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:
- MEXT Scholarship Application Basic Information (Where to apply, etc.)
- Contacting Professors (Embassy-Recommended MEXT Scholarship Application)
- Field of Study and Research Program Plan
- University Recommended MEXT Scholarship Application
Explanation
Given the recent volume of questions, I am afraid that I no longer have the time to answer each emailed 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 the subject-by-subject FAQ articles linked above.
Live Q&A?
Once TranSenz reaches $50 in monthly support on Patreon, I will start a monthly live video Q&A. If you are interested in supporting this effort, or simply getting faster responses to your questions and access to articles ahead of everyone else, you can become a patron of TranSenz for as little as $2 per month!
Get All the Answers, Fast
When you sign up for my MEXT Scholarship Mailing List, I will send you my sample MEXT application forms as well as a email course introducing you to the essentials of the MEXT scholarship application, step-by-step.
Tips to Get Your Questions Answered Faster
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.
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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.
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Hi my name is Az and I’m from Malaysia.
I’m currently doing my diploma for 2.5 years and still in my first year. Can I still apply for the scholarship?
Hi Az,
I’m afraid that I don’t know what a 2.5-year diploma is, relative to the Japanese education system, or what level MEXT Scholarship you are applying for. It sounds like it is lower than a bachelor’s degree, so I’m assuming that you are applying for the bachelor’s degree program and plan to give up your diploma if accepted.
If that is the case, and you meet all of the eligibility requirements, then it should be possible to apply, but I really don’t have enough information about your situation to say for sure one way or another. If you can explain in more detail, I might be able to give you a better answer.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
hello Travis,
I have seen your article on mext scholarship requirements having 2.30/3.o gpa but I have a gpa of 2.25/3.0. Will I be considered for the application screening. As I am applying for mext scholarship 2024 undergraduate, It would be helpful if you can explain a little more about this sentence you have written in your article “There were days when I received 40+ applications in one day. It is not physically possible to go through that many, so I selected the ones that looked like they would need the least work to process and pushed those through first.”
I don’t understand what you mean by least work to process in this sentence I mean how can I make my application for undergraduate to be easy to process.
Thanks for providing this much information about the mext scholarship and the process.
Hi Manav,
If you’re sure about your GPA calculation (you don’t think there’s any possibility that you got the calculation wrong), then I’m afraid that I do not think you are eligible, so you would not be considered.
I’m not 100% positive about that, since I have never been part of the Embassy-level screening for the undergraduate scholarship, but if it is the same as the other screening types, you would not make it through.
As for making your application easy to review, that means having all of your documents 100% complete, filed in order in your application package, and numbered as explained in the application guidelines.
I have an article about how to prepare your application for submission that could be a helpful reference. It was originally for the University-Recommended MEXT Scholarship for graduate students, so it’s not a 100% match for your situation, but many of the tips about the documents should still apply!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thanks for providing with the information. I want to ask one more question if I do one year of undergrad studies in my country and then again apply for mext scholarship with the gpa of my one year undergrad studies. Can I apply for transfer to the next year of the major I am doing in my home country. Like for a transfer or something like that.
If this is possible I want to know all the possibilities related to this, it would be helpful.
Hi Manav,
Good questions. For the GPA, I’m not entirely sure. They should only count GPA from programs that you have finished or will finish before you start the scholarship. Since you would be giving up the undergrad program in your country partway through, if accepted, I don’t think it should count, but I could be wrong.
In terms of credit transfer, if you start the Bachelor’s degree in Japan, you would have to start as a first-year student (actually, you’d have to do a year of Japanese language, then start as a first-year student) and your previously earned credits.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
thanks for the reply It is very helpful for my future decisions.
Hello,
I’ve nominated for the MEXT scholarship from Tokyo Tech :D. Final result will be announced in Aug.
Is there any possibility that MEXT will not approve the scholarship even though Tokyo Tech has nominated me for the scholarship?
Could you tell me about under what circumstances the MEXT scholarship is approved?
Thank you so much.
Hi Mrl,
Congratulations on being nominated for the MEXT Scholarship by Tokyo Tech!
At this point, your scholarship award is essentially guaranteed. Essentially, all university nominees are approved in the end. The only time I saw an exception to this was in a year when MEXT had a major budget crisis and had to cut a significant number of scholarships. But in that case, it started with the Embassy scholarships in the year before, so there was a bit of warning. I do not anticipate that anything similar will happen again, so you should have nothing to worry about.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello travis thank you for all the information you have been giving us MEXT applicants, it helped alot.
I am applying for MEXT embassy recommended scholarship for research students this year.
I have done my diploma in mechanical engineering, but in the preliminary application form there is only option showing 12th grade percentage.
Can I edit the 12th grade tab and write diploma and fill the details or should I write in the 12th grade tab that I have done diploma and add following details like
Diploma-
_________ University
Or should I just add another tab below 12th grade.
Please help regarding this issue.
Thank you very much.
Hi Ajinkya,
I’m not completely sure what a diploma in your country is equivalent to in Japan, but in most cases I’m aware of, it is a post-secondary education program (after high school) that is usually 3 years and is less than a bachelor’s degree. Is that accurate in your case?
In that case, I’m afraid that a diploma does not count as part of your education for the purpose of the table, since MEXT is only interested in your education history that leads to a degree. However, if you transferred credits earned during that diploma to count toward your bachelor’s degree, then you can count it as part of your undergraduate program. In that case, you would treat it the same as if you transferred universities.
If a diploma is a different level of education in your country, please let me know and I will revise my advice, as necessary.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello travis thanks for the reply,
In India, Diploma is equivalent to 12th grade and after completion of 3 years in diploma, your are eligible for admission in the 2nd year of the Bachelor’s degree program.
As I have done my 3yrs of diploma in mechanical engineering and got admitted in 2nd year of bachelor’s degree in the same field. I am now pursuing my final year in Bachelor’s degree program.
So I wanted to know if I can write my diploma scores in place of 12th grade column in preliminary application form as there is no column for diploma.
Sorry travis for not mentioning my current educational qualifications and my country which confused you in the first comment I posted.
Thank you for your help.
Hi Ajinkya Giri,
Thank you for the additional information. I tried to look up where diplomas fit in the Indian education system, but found conflicting information. The one thing that seemed consistent is that they are part of the upper secondary school level of schooling (below university), so you should include your diploma along with any other upper secondary school you attended in the Upper Secondary Education line. In that case, you do not need to submit your transcript or your certificate of graduation, since those are only required for university education.
However, if some of the courses earned in your diploma transferred to your bachelor’s degree and count toward the credits required for your graduation, then you would need to include the transcript and explanation of the grading system.
At least, that is my understanding. Once the application process officially starts, I recommend that you contact the embassy where you plan to apply and double-check with them, since they will be a lot more familiar with the system there!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi, i have a question, for my application i would like to send the translation of my documents in japanese because i think it can be a good impression, is that correct if my level is N5?, obviously i will put effort in the translation but the fact that they will see im not that advanced in japanese in the exam and interview makes me doubt about if it is a good idea or if it is something i shouldnt do, what do you think?
Hi Jorge Alejandro,
If your documents are already in English, I do not recommend translating them into Japanese. In general, you should submit your documents in the same language as the language you intend to study in. At N5, you are not going to be able to pursue a degree taught in Japanese (assuming that you are applying for the scholarship for graduate students), so your application form, field of study and research program plan, etc., should be in English.
In general, I think you make a much better impression by presenting well-written documents in English than you would by submitting documents in Japanese that were anything less than fluent and high level Japanese.
The only exception to what I have written above is if you have official documents, such as your academic transcript, that are not available in English or Japanese. In that case, you would be required to submit the original and a translation, so a Japanese translation (done by a professional translator) would make a good impression there.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hey Travis, thanks for the hard work as always!
Due to personal reasons, I might end up freezing the last semester of my Master’s degree for a bit. Even though my estimated graduation date will still be before April 2024 (going from June 2023 to October 2023), I was wondering if that will affect my chances of getting the scholarship. (or if I’ll be asked about it/looked at less favorably during the interview). And if so, what can I do to mitigate the damage?
Thank you in advance for your time and reply!
Hi Muhand,
If possible, I recommend that you get your expected graduation date changed before you submit your application. That way, the reviewers may not see it as a “change” just that you expect to graduate in October 2023. In that case it shouldn’t hurt you.
If they do notice that you have delayed your graduation, I think their biggest area of concern would be whether or not similar “personal reasons” might occur in the future. During the MEXT Scholarship, you cannot take a leave of absence, delay your graduation, etc. So the most important thing to avoid any potential damage is to show your reasons for the delayed graduation in a positive light or, at least, as something that clearly would not happen again.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis
First of all thank you for all the relevant information you have provided on winning MEXT. I followed your tips and MEXT already informed me that I have passed the secondary screening. I have placed on my first university from the preference I have submitted. I did an admission application to this university and passed the document screening. I had an interview 2 weeks back for an admission to this university. My question is MEXT already placed me to this university. And the interview was good though I can’t be sure. Is there any chance that the university can reject me despite MEXT’s placement at this point? I had a similar interview with my professor in the same university and it went well that’s how I got my LoP acceptance. Thank you very much.
Hi Baruck Tegegn,
Congratulations and thank you for your kind words!
You have nothing to worry about. You will certainly be placed at that university and they have already promised MEXT that they will accept you as a student.
After the Secondary Screening, MEXT contacts universities to get their confirmation that they will accept you before they release the placement results to you, so that university is already committed to accepting you at this point.
The only thing that remains to be determined is your status at the university. They can accept you as a degree student from the very start or they can accept you as a research student first. If you didn’t pass the entrance exam, then you would start as a research student and would have another chance to take the entrance exam after you arrive (or more than one chance, if you struggle with it.)
It sounds like you have been doing will with the process so far, so I doubt that there would be any problem and you should be able to start as a degree student, but no matter what, you will still be able to go.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis;
Thank you very much for the fast reply. And I wanna say this platform that you created for those who want to try this opportunity is a great one. Keep up the good work and God bless you.
Thank you very much!
Hello, Travis.
I’ve been following your articles for a while. Thanks for the good job.
I applied to a university and I was emailed that they could recommend me for MEXT scholarship and scheduled an interview the next day.
I guess the interview went well and one of the professors said something about checking my email because they would ask for more documents from me.
Should I be hopeful about getting the scholarship? Cos the official announcement date of the admission is supposed to be in mid march but considering how I have been contacted a couple of times, do you think I should be hopeful even a little bit?
Hi Marv,
Thank you for your kind comments.
Given the situation that you described, I would be cautiously optimistic. It’s a good sign that they have contacted you multiple times, but perhaps even better that they mentioned that they would ask you for additional documents at this point in the screening process.
Given that you have already completed the interview, the only reason I can think of that they would ask for additional documents now would be if they were asking you to submit originals (by post) of documents you’d only sent by email or if they were asking you to submit MEXT-required forms that weren’t part of the original document submission. In either case, I don’t think they would bother asking if they weren’t planning, or at least seriously considering, to accept you and nominate you to MEXT!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi, I want to first of all thank you for providing this platform to help us.
I applied for MEXT 2023 UG Natural sci. embassy recommended scholarship and I got a preliminary selection letter in dec/jan and will receive final notification in feb about my preparatory institute. What are the chances for rejection now?
Second thing I want to ask you is that after 1 year of preparatory course, we have to give list of 5 universities for applying there, but we can only apply for those which will be allowed by our preparatory school based on our performance during 1 year course. I am not sure if I can get to apply to my preferred Uni. Is it really tough to apply for uTokyo, Kyoto Uni., TIT, Osaka Uni. and how tough their entrance exams are? Do those universities accept students under MEXT UG Scholarship program. Where can I prepare for their entrance exams well in advanced and where can I find previous year entrance exams of Top Uni. in Japan for UG Natural Sci. I tried to find on universities’ respective website but most of the content on them are only about masters/phd.
Hi A,
Congratulations on getting the preliminary selection!
I would say that your chances of rejection at this point are essentially zero.
I did not know that UG applicants got to give a list of universities that they wanted to apply to. I was under the impression that MEXT made the choice based on your performance.
My area of expertise is the scholarship for graduate students, and clearly, I am not the best person to answer that part of your question, so you might want to find someone who has been through the same process. But yes, the universities you have listed are some of the hardest to get into in Japan under normal circumstances. I do not know what the situation is for MEXT scholars.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
Thank you for the extremely helpful blog and unique insights into MEXT. I’m currently preparing to apply for the Embassy-Recommended MEXT scholarship in May/June to get my MBA from Japan. I went over your explanation of the second screening for MEXT, and it was very helpful, but i’m still confused regarding a couple of things:
1. Is it possible to get an LoA from the universities that i’m planning to go to even before the initial screening and then sending these to the embassy in the second screening stage?
2. Many universities have entrance examinations and interviews. Assuming I pass the initial screening, would there be enough time to do all these examinations and interviews? and in general, are they done remotely?
3. For the entrance examinations, are these exams usually difficult, and what happens if I go as a non-degree student and then fail to pass the entrance exam after going to my university in Japan, do I get to redo it or will the scholarship be revoked?
Please let me know if any of these questions can be answered through your blogs.
Looking forward to hearing from you,
and thank you again !
Hi Mohammed,
Thank you for your kind words.
1. No. You cannot get the LoA until you pass the Primary Screening at the Embassy. One of the required documents to apply for the LoA is the Passing Certificate of the Primary Screening.
You can try to network with professors from the universities that you want to apply to in advance so that the LoA application will go smoother, though.
2. Some universities’ “entrance exams” are just a review of documents and an interview, so those can be done remotely. But if they require a written exam, it would usually have to be done in person. In that case, you would have to come to Japan first as a research student for a semester then take the entrance exam during that time.
3. Yes, entrance exams are meant to be difficult, but as long as you prepare, you should be able to pass. You will have a maximum of 3 or 4 semesters that you can spend in Japan as a research student (4 if you arrive in the spring, 3 if you arrive in the fall). You must start the degree program no later than the semester after your final research student semester, but you can take the entrance exam (and apply for the MEXT scholarship extension) multiple times during that span. For example, if you arrive in fall, you could apply for the MEXT extension in the winter then apply for the entrance exam for April. If you didn’t pass, you could try again for the October entrance exam. You would have one final chance for the next April entrance exam.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thanks Travis, much appreciated ! Regarding the second screening, if I have a specific private university in mind that I want to join, would MEXT go for it (given that it’s my preference). Note that I would also apply to national universities, but i’m almost certain they’ll reject me because I haven’t done the GMAT.
What would be the best way to approach this? and in general does MEXT reject applicants who get LoA’s from private universities?
Hi Mohamed,
I haven’t heard of any examples of universities that require GMAT scores as part of the application for a Letter of Acceptance for the Embassy-Recommended MEXT Scholarship application. The application requirements for that process are usually different from the requirements for normal, fee-paying applications, so make sure you’re referring to the right set of requirements.
It is possible to be placed in a private university via the MEXT Scholarship, but MEXT prefers to place applicants in national universities, for budgetary reasons. If your first choice is a private university, your second choice is national, and you receive Letters of Acceptance from both, MEXT may try to place you in the national university first.
MEXT does not reject applicants just for only having LoAs from private universities.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis, hope you’re doing well! I would like to thank you for all the help you’ve provided with your guides!
I tried to apply to MEXT Scholarship for a Master’s degree 2 years ago, and, unfortunately, I didn’t pass. That’s when I’ve come across your guides and realized that my GPA was too low to get me anywhere. So I’m currently doing my Master’s in my country with the plans of getting Ph.D. Scholarship instead.
My questions are:
1- Thanks to a lot of internal problems with the university and the country as a whole (Sudan), I might finish my Master’s anywhere between May and June of this year. Can I use the transcripts of the previous semesters as a way to apply even though there might be a chance I’ll finish before the deadline for applying is over?
2- I am studying Data Communication and Networking, but I’d love to pivot to Artificial Intelligence for my Ph.D., using my Graduation Project/Thesis as a way to bridge both fields. Is that allowed or is it not considered enough of a related field for it to work?
3- I took the 2 years to also work on my Japanese, and I’m now at a level where I can listen to conversations, and even lectures, and understand most of what’s being said. But since it was all self-studying with no partners, my speaking skills need serious improvement, which is why I’m hoping for the 6 months of Japanese Language to be included. Will my listening skills disqualify me from getting it?
4- I’ve read somewhere that you cannot travel outside of Japan (whether back to my country or another country) during the scholarship period, even during the breaks between semesters. Is that true? And speaking of which, if the scholarship finishes, am I allowed to stay in Japan, or do I need to go back to my country first?
Sorry if my questions are too specific and/or too much. Just want to make sure I get everything right this time to not mess up. Thank you in advance!
Hi Muhand,
I appreciate the hard work you’ve gone through to get a Master’s degree in order to improve your GPA and try again for the MEXT Scholarship.
Please see my answers below:
1. You can apply before you finish your degree. You will have to submit the most recent transcripts you have at the time of application and a Certificate of Expected Graduation that shows when you are anticipated to complete your degree (assuming you pass all remaining classes).
2. It is up to you to persuade the reviewers that the fields are related by making the connection in your “Past and Present Field of Study” in your Field of Study and Research Program Plan. There is not a specific list of fields that are/aren’t related, so if you can persuade them, that will be enough!
3. Enrollment in the language program is at the discretion of the university that decides to accept you. You can mention in the research timeline of your Field of Study and Research Program Plan that you want to take that program. The purpose of the program is to equip you with the communication skills for day to day life, so I think speaking skills would be important for that!
4. You can travel outside Japan, just not for extended periods of time. A visit of less than a month should be fine. The rule is that you cannot intend to conduct research or internships outside of Japan.
After the scholarship ends, MEXT does not require you to return to your home country, but your home country may require you to return, so be sure to check the local rules.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Ah, I see. Thanks for your answers!
Regarding the Field of Study connection, I’ve done some research on universities in Japan, and some of them teach my current major, and the major I want to pivot to, all under the same department. So I think that should help me when it comes to convincing the reviewers.
As for the traveling question, I just wanted to make sure because my passport expires in 2 years, and I’d need to go back to my country in order to renew it (as, thanks to the issues alluded to above, most embassies don’t offer renewal service). On that note, would that be okay? or would me having a passport with a new number/ID nulify the scholarship?
Also, I am planning to travel to another country during my last semester of my Master’s (since it’s only research/thesis, and has no classes) because the materials needed for it are easier to obtain there. My question is: Can I take the medical checkup from there for the scholarship? or does it have to be from a medical institution within my own country/country I’m applying from?
Thanks again!
Hi Muhand,
Good to hear about the major!
For your passport, in my experience, it is often possible to renew your passport at your country’s embassy in another country, for most nationalities, but if your country has different rules then you may have to return home and in that case, I do not think there would be any problem for the MEXT Scholarship, as long as it took less than a month. Renewing your passport would not cause any problems for your scholarship.
It should be fine to take the medical checkup in another country, as long as they can fill in the required form in English.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis, my name is merry ray, I am from India, I am a currently in my second year as a research student in education, part of topic deals with Japanese schools and philosopher, so I have to visit Japan for data collection, I would like to know is there any fully funded process in the universities that I can apply to fulfil my goal. kindly guide me.
Hi Merry Ray,
It is possible to apply for the MEXT Scholarship as a Research Student, only, meaning that you would not be enrolled in a degree program at a Japanese university, but would only be there for 1-4 semesters to conduct research and take some courses, which should fit your goals, but I think it is rare that MEXT selects students who do not intend to continue on to enroll in a degree program, so you might face a challenge in the application.
Unfortunately, I am not aware of any other funded opportunities for research in Japan in terms of scholarship programs. Applying for a research grant from an organization in India, etc., might be an option, but I am not familiar with that process.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you Travis, I am glad that you replied, In Mext Scholarship there is a category for research student that I knew, but I was not aware that they allow us for short time also, if it is there, is there any specific preparation I have to do, as I am learning Japanese, is there any way i can approach for short term programmes in university for research students specific to my problem, can you please guide me through the competition in short term programmes and how should prepare myself.
Hi Merry Ray,
Applying for the Embassy-Recommended MEXT Scholarship as a research (only) student is no different than applying as a research student who plans to go on to the degree. You will be in direct competition with the students applying for degrees, though, so it might be more challenging for you to justify why it is more important for MEXT to sponsor your time as a research student than it is for them to sponsor a degree student. So, reading through all of the guides for the Embassy-Recommended MEXT Scholarship could be useful.
One thing I think will be particularly important in your case is to find a prospective advisor in Japan and connect with them in advance. Hopefully, your current university or advisor has an appropriate connection in the Japan that they can help you contact.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi TranSenz
I will be applying for mext 2024 (next year 2023)
I am from india should i give toefl ibt test to improve my chaces as i have not learned japanese.
Also how much do you charge for review of application.
Hi Rahul Sharma,
If your qualifying degree (the degree level just below the degree that you are applying for) was taught entirely in English, that is usually sufficient proof of English language ability. However, if your degree was not taught in English, then having TOEFL iBT scores could be helpful. They are required for the Embassy-Recommended MEXT Scholarship, but some universities may ask to see them when you apply for the Letter of Acceptance. And they would be required if you apply for the University-Recommended MEXT Scholarship. Even for the Embassy-Recommended MEXT Scholarship, though it is not required, it could help you look like a more serious applicant. That wouldn’t necessarily earn you points in a concrete way, but it would give the reviewers a more favorable subjective impression.
You can find my fees for my different kinds of reviews, as well as the application form to request a view at the Coaching Services link in the top right corner.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
I apologise i posted the question before reading your book how to apply for mext, you have clearly mentioned that these kind of questions are misguided and refer to isolated facts.
1. I should have mentioned properly that i will be applying for Mext Ug (embassy-Recommended mext). I am in last year of high school.
I don’t have time till june the next year due to school and other national exams and I don’t think i would be able to take toefl properly even if i took it in a rush. You mentioned that embassy recommend don’t require language proficiency as they take there own test later in the proces but you also mentioned student from countries like india, ghana should sumbit Language proficiency scores. I am a bit confused. Please recommend what i should do?
2. Also, in MEXT Scholarship application completeness review service, would you check the trigger for having interest in japan and LOR from school or just the completeness of the form.
Thank you for your time.
Hi Rahul Sharma,
Sorry for jumping to conclusions! Most people who comment on here are applying for the scholarship for graduate students, so that’s what I assume unless the person says otherwise. Please disregard my previous reply, since that was for the graduate level scholarship.
1. For the Undergraduate scholarship, it is assumed that you will be studying in Japanese for your degree, so your English Language Proficiency Test scores are less important. In general, you will spend your first year of studies in Japan in an intensive Japanese language program designed to get you to the level where you will be able to pursue your degree in Japanese. So, assuming that you are applying for the regular Embassy-Recommended MEXT Scholarship for undergraduates, in that case, it probably is not worth it (or particularly helpful) for you to take the TOEFL, especially since you wouldn’t have the scores until after the application deadline.
If you plan to apply for Direct Placement to an English-taught undergraduate degree program or apply for a University-Recommended MEXT Scholarship PGP program that is taught in English, then having the TOEFL scores would help, but otherwise, I would not worry about it.
My comment in the book about recommending language proficiency test scores for applicants from countries where the official national language is not English but higher education is taught in English (like India), was based on MEXT’s language proficiency requirements in the past. Since I wrote that book, MEXT updated the requirements to say that completing your previous degree in English is acceptable proof of language ability (although that would only apply to applicants at the graduate level.) I am in the process of revising the book for a second edition and will correct that comment.
2. In the completeness review, I check all of the essays in the application form, including the trigger and the description of why you selected your first, second, and third-choice majors, and offer feedback on those.
For the Letter of Recommendation, I do review the contents when applicants send it to me (some applicants receive it sealed, so they can’t share it with me for review).
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello travis,sorry if i spam by mistake there’s some error occuring while i am posting thia. I have a few questions which are not clear to me even after searching a lot and reading your post. I am UG applicant. These are some silly questions but please bear with me.
1. I read your blog on How to fill mext 2022/2023 application form where you mentioned to fill age according to how old you will be by next year april 1. Does that hold for Ug applicants too.
2. I have already given my class 12th exams and would get the results by May but that would be pulished on a government website and the result would not be printable. The physical copies of marksheet are given after 2-3 months of result announcement. So should i just give mext prospective graduation certificate or send copy of screenshot i would have take from the website.
3. I checked the last year ug application it has a section called – Specialized field of study in high school.
Like i just studied Physics, Chemistry , English , maths. Do i need to go in detail for this section too.
4. I already prepared a draft for ” What was the trigger for having an interest in Japan?” I went all in for how i became interested in japan. But then i came across your blog How to fill mext 2022/2023 form where you mentioned the question is actually ” What was the trigger for having an interest in Japan related to your field of study”.
Since i am a ug student so i don’ t have a field of study as of yet so how should i approach this question. Should i take in account all three field of study choices i fill.
Hi Rahul Sharma,
Thank you for your questions.
1. Yes, of course.
2. I recommend submitting both.
3. If you did not specialize in a field in high school you should write “General Education” and write the subjects that you studied in parentheses. In some countries, students specialize in sciences or humanities tracks beginning in high school, so that is what this question refers to.
4. The blog article you mentioned is primarily for graduate applicants, but even for undergraduates, I recommend that when you describe your interest in Japan, you keep it relevant to the field you want to study in Japan as much as possible. You do need to choose up to three subject areas that you want to major in, so try to relate your interest to at least your first-choice field.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello travis, I am going to apply for MEXT scholarship in 2023 through embassy recommendation with graduate level (master’s degree), so, & I have so many questions about the scholarship, the first one is how can I calculate my GPA in 3.0 scale correctly?, the second one is, such I said I will apply in 2023, so how can prepare for the scholarship from now, because I need to apply correctly. However, how can I make my research study plan correctly?, & after finishing study in Japan, can still in Japan to work?.
& thank you (I am sorry if i asked a repeated questions)
Hi Suhaib,
I have an article all about how to calculate your GPA, so I recommend you read that for details.
The best thing that you can start doing now to prepare is to start working on your Field of Study and Research Program Plan. I have an article about how to format the final plan and what it needs to include, but I haven’t yet published an article on how to develop your research topic. (I do cover that in my book on How to Write a Scholarship-Winning Field of Study and Research Program Plan, though.) If you don’t want to purchase the book yourself, you can always ask your university library to purchase it. Or, you can work with a professor in your field to develop an appropriate research topic.
After you complete your degree in Japan, it is possible to stay in Japan to work (as long as your country does not require you to return), but most jobs in Japan want applicants, including international applicants, to be fluent in Japanese, so you will have to commit yourself to working on your language ability as well as your research during your studies.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi there!
I apologise if a similar question has been asked and I somehow missed it.
I’m an undergraduate student planning to apply to the MEXT research student scholarship next year. I recently watched your info video on the ‘Tokyo State of Mind’ Youtube channel. In the video, one of the hosts mentioned changing her research plan a bit because her original topic could be considered controversial and cost her the scholarship. Now, for my research topic I want to study the lgbt representation in a specific Japanese authors works and the impact of lgbt represenation in media, e.g. how/whether it aids in the societal acceptance of queer people. I’m still fine-tuning it, but thats the basic gist. What I want to know is whether you think this topic (e.g. one centering on lgbtq rights) could be considered controversial to the Japanese officials who will evaluate my application? Maybe I’m just over-thinking things/over estimating Japan’s level of conservatism?
Thank you for your time!
Hi Skye,
Among the university community, I know there are many researchers studying similar subjects, so there would certainly be no issues at the university level (particularly since you would be targeting potential advisors with that research theme). So, if you were to apply for the University-Recommended MEXT Scholarship, there would be no particular problems that I can think of.
If you apply for the Embassy-Recommended MEXT Scholarship, you do need to get through the embassy screening, which is going to be bureaucrats, who can tend to be on the more conservative side, so there is always a chance that someone might hold individual prejudices that could affect their evaluation.
Overall, though, I don’t think Japan is that conservative on LGBT issues at a private level. Japan’s government is well behind in LGBT rights (and women’s rights, for that matter), but at a private level, most people simply don’t care about others’ sexuality and what they do in their free time. You don’t see the outspoken support (except from parts of the LGBT community, itself) or opposition that you do in other countries. In my experience, a lot of the more outspoken opposition in other countries comes from religious groups, but religious sentiment here isn’t particularly strong at all. I would say most people are simply ambivalent on a personal basis.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi!
First of all, thank you for sharing useful MEXT scholarship tips here. I am currently a Master’s student and will graduate soon in March 2023. I’m interested to apply for PHD with MEXT scholarship (university recommendation) for Oct 2023 admission. I have few questions related to the application process:
1) I understand that I need at least a minimum CGPA of 2.3/3 to pass the screening test. My master’s course is research-based, so technically there’s no CGPA reflected in my transcript (only PASS/FAIL). The academic evaluation is based on academic activities such as participation in conferences, journal publications, awards etc. I also read somewhere that Japan university cannot accept the CGPA of Bachelor’s degree for Doctoral program application. Can you recommend me any alternative measure for this situation?
2) Can I request for exemption in English proficiency test (IELTS, TOEIC)? I have also obtained the expected graduation letter from my university & the administration office has clearly stated that the medium of instruction for postgraduate studies is in English. I wonder if it it is acceptable, or I have to sit for IELTS test now?
3) For PhD admission, is there any written/oral test?
Looking forward to reading your reply soon! TQ in advance.
Hi Mimi,
Thank you for your kind words!
1. If there are no grades given for your Master’s degree, then you can qualify for the MEXT Scholarship/be considered to meet the GPA requirements if your letter of recommendation from the Dean/higher clearly states that you are in the top 30% of graduates from your university or graduate school. It has to be clear with objective numbers. For example, “Mimi is #1 out of 25 graduating Master’s degree candidates in the Faculty of Political Science, putting her in the top 30%.”
2. Per MEXT’s requirements, you meet the language ability requirements if the language of instruction for your qualifying degree (your Master’s degree) was English, so that shouldn’t be a problem. However, the university that you apply to might have their own additional requirements, so in that case you would need to meet both requirements. I recommend trying to find the MEXT Scholarship application requirements for the specific university you want to apply to to check what they will accept.
3. It depends on the university, but you can expect that there will at least be an online interview as part of the application review in most cases.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Good day,
thank you for the informative website, it is much appreciated.
I do have a question though, I have passed the initial screening for MEXT Scholarship and I’ve already submitted my revised placement preference form and LoA but when I submitted my first placement preference I’ve listed a different major than the one i did in the revised Placement preference as the supervising professors i wanted to study under advised me to do so due to my specialized research proposal and i did as they suggested.
I am worried though that this might affect my chances of passing the secondary screening,
I’ve changed my major of interest from International development to Economics and Business.
Have you heard or are you familiar with the consequence of changing your major of interest during your application?
would that disqualify me or makes me fail the 2nd screening?
any idea?
much appreciated
Hi Magda,
As long as your research topic hasn’t changed, I don’t think it’s a problem.
I typically recommend to applicants that 5.1 should be the name of the graduate school at your first-choice university (or, if the names differ by universities, then something that describes all of the universities that you applied to). If the professor that accepted you suggested that your research topic was fine, but it actually falls under a different graduate school/different major from what you had assumed, then that should not negatively impact your screening.
Besides, the secondary screening will be done by MEXT and they will only see the final version of your Placement Preference Form, so they won’t know that it’s been changed.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
That’s a major relief.
Thank you very much Travis.
Hi Travis,
I read somewhere that if you are currently employed you have to get an LoR from your current employer to prove you’d be able to leave your job when you get the scholarship. However the issue with this is that I can not ask my employer for LoR since I work in a multinational corporation in India. I am very sure if I asked them, it’d put me at risk with my job, since my perfomance has been good they would provide me an LoR but would be bitter for the rest of the term and could put me at risk. Which would not be favourable outcome for me, since I would like to continue working here if I am not able to get MEXT.
Thanks,
Bhavishya
Hi Bhavishya,
It’s certainly a risk asking your employer for a Letter of Recommendation, but if you explain to them why you want to pursue an advanced degree and how it is related to your future career goals, then hopefully they will be supportive, particularly if you want to use that degree to return to the company in the future and contribute in a more advanced role.
Of course, it all comes down to your relationship with your supervisor, so I can’t say anything for sure, but one would hope that the employer wants to see its employees succeed, grow, and be able to play a bigger role in the company in the future!
(By the way, in case you haven’t seen it already, check out my response to your question from yesterday.)
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis
After passing the first screening, I applied to Tokyo University for the Spring Semester. I am still waiting for a response (although I have already gotten an okay from the supervisor, and I am almost sure I will get it)
There are seven months left till April, and now I got an excellent job opportunity in another country. I have to apply for a visa for this job, and it will take about two-three months which will leave me with approximately four months till my Research Program in Japan (always if I get accepted). I was wondering, do you know if Tokyo University would accept a request to change my desired start of the program? I would love to postpone my research to October, but I am aware that now is way past the application deadline. I don’t know if I should try to make this request because I also don’t want to seem like I am not serious about my application.
Hi Gigi,
What did you fill in in your application form for the month when you wish to arrive in Japan?
If you filled in that you prefer to arrive in fall, then there should be no issue. The university will already be aware of your preference (of course, though, the final decision is theirs).
If you wrote that you prefer to arrive in the spring or that either the spring or fall is possible, then you could contact the university to say something like “even though I wrote in the application form that I prefer to start my studies in April, that was because I thought it would be more convenient for the university. While I leave the final decision to your discretion, I would prefer to arrive in the fall, if possible.”
I do not think you should mention your job offer. That could give the impression that if the job goes well, you will give up the scholarship.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
In my MEXT application, I checked the third option of ‘either spring or fall.’ But Tokyo Uni has a separate online application where I had to specify which semester I was applying for, and I chose the spring semester.
Should I write to them now or after I receive their (possible) acceptance that I would prefer to change it to Fall? Either way, how should I justify why I changed my mind?
Hi Gigi,
Once the Letter of Acceptance is issued, it will have your start date written there and that can no longer be changed, so if you want to take it up, I recommend that you do so before they issue the letter.
I recommend you contact them now. I don’t recommend that you go into too much detail about why you want to change, just say that due to something that came up in your personal life, a fall start would be better. . . . But at the same time, I think you should make it clear that if the university prefers a spring start, then it is still possible.
Good Luck!
-Travis from TranSenz
Thank you for your advices.
I wanted to please ask about one more thing.
It’s been a bit over one month that I have applied, and in the meantime other students have already received their LOAs over a week ago. Is this delay normal or do you think that they notify first the ‘winning’ students? Should I send a follow up email ? I was sceptical that an email might show signs of impatience.
Hi Gigi,
Did the other students that you are referring to apply to the same graduate school at the same university? If so, I might be concerned and follow-up. However, if they applied to different graduate schools (e.g. you applied to the Grad School of Engineering and they applied to the Grad School of Economics), or if they applied to different universities altogether, then there is nothing to worry about. Each graduate school at each university is going to have their own process and timeline, so there is no way to compare one to the other.
If you are getting close to the deadline to submit LOAs to your embassy, then that would also be a good reason to contact the university to follow-up.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis!
I have few questions to you,
1/ Can I apply in Japan Mext & other countries (Canada, Australia, German) for scholarships at the same time? Would that be valid?
2/ I am obtaining MSc but not finished yet, all the curriculum & exams are done, waiting for results to publish. In this type of situation will I be eligible to apply? (I’m planning to apply next year but sometimes result publishing takes time in the uni, hence asking)
3/ I’m interested to apply for the PhD doctoral program in Robotics, I have been working on robotics for 4+ years what kind of competition I may face to get the scholarship with other candidates from my home country in this category? (which is Bangladesh)
4/ Is it mandatory to express at the interview that I will come back to home country after the degree is done?
Hi Ismat Jahan Nabila,
1. Yes, you are allowed to apply for scholarships in other countries at the same time, but you would have to list them in the application and MEXT will ask you to confirm that you will choose the MEXT Scholarship is selected and reject all of the others.
2. As long as the results will be available before you start your studies in Japan, then that will be fine. If you plan to apply next year, then your scholarship would start in April 2024 at the earliest, so I think that should be plenty of time for those results!
3. There’s no way to know what kind of competition you’ll face, but expect it to be extremely high. Know that you will not just be competing with other applicants in Robotics, you will compete with applicants from all fields. (And if you apply for the University-Recommended MEXT Scholarship, you will be competing against applicants to that university from all countries and all fields of study.
4. MEXT does not mandate that, but some countries have a requirement that MEXT Scholarship awardees return to their home country after completing the scholarship. I don’t know if Bangladesh has that requirement, but you should check in advance. You should be able to describe what you want to do after finishing the scholarship/degree and how that will serve Bangladesh, Japan, and/or the relationship between the two.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis ! I hope this message finds you well. To day i received an email from JAPAN MEXT SCHOLARSHIP which tells me that i passed document screening. And the following will be written examination of English. So may you give me past exams that i can refer on it to prepare this coming exam. In my local country( Rwanda) we will do this exam on 22July2022. I am waiting you feedback and advices on this . Thank u
Hi Munyazikwiye Shema Etienne,
Congratulations on passing the document screening!
You can find old tests at this link. I recommend you evaluate yourself using those test and figure out if there are any areas you need to study more.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
hey tran, hope you are doing well.
Am currently a junior in my UG degree , I’m currently a computer science & engineering major.
i have been told by people who have been studying through MEXT scholarship & specifically Master’s degree.
Do you think writing a research proposal is important if one wants to pursue master’s course?
& if yes, how?
Hi Siddharth Saklani,
Yes, a Field of Study and Research Program Plan is absolutely required for a Master’s degree application. It is probably the most important document in your application for the MEXT Scholarship!
I have an article about how to write it (linked above), but if you need more information about how to go from no research idea all the way to a finished FSRPP, I have a book that covers the process from start to finish. You can find more information about the book in the article.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
Thank you. I have followed all the guidelines you provided on this website, and I was accepted at one of the universities in Japan and I was recommended to MEXT to get a scholarship. The International Office said that last March my recommendation file had been sent to MEXT, and the results would be announced in June-July. However, until now I have not received further information about my scholarship.
My question are, at this stage what are my chances of getting a scholarship?. Will it have a negative influence on the university, sensei, or myself if I withdraw from the scholarship application now for personal reasons? According to what I’ve heard, MEXT has the authority to implement fines such as lowering the quota or refusing to accept students from sensei.
Hi Rayhan,
Congratulations on being selected for recommendation to MEXT!
After the university has nominated you to MEXT, you are almost certain to be selected and receive it in the end. MEXT’s final decision usually comes at the end of June or early July, but that is usually little more than a verification that they are accepting the nominated students.
As far as I have heard, the results are not yet out for this year (and it would be very early, if they were!).
If you withdraw, I am not aware of any penalties imposed on the university or professor who recommended you. Obviously, they would not be able to replace you as a nominee this year, so they would lose your scholarship place, but that is all I know of.
If your personal reasons are unavoidable, then there is nothing that can be done, but if you still have a choice in the matter and are just worried about the uncertainty of the results, I encourage you to stick it out. You should be hearing good news within the next couple of weeks.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis!
I am currently ready to hand in my application, however, there is one thing I am quite unsure about. In my application, I wrote that I would like to start as a research student, up to the completion of a doctoral degree. However, I would also like to do a master’s. I don’t want to be too specific, but I am currently doing a master’s in my home country and I focus on “A”. I would like to study “B” in Japan, it is the same field (let’s say literature, theoretical background is also the same, both has to do with Japan) but “B” can only be studied in Japan and I plan to do a comparative study on “A” and “B” for my doctoral dissertation. I don’t want to lie about it, but I think I could maybe be able to study “B” as a research student and wanting to do master’s degree could hurt my chances..?
Do you think this is enough reason to say that I want to pursue a master’s degree during the interview? Or is there any good reason to persuade the interviewers?
Hi Sarah,
If you already have a Master’s degree and check that you want to start as a research student then continue through a doctorate, they may assume that you want to matriculate directly from your research student status to the doctoral degree. There is no clear way to state that preference in the application form. So, you would have to make that clear in the FSRPP (showing that it is for your research student semester + Master’s degree) and interview.
Every year, there are applicants who apply for the same degree level that they already have when switching topics, etc. So, it is possible. You just have to present a clear explanation as to why a second master’s is more valuable for your future goals. If you can make a clear and convincing case, it should not hurt your chances.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
does the recommendation letter has a mandatory envelope size?can we put it in an A4 envelope?
Hi Gabriela Rusu,
There is no mandatory size for the envelope for the Letter of Recommendation. !4 is fine, or regular (tri-fold size) works fine, too. But it is going to to have to fit inside the package with all of your other documents when you send it.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi, I am a bit uncertain about the type of writing should I use for my application. If I’m typing by a computer should the letters still be all in BLOCK like with CAPS LOCK? or this is referred to only when writing by hand?
Hi Gabriela Rusu,
No, you should not type in all caps. That is only for handwriting (for legibility’s sake). If you fill in the form by typing, type normally.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi ,I’m about to finish my application for undergraduate students but , if I paste my photo in digital form do I still need to like write the nationality and name on the back of it? I mean it’s impossible
Hi Gabriela Rusu,
No, obviously, it is impossible to write your name on the back of a digital file, so you do not need to do that. It would only be necessary in the case of attaching a physical photo, so they could match the photo with your application if it falls off.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
HELLO
WHAT DOES REMARK MEANS IN ACADEMIC BACKGROUND ? DO I NEED TO WRITE MY MARKS? IF YES THEN HOW , I MEAN HOW I’M SUPPOSED TO WRIYE MY ELEMENTARY MARKS OF 8 WHOLE YEARS IN JUST ONE BOX? AND IF NO THEN WHAT I’M SUPPOSED TO WRITE THEIR?
Ha Aanchal,
The remarks section is for use if you need to explain something further about your academic record. For example, if you graduated early, or attended multiple schools, etc. Most applicants will not fill in anything in this section.
You do NOT need to write your marks there.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis, I was wondering if it would be okay if I skipped over a middle school as I have transferred to at least 5 or 6 different schools throughout my middle school years and they take up way too much space. The school was also unknowingly a terrorist backing school which I fear would deteriorate my chances. Would this be an extreme game changer as I doubt they would go looking around where I went to with that much detail? Thanks.
Hi Keto,
No, it is not OK to leave out part of your schooling. That could be considered falsifying your records and could get your application rejected.
In my article about how to fill out the MEXT Scholarship application form, I have instructions on how to fill out the Academic Background section with attached documents if there is too much information to fit into a certain row. (The article is from last year. I am working on an update now, but it has not changed significantly).
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis,
Thank you for all the resources you provided. The application is on in my country and I’ll be sending out my documents at least by next week.
I’ll be sending out the official transcript directly from my school first before the rest of the application. I believe they can receive it and keep it safe before I send the others right?
My main question is regarding the recommendation letter. My academic adviser wrote a letter for me and sealed it in an envelope. However, I was able to get an extra copy from him.
I noticed he didn’t use an official letterhead of the university. He didn’t stamp on it either. He did sign. The paper is a normal A4 paper. Not the hard paper copy.
Do you think that is okay?
I would have considered asking him for another copy, but he works in a different university now so I cannot reach him for the meantime.
Or do you think I should ask my previous Head of Department to write me a new one?
In addition, my three preferred universities are all private universities. Is that going to be a problem for me?
I have tried checking National Universities, but my field of study isn’t tackled much there.
Hi Gal,
Listing only private universities should not hurt your application chances.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Gal,
I recommend that you contact the Embassy about their policy for receiving transcripts sent directly from the university, since that might differ from country to country. Remember that you have to submit one original and two copies.
Regarding your letter of recommendation, I think it should be fine without the letterhead and stamp, as long as it has his original signature. Especially since he has since moved on to another university, it would be rather difficult for him to get letterhead and the official seal of the old university! I have never heard of the Embassy being overly picky and rejecting a LoR over something like this.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis,
First, I would like to thank you for all the resources and help you’ve provided. Finding so much helpful information is extremely motivating to follow through with this process!
My questions are regarding Transcripts and Graduation Certificates for the Embassy-Recommended MEXT Scholarship:
I am a US citizen, and I would apply to a US-based Consulate. However, I did my undergraduate studies abroad in a Spanish-speaking country, and my Diploma and Transcripts are also in Spanish.
-Is it possible to submit these original Spanish documents to a Japanese Consulate in the USA, or would I need to have them translated? (I’ve emailed the Consulate with this question but have not received a response yet. Maybe you have some insight on this??)
Also, I am currently undergoing a Master’s program and would submit my current transcripts in the application. Additionally, the MEXT guidelines mention that I would also need to submit a certificate of prospective graduation if I’m still coursing in a graduate program. Although I have reached out to my school about this, they say that they cannot provide such a document until my graduation date, but that won’t happen until the Fall, and I fear I would miss my chance of submitting this for this application cycle.
-Would I able to submit my transcripts alone, or should I be more insistent with my school about getting a certificate of prospective graduation or some sort of document detailing my expected graduation?
Thank you for your time and help,
Brandon
Hi Brandon,
Thank you for your kind words.
According to the application guidelines, all application documents need to be submitted in Japanese or English or accompanied by a translation into one of those languages. So, your transcripts, etc., in Spanish would need an English translation, regardless of whether you were applying in the US or a Spanish-speaking country.
Typically, when schools refuse to issue a certificate of expected graduation, it is because they don’t understand what it means. MEXT is not asking them to certify that you will absolutely graduate by that date. A certificate of expected graduation is simply a document that shows when you will graduate provided that you complete all of your remaining requirements according to the expected timeline. Put another way, they are really only certifying that there is no reason that you would not be able to graduate by that date.
I recommend you go back to your university to negotiate on that point, explain to them that the Certificate of Expected Graduation can be conditional on all of your remaining requirements.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis.
First, thank you very much for this website and answering all the questions! It has been extremely helpful!
I hope I didn’t overlook this question asking elsewhere, if so, I am sorry. I am planning on reapplying for embassy recommendation this year (I applied last year for both embassy and university recommended and didn’t pass unfortunately) and I am considering anything that could give an edge to my application.
I was wondering about the recommendation letter – would it help if I were able to obtain two letters of recommendation? Specifically, I have been in contact for more than a year with my prospective supervisor – would it help if I obtained a recommendation letter from him on top of my supervisor from current university? My current supervisor knows me well and has supervised me for many years, but I was thinking if a letter from my prospective supervisor would show that they are ready to accept me?
Hi Anke,
Thank you very much for your feedback!
I don’t think getting an additional recommendation letter, especially one that doesn’t match what the application guidelines are looking for, is going to help you much. Honestly, I don’t think Letters of Recommendation are that significant of a factor in the evaluation compared to other documents. It won’t hurt you, at worst, it would be ignored, but I don’t think it’s the best place to put your effort.
The best place to improve your application chances would be to strengthen your Field of Study and Research Program Plan. If the professor that you have been in contact with in Japan is willing to look over that plan for you and provide advice, that would be the most beneficial.
I’m not sure if you made it to the interview stage, but I would certainly recommend that you mention in the interview that you have been in touch with the professor and that they are willing to accept you!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
I am applying for the mext scholarship I live in turkey but the dates are still 2021 not 2022 so I want to know when does the dates change and as an Egyptian living in turkey should I apply from there
Hi Ahmed,
MEXT typically releases the guidelines in mid-April and then the various Embassies update their dates and requirements shortly thereafter.
As soon as I notice that the new guidelines are out, I will be sure to be in touch with everyone on my mailing list. Then, I will update my articles here with any changes and share those, as well.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi? I hope you are doing great?
I initially wanted to apply for a masters degree directly but your post motivated me to apply as a non degree student first. However, I will be extending it to the doctoral degree level.
So my question is, do you suggest I tailor my research plan beginning from the preparatory period I’ll be in Japan to the 6th year of my doctoral degree? Or should I make the duration of the plan as 2 years? (Just master’s degree)
Secondly, if I check in my application form that I intend to stay in Japan until the end of my master’s degree, will I be allowed to apply for an extention as a PhD student after master’s?
Hi Gal,
If your eventual goal is to extend to the doctoral degree level, then why not write that in your initial application? Yes, you can apply for an extension later even if you check that you only plan to study to the end of a Master’s degree, but I think it would be better to show the reviewers what your long-term plans are.
Your initial research plan should be for only the first degree that you plan to undertake, since MEXT will only be awarding the scholarship for that degree at this point. When you apply to extend your scholarship later, then you’ll write about what research you want to complete during the next degree.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Good day again, haha.
I have been seeing different posts about submitting a CV together with my application. I don’t know how true that is since it was not mentioned in the application guidelines. Should I submit a CV or a cover letter with the details of everything I am submitting?
Hi Gal,
You are not required to submit a CV and, at least at my university, if a student sent us a document that was not on the required documents list, we would not even pass it to the review committee for consideration. So, I don’t think it’s necessary.
However, it also wouldn’t hurt the applicant in any way. So, if you want, you can go ahead and submit it, knowing that at the worst it simply wouldn’t be considered. But really, I would only think about it if you had significant, relevant working experience that you think would matter for the scholarship review. And even then, a passing mention in your FSRPP might be more effective.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thanks for your response Travis.
In the application process, those who have written a thesis are required to submit an abstract of the thesis.
Is it a good idea to do some addition and subtraction from my original abstract and submit it? Or do I have to show them my real thesis at some point?
Hi Gal,
You only have to submit the abstract, which should be a half-page to one-page summary of your thesis. You should never have to submit the full thesis during the application process, so I wouldn’t worry about editing the original. Of course, your abstract does have to be true to the original, so you can’t go changing the contents now.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis,
I have a few questions to ask.
About the X-ray, I am still a bit confused. How is my doctor going to provide the xray film on the document?
Secondly, can I have a notary public notarize my transcript and certificate instead of my school?
Thirdly, is it fine if I have written a project (bachelor’s thesis) but do not send the outline to the embassy during the application process?
And I am guessing the part asking for us to submit original transcript and certificate is actually talking about the notarized copy right?
And for my research plan, is it compulsory to write the research timeline? For example, talking about what I plan to do during the first year and so on? Because I already have my research proposal drafted out but writing a timeline is kind of difficult for me.
Lastly, for the recommendation letter, how do I go about submitting an original and two copies when my professor is supposed to seal them? Do I ask him to make the copies of the original and sign on all of them then place them in a single envelope?
I believe my academic advisor can write the recommendation letter for me instead of the Dean right?
I’m looking forward to your response. Thank you.
Hi Joan,
X-ray: Your doctor just needs to put the reference number for the x-ray. They do not need to (should not) attach the original x-ray film/image.
Notary: Yes, a notarized copy should be fine.
Project/Thesis abstract: You are required to submit it if you have one.
Original documents: A notarized copy is considered to be equivalent to an original.
Research timeline: The timeline is not compulsory, but you should indicate what order you are going to complete your research steps in and how they will answer your research question.
Recommendation letter (copies): It is not necessary for the recommendation letter to be sealed in an envelope. If your professor does want to seal it, then you can ask him to make the copes first. Otherwise, if he gives you just one letter in an envelope, you should ask the local embassy what they want you to do. In some cases, they will tell you to open it and make copies. In some cases, they will tell you just to submit the sealed letter as-is. It depends from country to country.
Recommendation letter (who writes): If you are applying for the Embassy-Recommended MEXT Scholarship, then your advisor can write it. (If you are applying for the University-Recommended MEXT Scholarship, then it would have to be the Dean or higher.)
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis, thank you for your response. I heard from someone that I was supposed to attach a image of the xray to that box (with the chest) on the health certificate, so I was wondering how to go about it. I’m glad I can leave that out.
I know this probably sounds silly, but I would love to ask for your opinion on how to package all the documents when sending them out to the embassy. I have never sent any official document before so I am lost.
Secondly, do you have an idea if all universities under the MEXT scholarship accept Non-regular students? I would like to start with that in September 2023.
Thirdly, can I use a ‘statement of result’ from my university instead of a ‘certificate of graduation’ as the latter is not available yet? And if I cannot get my complete transcript before the end of the application period, can I use the transcript I already have, which has up to my 7th semester (and was addressed to another school in China)? At least by the end of May, I would have my certificates ready but I don’t want to take any chances.
Sorry for the long question. I am eager to read your response. Thank you.
Hi Joan,
I’d actually written an article several years ago that included a section on packaging the application for sending, though it was about the University-Recommended MEXT Scholarship.
Some of the content won’t apply to you for the Embassy-Recommended MEXT Scholarship, but you can find my suggestions for how to arrange your materials in the envelope and other tips, like never use staples (for anything. Ever.) in the section titled, “PREPARING YOUR APPLICATION FOR MAILING”.
Of course, you should check the embassy’s website first to see if they have specific instruction. If they do, prioritize their instructions over my suggestions!
As far as I know, most universities do accept non-regular students via the MEXT Scholarship (usually for one semester while you wait to take the entrance exam and enroll in the degree program). When you apply to the universities for your Letter of Provisional Acceptance, if your application indicates that you prefer to start as a non-regular student, they should consider that.
If your “Statement of Result” indicates the date that you are expected to graduate, it would count as a Certificate of Graduation. That doesn’t need to be the title of the document, it just needs to be an official document that certifies when you will graduate (provided you pass all your classes in the meantime, of course!).
As for the transcript, you can use one that includes your grades up to the 7th semester, but I would highly recommend that you get a new one that isn’t addressed to a new university. If it was me on the review committee, I might consider rejecting your application just for having the transcript addressed to another university, since that would indicate that you aren’t serious enough about the application to bother getting a new one. At the very least, I would be skeptical viewing the rest of your application, which would make it an uphill battle to get approved.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thanks a lot for all your responses. It’s quite difficult reaching the Japanese Embassy in my country. But I have forwarded a copy of the transcript to my desired university and to the main Japanese website and they agreed I could use the watermarked unofficial transcript for my application. I just need to be sure that the Embassy here would accept that too and would keep trying to reach out to them.
My other question is this: I wrote my final undergraduate exams in October 2021. But my degree is going to be awarded to me this month with an effective date starting from 03/2022.
So my question is, am I supposed to input 03/2022 as my year of graduation or write (October 2021) when I wrote my final exams.
If I write 2017–2022 as my year of enrollment till graduation, that makes it 5 years but my schooling duration was 4 years.
So should I use 10/2017 to 10/2021 instead?
I hope my question doesn’t confuse you.
Hi Joan,
I’m glad to hear that they seem willing to use the “unofficial” transcript since it is watermarked. If the university and other inquiry site have confirmed that it is sufficient, then it should be no problem for the Embassy, either.
For your years of schooling, I recommend that you write the start date (10/2017) and official graduation date (03/2022), but fill in 4 years of schooling. In the notes section, you can explain that all coursework and exams were competed in 10/2021. That should be enough of an explanation.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Sorry again,
I need to be sure of this. My research is going to use primary and secondary sources of data collection, involving books, articles etc in Japan. Does it mean I have a low chance of getting the scholarship since I have no knowledge of Japanese?
Hi Joan,
I don’t think you would be automatically disqualified, but you would have to convince the MEXT scholarship reviewers as well as your future advisor in Japan that you will be able to conduct research based on Japanese-language primary and secondary sources without having ability in the language, and that could be challenging to do. But if you can show in your Field of Study and Research Program Plan as well as your interview how you will overcome the language barrier, then they should consider your plan.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you so much, Travis. You just made my application process a thousand times easier.
Is it fine if my transcript have “UNOFFICIAL COPY” watermarked to the body? Because that is the only type my school provides to students. But it well signed and stamped by the school’s registrar.
Hi Joan,
While the unofficial copy you mentioned should be acceptable, I think this is going to be a judgement call by the embassy.
Does your university have the option to issue an official copy sealed in an envelope or to send an official copy directly to another institution?
The best solution would be if you could get an official copy sealed in an envelope and include that as your one official copy, then submit the unofficial copy and a photocopy of it (or just two photocopies) as your “copies”.
If they can’t issue you a sealed official copy, but can send a copy directly, then I recommend that you check with the embassy to see if they want you to have one official copy sent directly to them from the university or whether they prefer that you submit your watermarked/signed unofficial copy. Either one should be acceptable, but I think in this case it is best to get the embassy’s preference.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi, i am in my final semester of my graduation of BCA with total 15 years of educational experience, am i eligible for mext for pursuing Masters? Second can i apply next year After completing my graduation this year’s sep?
Hi Ayush,
As long as you are scheduled to graduate before August 2023, you would be eligible to apply this year (2022). For the 2022 application, your studies would start in April or September/October of 2023, so you would need to have graduated by then.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hey Travis I’m abit confused on the Non- regular degree course. I have read your article and you greatly advise for one to apply as a non- degree tudent. But I want to enroll as a Masters student. But start as a non- regular degree student so how would I go about it. Do I need to first apply first as a non degree course and then renew my Mext scholarship?
Hi Abigail,
If you start as a non-degree student, then yes, you would apply first as a non-degree student then apply to extend your MEXT Scholarship after you arrive in Japan.
I recommend this approach for two reasons.
1. Once you become a Master’s Degree student, you only have 2 years to complete your studies or you will lose the scholarship. That means that if you struggle with adjusting to the university in Japan, that could be trouble. Starting as a non-degree student gives you a semester to start getting used to the university and settling into life in Japan before you face that time limit.
2. Some universities will require you to sit for an entrance exam for admission to the degree program. That can be challenging when you’re overseas. But if you start as a non-degree student, you can take the entrance exam during that time.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi! Thank you so much for your informative website! It was very helpful when I applied for the Scholarship but I am now in a difficult position. I am on my third semester of my Master’s and I have the scholarship (University Reccommendation), I have finished the courses and I have only the thesis units left for my next and final semester. I might unfortunately have to leave Japan and spend a long time in my home country for personal reasons, regardless of the possible travel ban coming to place. I would like to ask what consequences should I expect especially to my scholarship. I know that I won’t receive it for the months I am away from Japan because I can’t sign, but will I have to decline it if I stay away longer than 2 months and will I also be required to pay the fees of my last semester? I hope you can help me with this information because I wasn’t really able to find anything on the matter. I sincerely thank you in advance for your reply!
Hi Maria,
That sounds like a difficult situation and I am very sorry to hear about it.
For the MEXT Scholarship, if you do not sign for your scholarship each month, then you do not get the stipend. If you miss the signature for three months, then they consider you to have voluntarily withdrawn from the scholarship, so you would give up all benefits, including future stipend payments, the university-funded tuition, and your flight ticket home at the end of the scholarship.
I am not sure about whether or not you have to pay the tuition fees for your final semester- it would depend on when you left, I would think. If you leave before the semester begins, then I think you would have to pay the tuition, but if you were to leave mid-semester, then the tuition should already have been paid/waived and I don’t think they would invoice you for in in that case, though I can’t be completely sure.
If you leave in the middle of the semester, take a leave of absence, and have to come back in a future year to finish your degree, then you would be responsible for the tuition after you return, too.
If possible, I would recommend that you consult directly with your university, including your academic advisor (to see if you can complete your thesis work remotely, if that is your desire) and the office that handles the scholarship to see what the procedures would be. If your thesis is all you have left and there is a way that you can continue it while out of the country and return in time for that third month signature, then they might be able to work with you to continue the scholarship.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
hey,
i dont know wht to answer for the questions in the application like … what triggers me to study in japan..
i have done my bsc in biotech and iwant to do msc in biotech .. and iam not understandin what i should answer for this questions can u help me with that?
Hi Anu,
Have you read my article about how to fill out the application form for the Embassy-Recommended MEXT Scholarship? I’ve included my advice about how to answer that question (and the other essay questions) in that article. Your answer should be specific to your research topic and future goal to contribute to society, not just your field of study, and describe why Japan is the best place for your research, with specifics.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz