If you’re applying for the Embassy-Recommended MEXT Scholarship, getting started with the right research and approach can give you a head start on the competition.
The Embassy-Recommended MEXT Scholarship offers two significant advantages over the other, University Recommended path:
- Significantly more slots
- The chance to apply to up to three universities
So, if you’re going for the MEXT scholarship, it’s a good idea to start with this one. (Besides, if you don’t make it through the primary screening, you’ll still have time to apply for the University-recommended MEXT scholarship, too!)
While this article is about getting started on the 2018 Embassy-Recommended MEXT Scholarship application, the same principles apply no matter what year or scholarship type you’re going for.
It’s (Past) Time to Start Your 2018 MEXT Scholarship Application!
Monbukagakusho has released the Embassy-Recommended Scholarship Application guidelines and forms for 2018. Really, if you’re only starting now, you’re already behind, but that’s OK. Hopefully, the tips below will help you catch up, and even pass a large majority of applicants.
In this article, I’ll cover:
- Choosing Your Field of Study and Targeting Professors
- When to Approach Universities and Professors (and How!)
- What’s Changed for This Year’s Application Process
But before we get to that, I just want to clarify what we’re talking about.
Summary: MEXT Scholarship for Research Students
I’m talking about the MEXT Scholarship for Research Students – not undergraduates (although
Research Students: When MEXT says “Research Students”, they mean everyone who has already completed an undergraduate (bachelor’s) degree. That includes, Master’s Degree seekers, PhD Degree seekers, and non-degree-seeking students at the Master’s and PhD level.
However, when universities say “research students”, they mean only “non-degree seeking students.”
To be clear, you can apply for a degree using this scholarship!
1. Choosing Your MEXT Field of Study and Targeting a Professor
What Fields of Study are Available?
According to the scholarship guidelines, you can only apply for the scholarship to study the same major you studied in undergraduate or a related field. Furthermore, each Embassy has the ability to restrict the fields of study available in your country.
Before you get started, check with the Japanese Embassy or Consulate nearest you to find out what fields of study are available for your country. There’s no sense in preparing an application that’s going to be ineligible in the end.
I recommend checking their websites, first. If you can’t find the information there, then you can call, too. This is also a good way to find out when the application deadline is. That varies by country, so I can’t tell you what your deadline will be.
Narrowing Down Your Field
Ideally, you want to have a specific research question in mind before you even start your application. If your only idea now is that you want to study, say, International Relations, then take some time to sit down and think. What specific problem in international relations do you want to study? Why? How are you going to go about it?
Here are some things to consider as you determine your research question (in no particular order):
- Can you study it in Japan? If you can’t find a Japanese professor who specializes in your narrow field, you might be setting yourself up for failure.
- Does it make sense to study it in Japan? The purpose of the MEXT scholarship is “to foster human resources who will become bridges of friendship between the grantee’s country and Japan through study in Japan and who will contribute to the development of both countries and the wider world.” So, your research problem should relate to both countries and contribute in some way to bringing them closer together. That will help impress the Embassy staff.
- Does it require fieldwork in another country? That can disqualify you. Make sure any fieldwork focuses on Japan. If you have to do research abroad, it should be relatively minor and not take much time.
- Know Your Field This goes without saying, but you want to make sure you’re not replicating existing research. Do a literature review in your field.
Targeting a Specific Professor
Once you know what you want to research and why, it’s time to start looking for a professor in Japan who could advise you.
It’s going to be easier to reach out to professors if you have some kind of connection, like an agreement between your school and theirs to use as an introduction, or personal connections between faculty members that you can leverage. (Bonus: That will also help you find out more about your target professor’s field so you can approach them more easily.)
If you don’t have a connection to leverage, then it’s research time. That literature review you did to narrow down your field should help. Did you find any papers by Japanese authors? How about papers citing work by Japanese professors? If you did, start by researching those faculty, first. Google their names and keywords from your research field.
Considering Language Requirements
If you don’t have N1 or N2 level Japanese language ability, you’re going to need to find a program taught in English. That limits your options, but limited options can be a good thing when it comes to searching. Here are some resources from my previous article on Choosing a University for your Embassy MEXT Scholarship:
- JASSO’s List of Universities in Japan with Degrees Taught in English
- JPSS’s List of Universities in Japan with Degrees Taught in English
- JASSO’s Gateway to Studying in Japan
Find out which universities teach your field of study in English, then check their websites directly for a list of professors who teach in your field. Review their publications and bios, if they’re available. Otherwise, you can google them and your research keywords together to try to find more.
2. When to Approach Universities and Professors (and How!)
Once you’ve researched universities and professors in your field and narrowed it down to a few top choices, it’s time to start phase 1 of reaching out to them.
(In my previous article on the Embassy MEXT scholarship, I recommended that you don’t do this, but that was because so many applicants do it all wrong and hurt themselves. If you don’t it right, then this can really help you!)
What not to do:
- Mention in your first email that you want an LoA to apply for the MEXT scholarship.
- Ask the professor to help you write your field of study and research program plan.
- Send one email to multiple professors/universities.
How to Approach Universities & Professors Professionally and Respectfully
- Take the time to write a custom email for each university.
You want them to take the time to review your application, write you a Letter of Acceptance, and agree to spend 2-3 years supervising you. If someone asked you to do all that, but did it with a 1-paragraph email that looked like it was sent to 50 different universities at once, would you say yes? Take your time and be thoughtful.
- Start by offering value to them.
That’s how you build a relationship, and for now, that’s all you’re doing. You can’t ask them for a Letter of Acceptance, anyway, until after you pass the Primary Screening at the Embassy. Right now, you want to show interest in their research and propose ways your own research interests could complement theirs. Build your relationship on academic interest, not on you begging for free school.
- Respect their time.
If someone I don’t know sends me a 2-page email (or even a 1-page one), writes everything as one solid block of text or sends any other kind of message that takes me more than a minute or two to understand, I’m going to ignore it or file it to “deal with later.” Keep your messages short and to the point, especially the first one. Break up your message into paragraphs, not long blocks of text (like this).
- Get it proofread.
English is not the professor’s first language. Sure, they’re going to be very competent in it, but it’s a lot harder to understand an error-filled message in a foreign language. Plus, poor writing sends a bad impression of your own language ability (and even intelligence).
Remember, at this stage, you’re building a relationship and looking for mutual interest. You want to narrow down your list to the professor you think you will best be able to work with.
Writing Your Field of Study and Research Program Plan
Once you know what you want to study and why and have a list of the top one to three professors you would want to study under, it’s time to write your Field of Study and Research Program Plan.
My advice is to write your plan like you were appealing to your first choice professor. Keep it relevant to their research so that they’re more likely to want to accept you.
If you’ve already started communicating, this is going to be easier, of course.
You also want to make sure it isn’t all jargon! The Embassy staff might not be experts in your field, and they need to be able to understand what you want to do and why. For the Embassy, make sure you hit the “why.” Why do you want to study this field? What impact do you plan to make with the results of your research and degree?
The application guidelines specifically state that the Embassy is to look for applicants with: “a clear sense of purpose relating to his/her study in Japan and has gathered information about Japanese universities.” This is important in the interview, yes, but you also want to tease it in the Field of Study.
3. What’s Changed for This Year’s Application Process
The birth date in the eligibility criteria, but that changes every year. For the 2018 scholarship, you must have been born on or after April 2, 1983.
One of the most obvious changes is that MEXT has changed the application form and placement preference form from a Microsoft Word document to an Excel file. The application form has changed significantly from previous years. You can find my review and instructions for the form here and download a sample filled form by entering your email address below.
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!
Have You Started Your Application?
What questions do you have about the Embassy-Recommended MEXT Scholarship for 2018? Leave them below and I’ll get to them as quickly as possible!
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Hello! Thank you for being so helpful!
I have a few questions if you dont mind:
1. Other than personal reasons, are there any factors in choosing between arriving in April or October? I heard that those arriving in October will miss out on the 6 month Japanese language class, Is this correct?
2. If I selected to arrive in April, but my course only starts in October and I’m already accepted into the program (no need entrance exam), will I still be expected to join classes as a research student?
Thank you so much!
Hi Elle,
1. You do not miss out on the Japanese language course if you arrive in October. If you arrive in October, you would take the language course that semester and start your degree in April (or, if your degree does not accept new students in April, you spend a semester as a research student and start the degree in the next October).
There are two major factors for choosing your arrival semester: 1) What time of year works best for you (especially if you are just graduating and need to complete your degree before arriving in Japan). and 2) When does your desired degree program accept new students. That would be especially important if you want to time it to go straight into the degree after your language program. But if you don’t mind spending a semester as a non-degree student, then it’s not terribly important.
2. It depends on your program and your Japanese language ability, but you’d either spend that first semester in the Japanese language program (if you are a beginner in the language) or as a research student.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thanks so much… You are so helpful!
I have another question if you don’t mind. 1. I am applying to do masters in Todai and in its website it says that their screening procedure is in march and hence incompatible with the mext scholarship timing. So applicants with mext scholarship must be a research student in another faculty first before being admitted to the program. I was wondering if that would be too risky to apply to be a research student first only to be rejected later on. As an alternative, is it safer to just pick universities that will grant me direct placement to their masters program? Is there a strategy to putting the university choices?
2. Ive actually not put Todai in my initial form for the interview. But now the embassy told me that I can actually change the university choices. Do you think that my chance of getting a LOA from Todai is affected because I didn’t list Todai as my preferres choice in my original application form?
3. In the form, we are also asked to select the first program that we will do in Japan (research student, or degree). If one of the universities allow me to be admitted to the masters program directly while another insist I should do a research program, which one should I put in the form? Should I base it on my top university choice?
Thanks so much again!! I am greatly indebted to u..
Hi Elle,
Thank you for your kind comments!
1. I think I’ve heard of that program before. It’s a little bit of a risk, but if it’s the program I’m thinking of, it is multidisciplinary and involved professors who teach in other graduate schools. In that case, I would recommend that you figure out which professor you want for your advisor and apply to be a research student under him/her in the other faculty he/she is associated with. That should make the transition easier.
2. No, that won’t affect your chances. There’s no reason Todai has to see that version of the form. And even if they do see it, you could explain that you hadn’t listed them because you were still figuring out the relationship of the faculties at that time and didn’t know what to put, but that you’re permitted to change it.
3. Yes, I would recommend you base it on your first choice!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,my name is Lorraine Nekesa
Thank you for all the useful advice and guidelines that you’re giving us.
I would love to know the deadline for applying for the MEXT scholarship for the year 2018.
Thank you.
Hi Lorraine Nekesa,
Since this comment is on the Embassy-recommended scholarship article, I assume you’re referring to that process.
The deadline varies by country, so the only way to find out is to check with the Japanese Embassy in your country. However, in any case, it would have been around May or June, so you would have missed it by the date you posted your question.
The University-recommended MEXT scholarship for 2018 should be coming soon. Again, the application deadline varies by university, but if you know where you want to apply, start checking their website on a daily basis for updates!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello,
It seems like I’m a little late to the party. First, as everyone else has said, thank you for taking time to write this. It has been ridiculously helpful! I have yet to start the application process, but I plan to. In reading all of the comments, it has been made clear that one should plan on continuing his/her undergraduate focus when applying for this program. In my case, my major was Japanese Studies, but there isn’t much one can do with that. My question is, do you think it would be reasonable to trail off a bit and submit a research plan with a focus in the field of second language acquisition or something of the sort? Or should I (do I have to) remain focused on Japanese Studies specifically?
Thank you for your time and response,
Jay
Hi Jay,
Thank you for your kind comments.
You have to continue the field of research that your pursued in your previous degree, but not necessarily the same major. If you can show that you did research into secondary language acquisition (especially if you have a paper on the subject), then that should be an acceptable split.
Basically, you have to justify the connection between your undergraduate studies and planned graduate research in your Field of Study and in your interview, so it all comes down to how well you can sell the change.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi, Travis! First, I would like to thank you for the MEXT scholarship application guide. It’s really useful! And I want to ask a few questions for the application for Research Students:
1) If I’m graduating in March 2018 and the application deadline is April 2018, can I apply using my latest results? You see, the last semester (which is Jan-March 2018) of my undergrad degree is the internship. And because I will only get my undergrad cert during July on the graduation ceremony so I wonder if I have to wait another year to apply for MEXT or just apply on the same year?
2) Does your academic results matter when you apply for Research Student?
3) Does being a research assistant in your university gives you an advantage for MEXT research student scholarship?
4) In my country, we normally do not have 16 years of education. Only 15. Am I still eligible?
5) Do co-curricular activities matter for MEXT?
Thanks for answering!
Hi Janice,
I am sorry that I haven’t gotten to your questions earlier.
1. You can apply for MEXT even if you haven’t gotten your final results. As long as you can show that you will complete your degree before your scholarship starts, you’re qualified. In that case, they will calculate your grades based on the 4 most recent semesters in your transcript.
2. Yes, absolutely.
3. Simply being a research assistant does not give you an advantage – it is what you accomplish as a research assistant and how you can relate that to your studies in Japan that matters.
4. If you apply through the embassy, you will be fine, since they understand the system. If you apply for the university, you may need to contact them in advance to explain the different education systems and ask if they can confirm your eligibility. Usually, that is just a formality. I have never known anyone to be told “no.”
5. Like being a research assistant, it is not your activities that matter, but what you accomplish/learn through them and how you relate that to your studies.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi! And thank you for a wonderful site.
I just passed the embassy screenings and interview and got their recommendation so that I could start looking for universities..
Now however I’m a bit confused. In my country the concept of “research student” doesn’t exist, so I foolishly assumed it was the same as a master degree student. During my interview at the embassy I told them I wanted to pursue a 2 year masters degree with this schoolarship and no one batted an Eye. So I was heartened when I saw you write
“To be clear, you can apply for a degree using this scholarship!”
So can you explain this further? There seems to be different application paths for master and research students so I’m afraid to head down the wrong path to start with.
While I’m sure the experience will be great, teaching and challenging either way, a degree at the end of it sure would be nice.
And I’m also assuming from my country that a degree course would have a very big independent research part where I can research what I pitched to the embassy.
Hi Johan,
The tricky thing is that there are two definitions for Research Students (two different words in Japanese that are translated the same way in English).
In general, when MEXT says “research students” they mean all graduate-level students.
In general, when a university says “research students” they mean students affiliated with a graduate school that are not in a degree-seeking program.
Of course, you would do research as a degree-seeking student as well, and probably more of it!
Many students on this scholarship start out as research students for practical reasons. For example, some graduate programs only accept students during one semester. So, if you arrive in the “wrong” semester, you would have to spend one semester as a research student before you could enter the degree.
In other cases, the university wants to evaluate your academic performance in person or put you through an entrance exam, so they tell you to arrive as a research student then test into the degree program after arrival. Research student status almost always leads to a degree program in the end, so you don’t need to worry about it being a “wrong path”!
I hope that helps clarify the situation a little!
Good Luck,
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi,
Is it OK to contact professors before passing the preliminary screening ?. I have my research plan withme shall I contact professors ?
Thanks
Anuradhi
Hi Anuradhi,
Yes, it’s OK to contact professors before the primary screening – or before you start your application at all, really – to start networking and get to know one another. However, you cannot start the Letter of Acceptance application process until after you pass the primary screening.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
I need a help in filling form, that is where I mention the university or college name ? In remark line, Thank you.
Hi NaeemUllah,
I’m afraid I’m not quite sure what you mean. If you’re referring to Question 11 on the application form, then you fill in the name of each school in the “name” line, not remarks.
If that’s not what you were asking about, please let me know and be a little more specific.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis. I have another question, this time regarding the letter of recommendation. I am applying through the embassy track. They require a letter of recommendation and 2 copies of it. Does that mean the letter of recommendation does not have to come in a sealed envelope from the advisor’s office? The only way i can photocopy the recommendation is by breaking the seal and handing the recommendation letter without a sealed envelope.
Hi Elie,
That is a tricky question. I know it’s probably far too late to help you, but in this case, I would recommend asking the university directly for their advice.
I know that some applicants have been told to just submit the one sealed copy and others have been told to open the letter and make photocopies themselves. Since those are opposite ways of doing things, I don’t want to give you the wrong advice and get you in trouble.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis, I am Elie from Lebanon.
I wanted to ask you is it possible to be admitted into a masters program that is taught in japanese and into a similarly japanese language oriented research lab if i have no previous knowledge of the Japanese language. If it is possible to be admitted and given 6 months of japanese language courses, would that be enough for studying a complete program in japanese?
Hi Elie,
Unfortunately, no, that would not be possible.
The 6-month language course is designed just to teach you some basic Japanese so you can survive daily life. It is not going to get you to an academic level of Japanese sufficient for a graduate degree.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello, thank you so much for all the great information!
I have a master’s degree from a not-so-high-placed university (but has a great thesis advisor) in my country with a very high GPA. I will also be doing another master’s degree on another subject next year at a top university in my country (also has partnerships with top universities in Japan) and will aim to at least score a 3.50/4.00 GPA. Bearing in mind that they consider the last 4 semesters and demand the transcripts for those, I will naturally be sending in both master’s degree transcripts (since each degree is 1 year with a thesis).
My question is, does the quality of institutions matter when they review an application? Will the quality of my first institution actually hamper my application and jeopardize my prospects?
Thank you in advance!
Hi Eric,
The quality of institution doesn’t make a significant amount of difference at the university’s level, since the universities won’t know much about schools in your country, anyway. I think that, if your phrase your approach right, moving on to a better university to further your education will help you, more than the other way around!
Good Luck
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi TranSenz
My name is Ngoc.
First of all, I would like to thank you for your sharing very much.
At the present, I got a professor’s provisional acceptance. However, the professor is not on the list I sent to the Embassy. I hope you do not mind me asking you a question. Can I change the name of professor or university when I pass the first stage of process? I am looking forward to hearing from you soon.
Thanks and Best Regards,
Ngoc
Hi Ngoc,
Thank you for your kind words. I’m sorry it has taken me so long to get back to you.
About changing the list on your placement preference form, that depends on your embassy, so I would recommend that you ask there.
In the past, I’ve heard that almost everyone who asked was able to change their placement preference form after passing the primary screening and receiving their LoAs.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
Thank you for these informative blog posts.
May I ask how strict are they that the fields of study have to be completely related?
My undergraduate degree was in Sociology but I would like to apply for a Masters in Political Science as I took some Pol Sci courses in university and the jobs that I worked at after graduation are also related to political science.
Is it highly likely that the application will be rejected?
Thank you.
Hi Viv,
How similar is your actual research topic?
If you’re planning to build off your past sociology research with your new research topic in Japan and can show how they are linked, then you still have a chance, I think.
Hopefully, you’ve taken some courses in Poli Sci already, too?
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
How strict are they that the fields of study have to be completely related?
My undergraduate degree was in Sociology but I would like to apply for a Masters in Political Science as I took some Pol Sci courses in university and the jobs that I worked at after graduation are also related to political science.
Is it highly likely that the application will be rejected?
Thank you.
Hi Jen,
I’ve put together an FAQ about the Field of Study and Research Program that I hope will answer your question.
Check out the link above!
Good Luck,
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis
I hope everything is going well in your life
First of all, i want to thank you for everything you are doing to help
applicants who is applying for the MEXT scholarship like me. You can’t
imagine how helpful your website is.
Now, i am wondering if my case is not deplorable
I am undergraduated student in Project Management and We speak french in my country
For my application for MEXT Scholarship (Research Student), i really
wanted to study Competitive intelligence in japan but the thing is
after all my research (like you said on your website) i found that
there is no competitive intelligence courses in the Whole Japan. It
seems like it is a day-to-day thing in their administration and it is
what make them be one of the biggest economy in the world ( So for
them, there is no need of giving that kind of course in Japan). Of
course, there is like one or two japanese authors whose research and
work is related.
But as all my research and hope studying this topic end pointless i
decided then to study International Project Management.
Now my questions about all that is :
1- What do you advise me ? ( About that competitive
intelligence’s course) The only thing i can do is to give up right ?
2- What do you really mean by “doing your own original research” ?
3- Based on your experiences what is the right thing to do in my case ?
I’m really expecting your answer
Thank you for everything
Holel
Hi Holel,
Thank you for your kind words.
1. I have never heard the term “competitive intelligence” before. I can’t tell whether it is something in psychology, leadership, or artificial intelligence. I would recommend that you try searching for a more common, or broader term, then find someone whose research sounds like it matches “competitive intelligence” and find out what they call their field of study and apply for that. If it’s something as common as you say, there’s a good chance that it might just be called something else here.
2. Original research means experimenting or working with primary sources, instead of just recapping and rehashing what other people have done in the past.
3. Try to search for a broader term for your field of study. Once you identify the state of that research in Japan, you can narrow down again based on the content of the research to find a professor close enough to what you want to study.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi,
I am currently an undergraduate student and would like to apply for the MEXT scholarship for research students. I am not very sure on how to pick a research topic. I studied economics and picking a research topic that hasn’t been done is pretty hard. But I came up with one topic, I just need your opinion on the topic : ” The effects of the Japanese media on the economic development in Japan, are the Italy’s really taking over the economy?”
What do you think? Does it seem like a topic that the Japanese embassy would be interested in?
Hi Njaney,
I’ve put together an FAQ about the Field of Study and Research Program that I hope will answer your question.
Check out the link above!
Good Luck,
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Tran,i`m Rebecca,a Nigerian,my first question is that can Nigerians apply for this scholarship?
The copy of the scholarship application form that i downloaded through the link that u sent to me via my email is a sampled one,please for God sake i need the original one.Another thing is that i just finished my secondary school so please i need your help,i don`t seem to understand the difference between the Embassy-Recommend scholarship and the university scholarship but the scholarship i need is one that can cover the traveling expenses and tuition fee so please i need your help
Hi Rebecca,
You would need to check with the Japanese Embassy in Nigeria to find out if you are eligible to apply. I don’t know exactly which types of the scholarship are available in each country. I know Nigerians are eligible for the University-recommended scholarship, so I assume the Embassy-recommended MEXT scholarship is available too.
Both scholarships have similar awards and coverage, it’s just a matter of where you submit your application.
You will be able to get the blank application form from the Embassy or the University where you plan to apply, so please check with them!
Good Luck,
Travis from TranSenz
Hey Travis,
Hope you are doing great. i am a little bit confuse with some thing here. For the second part of the ‘Field of Study and Study Program’ paper (Your Research topic in Japan) am I suppose to choose a topic that relates to the needs of my country or Japan?
Hi Alain,
I’ve put together an FAQ about the Field of Study and Research Program that I hope will answer your question.
Check out the link above!
Good Luck,
– Travis from TranSenz
Please help me out… Am interested in MEXT undergraduate scholarship but I don’t know when the scholarship application will start and it’s possible dead line.
Hi George,
The deadline is different for every country, so you need to contact the nearest Japanese embassy to find out.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis i have a few question:
1. Do you have guild lines to fill in the placement form?
2. In terms of looking for a professor for you research topic, from your observation/ experience, are they most likely to accept you if you chose their exact title but the detail will be different or Different title but similar / related to their research…
Lorraine
Hi Lorraine,
1. Not yet. To produce that, I have to come up with a whole simulated research topic, so even though it’s a shorter form, creating a sample takes a lot longer. Still working on it.
2. I doubt you would end up having the exact same research title as a professor. Your topic should be in the same narrow field and close enough to the professor’s area of interest that they would be interested in supervising you, but it doesn’t have to match.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis!
Thank you so much for this web! I have already submitted my application the last week. But now I am a bit anxious about what I did 😀 I realized that I actually put some documents only originals, not 1 original and the rest copies… E.g. I put a photograph and signed all the three application forms. Do you think it is a problem? I hope I did not screw it up on such a stupid thing 🙁
Thank you so much for your reply!
Manuela
Hi Manuela,
I don’t think there will be any problem with submitting three originals instead of one original and two copies. My understanding is that’s more for your convenience (so that you don’t need to acquire three originals), rather than the Embassy’s.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
I have applied for MEXT as a research student (for master’s degree). I must thank you deeply as I had nearly 10 days to prepare everything and you helped me greatly to get to the embassy with my documents.
What concerns me now in my wait are two questions:
1- Who inspects my research plan in the primary selection phase? And to be more specific through the first document screening? Are they from the professors I chose or specialists? I didn’t have enough time to make a perfect plan.. Actually I think it’s far from being perfect :D.
It has a good idea that I can defend, somehow -not completely- connected to the research fields of my mentioned professors, but it’s short and mainly outlines (Just the one page specified and it doesn’t have an exact methodology).
2- In case of a strong competition, what are the main points that can exclude an applicant? a- My grades, for the last 2 years of college as you explained but in UNI-recommended MEXT, are all excellent and very good (converted to 3). But the previous years had less grades. b- I don’t have a thesis. We don’t have a graduation thesis (Other applicants may have independent or Master’s thesis published). c- For languages, I have a kind-of-high TOEFL iBT score. I don’t know if it matters during this stage.
Last year 90 applicants passed the “document screening” out of nearly 450 in my country (based on my guess from last year’s information). This year I feel (based also on my number and the people frequency I met at the embassy) that the number is higher. I’m sure there are many incomplete applications but surely not 80% of the total! Can I get excluded before the examinations and interview just if applicants are more than a certain number? And for what other than obvious mistakes?
Thanks a lot 🙂
Unfortunately, I didn’t include a timeline for my research either, thinking that in my scientific field it won’t be that clear until I contact my professor and establish a coherent research plan according to his current work, assessment and modification of my idea and methodology.
> I just read the FAQ and wanted to further clarify my situation.
Thanks again.
Hi Basant,
Hopefully by this point, you’ve heard back.
Of course, both the embassy and university should know that most things in your research proposal will change a little after you start working with your professor. That should not be a problem. That’s why I recommend putting in a rough timeline to start – you’re not going to be strictly held to is, so it doesn’t matter much if it’s a little off.
I don’t think the lack of a timeline alone would be enough of a problem to lose you the scholarship, so don’t worry about it too much!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Basant,
Sorry it has taken me so long to get back to you.
1. In the first stage, it is the Embassy personnel who inspect your research plan, though they may refer to specialists in your field from local universities. After you pass the primary screening, you will send that same plan to the universities/professors you chose for their review.
You will also have a chance to defend your plan or discuss it further (with the embassy, at least) in the interview.
2. The most important points of consideration are your grades (although I am not entirely sure to what degree they are factored in at the Embassy level) and your Field of Study and Research Program Plan. Also, there may be different priorities for different countries, so in that case, the field of study that you choose itself may be a factor. Each embassy is allowed to limit or prioritize different fields of study according to their needs.
Having a bachelor’s thesis or not is not so much of a big deal. Also, for language proficiency, you will take a test at the embassy, so that is going to be more important to your final score than your IELTS scores (since the Embassy doesn’t ask for those).
I reviewed applications at the university level, not the embassy, so I do not have any direct experience in what can get an applicant eliminated at that stage, but I can certainly say that meeting all of the eligibility criteria, having a good GPA, and a solid field of study and research program plan are among the most important factors!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi,
I’m Godfred, I studied BSc petroleum engineering. I’m not getting a Master’s degree in petroleum engineering can you please help me out. But I intend switching to nuclear engineering. Is this allowed. Thanks a lot.
Hi Godfred,
I’ve put together an FAQ about the Field of Study and Research Program that I hope will answer your question.
Check out the link above!
Good Luck,
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi There! Thanks so much for these articles, they are endlessly helpful.
For contacting professors, I have identified a few professors at one school who I think could potentially advise me. Should I make a contact with all of them to get a sense of whose research interests might best align with my own?
Hi Christa,
Thank you for your kind comments!
I think it never hurts to start getting in contact with professors early to discuss research topics and see if they would be a good fit. I would not recommend that you talk about the MEXT scholarship or ask for a Letter of Acceptance until you have built up a little bit of a relationship or until you pass the Primary Screening and can legitimately ask for one.
In the meantime, do not get discouraged if professors do not contact you in return. A lack of responsiveness doesn’t necessarily indicate a lack of interest in your topic. Sometimes, it’s just a lack of interest in dealing with email from someone they don’t know.
If a professor does not respond now, you can always try to approach him or her again once it is time to ask for a Letter of Acceptance.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis. Thank you for all the information you post. It has been a great help. I am currently applying for the embassy recommended research student scholarship. I know it’s at graduate school level but can I choose an undergraduate professor as my advisor? If so, can i get my acceptance letter signed by that professor? Thank you in advance.
Hi Dinu,
It often happens that a faculty member who belongs to the undergraduate level administratively also teaches and or advises at the graduate school level, but you would have to check on a case-by-case basis.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
I’m an undergraduate applying for mext undergraduate scholarship. Can i apply for natural science A (chemistry) course without taking physics?
Thank you!
Pearl
Hi Pearl,
Natural Sciences majors must sit for the English exam, mathematics Eexam, Japanese exam, plus two out of the following three: biology, chemistry, and physics. So, you could skip physics if you choose.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello,
Thanks for this information.
I want to study a masters in Structural Engineering but Hokkaido Univeristy and Kyoto University seem to be the only ones taking it in English. I want to add a program in Japanese from another university but my Japanese Knowledge is 0. Do you recommend i still add a japanese language program in MSc Structural Engineering as the third choice? And can i go as a research student to the school treating the program in Japanese and then sometime after improving my Japanese i sign up for the masters?
Hi Kaf,
No, I would not recommend adding a program taught in Japanese if you do not have any Japanese language ability. There would be no way for you to learn the language to a sufficient language to complete your degree in such a short time (even if you were to enroll as a research student first).
You would be better off sticking with only the English-taught programs.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi, Travis my name is Andro
first of all, I wanted to thank you for taking the time to write all these information and details. It has been a great help for me. I really appreciate your efforts trying to help everyone else interested in studying in Japan.
My question is about the recommendation letter. I have followed your way about how to make the Dean sign my recommendation letter. I have told my advisor that the dean have to sign it and he took my recommendation letter to him and asked him to sign it. my concern now is about whether or not MEXT is going to try to reach the Dean to ask about me because I don’t know him personally and he might not remember. I have graduated three years ago and the Dean has changed since I graduated.
Do I have to worry about this.
Hi Andro,
Thank you for your kind comments! I’m sorry for the late reply.
No, you do not need to worry about this. In a Japanese university, it would be the same way – the Dean would probably not specifically remember every student he or she had signed a letter of recommendation for. I also highly doubt MEXT would try to contact your Dean unless there was something suspicious about the letter!
Good Luck,
Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
First of all, thank you for your blogs. They are undoubtedly helpful for all aspiring applicants. Everything we need is almost here.
I would just like to ask about the forms. This is just a very simple matter, but I feel uncomfortable with this.
The font size in the forms is extremely small (7.5 only). This is the default font size for the Field of Study and Study Program form. Would it be okay to change the font size? If so, should I change the font size of everything (including the headings, the questions, etc), or should I just change the font size of the entries I am going to write?
Am I also right in assuming that we are asked to make some sort of “time table” for the Field of Study and Study Program’s third item “Study program in Japan: (Describe in detail and with specifics — particularly concerning the ultimate goal(s) of your research in Japan)”
Thank you!
Hi Jan,
There is no need to change the font of the headings – everyone should already know what they say – but I think it is a good idea to change the font of what you write to a reasonable size. Times New Roman 12 pt is fairly standard in Japan (though it’s called something else here, it’s identical).
For the Study Program in Japan, yes, you should write out a timeline of how you will go about your research. I plan to break this down in an upcoming article that I’m researching now.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
Thank you for your post. I just found out about the MEXT scholarship recently so I started the process quite late, but your blog has been extremely helpful.
I am currently an undergraduate senior, and I don’t actually graduate until after the MEXT application deadline for my region. I am hoping to apply for the Embassy Recommended scholarship. I saw one of your blog posts on University MEXT GPA eligibility, and since this was written a couple years ago, I was wondering if MEXT still has these GPA requirements (or perhaps if this is only for the university recommended track).
If it is required, I figured I should calculate mine before I proceed any further along the application process and spend money on the X-ray exams and medical checkups. I was wondering how MEXT would calculate my GPA if I have yet to finish my final year. You mentioned that they calculate the last two years on my transcript, but does that mean they start from the last quarter that I finished (which would still be this school year, winter quarter), or from the last full school year (which would be my junior year)?
Thank you again!
Angelica
Hi Angelica,
I am only certain about the GPA requirements for the University-recommended scholarship and Domestic selection MEXT scholarship, since I used to have to check those. For the Embassy-recommended MEXT scholarship, that would be checked at the Embassy level. However, I can’t think of any reason why the requirements would be different for the Embassy and I never saw an applicant with a converted GPA under 2.3.
If you haven’t finished your final year (which is often the case), your GPA would be calculated based on the classes you took over the last 4 semesters that you do have grades for. That means that they would start calculating from the middle of a year, if necessary.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Transenz!
Thank you so much for your willingness to help.
My materials are almost ready, but I have a question about the recommendation form for Embassy-recommendation. Should the President of my school address the recommendation letter to the Consulate-General, the Embassy, or someone else?
Thank you for all you do!
Hi Centuries,
That would be fine. There are no particular requirements for the letter stated in the guidelines. It’s a freeform letter now, but when there was a format for the Embassy-recommended application letter of acceptance in the past, it wasn’t addressed to anyone, it was just an evaluation.
Good Luck
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis, my name is Victor and I´m from Chile.
I have a few question about the process.
1.- I have a CAE certification and looking at the application form it has, in the area where you write about your english certification, an option to write an english certification other than toefl or ielts. But my doubt is if the universities will accept the CAE or they will reject me because I don’t have a toefl or ielts certification.
2.- Is possible to start studying as a research student and later move to an MBA and keep the scholarship?
Thanks for everything
Hi Victor,
1) There is no harm in writing your CAE in the application form. You’d have to check each university’s requirements to find out whether or not that would accept that as an alternative to a TOEFL or IELTS score. They might be more forgiving for the Embassy-recommended MEXT application than they would otherwise.
2) You would have to find a university that accepts MBA applicants via the MEXT scholarship and accepts research students, but if you can find one, then yes, it would be possible. But why not try to get in to the MBA straight away?
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
This is really helpful. Thank you very much.
I have a question if you can kindly help me figuring it out. In the case I want to apply for a non-degree Research student, what is the best approach for choosing universities. I have some contact with professors in Keio university and Nagoya university who are interested in similar subjects as me, but the first university is private and the second in former imperial university. Does your advice about choosing universities take into consideration the non-degree research student application?
2) I am a Ph.D. student in (pure) mathematics in my country. From the universities’ websites that I have consulted, it is clear that there is more focus on applied sciences rather than theoretical sciences. Do you have some specific advice for applicants in my fields of study?
Hi Aymane,
In most cases, students who apply for research student status plan to move on to the degree program later, so yes, my advice still stands in that case. Regardless of whether you are a research student or a degree-seeking student, the professor will still need to take time to advise you, so you still need to factor in the demands on his or her time.
However, I wouldn’t discourage you from applying to the university that’s going to best suit your research. That comment was directed more toward applicants who aren’t really focused in on a particular professor and are still exploring options.
2) Unfortunately, I don’t know enough about your field of study to be sure that I can recognize the difference. I know there are some Graduate Schools of Science and Engineering, etc., that have a department of mathematics. Mathematics and theoretical sciences may just be departments within a school with an applied sciences name.
Sorry I can’t be more helpful.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you for making MEXT scholarship clear.
The guidelines say that the meaning of the research student “Those who are enrolled in a master’s course, a doctoral course, or a professional graduate course at a graduate school, or who are conducting research in a specialized field at an undergraduate department, graduate school, institute attached to a university, ”
My question is can I apply if I’m not enrolled in such courses?
Thank you in advance
Hi Suad,
Actually, you can only apply for the scholarship if you’re not enrolled in a program in Japan (or if you will finish your program before the scholarship starts).
You should be starting a new degree program, or research student status, when you start the scholarship.
So, you’re in perfect shape to apply!
Good Luck,
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi,
I have 2 questions which need your help.
1. Do I must give the name of professors in Placement Preference Form or I can leave it blank? Because some universities do not allow to contact to professors before pass first screening round, so I can not decide the name of professors to fill in.
2. Should I print application documents in 2 sides or 1 side?
Thank you.
Hi Alyssa,
1) You don’t need to get the professors’ permission to list them in the Placement Preference Form. At this point, this is a list of the professors that you most want to reach out to to request assistance.
The form specifically says to start contacting universities after the Primary Screening, so it is assumed that you wouldn’t have acceptance yet.
2) This year, the instructions do not specific whether the forms should be printed single- or double-sided. I’d recommend that you double-check with your embassy/consulate to make sure that they don’t have any specific instructions. If they don’t, then I would print single-sided. It’s safer if you need to replace a page, etc.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello TranSenz,
Thank you so much for putting together such rich information concerning MEXT scholarship.
I have gotten quite some understanding to aid the application process. From my understanding of your write-up and your replies to comments, I figured that “my present field of study should be the course I majored in for my Bachelors degree.” please correct me if I am wrong.
But I still have some difficulties knowing what to write in some aspects of the application form. These include the below:
1- writing about research topic in Japan and
2- writing about study program in Japan.
Reason for the difficulty is that, I want to apply for a “taught masters degree program” and not “research masters program”.
I would really appreciate your kind response.
Regards,
Glory.
Hi Glory,
Yes, your present field of study would be your major from your Bachelor’s degree.
I’m working on a new guide to help walk you through the process of writing the Field of Study and Research Program plan, and it’s not possible to answer such a broad question until I have that whole thing ready. If you want to know when it’s ready, then I would encourage you to sign up for my mailing list, if you haven’t already.
A Master’s degree is a research degree in Japan. Depending on your program there may be more or less coursework involved, but you should absolutely plan on doing your own original research!
Good Luck,
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Glory,
I’ve put together an FAQ about the Field of Study and Research Program that I hope will answer your question.
Check out the link above!
Good Luck,
– Travis from TranSenz
Hiii!
I have several questions about MEXT scholarships.
1. What is the difference between under graduate studies and college of technology studies?
2. If i get a scholarship to undergraduate studies , then after 4 years what type of degree can i get?? Example : BSc( maths)
3. College of technology 3 yrs course is a diploma or adegree???
Hi Hasith,
1. Undergraduate studies is for a four-year bachelor’s degree. Colleges of technology, on the other had, offer vocational education, such as practical training in engineering. The degree you would receive at the end is considered a foundational degree and, if you wanted to earn a bachelor’s, you would have to transfer to a university for approximately two more years.
You can find out more about the fields offered in the respective scholarships’ guidelines on MEXT’s website.
2. Bachelor’s Degree. Whether it is a BA or BS would depend on your field of study.
3. It’s really more of a professional qualification than anything else.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello! My name is Priscilla and I am currently applying for the MEXT scholarship as an undergraduate student. Although, my question pertains to the format of the application. Is there any way I can ensure that it prints correctly (no cut off pages, checkboxes left intact)? Also, one of the pages does not allow me to type either, and I was wondering if it had to do with the application I am using to load it (Microsoft Word 2016)? If so, what would you recommend instead? Thank you so much for your time in reading this and for helping others, like myself, with the Monbukagakusho Scholarship applications. I hope you have a wonderful day!!
Hi Priscilla,
I haven’t worked with the undergraduate scholarship, so I don’t know much about those forms directly, but it sounds like you’re having more of a software problem than anything.
The application form should be an excel file, not word, so that might be part of the problem. If you’re not using the most recent excel version of the application form, you can get it from MEXT’s website. You want the top excel file on the page.
The form should print properly on A4 sized paper. If you print on US Letter-size paper, you may have to use the shrink to fit option in the print settings. I would also recommend downloading the Japanese language pack for your operating system, as that might help the fonts display properly and avoid printing errors.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Mr. Travis,
My name is Rahmat. Just like other people commenting here, I want to appreciate all of your information on this site.
I want to ask something to you, so maybe I should explain to you my status right now:
I just graduated from the undergraduate program, now having a bachelor degree. I finished all of the bachelor curriculum faster so I am able to graduate in 7 semesters (normally 8 semesters). So now my total educational record is 15 years and 6 months, due to a faster graduate of my bachelor degree.
Since I was still on campus, I already have an intention to apply MEXT for a graduate program, and so I try to make a relationship with one of the professor at Kumamoto University. Long story short, the professor agreed with my research plan and said that he is ready to supervise me (i.e. also issue LoA to me) and that I should apply MEXT University Recomendation.
I did apply the MEXT University Recommendation, but this is a special case where my educational record was only 15.5 years and the prior screening having same time with my thesis defense, and so I lost my chance to apply University Recommendation (I do feel that this was so sad).
Now MEXT’s Research Student comes up, and now my status is “Applying MEXT and already have a prospective supervisor”.
My questions are:
1. On the “Placement Form”, if I only fill my first choice with Kumamoto University and stated my prospective supervisor, then let the second and third choice blank, do you think I am “too lazy to do a research about Japanese professor”? Since I think that those 3 choices are just an extra opportunity for me should my first choice did not want to supervise me, or the second, and so on, while I actually already have a fine Professor that already read my research plan and agreed to supervise me and give me LoA?
2. On my country’s Embassy website, one of the requirements regarding Letter of Recommendation is roughly translated as follows “Letters of recommendation from University last level of education”. Well, I have an information from quite a lot of friends that if I already have a prospective supervisor that agreed to supervise me, I should ask him for my Letter of Recommendation rather than ask to my Dean or so. Do you think that this intention is valid (and might give a plus in my application score)? Or should I stick to LoR from my University? Please let me know.
3. Still same about Letter of Recommendation. Well, my Dean told me that MEXT did not consider the title of the recommender (should it Dean, or vice Dean, Head of Department, Head of Bachelor Program, or even just my bachelor supervisor). Is that true?
My questions are over.
Finally, thank you for your time Mr. Travis.
Rahmat
Hi Rahmat,
Thank you for your kind comments.
1) If you have a good reason for selecting only one university and can justify it (e.g. you have an existing relationship with that professor and know your research interests match and he has agreed to supervise you), then you should be fine listing just one university. It helps that it’s a national university in your case.
I would recommend researching at least one to two others just to be able to say in the interview that you did look them up and why you decided not to list them.
2) No, I don’t think that is a valid alternative. The application guidelines are clear that it must be your advisor, dean, or president of the last university you graduated from. It might help as an extra letter, but it wouldn’t meet the application guideline requirements. (I know that where I worked, we would have rejected that letter).
3) For the Embassy-recommended scholarship, your letter can come from your advisor or the Dean or President. (The rules are stricter for the University-recommended application). If you are getting a letter from your advisor, that can be stated in the letter (e.g. “I was Rahmat’s undergraduate supervisor”) and the person’s specific title is not important.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Mr. Travis,
Thanks for the very detailed explanation. I must be applying an instant rejection application if I did not ask you first.
May good things always be with you, Mr. Travis.
– Rahmat
Thank you very much for this informative article. I looked at the Field of study and Research Program Plan document, and saw that there is 1 1/2 pages of space to write about the research topic. Do you have any recommendations on things like structure and how specific it should be?
I assumed that I would have to send a research proposal to the professor (which are typically way longer than 1 page), but is sending just the research plan satisfactional?
Also, at what point do I send my research program plan to the teacher? Is it like a job application, where I just send a detailed explanation of why I want to study under him, what my background is, etc.?
Rutger
Hi Rutger,
You do want to keep your Field of Study and Research Program Plan concise. Professors will probably be reviewing dozens of these each year, and they know that there is a relatively low possibility that the applicant will end up in their lab, so many of them don’t want to spend too much time (i.e. read an entire research paper).
I wrote an article with tips about the Field of Study and Research Program Plan here. I do plan to go back and revise it in the future with more detail, but that probably won’t be in time for your application, so I’d recommend looking at the previous article in the mean time.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you for making MEXT scholarship clear.
The guidelines say that the meaning of the research student “Those who are enrolled in a master’s course, a doctoral course, or a professional graduate course at a graduate school, or who are conducting research in a specialized field at an undergraduate department, graduate school, institute attached to a university, ”
My question is can I apply if I’m not enrolled in such courses?
Thank you in advance
Hi Soad,
You can only apply if you are not enrolled in such a course at this time.
You will enroll in that course concurrently with the start of the scholarship.
I hope that helps!
Good Luck,
Travis from TranSenz
Dear Mr. Travis,
It’s my pleasure to start the Q&A part of this thread.
I have a question related to the placement preference form. Since many universities do not allow students to contact professors until they get the notification of passing the primary screening, it is difficult to know whether the professors listed in the form are ready for supervision or not (they may have sufficient PhD students already, or they have recently switched the research interests, etc.). I have a hypothesis, if I list Professor A from ABC University to the list, but after I pass the primary screening, for whatever reasons, he does not accept me, so can I be accepted by another professor of this university? At that stage, do the university help me to find other suitable professor?
Hi Dzung,
It depends on the university.
Where I worked, graduate schools would get together as a whole to review applications, they wouldn’t get evaluated by just one professor.
In that case, the faculty members would determine the most appropriate professor based on your field of study and research program plan, even if it was not the professor you wanted.
Even if that is not the case, if a professor is not able to supervise you for the reasons you suggested, I think it would be reasonable to ask him/her to suggest an alternative professor if he/she does not volunteer a name.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi there,
Am I right to say that I can either opt for University recommendation or embassy recommendation to apply for MEXT scholarship?
I’m pretty confused now since MEXT indicated a “yes” in both Embassy and university recommendation in http://www.studyjapan.go.jp/en/toj/toj0302e-10.html. So I was under the impression that I have to go through both as part of the application process.
Regards
Kelvin
Hi Kelvin,
Yes, you can apply for Embassy recommendation, university recommendation, or both. (For the scholarship for graduate students).
Only the Embassy recommendation process has started so far for 2018.
If you go through the Embassy, you will have to get Letters of Acceptance from the universities you want to apply to. If you go through the university, you will not have to do anything with the embassy (except apply for your visa).
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
How should I tackle the “present field of study” on the field of study and study program form.
Thanks in advance
Hi John,
You want to go into more than just your major in this section. Talk about specific research you’ve done (i.e. papers, conference presentations) related to what you want to study in Japan. It would be best if you can try to connect it to show how your past research led to your current interests, or something like that.
I will be working on an updated set of instructions for that form, but I’m still in the early stages of research for it, so it will be some time, I’m afraid.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Transenz,
Can’t express just how useful all of these guides have been. They’ve really made the process a whole lot easier.
I am a student in the UK and am starting to apply for the Embassy-Recommended Scholarship. I think (with the help of your guides) I basically know what I am doing, and which Universities I am going to apply to. I have a couple of questions though.
Should we contact professors before or after submitting our application to the embassy? In the ‘placement preference’ form it says to do this once we’ve passed the first stage of screening. I already have the Unis, schools and professors that I plan to contact, so should I get the process underway? It feels like it may be slightly preemptive to contact them now considering it won’t be until early next year that I apply directly to the Unis.
How does the Embassy calculate GPA scores? I’ve read on other guides that the minimum GPA is a 2.3 on MEXT’s scale, but this puts UK graduates at somewhat of a disadvantage because of how our grades are stratified. Would the embassy be able to recognise good grades even if they are below the requirement? I have a good academic record, but I am worried that I may not quite meet a 2.3 GPA, or if I do be only just above it.
In the application form it asks for a thesis title. Should I put down my undergraduate dissertation thesis? It is unlikely to be published in any journal, and since it was handed in only this week, it won’t be marked until after the application deadline closes. Because of this, I won’t be able to include a copy of the abstract in the application form.
In terms of academic references, do I collect these and then send them with the rest of the forms to the Embassy, or are these requisitioned by the Embassy itself?
Thanks again for all your help, has all been really invaluable so far.
Hi Lawrence,
Thank your for your kind comments!
Contacting universities: I do not recommend contacting them now to ask for a Letter of Acceptance, but you can start trying to network based on research interests. You will contact them to apply for a Letter of Acceptance after passing the Primary Screening (and no later than Aug 31).
GPA: The conversion typically does take into account various countries’ grading systems. It’s not a simple correlation of percentages. For example, we used to convert UK grades with a score equivalent to First class or Upper Second as “3”, Lower second as “2”, Third/pass as “1” at my university. UK students (and those on a UK system) were rarely at a disadvantage. In any case, the Japanese Embassy in the UK is going to be most familiar with the scoring system there and you will only be competing against other UK students, so you shouldn’t have a problem.
Thesis: Yes, you would put your undergraduate dissertation thesis title (and attach an abstract). An “abstract” means an overview of the thesis or proposal, it has nothing to do with whether it’s been marked or not, so you should be able to submit one for your current thesis.
Letters of Reference: You collect them yourself and submit them with the rest of your documents.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Dear transenz,
I recently passed veterinary science from Nepal. Now i want to apply for embassy recommended scholarships for masters degree. I reviewed your articles and it was very helpful. I have some questions though.
In Nepal deadline to apply for Mext is june 2. Should we contact universities and professors before this deadline?
Hi Sajita Gyawali,
I do not recommend contacting universities to inquire about a Letter of Acceptance before you pass the primary screening. However, if you want to network with professors in general, as I described in this article, that’s acceptable.
Just be prepared for the fact that they may not be interested in replying to you at this stage, since you’re still in the early stages.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you so much Sir/Ma. The Information contained on this page is so insightful and thoughtful not to mention highly relevant. I appreciate you for taking the time, doing research on these issues and coming up with these clear guidelines. God bless you Sir/Ma.
Thank you so much for maintaining this website and clearing so many things up! I’m super happy to have found this resource.
I will finish my bachelor’s this summer and I’ve just found out about the MEXT program.
I’ve read all of your advice and I think I’m eligible and might even have reasonable chances (good grades, relevant motivation & japan related study plan etc.).
However, I’m anxious about the university recommendation letter from my current university. My current advisor is not on good terms with me and my work and I’m afraid he might not be willing to write or even just sign a recommendation letter (because it would be extra effort to him and he really doesn’t care). I know this question might be hard to answer, but do you have any tips regarding this? Is there maybe a way to get a recommendation letter from someone else? Both MEXT routes require this recommendation letter, correct?
I’m very sad that my chances to apply for MEXT seem to depend on one single person instead of my overall abilities and academic performance..
Hi Adam,
If you can get a recommendation letter from your Dean or President of your university, that would be even better. Perhaps if you are on good terms with another professor in your faculty, you could ask him/her to help you get it signed. (As I wrote in another article – focused on the University-recommended MEXT scholarship, the Dean doesn’t need to write the letter, just sign it!)
For the Embassy-recommended MEXT scholarship, a letter from your advisor (or the Dean or President) is acceptable, but for the University-recommended scholarship it would have to come from the Dean or President.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi there! Thanks for all the help so far.
I’ve essentially done everything I need to do for the application at this point, and I’m getting it reviewed by someone at my University. However I’ve got a question about placements.
The course I do in the UK is incredibly specialised (BSc Music Technology – Think Science & Music), and the only university that offers a course that is similar to what I want to do is Keio. I’m aware that Keio is a private university and the tuition fees are quite expensive, so I’m struggling to find an alternative course. There is one at Waseda that is *slightly* similar but more off the beaten track, and is also a private university. No Local or National universities offer what I want to do, which is a bummer.
So my question is, will I be ok putting down Keio first and Waseda second as my choices? Has anyone you know who has applied to Keio got in via Embassy MEXT? If I don’t get the MEXT scholarship I won’t be too disheartened, however I think I will struggle a lot more if I pick a course that I have 0 interest in.
Thanks for everything!
G
Hi George,
If there is only one university that offers a program in your field and you’re willing to go “Keio or bust”, then it’s OK to list just the one school. You’ll need to be prepared to defend that decision in your interview, just in case.
I think you would be OK putting just Keio and Waseda or even just Keio on your form. (I remember hearing a rumor that Keio demanded applicants only list Keio on their placement preference form, but I haven’t been able to substantiate that). If you pass the primary screening and get LoAs from one or both of those schools, you are not going to be turned down for the scholarship just because the tuition is higher.
For what it’s worth, I agree with your way of thinking: I’d rather go for the scholarship or bust in a field/program I’m passionate about rather than wind up getting the scholarship but stuck in a course I don’t have interest in.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello
I am a fresh graduate in Mechanical Engineering and I researched quite a lot about MEXT scholarship for research students.
I had a research proposal which is a bit unique and I don’t see any professor working on it. But I was able to find professors who are in the relevant field of study.
I have mailed them with what I want to do and why .I am still awaiting reply .
It seems unlikely that it would get accepted so should I modify my research proposal a bit which already has something that professors are working on ??? like for better chances.
The ultimate goal is the same. Like for example A field of study that has 10 subgroups , I found research is going on for 3 of them but mine is different .However , the ultimate goal is the same i.e., to get expertise in the field so I choose the ones that are being researched .
Any comments
Hi Anshul,
If you can find professors who are close enough to your field of study to be able to supervise your research, that should be all you need. They don’t need to match exactly.
If the professors don’t reply, you could try again politely in a week or so. April 29-May 7 was a long holiday in Japan and most universities weren’t in session, so you want to give them time to recover from that and catch up before pushing them again for a reply.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello,
I know the importance of emailing professors, and i have tried (this year and last) however a lot of Universities (Rikyou, Waseda, Retsumeikan) all list on their websites something along the lines of “please get in contact after passing the first stage of the process”. I have tried emailing professors directly from using the researcher data bases on the university websites, but they don’t reply. When I contacted Waseda about this they just said select your preferred professor to study under and put their name on the form, you do not need to make contact before passing the first stage, but understand if you do pass the first stage and then contact us, the professor might change.
However i have also been in contact with one University that was very helpful and put me in contact with professors, and even gave me a preliminary interview to help me. I just thought i would tell you what the process has been like for me, maybe others will tell you the same.
I guess a question i do have about this, which you might not know, is if i said this in the interview (if i passed the first stage) do you think this would hurt my chances? maybe they would see it as me not preparing enough. But it is the truth.
Hi Jack,
That was my experience, too, when I worked at the university (I talked about it a little in my previous article about the Embassy-Recommended MEXT scholarship). Professors would not give Embassy-MEXT applicants the time of day before passing the Primary screening.
When I wrote my original article, I recommended the same course of action you got from Waseda. However, since then, a lot of commenters wrote in saying that they had success in building relationships with professors beforehand, so I gave some advice about how to do that in this article. My intent, though, was to recommend that you start contacting professors to build a relationship based on research interests and wanting to study with them. I would not recommend mentioning the MEXT scholarship early in that relationship. There is no benefit to bringing it up until after you have passed the primary screening.
I am glad to hear that you had one university willing to help!
If it comes up in the interview, tell them the truth: That you contacted the universities, but they wouldn’t talk to you until after you passed the Primary Screening. That is a very common situation and the Embassy interviewers should be used to hearing the same thing. It shouldn’t hurt you at all.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi, Travis my name is Aran,
First off I wanted to thank you for putting all this information down. It’s been hugely helpful in the leap up to the application stage and now I’m filling out my application forms, it’s even more useful! I really appreciate you taking the time to give all this detail and help.
I’m looking to study in Tokyo with the aim of getting a PhD in quite a niche subject. I’ve recently finished a Master’s in marine mammal science which included working with information gained from tags carried by animals in the field. This is the topic I would like to investigate for a PhD and is quite a niche topic. As such, there are few departments globally, let alone in Japan that cover this subject, however the University of Tokyo is one of a very small number of universities that actually dedicates a whole department to the topic. Alongside this, they are affiliated with their very own data logger company which produces the tools used in their research. I’ve contacted a professor in this department whose work fits very well with my research aims, and I’m currently finalising a research proposal with him for the application.
Apologies for the long essay, but I wanted to give you some context here. Given the speciality of my research topic, is it acceptable to only put the University of Tokyo in the location preference form? I am quite concerned this will appear as laziness to those reading the application, especially given the emphasis you give on being well read on all other aspects of the application.
Finally, I wanted to ask about the reference forms. The letter sample that can be downloaded from the application webpage mentions an envelope marked “confidential”. Does this need to be an envelope specific to the Embassy or scholarship itself?
Apologies again for the long read, any comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance, and thank you for the work you’ve put into this website!
Aran
Hi Aran,
Yes, it is acceptable to put only one school on the Placement Preference Form. Typically, I would recommend against it, but for cases like yours, it sounds like you have a very good reason for putting only one and you can clearly articulate that reason, so you should not have a problem.
You may have to explain your reasoning during the interview, but telling them what you wrote above and perhaps mentioning one or two other schools that you considered but rejected should be sufficient.
For the recommendation letter, the format on MEXT’s website is a sample, only. You no longer have to use that template, but it would be good if the final letter contained the same information. As far as I know, it is not a requirement to seal it inside an envelope marked “confidential.” It used to be that way, but now, that does not appear in the application instructions anywhere (only in the sample form) and the instructions explicitly tel you to submit one original and two copies. So it would seem to be impossible to submit it inside an envelope.
I would contact your embassy to double-check and be sure, but it should be fine if the LoR is not in an envelope!
Good Luck
– Travis from TranSenz