leaders Program)? Will MEXT notify alternate candidates that all slots have been taken, or I still have to wait for the deadline (they said they will notify me no later than july 28)? Also, I just noticed that there are not alot of info regarding YLP here. Thanks!
Hi Dindin,
I’ve never worked with the YLP program, which is why I haven’t written about it. I only have experience with the scholarship for graduate students.
That said, for alternates in the scholarship for graduate students, you can only move up from “alternate” to primary candidate if one (or more) of the primary candidates decides to withdraw before the deadline.
It really won’t be decided until July 28, so don’t expect any information before then.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Dear Travis
How hard is to enter a phD course being a MEXT university recommended research student?
How difficult is it to obtain the scholarship extension?
Thanks a lot
Hi Frederico,
If you were a PhD-level research student, it should generally be very easy to pass the PhD entrance exam at the university and extend your scholarship to cover your PhD. Most students do it in their first semester as research students.
The “entrance exam” in most cases consists of just filling in an application form, nothing difficult. The only way I could think of that you could get turned down was if you showed up and really made the university angry or couldn’t do your research at all.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz