Please Read the Updated Version!
Update! I have written an updated article for the 2021/2022 application cycle, and much of the information below is no longer valid. Please read the updated version at this link.
Congratulations on Passing the Embassy’s Primary Screening!
If you are reading this article, I assume you have passed the primary screening (or are preparing to pass in the near future). That’s a tremendous step! The vast majority of applicants do not make it that far.
In fact, almost all applicants who pass the Primary Screening and obtain at least one Letter of Acceptance from one university in Japan, end up receiving the MEXT Scholarship. The good news is that the screening to get a Letter of Acceptance is significantly less severe than the Embassy’s Primary Screening and, as long as you avoid the major causes for rejection that I discuss below, you should have no problems at this stage.
Note: In the 2019/2020 application cycle, there was a situation where several applicants were rejected even after passing the Primary Screening and obtaining a Letter of Provisional Acceptance. This was the first year I had heard of that happening in the 9 years that I have been working with this scholarship. I suspect it was because of MEXT budget constraints (that was the year that higher education became free in Japan for low-income families) and a late notification about reduced slot numbers that year and do not expect it to happen again, but I can no longer say that your scholarship is practically guaranteed, like I used to.
(If you are not yet at that stage, you can find my guides to applying for the Embassy Recommended MEXT Scholarship, the Embassy Interview, and identifying professors and universities in Japan on the MEXT Scholarship Information Page!)
So, what do you need to know about getting that letter of acceptance? Let’s get started.
Note: This Article is About the Application Process in 2020
If you are applying in 2020 for the MEXT Scholarship to begin in 2021, then this article is for you.
If you are applying in a later year, please understand that the entire Embassy-Recommended MEXT Scholarship was thrown off schedule by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, so there were significant changes to the dates and some other parts of the process. I suspect that most of these changes are a one-time issue, to account for the pandemic and the late start this year. So, I would also recommend reading my article from last year that covers the “normal” application, just in case.
Three Ways to FAIL to Get a Letter of Provisional Acceptance
Let’s get this out of the way first. There are three, completely avoidable ways to get rejected by a university. Almost every Letter of Provisional Acceptance (LoA) rejection I ever processed was for one of these three causes:
- Missing the Deadline: As of the 2020/2021 Embassy Recommended MEXT Scholarship Application Cycle (which occurs in 2020), the deadline to apply to universities for an LoA is Friday, November 20, 2019 (Japan time). If you do not have your application completely submitted by that time, you’re out. Be aware of time differences and don’t wait until the last minute. An application that hits the Japanese university’s inbox at 1:00 am on November 21 is not going to be accepted, even if it was still November 20 where you are.
You also want to avoid the possibility that your email isn’t delivered at all because it is too large or the university’s inbox is full. Submit it as early as you can! - Not Having the Language Ability: For some reason, every year I saw applicants to programs that were taught only in Japanese who had no Japanese language ability. Of course, they were all rejected. You need to have the requisite language ability as of the time you apply for the LoA or you don’t have a chance. (No, the one semester of Japanese language training that is offered will not improve your language ability that much. It’s not even intended to be academic Japanese in the first place, it is to help you develop enough ability for day-to-day interactions, only.)
This is an easily avoidable problem if you followed my advice in my article about how to find universities and professors in Japan. - Applying to a University Where No Professor Can Supervise Your Research: This was probably the single-most common reason for rejections at my former university. The rejection letters would say, “Great student, great research plan, but we don’t have any doing research in that field that can supervise you.”
This is mostly avoidable if you follow the advice in the article I listed above. The only part that is beyond your control is retirements and personnel changes. That’s one of the strongest arguments for trying to get in touch with prospective professors in advance.
If you can avoid those three pitfalls, you should have no problems securing two Letters of Provisional Acceptance. Here is the process you need to follow to make sure you get everything done.
Choosing Your Universities
By this point, you should already have selected up to three universities and professors that you want to apply to. If not, I have another guide to help you locate universities and professors in your field of study.
If you have already been in contact with the professors for networking, that is to your advantage, but even if you have tried to contact the professors and gotten no response, do not let that hold you back. Many universities will not respond at all until after you have passed the Primary Screening – it’s nothing personal. In fact, it might just be university policy!
Changing the Universities on your Placement Preference Form
If you have a list of universities and professors but want to change it from the information you entered on the Placement Preference Form, that should still be possible. This might be the case if you found a better university/professor after submitting your Placement Preference Form, or if the universities on your list reject your application and you need an alternative.
To find out for sure about changing the universities on your list, you should contact the Japanese embassy or consulate in Japan for more details on their policies. Usually, you will have to submit the Placement Preference Form again after acquiring the Letters of Provisional Acceptance and, at that time, you will have to make sure that the universities on that list are all universities that have offered you a Letter of Acceptance (or are still processing your request, but have not rejected your request outright). So, most applicants have to change the list on their form.
Deadlines
Applying to Universities for a Letter of Provisional Acceptance
After you have passed the primary screening and received your documents back, as well as the Passing Certificate of the Primary Screening from the Japanese Embassy or Consulate, you should contact the universities in Japan that you want to apply to immediately!
The deadline to contact universities to request a Letter of Provisional Acceptance for the 2021 scholarship application cycle is Friday, November 20, 2020 Japan Time. MEXT has instructed all universities in Japan that they are to refuse any applicant that contacts them on or after November 21. Keep in mind that Japan is ahead of most countries in terms of time zones. Do not wait until the last day! An emailed application sent on the 20th in your time zone that arrives after midnight in Japan will not be accepted.
Since you are sending your application by email, and that message is likely to have several large attachments, there is a chance that your application email might not be delivered. It could look like spam, be filtered because it is too large, or it could be rejected because the recipient’s email inbox is too full to accept it. If that happens, you might never know that your application didn’t arrive. I recommend sending two emails: The first one with no attachments that states your intent to apply and informs the university/professor that you will send a follow-up email immediately with the attachments. That way, even if the attachment email doesn’t get through for some reason, the first message should arrive and they will know that you have tried to apply.
How Long it Takes to Get a Letter of Provisional Acceptance
November 20, 2020 is your deadline to contact the universities. It is not the deadline for universities to issue the Letter of Provisional Acceptance.
MEXT has instructed universities to reply to applicants with the final results within approximately one month of receiving the request. This is not an immediate process and you should not expect instant results. Make sure you submit your application to the university and give them enough time (at least a month) to process it, make their decision, and issue the letter.
Do not start insistently contacting the university if they don’t send you a letter right away. That is not going to get you a positive response. However, if a month has passed since you contacted the university and you have not heard back from them, then it is OK to contact them and politely ask about the status.
Keep in mind that it might take a few days before universities can get to your email. Universities will also be extremely busy processing applications right around the deadline, so expect delays in replies at that time, too. In some cases, I have also heard of universities that do not acknowledge receipt of your application email and do not send any reply until they have made their final decision.
Submitting Letters of Provisional Acceptance to Your Embassy/Consulate
Each embassy or consulate will set the deadline for you to submit your Letters of Acceptance and final Placement Preference Form, so please refer to the embassy or consulate where you have applied for their submission deadlines.
How Many Universities to Contact
According to the application guidelines, you may contact a maximum of two universities at one time to request a Letter of Provisional Acceptance. This is a change from last year, when you allowed to have three applications/Letters of Acceptance, so if you see any articles (including on this site) saying that three or four letters is OK, it’s old!
Even though you might have three universities in your Placement Preference Form, you can still only contact two at once. (In past years, it was three, but this has changed in 2020!) If one of the two universities you contact rejects your application and it is still before the deadline, then you can contact an alternate, but you should never have more than two active applications at any time and you should not obtain more than two Letters of Provisional Acceptance.
Applying for a Letter of Acceptance: Who To Contact
Per MEXT’s instructions, you should reach out to the International Office at the university where you intend to apply, not directly to a faculty member. (Though if you are already in touch with a faculty member, you can let them know that you are submitting the application at the same time.)
Your embassy or consulate should have a list of staff members responsible for accepting MEXT scholarship applications at various Japanese universities. If you already know which universities you want to contact (see my article on how to identify the best Japanese universities and professors for your field of study, then the embassy staff may be able to help you.
If you cannot get the information from the embassy or consulate, you will need to find it on the universities’ websites. The best way I have found to do this is to search Google for your university name and the words “embassy mext”. For example “University of Tokyo Embassy MEXT.”
You may find that the universities do ask you to contact a faculty member as part of your application. In that case follow the university’s instructions.
I tried this researching the application process at 7 different universities using the Google method above and in almost every case, the top result was the page with the instructions on how to apply for a letter of acceptance.
Despite MEXT’s instructions that applicants should contact the international offices at their target universities, you can see from the list below that the actual practice can vary significantly from university to university.
Just for reference, the universities I tried and their results were as follows:
- University of Tokyo: Contact the administrative office of the graduate school where you want to enroll
- Tohoku University: Contact the professor, directly
- Kyoto University: Contact the professor, directly, or the administrative office of the professor’s graduate school
- Osaka University: Contact the address listed on the website. You can also contact professors to talk about your research plan
- Waseda University: Complete their online form and upload the documents directly
- Keio University: Complete their online form and upload the documents directly
*Note: Apparently, their online application includes a question about whether or not you have contacted your desired advisor for informal acceptance, and if you have not, they will not issue the Letter of Acceptance. - Ritsumeikan University: Contact the international office
Applying for a Letter of Acceptance: What to Send
If you found the website with the Letter of Acceptance application procedures for your university, you should have seen a list of required documents there. Follow those guidelines over the instructions below, as they may contain additional requirements that you do not want to miss. The information I have provided below is from the MEXT guidelines, so it is more general.
You will be sending all of your application documents by email attachment to the university or uploading them directly, depending on the instructions.
As mentioned above, I recommend that you do not attach them all in your first email. Your application document scans may have a very large file size and many university email accounts in Japan have size limits. If your attachments exceed the limit, your mail will not be delivered. So, you want to contact the university first to let them know to expect your application. A text-only email should not have any problems with size limit filters!
Before sending your documents, you should reach out to the office or professor you have identified, let them know that you plan to apply and that you will send your application documents in a subsequent email. If you got the name and contact information from one of the sources I mentioned above, then there is nothing rude about sending your application documents to that person without waiting for their reply.
I recommend that you scan all of your documents together in a single pdf file. This is easy enough to do if you have a scanner available and you can even scan documents as a pdf from a smartphone using the free Adobe Scan app. There is no excuse for sending your documents as individual jpeg files for each page. Don’t do it!
In order to request a Letter of Acceptance from a university, you are required to send the university the following documents. These should be the documents that you submitted to the embassy and had returned to you after the primary screening
- Application Form
- Field of Study and Research Program Plan
- Certified grade transcript for each academic year
- Graduation certificate or degree certificate of the last university attended
- Recommendation letter from the president/dean or the advisor of the last university attended or the university currently attending
- Abstracts of theses (only if submitted to the diplomatic mission)
- Certificate of language proficiency (only if submitted to the diplomatic mission)
- Recommendation letter from the present employer (only if submitted to the diplomatic mission)
- Photograph(s) showing applicant’s own works of art or a digitally recorded media of musical performance (only if submitted to the diplomatic mission)
- Copy of a passing Certificate of the First Screening issued by the diplomatic mission
Notice that the Placement Preference Form and Medical Certificate are not on that list! Per the application guidelines, you are not to send those documents to the universities. Furthermore, universities have been instructed that they cannot request those documents from you.
If a university requests that you send either of those documents, politely tell them that your instructions from MEXT were that you are not allowed to submit them to universities. You can send them a link to the application guidelines in Japanese saying so as well. Here is that link:
https://www.mext.go.jp/content/20200521-mxt_gakushi02-000007188-01.pdf
The university may also ask you to submit additional documentation. As long as it is not the Placement Preference Form or Medical Certificate, then you are required to submit it. That includes submitting language proficiency certificates, other test scores, etc., regardless of whether you had previously submitted them to the embassy or consulate.
Caution: Arrival Date in Japan and Status in the Letter of Provisional Acceptance
There are a few things you will want to pay particular attention to in your Letter of Provisional Acceptance. The first is your status. In your application form, you had the opportunity to fill in whether you wanted to arrive as a research student or a degree-seeking student (in the master’s doctoral, or professional program).
In order for the university to issue you a letter of acceptance as a degree-seeking student, you would have had to have passed their entrance examination prior to them issuing the letter. Unless the university considers a screening of your application documents to be a sufficient entrance exam, the chances are high that you would not have passed it yet. In that case, the university would issue you a letter of an acceptance as a research student.
This can change!
The university will have 2 opportunities later to “upgrade” you to a degree-seeking student before your arrival:
- During the placement phase: After you submit your letters of acceptance and final placement preference form to the Embassy, MEXT will conduct a secondary screening of your application. After that secondary screening, MEXT will contact the universities on your Placement Preference Form one-by-one to ask them to accept you. If you have passed the university’s entrance exam in the meantime, then when the university replies to MEXT to confirm that they will accept you, they can change your category at that time to degree-seeking student.
- Upon arrival in Japan: If the university agrees to accept your placement as a research student, but you then pass their entrance exam prior to arriving in Japan, then the university can send a notice of change of status and change of scholarship payment period to MEXT and you would be able to start as a degree-seeking student immediately on arrival in Japan.
If you do end up arriving in Japan and starting as a research student, there is no problem with that course of action, either. You will have the opportunity to take the entrance exam while in Japan and apply for an extension of your scholarship to cover the full degree program.
The second thing to check is whether or not the university plans to assign you to the Japanese language program. In general, they will send you to that program if you are studying in English and need to learn some basic Japanese to survive daily life. If your Japanese is already good enough that you can study for a degree in Japanese, you will most likely not be sent to the Japanese language program.
Submitting Your Letters of Provisional Acceptance and Placement Preference Form to the Embassy
MEXT requires that you turn in every Letter of Provisional Acceptance that you receive to the Embassy and that you list those universities in your placement preference form. It used to not be mandatory, so you might see comments from past students that they applied for more Letters than they turned in at the end. That is no longer allowed. Submitting fewer letters would constitute lying on your application and could result in your being rejected.
Each embassy or consulate controls its own deadline for when you should submit Letters of Provisional Acceptance, so be sure to consult with them. MEXT has asked universities to return letters of acceptance within one month of the application, so the embassies’ deadlines should not be earlier than that, but there are always miscommunications between the two. There is no substitute for checking directly on your own!
*In the past, MEXT required universities to produce Letters of Acceptance within a month. This is no longer a requirement, but your local Embassy might think that it is and set their deadline accordingly. If your embassy has given you a deadline, it is not rude to provide that information to the university, provided you are not demanding when you address them.
When you submit your Letters of Provisional Acceptance, you will also likely have to submit an updated Placement Preference Form. You are not allowed to list universities on your final Placement Preference Form that refused to issue you a Letter of Provisional Acceptance. You are, however, allowed to list universities that have not yet replied to you as well as those that have issued you a Letter of Provisional Acceptance (even if the hardcopy of that document has not yet arrived). You should also be able to re-order your university preferences at this point, but that is also something you should confirm with the embassy.
As of the 2020 Scholarship application process, it is now mandatory to list all universities that have issued you a Letter of Provisional Acceptance. The old tactic of acquiring emergency back-up Letters of Acceptance but only submitting the one letter from your first-choice school is no longer allowed.
Secondary Screening and University Placement
Once you have submitted the Letters of Provisional Acceptance and the final Placement Preference Form, the application process is essentially over for you. All you have left to do is wait for your placement assignment, sometime between November to February.
Prior to 2019, I had never heard of an applicant getting rejected for the scholarship after passing the Primary Screening and submitting at least one Letter of Provisional Acceptance. However, in 2019, it did happen to several people that I heard from. In that year, it seems that MEXT reduced the number of places available to each country during the Primary Screening. Some countries seemed to have gotten the information in time and reduced the number of students who passed that screening, but others did not, so the applicants were eliminated during the Secondary Screening to get down to the required number.
Once thing that all of the applicants I heard from had in common was that they had all left the Japanese Language Proficiency Test blank during the Primary Screening!
2019 was the first, and so far only, time I have heard of this happening. I do not anticipate it happening again, but I can no longer be sure.
It will take a long time to the embassies to confirm that you have passed the Secondary Screening and to announce your university placement, but do not let that bother you. That is just normal, slow bureaucracy, not a reflection on your application. For the 2020/2021 application cycle, the final results and placement information is expected in June 2021.
In some cases, you may end up hearing from the universities even before the embassy gives you the final approval. If you hear from your professor or housing office at one of the universities on your list, you can consider that an unofficial confirmation.
Once you have your final confirmation, you should reach out to the other university that issued you a letter of provisional acceptance to let them know that you were placed in another university and thank them for their support. You never know when you might end up interacting with them after arriving in Japan!
For more about what to expect from the secondary screening and placement, I have another article entirely about that process.
Questions?
Let me know in the comments below!
Special Thanks
Special thanks to the TranSenz supporters on Patreon, who help keep this site running through their generous contributions, especially to Daimyo Supporter Jean Pierre L. and the most recent Samurai Supporters, Roseleen D. and Matt I.
You can show your support for TranSenz on Patreon for as little as $1 (0.08% of a MEXT monthly stipend) per month. If TranSenz has helped you in your application process and you want to “pay it forward” to keep this site running to help future applicants, every contribution helps!
If you want to show your support but Patreon is out of reach, I’d appreciate it if you say hi on social media or in the comments below to let me know if you appreciate these posts. You can find me on facebook at @TranSenz or on Twitter at @tagsenzaki. I look forward to saying hi!
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Hi travis, I want to ask about the embassy screening exam , when will it take place, will I have time to study before it takes place ? I am an undergraduate.
Secondly, when is the form coming out this year ? Will I attached all the required document together and submit it at the embassy ? I just need a step by step explanation of how I will apply, this is my first time apply for any scholarship.
Lastly, after I passed the embassy screening as an undergraduate , what next am I to do ? Please I would love a detailed reply from you, thanks in anticipation.
Hi Mo,
Based on your question, I think you are an undergraduate student now and will be applying for the scholarship for graduate studies, so that’s how I’m going to answer. If I misunderstood, please let me know.
Unfortunately, whether you are applying for the undergraduate or graduate scholarship, the answer is “it depends”. The first part of the application process is the Primary Screening, held at the Embassy. That includes submitting your application tests, taking the language tests, and the interview. Each individual embassy sets their own time frame and deadlines for that part of the process. MEXT only tells them when the whole thing has to be finished.
Typically, the forms and guidelines are released by MEXT some time around mid-April and embassies get their specific instructions online shortly after that. Then the application materials are due in May or sometimes early June. The tests and interviews can be anywhere from a couple weeks after the document submission deadline through late July. Again, it is different for each Embassy.
I should note, however, that last year, the entire process was delayed by a few months due to COVID-19.
The best way for you to get specific instructions is to wait for the application instructions to be posted by the embassy in your country. That is when you will be able to find out all of the dates and the step-by-step process. (If you are subscribed to my mailing list, I will also let you know when MEXT releases the application guidelines).
If you are applying for the scholarship for graduate students, then after you pass the primary screening, you will need to obtain a Letter of Provisional Acceptance from universities, as described in this email (though I expect the timeline will be different in 2021/2022).
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
I came across your website really late and i wish i had these guidelines while doing my application process. I was wondering has MEXT ever sent students to private universities?
Many thanks
Hi Melissa,
Yes! I hear about applicants getting placed at private universities through the Embassy Recommended MEXT Scholarship on a regular basis.
I remember hearing an estimate once that about 1/3 of applicants get placed in private universities. If that’s true, then it’s not a bad figure, considering that most of the best known universities (that presumably gather the most applicants) in Japan are national universities.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis!
First of all, thank you for your posts! It was my biggest dream to study in Japan, and they helped me got the scholarship!! I got accepted from 2 universities and submitted my acceptance letters to my local embassy. Currently waiting for the second phase to be over. I will be a non-degree research student and then start doing my master’s degree.
I have a question if you don’t mind. As you also mentioned, the scholarship will be certain in June 2021, and during that process, I got accepted to two different universities; one is in bachelor’s degree (related to the Japanese language, just because I wanted to learn the language), and the other is a master’s degree in architecture, my own field that I also got the scholarship from. I have no intention to complete both. However, since we are not 100% sure about getting the scholarship, I am currently continuing in both universities. Do you think this might cause me to fail to get the scholarship in the second screening? I didn’t see anything opposing that, the only rule is to complete a bachelor’s degree so that you can apply as a research student, which I did. I couldn’t ask this to the embassy because I am kind of scared that they might cancel the scholarship immediately (I know it is not possible but still I am scared) So I wanted to ask you first.
Do you think this situation will cause any problems? Should I also ask the embassy about it or is it okay not to ask?
Thank you for your answer!! Have a nice day.
Hi Ayse,
Congratulations on passing the primary screening and getting your letters of acceptance!
About your other ongoing degree applications, the most important question is: Are these programs in Japan or not? If not, then continuing your application to those programs will not be a problem.
However, if those programs are in Japan, then once you are accepted to either of the programs, if you accept that offer of acceptance, that could be a conflict with your MEXT Scholarship. In the “Non-eligibility” section of the application, it is stated that applicants are ineligible if,
“Those who are already enrolled in a Japanese university or other institution with a residence status of “Student,” or who are going to be enrolled, or plan to enroll, in a Japanese university or other institution as a privately-financed international student from the time of application to the MEXT scholarship program in the applicant’s country until the commencement of the period for payment of the MEXT scholarship.”
If you accepted an offer of acceptance to a Japanese university as a privately financed student, you would meet the definition of “plan to enroll in a Japanese university”, so that could become a problem.
Again, though, it is not a problem if these programs are not in Japan or if you do not accept their acceptance offers.
As for asking the embassy, I would want to know where the programs and when their screenings finish before offering any advice.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you for your reply, Travis!
No, the programs are not in Japan but in my home country, Turkey. I’ve already enrolled in both programs and I’m currently taking lessons from both of them. Neither the embassy nor the jury asked me during/after the interview about what I was currently doing so I didn’t mention that I got enrolled because the most important thing for me was getting the scholarship so I was ready to drop out from both of them. Also, I enrolled them in the same period as the interview which is September/October. I talked with both professors who accepted me about the programs. I told them that I will drop out as soon as I got the scholarship and that period will also help me because I will learn how to do research, and study my future research topic in Japan. They didn’t oppose the idea.
Hi Ayse,
If your backup programs are in your home country, that should not be a problem at all! I have known applicants in the past who were part-way through degrees in their home countries but withdrew, or look a leave of absence, when they earned the MEXT Scholarship. We knew about their other enrollments even when we accepted the applications, but it was never an issue.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you for your help, Travis!
I feel really relaxed now!! I was afraid since it was a long time dream for me to get this scholarship. Also, it’s really hard waiting for the results of the second screen even though I know there will probably be no problem with my acceptance, but still! Waiting makes you think about every possibility!
Thank you for everything again!!
Hi Ayse,
Thank you for your feedback!
I completely understand what you mean about how the long wait makes you imagine every possibility (although, from what I have seen, many people only imagine the negative possibilities and don’t think so much about the exciting possibilities of success!)
I hope you get through the waiting period and keep your sanity. If you need to let off steam about the long wait or have any questions, please feel free to comment again any time.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis!
I am from Bolivia. It is the first time I write to you, and I must tell you it is an honor to do it. I truly appreciate all your work and admire your dedication. You truly provide us with help during these stages that are crucial decisions for the future. Thank you.
I just wanted to ask you regarding the number of LoAs. I have seen there are several questions very similar to this for the 2020 procedures.
After the confirmation of having passed the first screening, I was asked by the embassy to get 3 LoAs. So I followed their instructions and managed to get the 3 of them from public universities and submitted them with the Placement Preference Form. I thought it was correct as I was obeying their instructions. So now they have already sent all my documents to MEXT in Tokyo.
However, due to the big discussion of this topic, I consulted them recently if it was ok to have 3 letters of acceptance even when the guidelines say we should have 2. They replied that they did not know about this issue until now. But that I should not worry about it. If there were an issue in the future, they would reply about it to MEXT, in case they ask for this.
So now, I wonder if this could cause any problem during the second screening. Would it be ok to just wait for them to ask about it? Or should my embassy inform them in advance? I wonder if, in the past, there have been rejected applicants because of having more than the required LoAs.
I know my embassy will answer in case they ask about the issue. But honestly, I still would prefer them to notify MEXT in advance. However, maybe I could sound a little indiscrete insisting on the topic.
Thank you very much, Travis, kindly let me know what do you think about this case. I appreciate all your support as always.
Hi Mauricio,
Thank you very much for your kind words! It really means a lot to me to hear that the work I do here is useful to someone.
Congratulations as well on passing the Primary Screening and getting your LoAs!
I understand your concern about having the three LoAs when the official guidelines say to only get two. Actually, that’s a new restriction this year. In the past, the limits were higher (usually three), so yours was not the only embassy that missed the change this year. I have heard from applicants in other countries too that their embassies instructed them to get three.
Since you were following the embassy’s instructions, I do not think there is any way that this can come back and hurt you in your application, so I do not think there is any cause for concern. MEXT is going to see that several of the applicants from Bolivia (and several other countries) have three LoAs, even without the embassy particularly notifying them about it, and if it’s an issue, they will contact the embassy to clarify their instructions, but it will be clear that it was not your responsibility.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you so much, Travis!
I truly appreciate your words too. I will keep a positive mindset throughout the process.
Hopefully, I will be able to share my own experience through this medium in the future too.
Again, thank you, and I also hope you feel all our support in the same way you do it for us. A warm hug for these special dates!
Hi Mauricio,
Thank you for your reply! I think the more people who share their experiences, the better we can make this process for future applicants, so I hope you can share yours as well.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you for the advice, I want to ask about condition that i am facing now, i already have 2 LOA and already send them to the embassy, but another university that i apply for, was sending me the third LOA, but i already send them email that explain i have withdrawn my application, is that a problem since we are only allowed to submit 2 LOA ?
Hi Ahmad,
I do not think it should be a problem, especially since you have already submitted your LoAs to the embassy.
However, if you want to be sure, you can contact the embassy and explain what you told me in the comment then ask for their guidance. If you make it clear that you withdrew your application and did not intend to receive an LoA from them, there should be no negative consequences for you, and then if there are any questions later, it will be clear that you did the right thing by presenting all of the information and not hiding anything.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
I would like to know if that can be a problem for me at the second screening, I have been accepted by two university and obtained LOA’s from them. My program will be entirely in english but my research proposal expect sometimes I make some survey, so in one of my LOA the professor write my research will be done in Japanese and English, and he sais also that I am motivate to learn the Japanese language, but my japanese level is zero for now. But the two university put me in the Japanese language program, and I am happy because I want to learn the language. I would like to know if that can be a bad factor for me at the second screening?
Hi Jeff,
I don’t think that will be too much of a concern. If your professor has accepted you despite indicating that some of your research will be done in Japanese, then that amounts to a commitment on the professor’s part to assist you or guide you to get to the right language ability level.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello again Travis.
I hope you are doing well.
Today I called the embassy and asked them whether we can name 3 universities in our placement form even though I only have got one LOA. They said that NO it is not allowed and I should only write the name of the university from which I gained an LOA.
This got me highly concerned. At this moment I am very nervous and I tell myself what if MEXT rejects me because of not having an agreement with the University?
Although my professor is highly supportive and the university is among top best national universities (apparently everything EST matters, Not sure) I can’t be sure whether my scholarship is guaranteed or not.
I asked what happens if MEXT doesn’t end up with an agreement with the university, the embassy told me that the jury members may reject you!
Hi Aida,
I saw that you had left the same comment on another article and answered it there first.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis, I’ve commented here before regarding establishing contact with a professor. I didn’t manage to contact any of the professors since the universities seem to prohibit me from contacting them, and one of the university has mentioned that they will be the one assigning the supervisor only after going through my application. I do understand, however, that different university has their own regulations on that matter so I do not mind.
Good news is that one of the university has accepted my application and currently preparing the LPA! Since I will be updating the preference placement form as one of the universities of my choice has rejected my application and informed me via email; I was wondering if I should still write down the name of the universities who have not yet reject me formally? I have sent an email last Friday asking about the status of my application and am waiting for a reply. Should I wait or should I take their silence as rejection at this point?
My embassy has set 31st December as the last day for the LPA submission and as such, I do have about a week left to wait for a reply. I was just wondering if it’s okay to write down the name of the university in the placement form if I did not receive any reply from them.
Hi Hada,
Yes, the process of contacting professors can vary between universities and even between graduate schools at a university, so it’s almost impossible to find a process that works for everyone.
Congratulations on the pending Letter of Provisional Acceptance!
When you update your Placement Preference Form, you can include universities that have not issued you an LoA but also have not rejected your application. (Since you were only allowed to apply to two universities for LoAs this year, at least one of the three on your list will end up being a university where you never even applied.)
Typically, universities should give you a reply, one way or another, so silence is not a rejection. On the other hand, complete silence might mean that they never got your application to begin with – maybe it was filtered to their spam box or something. So, I would recommend trying to find out if it was received. Calling (relatively cheap with VOIP phones) can be an effective way to get their atteention.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis
Hope you are doing fine.
This year the application process was very difficult for us. The embassy ristricted the number of applies and emails we needed to send to gain the letter of acceptance.
I applied for 2 universities, the university of Tsukuba accepted me and sent me the letter however , the university of Tokyo rejected me even though my preferred professor told me to submit my documents and liked my proposal. Therefore, at this moment I only have one letter. I sent another email to another professor who accepted me however in the middle of process I canceled my application because I didn’t know we only have to contact with maximum 2 universities at a time and I asked the professor to reconsider me however I’m not so hopeful to receive a reply by him any longer.
Anyway, I am wondering even with one acceptance letter how much chance do I have to pass the second screening ? I’m concerned that maybe MEXT reject the university and my chance may be ruined. What do you think ?
Hi Aida,
If you have one LoA, you should be fine for the next stage of the application! Like you said, the process has been difficult this year and I suspect many applicants will only have one LoA (or possibly even none!) under this system. It would probably be rare for an applicant to have two.
You can still list up to three universities in your Placement Preference Form when you resubmit it to the embassy along with the LoA, including that university where you are reaching out again. You can list universities that have not given you an LoA, but you cannot list universities that have refused to issue you an LoA.
In general, MEXT is not going to reject your university choice and reject your application for that reason, so there is nothing to worry about there. I think you’re in a strong position for the remainder of the screening process!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you very much for your kind and comforting answer.
Hello again dear Travis
Some of my friends had questions so I decided to ask their questions on behalf of them. They were wondering :
1-First: why MEXT decided to restrict and limit our university choices?
2- Do applicants who have not been successful in obtaining a LOA still have a chance for the second screening? or not obtaining means that their scholarship is canceled?
Thank you
Hi Aida,
Thank you for your follow-up questions.
1. To be perfectly honest, I do not know. MEXT has not given any particular explanation that I am aware of, they just announced the new rules. I suspect that it has something to do with the process being shortened this year and possibly the additional burden to universities of assessing applicants who are not likely to end up there anyway. (Though I suspect that MEXT is not considering the applicants’ perspective and the stress of a series of rejections – they are probably looking more at the opposite perspective where three successful LoAs really aren’t necessary). That’s all just a guess on my part though. If I find out anything official, I’ll share that.
2. I think there is still a chance of earning the scholarship even without having a Letter of Acceptance, though it does become more difficult. The guidelines do say that if applicants have not acquired at least one LoA that they may be rejected. (It does not say “will”.) Even if your friends haven’t received a single LoA, I would still recommend that they resubmit the Placement Preference Form to the embassy by the deadline with three carefully researched universities on there. If they pass the secondary screening, MEXT will still contact those universities to request them to accept the applicant.
Several years ago, I did see a situation where an applicant had never contacted the university where I was working to ask for an LoA, but MEXT still asked us to accept him after the Secondary Screening, so it is possible.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis!
I would like to thank you for all the wonderful work you have been doing and for your precious advice. I first found your blog a few years ago when applying for the Nikkensei program and thanks to your explanations and interview strategies was able to pass the exams and spent probably the best year of my life in Japan! Now, as I have passed the first screening for Research Student program I am even more thankful and I cannot even express how much I relied on your posts and explanations of the procedure for this year’s application with all those changes in rules and dates.
I was wondering if you could share your opinion considering my situation with LoA. I have received two of them, one from Waseda University and one from Sophia University. I’ve seen you previously mentioned that if both of the universities are private, they usually send you to the first choice university. However, the program that I’ve applied for at Waseda is even more expensive than others as it taught in both English and Japanese and it costs around 1 500 000 yen per yer, while a program at Sophia costs around 900 000 yen per year. So do you think that may become a reason for me end up being placed at Sophia instead?
Thank you in advance!
Hi Daria,
Thank you for your kind words. I am very happy to hear that you found this site useful when you were applying for the Nikkensei program, too!
Congratulations on passing the Primary Screening and on acquiring LoAs from two of the top private universities in Japan!
While I have heard of MEXT preferring to place students in a national university over a private one, even if it is lower on their list, I have never heard of them prioritizing among private universities based on tuition. That isn’t to say that it doesn’t happen, it’s just that I haven’t seen any examples. The difference between national and private universities is the difference between MEXT paying your tuition or not (at nationals, they just tell the university to exempt you from tuition, since MEXT provides most of their funding anyway). In my mind, that is more significant than a difference in the amount of tuition to be paid. (Overall, the difference in tuition is only about 4 months worth of your stipend, anyway, so it’s not a significant amount when you look at the program overall).
So, I do not think the tuition amount would be enough of a reason to skip Waseda in favor of Sophia, but unfortunately I cannot be sure.
Even though you were the one who contacted me with the question, I would appreciate it very much if you could let me know how the final decision goes later.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis!
I have just received the official results of the second screening and got placed to my first choice – Waseda university! So you were right, it seems like MEXT does not prioritize among private universities based on tuition!
Again, thank you so much for you hard work and for helping students through this process!:)
Hi Daria,
Congratulations! I am thrilled to hear that you got the final results and your first-choice, private university!
Were your second- and third-choice universities also private, or did you have public universities mixed in?
Thank you for your feedback!
Good luck with your studies in Japan,
– Travis from TranSenz
Hey Travis,
I’ve been struggling with a prof from Titech concerning the LOA since October, here’s what happened:
_at first, he interviewed me and accepted to supervise me. He said he’ll ask the admission office about the procedure cuz he obviously don’t know anything about it
_after a whole month, and after several emails he said he’s sorry, he was busy and that he’ll be asking the admission office.
_again and after about 20 days, I asked him whether the procedure started and that the Embassy’s deadline is getting close.
_ I mailed him again today to ask about the letter, his answer was “I will accept you if you get allowed to join Titech as a MEXT student”. I replied saying I need his letter to continue the scholarship procedure, but yet I still got no reply from him.
I truly don’t understand why is he complicating things, he already spent almost two months in doing nothing. I rely on him and it’s too late to look for another option as the deadline was 20 November.
Can you please advise me what to do with him, the stress is killing me 🙁
An update : he replied to me with saying that “he thought an email is sufficient as a letter” that proves that he didn’t even ask the admission office. And he asked me to give him a sample of a letter so he can use, I wonder how can a professor not know how to write such a letter ??!…do you advise me to ask the admission office for that ? Or should I send him the sample the embassy has given me ? …I think I should get in touch with the admission office anyway, because I’m afraid he will take extra time and probably won’t tell that it needs to be approved by the the department head and I only got some days left. What do you think ? …he literally don’t know anything about the LOA thing and I have no clue why he’s not Willing to ask the admission office even though he said he will
Hi Imen,
I think that contacting the admission office sounds like a good idea. In general, the admin staff is going to be the experts when it comes to this process. Most of the professors I have dealt with are absolutely clueless when it comes to procedures. Many of them seem to think that they just have to verbally agree to things and they will magically happen. (I say this with all of the frustration of a career university admin wonk). It seems like your particular professor is particularly adverse to admin work or even asking the admin staff for information. Fortunately, he won’t need to do that for you after you start your studies.
I would recommend that you do send the professor the Letter of Acceptance format from the embassy (technically, you are responsible for providing it). Also let the professor know that you plan to follow up with the admin office directly about the procedures and see if they can offer any advice. That way, if they reach out to the professor after you contact them, then it won’t catch the professor off guard and upset him.
When you contact the admin office, I would recommend including the chain of emails with the professor indicating how long you have been in touch so that they can see it was before the Nov 20 deadline.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
I found the email address below associated with scholarships and international student admissions at Titech, so you might try that: ryugakusei[at]jim.titech.ac.jp
Hey Travis,
Thank you for your response. I did as you told me and let the profesor know that I’m planning to contact the admission office, however he said I don’t need to do that at the moment and that he’ll be sending the file in couple of days. I’m afraid he’ll be only filling the sample and send it back without the approval of the department counsil, so I included that in my email (that the letter should be approved by the department). I don’t know if I should trust him again and wait or contact the admission office even if he didn’t agree about it. Could you tell me what option you think I should go for ? All What I’m thinking about is the deadline ( 25th December)
And thanks a bunch again ^^
Hi Imen,
If the professor has said that he will have it in a few days, then I would give him that time – especially considering that it sounds like he went through the trouble to send you that message on a weekend. An appreciative reply for now seems best. If he doesn’t get in touch with you by late this week, then it might be a good idea to follow up with the admin office.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hey again Travis,
The profesor told me today that they will have a faculty meeting next week to discuss the matter. So my question is will they approve the acceptance letter directly in the meeting or will they need even some more time after ?
Another question is: is it possible for them not to approve the letter even if my professor has accepted to supervise me ??
I can’t thank you enough for your help and support ^^
Hi Imen,
That sounds like good news to me. In many cases, these faculty meetings are where all official decisions occur.
In the meetings I have experienced in Japan, though, there is not often much deliberation at the meeting itself. That usually occurs first, and the meeting is just the opportunity for formal approval. (It’s not always this way, but that is my experience). So, if your professor is going to bring your application to the meeting, that should be the last step for approval.
After that, they might need a day or two to actually create and send the letter to you, but there should be no further deliberation or consideration required.
I cannot think of a reason why the faculty meeting might reject an application if the professor has agreed to sponsor you.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis, just wanted to consult with you. Unfortunately, the graduate school of my top choice university just responded now to tell me that my desired professor is unable to accept me due to his lab having already a lot of international students without any interview or getting in touch with me. Do you have any advice for me? I can’t request for a reconsideration, right? The other university/professor I applied for has just responded that he has received lots of requests and hence unable to go thru each application one by one. Thanks for your help. I’m really depressed over this news, and I was just wondering if there’s anything I can do to still aid my cause. Thanks so much!
Hi Leandro,
I am sorry to hear about the news from your first choice university.
Depending on whether or not there are any other professors with similar research fields, you could ask that university if they can consider you in another lab or under another professor, but that’s really the only option I can think of.
As for the second university, that sounds ridiculous to me. They have to review all the applications that were submitted, that’s part of their job. If you have only been in touch with the professor so far, I would recommend getting in touch with the admin office that handles the scholarship or the admin office for that graduate school, too. You can even share with them the email from the professor and ask if there is any other way to continue your application.
I recommend trying both of those approaches first. If nothing works out there, please let me know and we can think of an alternative.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis,
I already received my first LOA and I sent it to the embassy via mail, my second LOA will be submitted to me soon according to the teacher. At this point can I be sure to received the scholarship? What does the second screening consist of?
Thanks!
Hi Jeff,
In general, the secondary screening only consists of double-checking the work of the embassy, and making sure that nothing is in order or that you haven’t violated any rules. In the past, I would have said that at this point, you could be almost assured of your eventual scholarship award, but last year, there were several students cut during the Secondary Screening. As far as I know, it was a one-time thing, resulting from MEXT reducing the number of scholarship places available after the Primary Screening was already going (and there were indications in advance that something was different that year). I do not anticipate that the same thing will happen this year, so you should be in a very good position!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Dear Travis, Hello! First of all, thank you for your in-depth explanations about the entire process of application, from the very beginning! It helped me a lot with passing the First Screening at my Embassy. Therefore, I applied at 2 universities, but it was a bit complicated with finding universities in English for me, since I want to make a research in the field of Digital Experience Design and this kind of graduate programs are usually at Art Universities and I did a very detailed research for English taught Design Programs, but there are not not many. I got rejected from the 1st uni, I believe it’s since I choose an English speaking supervisor, but the program was in Japanese ( I really didn’t have much choice) but I’m not sure. I’m still waiting for a response from the second uni, they wrote me on 21.11, that they will send me response in the course of December, in correspondence to the MEXT deadline of 25th. This uni is Keio (English taught program), and I was in contact with a professor there prior to sending my application, since one of the conditions for applying was to have informal “yes” from the professor that he can supervise me. The professor was super nice and responsive, we had a zoom meeting and he firmly stated that he wants to be my supervisor at his Lab. What I want to ask is what is the further criteria for accepting students apart from your 3 deadly conditions? My Embassy is very supportive and enthusiastic but I’m a bit shaken with my hopes. (I assume because of the first rejection).
Thank you very much!
Hi Ivs,
Thank you for your kind words.
For the Embassy Recommended MEXT Scholarship, in my experience if there is a professor willing to supervise you (and you mentioned that the professor specifically said he wanted to supervise you, so that’s certainly a mark in your favor), and you meet the program requirements, I am not aware of any other reason why your application might be rejected.
Do not worry too much about the time it takes for them to issue a letter. Universities can be very bureaucratic and it is likely that your Letter of Acceptance needs to be formally approved at multiple regularly scheduled committee meetings before it can be formally issued, even the result is already informally determined.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
I just want to thank you for this response Travis! It really helped me with the entire stress I was going through at the time.
At the end I succeeded into getting a LoPA from Keio University! Now, I’m hoping that everything will be alright during the secondary screening and that my application will be accepted and the slots won’t be reduced this year.
From my personal experience I can share that my Embassy mentioned that MEXT made its budgetary plans before the pandemic so the entire COVID-19 crisis shouldn’t affect the scholarship, but this was few months ago.
Thank you once more for this blog and for your good will to share all of the information that you have regarding the scholarship, it was beyond helpful to have this kind of guidance during the process.
All the best and happy new year!
Hi Ivs,
Thank you very much for your reply!
Congratulations on getting the LoPA from Keio!
Last time the slots were reduced, it happened during the primary screening process (From what I could tell, MEXT tried to get the info out to embassies before they completed the selection, but it didn’t make it in time in all cases). Like you said, the budget plans from MEXT were made before COVID, and the application process was adjusted after the pandemic started and before the Primary Screenings happened, so I would not expect changes in the numbers at this point.
I am very happy to have been able to be a support during your application process! I know that you are in for a long wait now for the final results, but I hope you will be getting good news in the not-too-distant future!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Dear Travis
I am one of the MEXT 2021 applicants that are anxiously waiting for the results of the second screening, and I too reached out to my embassy to inquire about the second screening and they told me that while they can’t guarantee anything, slots reduction is highly unlikely at this point because this year they specifically waited for Mext to confirm the number of slots first before releasing the first screening results.
I just hope that if they gonna reject us they at least let us know before June, waiting for 6 long months only to know that you are rejected would be harsh and I hope no applicants go through that.
Thank you for your hard work, I visit your site daily because I find comfort in it, so again thank you!
Sincerely,
Khalid
Hi Khalid,
Thank you very much for your feedback and additional information. I agree with you that June would be a long time to wait only to be met with rejection!
For what it’s worth, last year, when students’ applications were rejected during the Secondary Screening, they found out earlier than the final results. Typically, the process is broken into two steps: the Secondary Screening followed by University Placement. At least as far as I heard, applicants who were unsuccessful in the Secondary Screening found out that information last year before the university placement process, so much earlier than the successful applicants got their final results.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis,
I had applied for the Embassy-recommended MEXT scholarship for Research students from India and I have cleared the First screening and have requested for LoAs from the respective universities.
So, as of now, I have received 2 LoAs from the two respective universities from whom I have requested for LoAs.
1.) Even though, initially, when I had submitted the Placement Preference form, I had mentioned three (3) university choices, but owing to the change in MEXT scholarship guidelines for 2021, the maximum number of LoAs that a candidate can have is two (2). So, since I already have 2 LoAs by now, so in the final placement preference form, that, I am supposed to send to the Embassy, I can mention only those two universities from which I have received the LoAs, and not mention the third university, which was mentioned earlier, am I right? Also, can I change the order of universities when mentioning in the placement form?
2.) Both the LoAs, that I have received from the universities, are via email attachments as pdf files. So, is it dependent on the universities themselves whether they will send LoAs via postal service or via email? Or, as an overseas applicant, can I request the university to send a printed copy of LoA via postal service itself?
3.) The embassy had requested to send the LoAs and other documents (Placement Form and Pldege Form) via postal service. Since, I have received via email, should I take a print-out of the LoAs and then send it via postal service? Or, will it be okay if I forward the emails of the LoAs directly to the embassy without the need to send via postal service?
4.) Finally, can you please let me know about the format of writing of the “Pledge Form”? Is it some form of an undertaking by the MEXT applicant? Is there any sample format available of Pledge Form? Is the content of Pledge Form legally binding? Owing to unforeseen, unavaoidable circumstances, if a candidate can’t commence his/her program in Japan, then, will it adversely affect his/her academic/professional career in the long run?
Hi Sami,
Congratulations on passing the primary screening and receiving your letters of acceptance! Please see below for my answers to your inquiries.
1. As far as I know, you can still list all three universities, even though you only have LoAs from two. The only time you would have to remove a university from the list would be if they refused to issue you an LoA. You should also be able to reorder the universities on the form, though you might want to double-check with the embassy directly, first.
2. I would recommend contacting the embassy first to ask if they will accept printouts of LoAs that you have received by email. If the embassy insists on hard copies, then you can contact the universities to see if they are able to post them.
3. If the embassy has specified that you should turn in your documents by post, then you should submit them by post. Do not assume that you can change the submission method on your own. If you do want to submit them by email, be sure to get the embassy’s permission first.
4. My understanding is that the Pledge Form is something that you sign after arriving in Japan. It’s basically an agreement to abide by the rules of the scholarship, the laws of Japan, the rules of the university, and to dedicate yourself to your studies. Violating it can be grounds for cancelling your scholarship. It is available on MEXT’s website at:
https://www.mext.go.jp/content/20191218-mxt_gakushi02-100001310.pdf
If you do not commence your program in Japan, the long term impact to you is entirely based on your circumstances and what you have given up in order to apply for the scholarship.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
Thanks for your reply.
I just wanted to know as to why should I mention the names of all three universities in the final placement form, even though I have received only two LoAs?
Because for 2021, the guidelines have changed and one can contact only two universities at a time and can obtain a maximum of 2 LoAs.
Even though, I had mentioned three university names before my First Screening Interview, since, I have only two LoAs presently, shouldn’t I mention only two university names from which I have received LoAs?
Because, if I mention the name of the third university in the final placement form, am I not expected to provide LoA with respect to the third university as well, which, as of now is not possible at all?
So, can you please clarify this issue?
Hi Sami,
That’s a good question.
You can continue to list the third university, even though you did not contact them for an LoA. The only time you are required to remove a university from your list is if you have contacted them and they have refused to give you an LoA. If, for some reason, MEXT was not able to place you in the two universities that you did get LoAs from, then they might still contact the third to see if they could accept you.
However, if you are happy with your two universities that you did receive an LoA for, you also do not have to list the third university anymore. I do not think there is a serious possibility that MEXT would have to go all the way to that third-choice university in any case.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis,
I was recently contacted by the concerned Japanese Embassy to provide more evidence about my bachelor’s degree.
So, what happened was that I have completed my 4-year degree program in 5 years’ time because I had to re-sit the third year exams for the second time since I wasn’t able to participate in all of the third-year exam papers in my first attempt owing to my physical illness.
Regarding this, I am willing to share information with the concerned embassy about my first attempt at 3rd-year exams with evidence.
But, there is one more thing. In my first year, second semester, the first theory paper got canceled owing to student protests on the college campus. Even though other exam papers happened in a normal and timely fashion, the paper that got canceled had to be retaken in the even semester of the next academic year by all the students of that year in that college. Now, I don’t have any written documentary evidence stating that the exam got canceled owing to student protests either from the college or from the university. Also, in my first attempt for that semester, even though, I completed all other courses as presented on my transcript, the exam which was canceled, I received an Incomplete Grade and the overall Remark was Promoted with Backlogs. Even though, this remark got rectified in the subsequent even semester when it was stated “Passed and Promoted”, when I participated in that exam paper, which got canceled, in my second attempt.
My question to you is that if I produce the First Year, 2nd semester (First attempt) mark sheet which had stated Promoted with Backlogs, will it severely affect my chances of getting the scholarship? (Backlog because of a single incomplete Grade).
Secondly, when I was contacted by the Embassy, I was specifically asked for evidence from my third year of the program, in the first attempt, to the end of my degree. So, from that perspective, is it required to share any further information than what has been asked for?
Finally, in the MEXT application form, under the Academic Records section, in the space of To: yy yy/mm, am I supposed to mention the degree program completion date, as mentioned in the transcript, and not the date on which I have received the Degree certificate in a graduation ceremony? Because, as per Serial No. 2 of the instructions, I confused the statement of official graduation (yyyy/mm) as the date on which degree certificate was provided in the graduation ceremony.
So, at this point, I cannot resubmit the application form with these updated details about my academic record, and instead inform the embassy via email about this information, am I right?
Hi Sami,
As part of the MEXT Scholarship requirements, you must submit an academic transcript covering each year of your previous degree. But if your university issues marks sheets year-by-year and the most recent marks sheet shows all previous years, then you should not need to also submit the previous editions. So, if you can submit a more recent marks sheet that also includes your first year grades, updates with the “Passed and Promoted” statement, then you would not have to worry about that backlogs reference.
However, I also do not think that the backlogs issue would hurt you that much. In general, an Incomplete grade should only be given when there is a legitimate reason to do so (not due to student performance) and the whole idea is that it would not negatively impact you as long as you resolve it later.
As for what you need to submit to the embassy, I am not sure what you have already submitted or about the exact wording of the Embassy’s request, but you are ultimately required to submit academic transcripts covering all grades earned.
I would also recommend that you refer to the embassy’s specific request and instructions regarding resubmission. Resubmission is a process that they would handle locally, it is not a MEXT-wide issue, so I’m afraid I do not know what the specific process would be in your country.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi,
I contacted a professor who was willing to supervise my research in Osaka University. I sent them my documents for letter of acceptance and they told me that it would take a month to process the application. I sent them my documents on November 10 and the deadline for submitting LOA to embassy is December 2 for me. What if they do not issue the LOA before that? Should I mail embassy and ask them to give me some time as university is processing my application?
Hi Ird Ali,
That is quite an early deadline to submit LoAs!
I would recommend that you contact the embassy first, explain that the LoA is processing and is not likely to arrive by their deadline, then ask for their instructions. Hopefully, they should let you keep that university on your Placement Preference Form and submit the letter when it arrives.
After you get the Embassy’s response, you can also contact the university again, politely inform them of the Embassy’s deadline, and ask if they have an estimated date that they will be able to issue the LoA so that you can inform the Embassy in advance.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis!
I passed the Primary Screening, and in my Embassy’s email, they said: “Once you receive a Letter of Acceptance in graduate school from any of the 3 Japanese universities you have contacted, you are requested to send it to the Embassy.”
But from what I’m reading, I should only apply to 2 universities unless one rejects me before nov 20, is that correct?
Is my Embassy mixing up last years procedures about that? Or is it possible for me to look for LoA from 3 universities since the Embassy says so?
Thank you very much!
Hi Rita,
Based on what you wrote in that comment, it is not clear to me that the embassy has said that you can contact three universities. This year, MEXT’s guidance was to list up to three universities in the Placement Preference Form, but you are only allowed to be in contact with two of them at once. Unless I am missing something, your explanation sounds the same – you can contact any of the three universities, but there was nothing in what you wrote to indicate that you had been given special permission to contact all three.
If I am missing something, I’m sorry. Ultimately, if you do have instructions from your Embassy saying that you are allowed to contact more than two, I think it is safe to follow the Embassy’s advice, especially if you have it in writing.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis, thank you for the reply, sorry for not being clear!
So from what the embassy said about contacting 3 universities, I assumed this to mean it was okay to look for letters of acceptance from all three of them. But from your reply, I now assume it just means to contact them, however, applying for the LoA can only be from two, is that correct?
Apologies for the confusion,
It is because I am confused myself!
Thanks again, Rita
Hi Rita,
I think I may have misread your initial comment. The embassy referred to the three universities that you have “contacted” not the three that you have “listed”. That’s my mistake.
Unfortunately, I am just as confused as you are, now!
My best recommendation would be to contact two universities immediately to apply for an LoA then to get in touch with the Embassy to clarify if their comments meant that you are permitted to contact (or apply to) three.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Dear Travis,
Thank you very much for your guide giving me to pass the first selection of the MEXT scholarship.
Actually, I would like to discuss my problem related to the LoA process.
I have contacted the professor in a top 10 university and my application has been submitted by my professor to graduate school office. Previously, I have discussed and written the research plan with topic suggested by my professor. Also, my professor is very welcome me to join his research.
However, I have a concern. Based on the procedure of LoA in the graduate school’s website, it is stated that “If your application is approved by our graduate school, our faculty member will send a Letter of Provisional Acceptance for 2021 so as to reach you by December 25 (Fri) 2020”
For this, will there be a possibility of the LoA application being rejected even there are a supervisor’s consent and primary screening certificate?
I am worried because I have asked the status of my LoA but still not get answered by the International Office in the graduate school, about whether my application will be rejected or not.
I hope you could answer my regards based on your experience.
I am looking forward to hearing from you soon.
Warm regards,
Hi Paulo,
In my experience, the most common reason for a university to deny an applicant a Letter of Acceptance is if the applicant does not meet the requirements for the program (particularly the language requirements) or if there is no professor that can supervise them.
Since you have already been in touch with a professor and have his support, I do not think either of those issues should be a problem for you, so I see no reason why your application would not be approved in the end. It is likely just a matter of the university having a rigid bureaucratic system for issuing these letters that takes time for various levels of approval. In the meantime, nobody is going to be willing to answer questions about your possibility of acceptance until they have the final approval. That’s just the Japanese university administration way.
Based on what I have seen in the past, I do not think you have anything to worry about.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Dear Travis,
I want to start by thanking you for all the wonderful advice and tips you shared on your website. I think your posts played a huge role in helping me pass the first screening! I have another question about LPAs. Since my embassy released our first screening results quite late, they mentioned that we could reach out to 4 universities and obtain a maximum of 3 LPAs. Is that still safe in your opinion?
Also, would it be a huge problem if I listed all private universities in my placement form? I really want to get into one private uni, and it seems like if candidates have listed any public university, MEXT would prefer to put them in the public uni rather than the private one.
Thanks!
Hi HJ,
Congratulations on passing the Primary Screening and thank you for your kind words!
If your embassy has specifically said that you can contact more universities than MEXT allowed, then I think it is safe to follow their guidance, especially if you have it in writing.
As for listing all private universities, you are allowed to do that and I certainly understand your reasoning. I have never heard of an applicant being rejected during the second screening because they listed all private universities.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Dear Travis
Thank you for your guidance
Your words are like a guiding light to all students who are completely new and looking for support.
I have passed the primary screening and obtained a letter of acceptance from one university. I also received a positive reply from the University of Tsukuba but after which I have heard from them for over 10 days even after sending follow-up mail twice to both the professor and university office.
I am clueless as it was my first choice of university. Kindly let me know should I need to wait or can approach other universities as you said earlier having two acceptance would maximize the chances of acceptance.
Hi Balaji Govindaraj,
Thank you for your kind words.
Congratulations on passing the primary screening and obtaining a Letter of Acceptance!
At different universities, it takes a different amount of time to process a Letter of Acceptance. Some need to go through regularly scheduled committee meetings, etc., for formal approval. So, a delay does not necessarily mean anything negative and is not a cause for worry. In the meantime, if the university is just waiting on administrative processing, then there won’t be anything new that they would be able to tell you.
If you have submitted your application for a Letter of Acceptance according to Tsukuba’s guidelines then you cannot contact a third university unless Tsukuba rejects your application or unless you write them to withdraw it. Since it was your first-choice university and you already have one LOA as a back-up, I would recommend that you consider letting Tsukuba’s process take its time.
I may have said that having more letters of acceptance increases your chances of acceptance for the MEXT scholarship, but I don’t think it is that significant of a change, especially this year. There was so little time in some cases to apply for Letters of Acceptance and since applicants were limited to only applying to two universities, I think it is natural that many will only have a single letter of acceptance in the end.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis
Thanks again for all your kind recommendations.
I wasn’t very clear of the guidelines and I had already sent an application to LoA to the three universities I wrote down on the placement preference form. I wasn’t aware that I could only be in contact with two universities at the same time.
This week one of the universities came back with a positive reply and issued the LoA.
My question here is, should I write over to one of the other two universities to politely decline my application in order to not having any inconveniences in the future with the process?
Thank you.
Hi Thomas,
Before you contact either of the universities to withdraw your application, I would suggest first contacting the embassy, explaining your situation and that you made an honest mistake, then asking for their advice.
It may be that you have to withdraw one of the applications in the end.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Please, can you throw more light on applying for LoA as a Non-regular student and regular student. Are we to apply as a regular student or non-regular students?
Hi Sam,
It is up to you. You can apply as either one, but ultimately it is going to be up to the university to decide which one to accept you as. I have written in other articles about the difference and why I recommend applying as a non-regular/research student in almost all cases.
You should have also already indicated in your application form whether you intend to apply as a research student or degree student.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
I indicated Master degree because I wasn’t sure of what the Non-regular program is, but I learnt we going to sit for an entrance examination. Is it going to be after arrival in Japan or we do it online?
Secondly, I have indicated Regular/Master degree on my application form, is it okay if I apply to my chosen university as a Non- regular degree. Hope there is nothing wrong with that since its contradicting what I have filled in my application form..
Lastly, Just had my interview last week and the result of the screening hasn’t been released yet, and the deadline to contact our respective university for LoA is fast approaching (Nov. 20). Meanwhile, I got a mail not to contact the university yet until results are released. Kindly advise on what to do to avoid missing the deadline for applying for LoA.
Hi Sam,
The format of the entrance exam depends on the university. Some universities will consider a screening of your documents to be sufficient, but others will require an in-person test.
If you submit to the university that you want to apply for the research student status even though your application form says degree program, then they will either ask you to clarify or make a decision on their own, but in either case, it should not disqualify you.
I am surprised that your embassy hasn’t released results yet! I would recommend calling them on Monday to ask about the status.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
Hope you are well. Thank you so much for all the guidance you have provided in your blogs, you’re an absolute star for doing this!
If it’s okay, I just wanted to get your opinion on my situation–My area of research is quite niche but I found a professor in Keio who had published papers in a similar field. I contacted him back in July (before submitting my application) and got an informal acceptance then. I did not keep in touch after that as I was waiting for the results from the embassy. I passed the primary screening last month and submitted my papers to Keio via their form on Oct. 19th. I also emailed the professor again, however, it’s been around 3 weeks and he has not replied. My back-up university is Hiroshima, however, the lab in Keio is much more relevant to my field. I did not submit my papers to Hiroshima yet as I thought I’d wait on Keio (I don’t need to get a supervisor’s acceptance for Hiroshima so the submission process is fairly simpler). I was thinking of waiting till Nov. 19th (since Keio’s website says it takes around 4 weeks to issue a LoA), and if I don’t get a LoA/get rejected, submit my papers to Hiroshima. Do you reckon that’ll be okay or is it too risky/not worth delaying? I’m trying to remain patient, but the lack of communication is making me a bit anxious.
Hi Luna,
If it has been three weeks since you contacted the professor, then I would suggest a polite follow-up email. You can use the approach that the deadline is next Friday and that you want to make sure he has received your message and has everything he needs.
I would not recommend waiting until the last minute for Hiroshima, though. Make sure that you give yourself enough time to account for something going wrong in the submission process, like an emergency, internet outage, or the files not going through. A few days earlier than the deadline would seem like a good idea.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Dear Travis
I hope my words find you well.
I have a question regarding the results of the second screening, based on my understanding, the results will be out in FEB 2021 and then if I passed I will have to wait till June to know where I will be placed, right? I would be thankful if you could clarify this for me.
Thank you.
Hi Khalid,
The timeline is slightly different from what you had written. For the 2020/2021 application cycle, MEXT will start the Secondary Screening and University Placement processes in February 2021, but there is no official release of results from either one until June 2021. According to the application guidelines, there is no plan to release results of the Secondary Screening in Feb 2021.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you for your kind response, Sir. What you just said makes sense and that was my original assumption until I saw the timeline posted on the Japanese consulate website in Denver.
https://www.denver.us.emb-japan.go.jp/itpr_en/mext_researchstudents.html
I don’t know if it is a mistake on their part but it sure did confuse me.
Sincerely
Hi Khalid,
I agree that is confusing.
From what I saw in the MEXT guidelines, it looks like embassies don’t even submit the applications, etc. to MEXT until January. But clearly one of the two is mistaken. I’m afraid I do not know which.
In the past, it was common for the Secondary Screening results not to be announced until the placement information was also decided, but there were also exceptions to that rule.
If it was me, I wouldn’t count on getting the final notification until June, but if you get it early, you can consider yourself lucky!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis,
First of all I’d like to thank you for your guide and really helpful information regarding MEXT scholarship. Thankfully I have received the good news that I passed the Primary Screening yesterday and may proceed to request LoA on universities of my choices. I am up and ready to submit the necessary document but would like to ask a question and confirmation on the matter pertaining to documents submission to the university/ professor.
You have mentioned and encourage that we should be in contact or at least reach out to the professor of the corresponding university, however most of the universities mentioned on their website that it is not a requirement to contact the professor/ supervisor and obtain approval in advance. I am wondering if submitting the documents to their International Affairs Division and attaching the professor name is enough or should I try to contact the professor regardless (even with possible language barrier). As a reference one of the university I am planning to apply to is Geidai.
Hi Hada,
Congratulations on passing the Primary Screening! Thank you for your kind words, as well.
It sounds like they did not give you much time to start applying for your Letters of Acceptance, so you’ll have to move fast before the Nov 20 deadline.
I do recommend being in touch with your prospective advisers in advance, if you can. But by that, I mean well before you even start your application. Since you only have a week until the application deadline, there is no time now to start trying to build that relationship. I recommend that you consult the website of the universities that you plan to apply to and submit all of the documents according to their directions. If you meet that requirement, it should be enough.
If the university does not require you to contact the professor directly, you can still send a courtesy note if you like, but it would not be necessary.
By the way, if there is a language barrier issue now in contacting the professors, consider how you will work with those professors for the next few years during your study.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis
I really appreciate your efforts and work for all these guidelines, they have been really useful!
I didn’t have in mind that I could only send 2 applications at the same time, so I sent the applications for the three universities I had on my list.
Today I received one LoA and had already turned in to the embassy.
Should I contact one of the two remaining universities to decline my application in order to avoid any inconvenience in the future?
Thanks again!
Hi Thomas,
I haven’t exactly been answering these in order, and I think I might have already replied to a similar question from you, but just in case, here’s my recommendation:
I would suggest that you contact the embassy, explain your situation, and ask for their advice first. You may end up having to cancel one of the applications in the end, but at least having the official guidance first would be helpful.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis, how are you?
Like all other comments, thank you for this blog and books that have positively influenced my application and led to me passing the first screening. Thank you so much!
I’d just like to share my situation right now. I do not have a supervisor yet; I was unable to contact and network with one prior to application period. But I had a target professor, and I based my FSRP on his lab and work. I reached out to him to request a LOA (cc international student dept of the university), and luckily he replied within hours but only to say that he would be retiring soon and advised me to search for younger professors. He has an associate professor in the same lab, and I contacted him instead to request for a LOA. He hasn’t replied yet, but I am a bit worried since his works are only 60% related to my FSRP and also I’m not sure if he has the authority to accept MEXT research students since he is not the laboratory head or something (not sure). I hope he replies soon. Have you encountered a case like this? Thanks for any insights you may have.
As a secondary question, what if Dec 25 passes and the two univs I contacted both reject me?
Thanks for all your help, Travis, from the bottom of my heart.
Hi Emma,
Thank you for your kind words.
I have heard of applicants reaching out to a professor only to find out that they are retiring soon and cannot take on advisees. Contacting another professor in the same lab seems like a good alternative. You may also want to consider other universities, as well.
I don’t know if the university you are applying to requires you to get approval first from the professor or not. If the professor’s approval is necessary, then sending a polite reminder email to the professor about your request and offering to provide more information if necessary could be a good idea. If the professor still does not respond, you could follow up with the international student office.
I do not know what will happen if your deadline to submit LoAs to your embassy arrives and you have not received any yet. There are no clear guidelines about how MEXT will process applications in that situation. My understanding is that you can keep a university listed on your Placement Preference Form as long as they haven’t given you a final reply yet, and you can list up to three universities, even though you are only allowed to be in contact with two. So, it is possible that even without an LoA, you could still pass the Secondary Screening and that MEXT would attempt to place you in one of the universities on your list in that situation. But I do not have any direct experience with that.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
I would like to ask with regards to an unlikely scenario that not a single university issues a provisional acceptance despite passing the primary screening. May I ask what is likely to happen in that situation?
Thanks
Hi Jasper,
It’s not exactly clear from the MEXT guidelines what would happen.
When you submit your Placement Preference Form to the embassy again after the application for Letters of Provisional Acceptance, my understanding is that you are allowed to list three universities there, but you cannot list a university that has rejected your application for a Letter of Provisional Acceptance.
If the universities simply have not issued the letter yet by the deadline that you need to resubmit that form, you can keep them on the list. But if they have finished their evaluation and declined to issue a LoPA, then you would have to replace them. In that case, MEXT may still try to place you at one of the universities in your list, even though you have never contacted them. But it could also be that you would not pass the Secondary Screening in that situation.
Unfortunately, without clear guidelines, the best I can do is guess. If it happens to you that you do not have any LoAs in time to submit to the embassy, you could ask them for further guidance.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis, I’ve passed the first screening by the Japanese Embassy and I’ve already found a research supervisor at Tohoku University who is keen in taking me as a graduate student. Tohoku is the only university I’m applying to as my research interest is quite niche. It has been about a month since I’ve requested for a letter of acceptance, but I haven’t heard back from the graduate office although my prosepctive professor did say I’ve met all the requirements for admission to the program. Was wondering whether I should send them an email to ask about the status of my application or should I just continue to wait patiently?
My concern is if I wait beyond 20th Nov, I wont be able to request for other LOAs if say Tohoku rejects me. But would Japanese universities make applicants wait for a month just to reject them?
Hi Yan,
Congratulations on passing the primary screening.
You mentioned that you weren’t interested in applying to any other university because your research interest is niche, but if Tohoku was to not accept you, would you consider another university then? If that is the case, I recommend that you at least be prepared to send off that second application.
Since you have the professor’s support, I do not think you should face any difficulty in obtaining the letter of acceptance from Tohoku in the end. Unfortunately, large universities in particular can be very bureaucratic. The letter might have to go through a series of committee meetings to be approved and sent.
Since it has been over a month, you could send a polite email enquiring about its status and asking if there is anything else that you need to provide.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
It has arrived! The letter of acceptance from 東北大学! So I’m guessing all is going well. 🙂
Congratulations!
Dear Travis,
Thanks for this elaborate guideline on obtaining LoAs. It was very helpful.
So far I recieved a firm “yes” from kyushu, and my letter of acceptance from this university is on its way.
Now, regarding other universities, I haven’t been that lucky so far, since I have no other positive awnser from any of them. These are my questions:
1. How long it usually takes for japanese professor to reply back? If they haven’t reply in two days, is it safe to assume they are not going to at all?
2. Would 1 LoA be suffice? Especially since it is from a national university and not a private one?
Thank you so much
Hi Stephan,
Thank you for your kind words and congrats on getting the LoA from Kyushu!
1. I think a week, at minimum, is a good time frame to expect a response. It isn’t reasonable to expect professors to check and respond to every email every day.
If a week passes with no reply, then I would suggest sending a polite reminder.
2. You can move forward with only one LoA. I have never directly heard of that being a problem in the past and since you are only allowed to be in contact with two universities at any one time this year, I think it is a completely normal and reasonable situation that applicants would only get one LoA.
By the way, it sounds like you are in contact with multiple universities despite already having an LoA on the way. Remember that you can only be applying to a total of two. If you are just putting out feelers with professors, that’s fine, but once you start anything that could be considered applying for an LoA, you would need to limit yourself.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Could you please advice on how to get a LoA from Kyushu or resource to follow to get it. I just got to understand the graduate course I chose isn’t taught in English and I have already indicated it on my placement reference form. Hope this doesn’t affect my chance of acceptance or better still if it is still possible to request from institution I didn’t indicate on my Placement form
Hi Sam,
If the course you applied for is not taught in English, then you would need to be fluent in Japanese to apply. You cannot apply to a program where you do not already meet the language requirements. (That’s one of the easy ways to get rejected that I discuss in the article!)
If you are not fluent in Japanese, then you would have to choose another university instead. It should not be a problem if it was not on your original Placement Preference Form.
I also provided a recommendation in the article about how to find information about applying for LoAs at different universities. Have you tried that?
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
So I am in contact with my prospective adviser. I sent him my research plan and he is willing to accept me.
The problem is that even though I didn´t send him any other document nor I ask him to issue the Letter of Acepptance, he already sent it to me. From what I know to obtain that letter you are suposed to send different documents to the international office of the university and then they take up to one month to issue the letter.
I was wondering if the letter that my adviser sent me is valid (it seems valid) and if I should contact anyway the international office and send the documents, even though I already have the letter.
Last, I saw that in the letter he sent me, the topic of the research plan is a little different from what I proposed in the beginning. Is that a problem?
Thank you so much for your time
Sincerely,
Herz
Hi Herz,
At some universities, individual professors can send letters of acceptance, so hopefully that was the case for you! The process does vary from university to university.
If the letter you received has an official seal from the university, then it should be valid with no issues, but if you check that university’s website and it says that applications for letters of acceptance should go through the international office, then it would not be a bad idea to follow up with them.
If the research topic is different from what you proposed and you are not willing to shift to what the professor wrote, that is certainly something that you should address with the professor before starting your studies. If you and the professor have different expectations for what you will be doing, that could cause conflict during your degree.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
So I am in contact with my prospective adviser. I sent him my research plan and he is willing to accept me.
The problem is that even though I didn´t send him any other document nor I ask him to issue the Letter of Acepptance, he already sent it to me. From what I know to obtain that letter you are suposed to send different documents to the international office of the university and then they take up to one month to issue the letter.
I was wondering if the letter that my adviser sent me is valid (it seems valid) and if I should contact anyway the international office and send the documents, even though I already have the letter.
Last, I saw that in the letter he sent me, the topic of the research plan is a little different from what I proposed in the beginning. Is that a problem?
Thank you so much for your time
Sincerely,
Juan
Hi Juan,
There was nearly an identical question posted by someone with a different name and email address just minutes apart from yours, but I don’t know if you are the same person or not, so I am repeating my reply here.
At some universities, individual professors can send letters of acceptance, so hopefully that was the case for you! The process does vary from university to university.
If the letter you received has an official seal from the university, then it should be valid with no issues, but if you check that university’s website and it says that applications for letters of acceptance should go through the international office, then it would not be a bad idea to follow up with them.
If the research topic is different from what you proposed and you are not willing to shift to what the professor wrote, that is certainly something that you should address with the professor before starting your studies. If you and the professor have different expectations for what you will be doing, that could cause conflict during your degree.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
First of all, thank you for all your guides! They are very helpful and they sure helped me get through the first screening!
Now I’m in the process of getting my LoAs and I am in an unusual situation (I think). One of my prospective advisors implied that he would accept me. He didn’t said that clearly but when I sent a follow-up e-mail to know if he would, he said he was going to check the process with the administrative office and then he provided me with some instructions to start the application. He asked me to fill in a format for the LoA and indicated we would work on the form together. I thought it was a bit odd but I filled in everything except for the Reasons for Provisional acceptance section, because my understanding is that it is filled in by the university. However, when I sent him back the form he asked me to fill in that section as well and said that he would edit later. Do you know if this is a common practice? If it is, what should I put in that section? I have been looking for references but I haven’t found any. I have not seen this mentioned by anyone either so I don’t know if this is normal. Also, the professor mentioned he has had MEXT students before, so he should be familiar with the application process, but his request makes me confused. Have you heard of similar requests before? I would be grateful for any suggestions on how to handle this.
Thank you!
Hi Kata,
Thank you for your kind words!
I have never heard of an applicant being asked to fill in any part of the Letter of Acceptance form before, though maybe someone else can chime in here with their experience, and hopefully with an example!
I have not seen an example in many years, myself, so all I have to go on is the instructions on the form, itself:
研究計画の具体性(研究の内容・実施方法等)、学業成績等を踏まえ、受入内諾に至った経緯を日本語又は英語で簡潔に記載願いたい。特に、研究内容や実施方法について指導予定教員の考え方との相違が入学前後に明らかとなってトラブルとなるケースがあるため、受入内諾に当たって十分確認願いたい。
(My translation) “Explain the reasons you determined to accept the applicant, based on their past academic performance and the level of detail of their Field of Study and Research Program Plan (including the research contents and methods, etc.). In particular, there have been cases where applicants and advising professors had differences in ways of thinking about the research contents or methods that have led to trouble before or after acceptance, so advisors are asked to be sure to check this in detail before issuing a Letter of Acceptance.”
This suggests to me that the comments should be primarily based on an assessment of your FSRPP, including the professor’s feedback on the appropriateness of your research topic and agreement with your methodology. There should also be a reference to the professor’s confidence that you can complete your research based on your past academic performance.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
Thank you very much for creating this blog. I have also passed the primary screening. Yesterday, I had an interview with my prof. and he told me that he has written my acceptance letter, he also asked me if I was considering to apply to any other university too when I said yes, he suggested me not to. Now I am a little confused, it’s a national university and the Prof. seemed very nice but earlier I wanted to take a chance to apply to any of the top 4 universities of Japan besides this school. Since he has asked me not to, it will not be justified if if I do not follow him. I am quite confused, should I settle down with one LOA? Please reply soon as the deadlines are approaching and I need to make a decision, What criteria should I keep in mind while selecting the university?
Ehat is the difference between the top universities like Kyoto Univ., UTokyo, Tokyo Tech. and Osaka Univ and others like Nagoya Univ. or Hokkaido University?
Hi Aj,
Nagoya and Hokkaido are also top universities in Japan. Some rankings have both of them higher than Osaka, for example, but all would be in the top 10 in Japan.
Many of the factors that go into ranking are arbitrary and may not have any impact on individual students’ experiences. An overall ranking also does not necessarily indicate whether a university is strong in a particular subject.
If you are looking at the difference between a top-10 university and a university ranked in the 100s or lower, there would be a difference worth considering there, but for universities ranked relatively close together, rankings should not be a factor in your decision.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Aj,
I would not worry about the notion of “top” universities. Those rankings should not play an important factor in your selection. Many of the factors that go into rankings are arbitrary and have nothing to do with the quality of your experience as a student there.
What is far more important is your relationship with your advisor. A positive working relationship in a lab that can support your research is the most important factor for success.
I would suggest that you do not apply to other universities just because they are considered higher ranked. Only consider it if you have a strong desire to study with a specific professor there.
Good luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you so much for explaining it, I now understand it.
One part of my query was if I should settle with just one LOA (some students suggest that many students lost their scholarships in 2019 and 2020 and most of them had just one LOA).
A friend told me that her prof. insisted her to apply as a non-regular student first then proceed to degree course as there’s more competition in degree courses, but in one of your comments, it was mentioned that there’s no max. quota for embassy scholars in universities. If so, is it a risk to apply as a direct regular student?
Hi Aj,
I have never heard directly of any students not getting the scholarship because they only had one LOA. It used to be a deliberate strategy to only get one LOA (especially for students aiming for a private university). I’m not saying that it hasn’t happened, just that nobody has ever shared an example of that with me.
I did hear of several students last year whose applicants got rejected in the Secondary Screening, but in almost all cases, the reason appeared to be that they had left the Japanese language test blank during the Primary Screening.
The comment about no maximum quote for embassy MEXT scholars meant that you are not necessarily competing against other MEXT candidates at the most popular universities. However, all universities do have a total limit on the number of students they can accept and each professor will have a limited number of students they can supervise. It has nothing to do with the MEXT scholarship, just overall enrollment numbers.
It is the university’s call whether they want to accept you as a research student or degree student to start. You could apply as one and be accepted as the other. The difference is that you have to pass the entrance exam to become a degree student, and in some cases, that might involve sitting for an exam in person, in Japan.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
Just leaving an update since this was such an unusual situation.
First of all, thank you so much for your answer! It helped to give me an idea of what to write in the draft. I actually had a zoom call with the professor to clarify some aspects and he mentioned that he had asked me to write that draft just to have an idea of what I wanted/needed to have there. Still a bit odd of a request, but I think it is nice he took into account any specific needs I could have regarding the content. Maybe it was something related to what you mentioned about there being differences between professors and students in the past. Anyway, the meeting went pretty good and if everything goes well with the graduate school, I should be getting a LoA soon.
Also, I just wanted to mention, it is very reassuring to be able to ask these weird questions when you are so anxious and get an answer. So thank you again for all your help!
Hi Kata,
Thank you very much for sharing your update! I am glad to hear that is sounds like things are moving forward well.
Yours certainly was a unique situation in my experience, but those weird questions or questions that you don’t want to ask to the university are exactly what I’m here for.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis, i contacted a Professor at Sofia University for his approval to supervise me, i sent my research plan and my passing certificat. But i did’nt get feedback from the professor. The university ask to send mail to the international administration office for resquest a LOA. I already contacted a university for an LOA, can I contact another one while the professor didn’t give me any feedback and put Sofia in 3rd place?
Hi Junior,
This year, you are only allowed to be in contact with two universities at a time to apply for an LoA (including universities where you have already received one).
If you have contacted the international office to request a LoA, as instructed on the university website, then that counts as one of your two, so you can contact a maximum of one more university, unless Sophia replies that they are unable to accept you.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
No I didn’t contact the international office. Only asked the professor if i can put her name in the information form.
Hi Jude,
If you haven’t started the application process, then you can give up on Sophia and apply to a different university, instead. In that case, I recommend that you contact the professor again to thank them for their consideration, but state that you understand that they are not interested and will be applying elsewhere.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis , I want to thank you so much for all your advices, and for many of your blog guidelines, its thanks to them that I’ve got 2 possitive answers from 2 professors. Now at this point I’m a little bit worried about the covid-19 pandemic, can that result to a cancelation of the scholarship at the situation presently in Japan? what do you think about that?
Hi Junior,
It is a tough time for COVID-19 in Japan as I write this. But as of October 1, 2020, Japan is allowing Student Visa holders to enter the country, regardless of your country of origin, so you should still be able to come to Japan for your studies.
At this time, there are some strict requirements about PCR tests and quarantine after arrival, but that might change by the time you arrive next fall. For all of our sakes, I hope that it does!
Good Luck
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis,
This morning, I received the nomination from my embassy (yay).
As you alluded to in your entry, in the specific case of the University of Tokyo, applicants are meant to contact the administrative office of the graduate school that they wish to enroll to. I have filled out Todai’s prescribed application to the particular faculty and will mail it to them tomorrow. For good measure, I will also contact them by email with soft copies while also letting them know to expect my application.
When I received word from the embassy about my nomination, however, they included a file that contained a template for a letter of acceptance (which is titled 大学受入れ内諾書様式 on the MEXT webpage: https://www.mext.go.jp/a_menu/koutou/ryugaku/boshu/1415352_00001.htm).
Can the letter of acceptance that applicants to Todai receive from their administrative office be submitted in lieu of the generic letter of acceptance that I linked to above, or are applicants expected to submit an LoA back to the embassy in both forms?
Thank you so much and I hope all is well where you are.
Kite
Hi Kite,
I remember hearing in the past that Todai used a different form of letter in place of the MEXT format, but that it is accepted just the same. You can include the MEXT format document in your application materials, but if they send you a different one, it should not be a problem. You do not need to submit both.
Did Todai require you to send the application documents by post? You’re only supposed to have to send them by email since last year.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
Thanks to your blog posts I passed the primary screening. In every steps, I read again and again and followed your advice and it really helped a lot. 🙂
Now i want to apply Osaka University, Graduate School of Economics (MBA). As written in instruction of Osaka university I sent email to professor 2weeks ago. (It said contact professor before submitting materials)
But I didnt recieve any reply. In my email i wrote brief introduction about my self and my research plan. And I mentioned that I have passed the primary screening of MEXT. (I attached just research plan not the whole mext documents. I thought it would be too much document for firat email) I can speak japanese but my written japanese is not well enough to write email in japanese. So i wrote email in english.
I’m afraid that if I don’t do anything more professor wont reply to me at all.
Should i try and write him email in japanese as much as i can?
Or should i contact admission office and ask if the professor is available for supervise research?
Or should i understand that as an rejection and try to contact different university?
I’m really confused now… 🙁
I contacted Doshisha University which is my first choice and admission process is going smoothly. Last friday I had video interview with the professor. 🙂
Osaka University is my second choice. And I didnt contact any other university or professor beside those two.
Should i recieve two LoA? Will Taking one LoA reduce my chance for secondary screening?
Hi Ozi,
First of all, congratulations on passing the Primary Screening!
I am sorry to hear about the challenges you are having in contacting the professor. I have a few suggestions, but before I get into them, I thought it was odd that you indicated that you wanted to apply for an MBA in the graduate school of economics. I am fairly sure after reviewing their website that they don’t offer an MBA (they offer an MA in economics). So, if you indicated in your email to the professor that that’s what you wanted to apply for, that might be a reason why he didn’t reply.
In any case, if you still want to apply there, then I would recommend sending a polite follow-up email asking if the professor had time to review your request. The lack of reply so far should not be considered a rejection. He might just have been too busy and missed your message. Also indicate that you plan to apply formally through the International Office, but they recommended that you confer with the professor first. (Note: According to Osaka University’s website, it does not appear to be mandatory to contact the professor first).
I would suggest continuing to write in English.
If the professor still does not reply, then I would suggest that you go ahead and submit your application as instructed on the website. You can mention that you have been trying to get in touch with the professor but so far have not had a reply.
As long as you receive one LoA you should be fine for the remainder of the screening process. It will not reduce your chances, so even if Osaka does not work out, as long as you have the Doshisha letter, you should be fine!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you very much for your kind reply. 🙂
I didn’t mention about MBA in my email and my research plan. Instead I asked professor to supervise master degree research. So I think it should be fine. My research is about marketing and branding so I thought automatically it would be an MBA.
I decided to write one more email to professor and then contact the admission office, I’ll let you know once get the result. 😀
Hi Ozi,
I’m sorry about the confusion. When I was looking on their site yesterday, I did not see anything about an MBA, but I checked again today and finally found a reference that they have a business program under the school of economics (rather unusual in my experience!) that can offer an MBA or an MA. Please pardon my mistake.
In either case, I hope that getting in touch with the admin office can help!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
I have a great news! I recieved LoA from my first choice University, 😀
Also I contacted International Student Affairs Division of Osaka University to get more informations. I found that Master Degree of Graduate school of Economics most likely taught in Japanese. Because the program wasn’t listed in English taught programs list. So I decided to go with one university.
Can I fill only 1 University in Placement Preference form?
Hi Otgonjargal,
Congratulations on getting that LoA!
I see that in the application guidelines for the Master’s Program in Osaka’s Grad School of Economics that they do require international students to have N1 level Japanese.
You can submit the Placement Preference Form with only one university listed and one LOA. But you also still have time to consider and apply to another university at this point, too, if that is your preference.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
I was notified few days ago from the embassy with information as . I am pleased to inform you that you have been shortlisted for the final stage of the screening which would be conducted virtually in the coming weeks
As part of our efforts to protect both candidates and the interview panel from risk of infection, shortlisted candidates would be interviewed online. for those to use their cell phones for the interview would be required to download and install Microsoft team .( Which I have downloaded) . You may not have to worry about if you wish to use your laptop’s
We shall in the coming weeks provide more information about date and time allocation.
My questions are which type of questions should I be expecting from them ? Secondly since the last date for contacting University is 20th of November 2020, hope I will still have enough time to do so , or are they going to adjust the date for my country.
Hi Usulor Emmanuel chukwuebuka,
I have an article about the Embassy Interview that should help you prepare. If you read the comments section, several applicants have also shared their experience this year about the questions that they received, too.
As for the deadline to apply to universities, I would not expect it to be delayed or extended for you. That means that you’ll need to be ready to contact universities as soon as you get the results of the Primary Screening. So, I would recommend that you research the universities and professors that you want to apply to now so that you can be ready to send those emails right away once you have the results and documents.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis
I passed the 1st screeing, now I’m in the process to find a professor. The embassy ask to send my original diploma to Japan, but told me that If the original diploma is really an important paper I could replace it with an attestation from my University, what I did, because they will not give back paper sent to Japan. But my already submited attestation contains a typo, it is written “this is certificat attests that” rather than “this certificat attests that”, the Japanese guy told me the document was OK when I submited it, i realize the typo some times later. My country speak French as native language, should I be worried about this typo?
Hi Junior,
I do not think the typo should present any problem for you. It does not change the meaning of the document in any way.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis,
I have passed the primary screening – special thanks to you and your blog! However, one thing that concerned me in this article was the fact that
“One thing that all of the applicants I heard from had in common was that they had all left the Japanese Language Proficiency Test blank during the Primary Screening!”
Due to COVID-19 and remote interviews during the primary screening, my Consulate told me that there would be no Japanese language proficiency test given this cycle. I assume that the people who got rejected in 2019 did have the opportunity to take the test, but just left it blank due to not knowing any Japanese. In my case, I didn’t even have the opportunity to take the language proficiency test. Even though the Consulate has told me there are no language tests due to COVID-19, the statement of “The subjects of written examinations of language proficiency will be Japanese and English. Both subjects must be taken by all applicants” in the official guidelines worries me…
Have you heard anything about language proficiency tests being optional this year or can you find out? I’m unsure why the information from the Consulate is directly contradicting official guidelines…
Hi Eva,
Congratulations on passing the Primary Screening!
This year, I understand that language tests were cancelled in a few countries due to COVID-19 and it not being possible to bring applicants to the embassy/consulate for the test. If that is the case, you do not need to worry, since there is nothing you could have done about it. If the embassy made that call, they would have had the approval to do so by MEXT.
Regarding my comment about last year – last year, tests were not cancelled and all applicants were required to attend. The applicants that I referred to did attend the tests but left it blank. So, your situation, where there was never an opportunity to attend the test in the first place, is quite different.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
Thank you for all the information
I passed the First Screening at the embassy and now I am planning to ask for the Letter of Provisional Acceptance.
My original plan was to enter as a research student in Sep/Oct 2021 and after my arrival in Japan take the entrance exam to enroll the doctoral degree in April 2022. However in order to do that I need the acceptance of the extention of the scholarship and I am worry not to get it, specially because of the COVID situation they may be less willing to accept candidatures for the extention.
Do you recommend to enter as a research student or directly to the doctoral degree?
Thank you in advance
Juan
Hi Juan,
I still recommend the plan of starting as a research student and then taking the entrance exam after arriving in Japan and extending your scholarship at that point.
While the extension is not guaranteed, I have not heard of anyone not receiving the extension from research student to degree student, as long as they have been committed to their studies in the meantime and passed the entrance exam. I guess you could be rejected for the extension if your studies had gone really poorly or if you didn’t try, etc.
I do not think the COVID situation will make them any less likely to accept extensions, either. The toughest part of the COVID situation is getting in to the country in the first place. Once you’re in, then they aren’t likely to be trying to send you home.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis
I passed the preliminary screening and I plan to send my applications to these universities.
– Hitotsubashi
– Keio
– University of Tokyo
I’ve sent out my request for LoA to Hitotsubashi University. I haven’t contacted my professor yet, though, is that fine? I included his name in the ‘proposed supervisor’ field of the University’s application but I wasn’t able to find his email anywhere on Hitotsubashi’s website, so I sent out my application first. I don’t know if I should bother to look for his email any further but in case I find it, should I I write to him about it?
I also plan to apply to Keio University, so I contacted one of two professors there, one from the Business school and the other from the Economics school. I should apparently get their informal acceptance before applying for a LoA. Is it fine to seek out two professors from different Graduate Schools? Also, I don’t know if it’s supposed to be this way but I can’t seem to find the official University emails of the professors for these 2 Universities, in this case the email of the Economics school professor. Is this normal? I’m not certain I should be mailing his gmail address so I’m wondering if I should contact the University for his email.
Also, I’m rather worried that these are some of the larger universities in Japan. Should I have a backup University, like one that’s smaller in case neither Hitotsubashi nor Keio accept? Ritsumeikan APU was planned to be my backup but it seems to be in the top 20 or so. And I was considering UTokyo if I don’t have to worry about the size of the universities.
Thank you!
Hi Ted,
Have you read the instructions on the websites of the universities that you are applying to? For example, Keio does not instruct you to contact professors (I had mentioned that in the article), so there is no need to reach out to them directly. You should also check what Hitotsubashi wants you to do to apply. If they want you to contact professors, then they should have a way for you to find that professor’s contact information.
By the way, I would say that it is a bad idea to contact multiple professors from the same university. You should have one first choice and focus on them. Only switch to a second choice if the first cannot accept you. Professors will talk to one another, especially during the review process, and they will not be pleased to find that you are approaching multiple faculty members for supervision. That could hurt your acceptance chances.
For the Embassy-Recommended MEXT Scholarship, I do not think you need to worry too much that your applications are focused on top, popular universities. There is no maximum quota for a university to accept Embassy MEXT Scholars, so applying to a top university will not necessarily make your application face more competition, etc.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you for your response!
The thing with Keio’s application was that it was hidden in the ‘Information Form’, which is a required document, where it asks:
“Have you contacted your preferred supervisor and obtained his/her informal acceptance to supervise you? If “No”, the Letter of Acceptance will NOT be issued. Please make sure to contact your preferred academic supervisor and obtain his/her informal acceptance to supervise you beforehand.” Even still, I think I might abstain from Keio, as my preferred professors have not written back despite me following up with their emails.
As for Hitotsubashi, the University doesn’t require the students to contact the professors directly, but I was asked to change my preferred professor in the form I filled out for them, and the one I did manage to reach out to unfortunately declined to supervise my research as it didn’t align to his field of research as much as I thought it did. The professor I originally sought, as well as the back-up professors I had in mind, happened to be a part of the department that only accepts Ph.D students for MEXT, and I was not able to find a suitable professor in the department that I applied to (except for one that happened to be an adjunct professor). Should I cancel my application to Hitotsubashi at this point? I know it’s not required to contact and get the approval of the professors at Hitotsubashi, but I find myself unable to find anyone suitable.
Thanks again for your help! Also, I apologise for the long message.
Hi Ted,
Please don’t apologize, that was a very helpful message!
Trust Keio to hide a requirement like that. For some reason, that does not surprise me at all. Keio always seems to act a little different. I will add that to the article.
As for Hitotsubashi, if you cannot find any professors there that would be appropriate to supervise your research, then it seems like your best choice is to withdraw that application. Even if it isn’t required to get professor’s consent, moving forward with an application when there is no clear option to supervise your research does not seem like it would go well for your application or for your studies after arrival, either.
I would recommend contacting their admin office again to let them know that the professor you were interested in was not able to supervise you, so you will withdraw your application and apply elsewhere. (Of course, if you want to hold off on that until you can identify another professor at another university to apply to instead, that would be perfectly logical, as well.)
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you very much for all your help!
Hi Travis, I find it difficult getting the application form for a master’s degree program. How do I get it please.
Thanks in anticipation
Hi Emeh Uchechukwu Pascaline,
You should obtain all of the application forms from the embassy or university where you intend to apply. I have more information about getting the forms and starting your application in my article about the MEXT Scholarship Basics that should help!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello,
I have submitted to Hitotsubashi University all of the required documents, and that included an application form requiring that I propose a supervisor. I haven’t contacted my professor yet. Is that fine or should I try to reach out to him at this point? It’s just that I couldn’t find his email address anywhere, and the University seems to require that applicants send it to the Graduate schools they wish to apply to.
In addition, if I have applied to one graduate school, is it a bad idea to contact a professor from another department at the same University?
Thank you!
Hi Ted,
I’m afraid that this message is probably coming far too late to help you, but as long as you have submitted your application according to the instructions on the university’s website, you should be fine. If you also want to reach out to the professor as a courtesy, you can do so, but it sounds like you’ll have to be creative about finding their email address. (Sometimes a google search can work, even if the university website doesn’t have any information).
I do think that it is a bad idea to contact multiple professors at the same university at once in general. Your application should never be so unfocused that you could apply in two different departments or graduate schools. And you can also assume that professors whose research interests are similar enough that you could study under both of them will likely know each other and talk from time to time. They would both be likely to be rather upset to learn that you were in contact with multiple professors at the same university.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
Just received the mail from the embassy last week and I passed the first screening. For the next step sould I send my study plan and the certificate from the embassy in my first contact with the professor? cause some university ask to have a contact with the professor. I’m not a native english speaker but my english is good (listening/reading/speaking/writing) but I have no paper to prove that like a TOEFL, it is a problem? cause some university ask such paper, I mean if I passed the writing exam and interview of the embassy that should be enough I think, could the embassy can provide me a paper that attest my english level? The deadline this year is for november 22. Can you please gave me some tips to approch professor and get a quickly feedback from them like a yes or a no to move on to a next professor to not lose my time. last question ( 😀 sorry if I asked so much question) I found many professor that focus on software engineering but some make research on topic a bit different than my study plan can I still reach out these professors, we are in the same field but their actual research tend to some topic a bit different than mine, my research is focus on software in healtcare system. Waiting for your responses Travis.
Regards
Jude
Hi Jude,
I think the deadline this year is November 20, so please make sure that your application is not too late!
Have you reviewed the websites of the universities that you want to apply to for the Letter of Acceptance to find out how they want you to apply and what you should submit? Usually, you can find clear directions there.
If the university directs you to contact a professor for acceptance, it is fine to be up front with the professor that you are an applicant for the Embassy Recommended MEXT Scholarship and have passed the Primary Screening. In that case, it is also fine to attach all of the documents, if that is what the university has instructed you to do.
I would not expect quick feedback or even the possibility to move on to another professor. You should carefully select the professors that you want to apply to and understand that there is a chance that you will not get any feedback until after the deadline. It sounds like you are ready to approach many professors, but you should be focused on the few who are most closely related to your research.
As far as I know, the embassy will not give you any paperwork to attest to your language ability level (and universities have no idea what the contents are of the Embassy’s language test). If the universities are asking you for further proof of your language ability, then you would need to procure that on your own, such as a letter from an English professor at your previous university.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you Travis for your answer. After many research I found 2 universities that have professor that are close to my research plan, but they are both in a private university. As MEXT said we can contact only 2 university at the time, it is not a problem if my chosen universities are all private?
Hi Jude,
It is not a problem if both of your universities are private universities. If those are the best universities for your research, that is where you should apply!
To the best of my understanding, MEXT’s preference for national universities means that if you have both private and national universities on your list, MEXT may try to place you in the national university first, even if it isn’t your first choice.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis,
I have found your resources very helpful so far. Thank you for all you do.
I received an email earlier in the week stating that I have been shortlisted for the final stage of the screening which would be conducted virtually in the coming weeks. Considering the November 20 dealing to get an LOA, would you advise that I start contacting the schools now and ask for an LOA?
What would you advise me to do?
Hi Mohammed Isah,
You cannot start applying to universities for a LoA until you have passed the Primary Screening and have the Passing Certificate of the Primary Screening.
For now, I would recommend that you research the specific universities and professors that you want to apply to so you can be sure that their research fields match and that you know exactly how to submit your application. Don’t contact them yet, but have everything ready so that you can as soon as the university gives you your reply.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello I have some questions I would be glad if you answer-
I) I am already enrolled in a university in Canada(which is not my home country) can I apply from Canada and just attend the interview from my home country?
Hi Ela,
There should be no problem with applying for the Embassy-Recommended MEXT Scholarship if you are outside of your home country. Just keep in mind that you will have to travel to the Japanese embassy in your home country for the tests and interviews during the application process, and may need to visit in person for other steps if the embassy deems it necessary.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
I have a question regarding the request of the Letter of Provisional Acceptance. The university requested all documents I sent to the embassy, they said I can’t contact the professor directly but do I need to state the name of the professor I want to supervise my research when I send the documents too?
Thank you.
Hi Amy,
Remember not to submit the Placement Preference Form or Medical Certificate with the rest of your documents.
Yes, you should certainly make the name of the professor that you want to study with clear somewhere in your message, such as the body of the email that you send to the university.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis.
As always thank you for the information.
I have passed the first screening at the embassy and now I am planning to ask for the letter of acceptance, but I am not really sure whether to do it as a research student or as a degree-seeking student.
My original plan was to enter in October 2021 as a research student and after my arrival in Japan take the entrance exam for the doctoral degree, however to do that, I need to apply for an extension of the scholarship and I am afraid not to get the aproval of extention.
Is it difficult to get an extension of the scholarship?
Do you recommend to enter directly as a degree seeking student?
Thank you for your time,
Sincerely,
Juan
Hi Juan,
I am afraid that this reply is coming far too late to help you, but I got a bit overwhelmed with comments and fell behind.
In general, it is not difficult to get an extension of the scholarship from research student to degree-seeking student, so you should have nothing to worry about. In fact, most applicants come to Japan and spend the first semester in an intensive Japanese language program as a research student then have to apply to extend for the degree program, anyway.
I recommend starting as a research student unless there is some particular reason why you must start your degree right away (e.g. you are on a deadline to finish it and get back to your home country, etc.)
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello!
What happens if I contact 2 universities before the deadline (20 Nov), but both reject me near the end of the deadline the embassy gave me to submit my LoPAs (25 Dec)? Will the embassy give me more time to apply to other universities after 20 Nov if I get 2 rejections?
My options are all very strong universities and I am afraid none accept me..
Many thanks!
Hi Fatema,
Unfortunately, that is a risk you have to take.
If the universities that you apply to for LoAs reject you after the Nov 20 deadline, then you would not be able to apply to an additional university for an LoA at that point.
However, universities’ screenings are typically not nearly as severe as the Embassy’s Primary Screening was in the first place. I have discussed the typical ways for applicants to be rejected in this article, but as long as you avoid those possibilities, you should be relatively safe in your application!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz