Over a year ago, I wrote that there were extra Monbukagakusho/MEXT Scholarship slots available to Super Global Universities. (a.k.a. SGU or Top Global Universities/TGU). This information was correct, but I was missing two important facts: the additional scholarships were for Domestic Selection and were an annual cap, not an annual number of awards.
MEXT Domestic Selection
Follow-up research indicates the additional scholarship slots for Super Global Universities are not available for the
University-Recommended Monbukagakusho Scholarship as I had assumed. With past grants, such as the Global 30 project, this was the case.
The additional scholarships are available for the Domestic Selection category. That means only students who are already enrolled in these universities as self-financed (fee-paying) students are eligible to apply for them.
Furthermore, the number of scholarship awards is the cap of awardees per year. That means that if a Type A university awarded all 20 scholarships in 2014 (the first year of the project) and decided to award each of them for multiple years, then there would be zero new scholarships available in 2015. Indeed, referring to several Super Global Universities websites, I see that they did not recruit for this scholarship in 2015.
When Will Scholarships be Available Again?
There will never be another year where all of the scholarships become available at once. Scholarship slots will become available as the current awardees complete their studies (or lose their scholarships).
Since both undergraduate and graduate students are eligible, scholarships could be available any time after 2016.
For example, first-year Master’s students (2-year program) who received the scholarship in 2014 would have graduated in 2016, so those student’s scholarships would be available again.
A PhD program is three years, so scholarships given to those students would come around again in 2017.
Scholarships awarded to undergraduates (4 years) would be available again in 2018.
For 5-year graduate programs, 2019.
Of course, these are just guidelines, assuming that all scholarships were awarded to first-year students and that nobody loses their scholarship partway through. Check with your university scholarship office or international office for details.
One thing is sure: Super Global University funding ends in 2023, so no scholarships awarded under this category will continue after that year. This is true even if the awardee hasn’t finished his or her degree.
Number of MEXT Scholarships for Super Global Universities
It is true that MEXT assigned additional scholarship slots to universities that were selected for the Super Global University Project. “Type A” Universities (see the table below) received 20 extra scholarship slots and “Type B” Universities received 10 extra scholarship slots.
Type A Universities | Type B Universities |
---|---|
20 Slots/Year | 10 Slots/Year |
Hiroshima University | Akita International University |
Hokkaido University | Chiba University |
Keio University | Hosei University |
Kyoto University | International Christian University |
Kyushu University | International University of Japan |
Nagoya University | Kanazawa University |
Osaka University | Kumamoto University |
Tohoku University | Kwansei Gakuin University |
Tokyo Institute of Technology | Kyoto Institute of Technology |
Tokyo Medical and Dental University | Meiji University |
University of Tokyo, The | Nagaoka University of Technology |
University of Tsukuba | Nara Institute of Science and Technology |
Waseda University | Okayama University |
Rikkyo University | |
Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University | |
Ritsumeikan University | |
Shibaura Institute of Technology | |
Soka University | |
Sophia University | |
Tokyo University of Foreign Studies | |
Tokyo University of the Arts | |
Toyo University | |
Toyohashi University of Technology | |
University of Aizu, The |
Apology for the Error
I am very sorry to have spread incorrect information about the MEXT scholarship.
My goal is to provide the best information and advice about the scholarship to help you succeed in your applications. Unfortunately, this time my eagerness got in my way. I had only partial information about the additional slots and filled in the gaps with assumptions.
It wasn’t until Evan William Chandra asked a follow-up question about those slots that I went back to research in more detail and learned of my error. My sincere thanks to Evan!
Moving Forward
I will continue to seek out the best and most current information and advice about the MEXT scholarship. However, in the future, I will make it clear when something is my assessment versus established fact.
Now that the available slots known to me are even fewer than before, I am even more committed to helping you earn one. The competition is high, but that doesn’t mean either of us should give up. If anything, we need to try harder!
Good luck!
Questions?
Before asking any questions in the comments below, please read through the MEXT Scholarship Application FAQ top page and specific FAQ pages to see what I’ve answered already and to find tips about how to get your questions answered faster.
You can ask your questions in the comments here, on the FAQ page, or by email and I will answer them by updating the FAQ and letting you know when the answers are available.
I’d also recommend signing up for my mailing list to get notified whenever I have updates to any of the FAQs or new articles about the MEXT scholarship!
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Hi Travis,
I applied for the international multidisciplinary engineering (IME) program in October 2020, which is automatically considered for a MEXT scholarship recommendation or other scholarships by the University of Tokyo (Results will be out by late February 2021). I’m not sure what the internal process is, but not very much detail was given other than that it’s an internal and automatic recommendation.
I am now applying to the English-based Graduate Program in Science and Engineering (EBSE) at Waseda University, which just opened up for online applications. To be considered for MEXT in this application, I need to submit all my documents by January 11th, 2021. The results for this will be released in March 2021.
My question is the following: Since both schools’ recommendations for MEXT is internal, is it acceptable to apply to both in this case? Will the schools check if I have been nominated in a different school, and let me know of my final decision before nominating me? There isn’t anything written in either of the applications on the restrictions for Top Global Type A MEXT, so I am very confused on whether it would be safe to apply without jeopardizing my chances of getting MEXT for UTokyo.
Thank you in advance!
Hi Alex,
One important thing to know here is whether or not both of these applications are for “Super Global University” MEXT Scholarships of “University Recommended” MEXT Scholarships.
You are only allowed to apply for one University Recommended MEXT Scholarship per year, but the SGU scholarships are a different category, and I am not sure if the same restriction applies there.
In general, though, at some point in the application process, before nominating you to MEXT, the university is going to have to ask you to complete the MEXT application form, and in that form, there is a usually a question asking you to verify that you are not applying to any other MEXT scholarship or any other overlapping scholarship. When you reach the point that you have to fill out that form, or one of the universities asks you in a different way whether or not you are applying for any other scholarships, you will have to make a decision at that point to choose only one application to proceed.
(If it is mentioned anywhere in the eligibility requirements or application procedures that you cannot be applying for other scholarships/other MEXT scholarships, then you would have to stop one of the applications immediately).
I hope that helps!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you so much for your detailed information, it’s really helpful. I had an question. By what time one get a conformation from MEXT? I got nominated for SGU MEXT from nagoya university but still didn’t got any conformation from MEXT and it’s already end of july..
Hi Sristy,
I am very sorry that this reply is coming so late. I got swamped with scholarship questions in July and could not keep up.
I hope you got your final notification shortly after your post. Usually, the notifications come in early July, but this year, I understand that the results were late. I think just like everything else, they got delayed by MEXT having to deal with COVID issues.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
I also have the same issue, got nominated for SGU by Hokudai, but until havent yet received any confirmation from MEXT. It really got me anxious. When were you receive the final result from MEXT?
Hi Jerome,
Sristy’s comment is from two years ago (the first year of the pandemic), so I’m not sure if their experience would be useful for you.
If you were nominated for the SGU Scholarship for graduate students, you should have already heard the results, I think. So, in that case, I recommend that you contact Hokudai and ask if they sent out an announcement that you missed, or something like that.
However, if you were nominated for the SGU for undergraduates, the results are not expected to be released until early August, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if you hadn’t heard back yet.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis,
I am nominated as a candidate for MEXT undergrad by Nagoya University, however I have a few concerns about this since I didn’t apply for it but was chosen by the university. First, can I say that I will get the scholarship for sure? The last question, is it possible to extend the scholarship (Like for studying in master or doctoral degree) like those who receive the scholarship through examination in their country?
Thank you in advance^^
Hi BentlyWill,
I’m afraid I don’t have enough information to be able to answer your question. Do you know what type of scholarship you were selected for? Was it a Top Global University category scholarship or a PGP Program?
Or, perhaps a better way of asking would be, did they say they would pay for your flight ticket to Japan or not? And did they say how long the scholarship would cover (all four years?)
In either case, it is not possible to say that you will certainly get the scholarship. While the chances are very, very high at this point, there is always a chance, however small, that MEXT could decide not to approve your application at the last moment. In the nine years that I have been working with this scholarship, that has almost never happened, but it did happen last year.
In either case, I do not think it will be possible to extend your scholarship to cover further graduate degrees. All of the University-Recommended MEXT Scholarship schemes that I am aware of for undergraduate students do not allow for extension to graduate school. I could be wrong, since I am not very familiar with the undergraduate scholarship opportunities, but that is the best I know.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you so much for your quick response!
Unfortunately, I’m not sure what type of scholarship it is. However, they say they would pay for my flight ticket to Japan and would cover all four years.
Hi BentlyWill,
In that case, it sounds like it must be a Priority Graduate Program scholarship (PGP). Those programs are pre-approved for a certain number of scholarship slots each year, and the university would not have nominated you unless you were within that number of slots. So, in your case, I would say that your scholarship is all-but guaranteed.
However, this kind of scholarship cannot be extended to a graduate degree, since that would not be part of the pre-approved program (PGP programs cannot cross undergraduate-graduate lines).
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi, Travis. I just received confirmation of SGU Mext scholarship and now I am worried about gpa requirements.
For SGU the minimum is 2.5/3.0 (I had 3.0 in my previous university and qualified because of that), I completed one semester at my current university before the announcement of SGU MEXT result, and
I received my grades right after the announcement of scholarship results, and my gpa for the last semester (first semester at my current university) is 2.45/3.0. Would I be disqualified at this point? If not, would I be disqualified next semester? Or how do they track gpa maintenance in general? Thank you in advance
Hi Bella,
Congratulations!
Your GPA would be calculated based on the documents that you submitted at the application point, they do not update your score after that point. (That applies whether the update would help or hurt you).
If your grades weren’t available until after the results release, they would not be a factor.
If the program that you have just started is a prerequisite to the degree you applied for under MEXT, though, I would recommend that you try to get your grades up before you finish that degree. They may ask you to submit your final records from that degree when you arrive in Japan. (I don’t think they would take away your scholarship for that reason, but it’s best to be safe!)
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you so much for a quick response!
Actually I am studying at a Japanese university already and received an SGU scholarship from the second semester just for one year, so that’s my final terminal degree.
Thank you again!
Hi Bella,
Thank you for the context. Since the scholarship is kicking in partway through your current degree, that might be a different situation. I’m not entirely sure how grade maintenance is tracked or recorded for the SGU scholarship, since those guidelines are provided directly to the participating universities and are not published on MEXT’s website.
However, for the scholarship types I am familiar with, universities are not required to report their scholars’ grades to the ministry on a semester-by-semester basis, so I would expect the same applies to the SGU category scholarship. The only time a university is required to report a student and cancel their scholarship is if it becomes clear that the student cannot possibly graduate in time due to poor academic performance, etc. (In practice, I saw this happen only once, when a MEXT scholar was suspended for part of a semester for disciplinary reasons – that meant that the student could not earn credits that semester and could not graduate on time).
Overall, I think it will be a university decision, so I would recommend that you carefully review the pledge forms or other documents they have given you. If there is no mention in there of having to keep your grade above 2.50, you should be safe.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Dear Travis,
Thank you so much for your reply and suggestion.
I’m really thankful with your blog website since it really helped me to prepare my applications 🙂
Hope your activities are going well always!
Hi Beni,
Thank you very much for your reply! Good Luck with your application.
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis,
I am currently an international student from Germany in a full-time English-based program at the University of Tokyo. After graduation next year I would like to move on to an international MA program in Japanese Studies at the University of Kyushu. Currently I am receiving a scholarship directly from the University of Tokyo (so no connection to MEXT). Do I have any chance of getting a MEXT scholarship? (I guess the embassy-selection is already ruled out, and even though I assume I will get into the program I will only know about the final admission results in late June next year…). Thank you!
Hi Jan,
In your case, you should be able to apply for either the Embassy or the University Recommended MEXT Scholarship. In either case, the next application process to start will be for the scholarship starting in 2020.
I cannot comment on what your chances of success might be, but based on the information you have shared, I see no reason why you would not be able to apply!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
THank you so much for your help! I think I will try the University Recommendation then. For JLPT results, will they accept results from 2015? And will TOEFL etc. results be necessary despite I’m currently enrolled in an English program? Thank you for your efforts!
Hi Jan,
There is no rule about how long scores are valid, though, so it is up to each institution to determine. Typically, Japanese universities have a fixation on results issued within 2 years, unless you can show that you were in an environment where you were continually using/improving your Japanese language ability since. (But this would only matter if you were applying for a program taught in Japanese).
For English proficiency, as of last year, MEXT would accept you as meeting the language proficiency requirements if you had completed your previous degree in English, but as above, each university is also free to set its own standards and expectations, so it really depends on where you apply.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis,
I’m Rashed from Bangladesh. I already applied for the university recommended MEXT scholarship through Hokkaido University in January 2019. Recently, my professor informed me that my application is accepted by Hokkaido University for the next MEXT scholarship. So, what does it mean? Looking forward to your response.
Regards,
Rashed
Hi Rashed,
Congratulations!
If Hokkaido University has informed you that they have selected you for nomination to MEXT, then it is almost certain that you will receive the scholarship in the end!
The final notification from MEXT will probably not come until late June or July, but there is no reason to think your application would be denied at this point.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you Travis for your positive response.
Regards,
Rashed
In 2018, A professor from hokkaido university recommended me for SGU MEXT but unfortunately i got rejection ,but this year , university recommended for MEXT,thus i am worried whether same thing will happen or not ,in a sentence “confused and worried “.Could you clarify it please ?
Hi Mamun,
I’m sorry to hear about the challenge you had last year. It sounds like a professor recommended you, but the university did not ultimately select you as one of its candidates.
In general, once the university has determined that you are one of its scholarship candidates and has sent your recommendation to MEXT, there should be no reason why you would not receive the scholarship in the end, unless MEXT determined somehow that you are not eligible.
Has the university this year confirmed that they are recommending you to MEXT?
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Yess,Prof sent me this email “You had been selected to be recommended by our university to apply MEXT scholarship (University Recommendation)” and i did not apply this year for Top Global MEXT and i applied only for University Recommendation.However,i am worried if same things happen with me.
Dear TranSenz
is it that Top Global or Super Global MEXT is different from conventional University Recommendation MEXT ?Though this year i applied for University Recommendation MEXT ,not for Super Global MEXT.
Hi Dear TranSenz
What does it mean “You had been selected to be recommended by our university to apply the MEXT scholarship”,Am i nominated or something else ?Please clear me.
Hi Mamun,
It sounds to me like the university has nominated you to MEXT – which means that you should be receiving the scholarship when the final decision comes out in June/July!
Congratulations and Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Mamun,
Yes, the SGU slots are different from standard University Recommended MEXT Scholarship slots in a few ways (such as the application timeline, some of the benefits, and when the results are available), but sometimes universities will recruit for both of them together and will not specifically say which are which.
One of the biggest differences between the two is that for the SGU slots, you would have to pay for your own flight ticket to Japan. So, if the university tells you that you need to do so, then you would know that it is an SGU slot. Otherwise, it should be a regular University Recommended MEXT Scholarship slot.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Mamun,
If that is the letter you received this year, then it sounds like you have been selected by the university and there should be no reason why you would not win the scholarship!
If the letter from the professor had said “I am going to recommend you to be nominated by our university to MEXT,” that would not be a sure thing, so that was why I wanted to ask.
I cannot think of any reason why you would not receive the scholarship in the end!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Dear Transenz
Thank you very much !!
Hi Travis and Mamum,
Thank you so much for the discussion, it’s very helpful for me. Right now, I am in the similar condition to Mamun’s. My Prof sent me letter stating “we plan to recommend you for the Japanese Government (Monbukagakusho, MEXT) Scholarship (University recommendation-Top Global University)” starting from April 2020.
On the other hand, I am still applying another scholarship also from College Women Association of Japan. I will get the result for interview in January or early of February. In this case, should I cancel this application from now on or just let it be going on until the announcement?
Does it will affect my MEXT selection?
Later, when 100% confirmed I can get MEXT, I will cancel others.
Thank you so much!
Hi Beni,
The number of Top Global University slots available to each participating university each year should be a fixed number, with no danger of reduction. So, if the university has officially confirmed that you will be nominated, normally, I would say that you should have nothing to worry about.
But on the other hand, last year, there was a sudden, unexpected reduction in slots in a different category of scholarship, so I do not think anything is certain now. I would recommend that you thank the professor for nominating you and ask when the final result will be. If possible, I would suggest waiting until that result before halting your other application, but if the CWAJ results come out first, and you have to commit or decline at that time, that could be a difficult decision.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you for the new information