For Embassy-Recommended MEXT Scholarship applicants, winter can be a nerve-wracking time. You have passed the Primary Screening, acquired your LoAs and turned them in to the Japanese Embassy or Consulate and . . . heard nothing but silence for months.
Understandably, that leaves a lot of applicants worried: Am I going to get the scholarship? Will I be placed in my first-choice university? Will I go into the Japanese language program? When am I going to hear any news?
Well, first things first:
At this point, you are practically certain to receive the MEXT scholarship!
I have never heard of any applicant that passed the Primary Screening and submitted at least one LoA that did not ultimately receive the scholarship. So you do not need to worry about that. Time to move on to the next important question: What comes next?
Secondary Screening Results
After you submitted your Letters of Acceptance to the Embassy, your application went to MEXT for the Secondary Screening. But don’t worry, this is not a competitive screening!
The Secondary Screening is only making sure that all of your paperwork has been completed correctly and there are no problems with your application. If you have passed the Primary Screening and turned in at least one Letter of Acceptance, then you should have nothing to worry about at this point.
The only way I know of to lose the scholarship at the secondary screening is if MEXT determines that your research subject is into weapons technology or dual-use technology (which should have already been caught at the Primary Screening level), or if MEXT uncovers a deliberate lie in your application materials or a criminal record that would prevent you from being able to get a visa for Japan.
Again, I have never heard of any of those things happening. You should have absolutely nothing to worry about.
Secondary Screening Results: When Are They Available?
Unfortunately, like so many other things in Japan, the answer is, “It depends.”
In 2017, applicants from several countries (Albania, Angola, India, Italy, Lithuania, Mexico, Turkey, US, UK) reported receiving confirmation of passing the Secondary Screening by the end of November.
If you have received your confirmation of passing the secondary screening, please share the date and your country in the comments below!
It is up to each individual Embassy or Consulate to decide when, or even if, they will tell applicants that they have passed the Secondary Screening. Some may wait and announce the Secondary Screening and University Placement results at the same time. The timing may even differ between consulates within the same country. The only way to find out when – or if – you will get notified is to check the application guidelines for your embassy and, if the answer isn’t written there, to contact them directly.
Again, it is not a competitive screening and you should have nothing to worry about, so there really is no need, but I understand that your future is on the line here and you might be a little nervous!
University Placement
After you pass the Secondary Screening, MEXT will start contacting the universities on your placement preference form to ask them to start accepting you. MEXT contacts universities one at a time in the preference order that you gave, except that if your top choice(s) are private or public universities, MEXT may contact your highest choice National University, first. There is really nothing you can do about it.
When MEXT contacts the universities, they will ask if the university will accept you, what status they will accept you as, and whether or not the university wants you to participate in the semester-long language training program, first.
Enrollment Status
By “status”, I mean, whether the university will accept you as a research (non-degree) or degree-seeking student at first. As I wrote in a previous article, the university has three opportunities to designate your status (or upgrade you from Research Student to Degree student – you will not be downgraded). The first is when it issues your LoA. The second is the University Placement phase. If you were initially given an LoA as a research student, but passed the university’s entrance exam before the placement phase, the University can upgrade your status to degree-seeking student at this point.
The third opportunity will be when you arrive in Japan. You still have a chance after the university placement to take and pass the entrance exam and arrive as a degree-seeking student.
Japanese Language Program
If you have relatively low Japanese language ability, the university may decide to assign you to spend your first semester in an intensive Japanese language program before starting your studies. This program is designed to help you learn day-to-day Japanese so that you can accomplish tasks like shopping, traveling, and communicating with your landlord, etc.
It is not an academic Japanese program. It will not help you improve your Japanese to the level that you would be able to take classes or conduct research in Japanese.
If you have a moderate level of Japanese ability already – and especially if you are enrolling in a program taught in Japanese – then you are unlikely to be enrolled in this program.
Depending on your assigned university, the Japanese language program may be held at the same university where you will study or (especially in the case of private universities) it may be at another university in the same city.
University Placement Results: When Are They Available
Once again, this varies based on each embassy or consulate.
Typically, they will not release the results for any applicants until all applicants through that embassy or consulate have been placed. That means that if everyone gets accepted by the first university that MEXT contacts, you may find out your results early. However, if even one applicant does not get places in the first university and MEXT has to contact a second or third university, everyone’s results could be delayed.
The important thing to take away is that just because your results are slower than someone else’s in another country, that does not indicate that you won’t get the scholarship or that you won’t get your first choice. There are many other factors at play!
As of the 2017 application cycle, a large number of countries saw their results released during the second week of January. For that year, at least, that seemed to be the default date if everyone got into their first choice. There were also one or two examples of consulates where the one person who handled MEXT scholarships was out sick that day, so results came later.
In the case of India, at least one embassy or consulate had announced that results would be available in February, but then ended up releasing them in late January.
University Placement Results: How Are They Released
Embassies or consulates typically contact applicants by email.
If you have received your university placement, please share the date and your country in the comments below!
University Placement: Unofficial Results in Advance
There are two ways that applicants often find out their university placement results before the official announcement (sometimes even before the Secondary Screening results announcement). Technically, neither one should happen, but if you do find out this way, you can consider the results to be correct.
On the other hand, if you do not hear unofficial results, do not take that as a bad sign (and do not ask for them). It just means that the university is actually following MEXT’s rules.
Adviser Leak
If you have stayed in touch with the professor that you asked for an LoA, then sometimes that professor will tell you directly that you have been placed in his or her lab. That could even happen before the university confirms your acceptance to MEXT, but there is no reason to think that they would change your name.
If a professor that issued you an LoA contacts you to say that you have been accepted to his or her lab, consider that to be unofficial, but accurate.
Housing Leak
In the case of students who will arrive in April, sometimes the university’s housing office will contact you before you get the final MEXT results to invite you to apply for housing.
The only reason that the housing office would have your contact information would be if you were on the university’s list of students to enroll in the spring, so you can consider this to be confirmation that you will be assigned to that university.
I also recommend that you follow up on those emails and apply for housing if you are interested. The chances are good that by the time you get the official results, you may miss the housing deadlines, so do not delay!
What To Do After Getting Your Official University Placement Results
First contact any other university or professor that you had been in touch with about letters of acceptance, tell them that you have been placed in another university, thank them for their support, and say that you still look forward to working with them in the future.
After all, you will still be a scholar in the same field in Japan, and there are a limited number of universities teaching in each field in English, so there is a good chance you will cross paths again in the future.
Preparing for Your Departure
The timing can vary significantly, depending on when you will start your timing in Japan.
If your future university has contacted you about housing and you haven’t followed up yet, do that right away.
The university will usually contact you and tell you what day that they want you to arrive. Later, a travel agency will contact you to arrange your tickets, so be sure to arrive in time for the dates assigned by your university!
You will also have to complete a visa application, but there is a special Student Visa application process for MEXT scholars, so look for instructions from the Embassy or consulate about that process.
Share Your Experience!
If you are applying for the Embassy Recommended MEXT Scholarship, please let us know when you got your notification, as well as the country your are applying for, in the comments below.
Of course feel free to ask any questions below, as well.
Special Thanks
Special thanks to the TranSenz supporters on Patreon, especially Daimyo Supporter Kenzo who pledges $10 per month to show his support! 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!
First of all, thanks a bunch for this blog, it was really informative!
So I’m from Sri Lanka and we’ve been in and out of lockdowns here.. the first notice to apply for the 2022 scholarship came out in May 2021, I applied for the undergraduate scholarship back then, we had to apply through our ministry of higher education and the application form was very different from the sample in the blog… however after I emailed it, I got a lot of emails from JASSO but none from the Japanese embassy or our higher education ministry. there was no news about the scholarship or the first screening until late July, so I called the embassy to know if the scholarships were cancelled, but they weren’t.
However, again, in August or September, the ministry posted another notice to apply for the 2022 scholarship, having applied once, me and my friends didn’t apply again. We didn’t receive any news about the first screening or even if our applications were accepted.
Applicants from most other countries have already finished their second screening by now, so do you think it’s worth having any hope about it? Or would it be a good choice to call the embassy again? It’s truly stressful to know nothing at all even after 5 months 🙁
Hi Warenya,
That sounds like a challenging and confusing situation!
Unfortunately, I do not know anything about the application situation in specific countries or at specific embassies and I have never heard of a situation like yours before, so without reading all of the emails you got from JASSO, etc., I’m afraid I cannot offer any helpful advice.
I do think that it’s a good idea to contact the ministry/embassy to ask directly, though, since there doesn’t seem to be any other way you would be able to get information about your situation at this point!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
thank you so much for replying! I will call the embassy tomorrow *fingers crossed*.
Hey Travis!
Thank you for all the information you have provided for everyone regarding the MEXT scholarship. During this period, I am now requesting for letters of acceptance from universities. I have recently received informal acceptance from my first choice university, while my request for a letter of provisional acceptance from my second choice university is still in progress. Reading this article, I came across the part about national and public universities in the placement preference. My first choice university happens to be a public university, while my second choice is a national university. I’m worried I won’t get placed in my first choice university, which I believe best supports my research interests. I selected my second choice university to be more of a safety net.
Would you happen to have information on circumstances for when MEXT would prioritize the national university over a public one? What are my chances to be placed at my first choice university?
Sorry if this has gotten a bit long. Thank you so much for your time!
Hi Shisui,
Thank you for your kind feedback!
To be honest, I have not yet figured out what criteria MEXT uses to decide who gets to go to a private/public university and who is sent to a national one. I recall hearing that about 1/3 of applicants end up in private or public universities, but have not been able to confirm that figure.
The biggest factor is budget, and that determines the number of students overall that can go to non-national universities, but unfortunately I do not know what makes the difference for individual applicants, so I cannot guess what your chances would be.
I’m sorry I wasn’t able to be more helpful.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi,
I just passed the undergraduate embassy screening in my country, but I’m at a little loss on what to do now. I keep searching information online, but couldn’t find any credible information on how the undergraduate process differs from the graduate one. If you don’t mind answering, I have a few questions for you.
1. Although you stated that almost no one gets rejected from the secondary screening, I’ve heard about quite a few instances of the prospective undergraduate candidates getting rejected by the MEXT. Is undergraduate acceptance rate lower than the graduate one?
2. After submitting the documents to the embassy, should I contact the universities I want to study in, or is that only for the grad students?
3, The final results are usually available around December-January, so I’m sorry if I sound rude, is it allowed to be enrolled in another university in September, just in case I don’t get this scholarship?
Although I am very happy to be chosen from my country, I cannot help but feel very anxious about the future. Thank you so much for helping us and providing us with such quality information.
Hi Eri,
Congratulations on passing the Primary Screening!
As far as I know, for the undergraduate scholarship, after the Primary Screening, there is nothing left that applicants need to do but wait for the final results, which should be by the end of January 2022.
1. I’m afraid I do not know the details of the undergraduate scholarship secondary screening. My area of expertise is the scholarship for grad students.
2. You do not need to contact universities. That is only for grad students.
3. As far as I know, it is allowed to enroll in another university in the meantime, as long as that university is not in Japan and as long as you are prepared to drop out if you receive the scholarship.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis!
I’m Camila from the Dominican Republic in the Caribbean. I got my placement confirmation on June 14th, I’ll be going to the University of Tokyo!
I want to thank you! This blog has been my saver during this process, thanks to your amazing guidance I was able to fulfill it, you made everything easier for me, and made me feel less nervous.
This has always been a dream of mine and now it finally became my reality, words would never be enough, thank you so so much!
Now I’m waiting for the information regarding my arrival and the visa. Does that usually take long?
Hi Camila,
Congratulations! That is very exciting news.
Thank you very much for your kind words and feedback, as well.
It is not unusual for the visa and travel information to take a while. Applicants for the University Recommended MEXT Scholarship still have not gotten their results this year, so they are likely waiting for all results to be ready before moving on to the next step. In usual years, they start processing visas around mid- to late July (and travel arrangements can come much later than that), though with the pandemic and the Japanese border situation being uncertain, that could change as well. In the meantime, though, don’t worry. It is just a matter of time and slow bureaucracy.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Dear Travis
I receive the official confirmation from my embassy today.
Thanks very much for all your effort. It helps a lot.
However, Please can you clarify my doubt on this
-The term of the scholarship says October 2021 to March 2023.
-Term of Japanese Preparatory Education is October 2021 to March 2022
-Term of Specialized Education is 2022年 4月 ~ 2023年 3月
My concern is that I applied for a PhD program for 3years as a Regular student and not a Non Regular student as stated in the final MEXT decision and based on the Term of Specialized Education which is stated 2022年 4月 ~ 2023年 3月the duration seems short for a PhD program. I just need you to clarify me on this since my interest is on a PhD program and not a non regular student.
Thank you
Hi Francis,
Congratulations! That’s great news.
It sounds like even though you applied to start as a degree student, they decided to start you as a non-degree student. That would be the university’s discretion. If you kept a copy of your Letter of Acceptance from that university, you can double-check to see whether they said they would accept you as a degree student or research student.
Another thing to consider is that everyone is a Non Regular student during the Japanese Preparatory Education period, so if you are starting with that program, they would always start you as a Non Regular student and they would give you the full Non Regular student period. However, you should be able to take the entrance exam for the PhD program while you are in the Japanese Preparatory Education so that you can start the PhD program in the semester immediately after the language program ends. In that case, you would also apply for an Extension of your MEXT Scholarship at the same time to cover your PhD program.
The length of the PhD program should be three years, once you extend the scholarship.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Dear Travis,
I believe this is my first time commenting under your blog. I am so grateful for your kind act of sharing and replying to each comments with great passion. Thank you very much for your answers and posts which were extremely helpful. I am from Myanmar and I got my official result from my Embassy yesterday. I pray for your works be more successful as the time goes by. Congratulations to all other successful candidates out there. Also, best of luck to this year applicants too.
Hi YK,
Congratulations! I am thrilled to hear that you got the scholarship and very gratified that the posts and comments here helped along the way.
Good Luck with your studies in Japan!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis!
Just wanted to share that I got my acceptance from MEXT yesterday! Which also seems to be the case for other applicants, so I suppose applicants who haven’t got their results yet should expect to receive them soon.
According to the document of acceptance, arrival in Japan should be in October (2021年10月) . I’m not sure how will that play out considering the current world situation, but that’s what the document states at least.
As always, thank you for all your help since the very beginning. Good luck to everyone!
Hi Johnny Navarro,
Congratulations!
I heard from another applicant that MEXT is trying to make special arrangements for MEXT scholars to have an exception to the immigration restrictions for this fall, though I don’t have the details yet.
(For anyone else reading this, I should note that Johnny wrote a guest post about his application experience, so it is definitely worth learning from his experience!)
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis!
Thank you so much for your kind words! I wanted to ask you whether or not I should contact my research advisor? Or is it too soon (considering there are quite a few months left)? To give you a little bit of context, I haven’t interacted with my advisor at all yet, the university that accepted me was one of those where they handle all the process for you and you cannot contact the professors directly.
I also forgot to mention in my previous comment that I’m from Panama (although I think it is mentioned in my guest post). The embassy told me I have until September 14th to deliver the acceptance document signed.
Once again, thank you so much!
Hi Johnny Navarro,
Thank you very much for the update!
Did the embassy ask you to get a new, signed acceptance document now, after your scholarship acceptance? I haven’t heard of that step before, so I would be curious to learn more about it.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis!
Sorry, perhaps I phrased it in the wrong way. I meant the “pledge” document. They gave me two docs, one is the acceptance document with all the info on the University that accepted me along with the arrival date and so on. The other document is the “pledge” that we have to sign.
They gave me until September 14th to deliver the pledge printed and signed to the embassy. Which I already delivered so I guess now I’ll have to wait for the arrangements.
Hi Johnny Navarro,
Thank you for the clarification!
It sounds like you’re in another waiting period. Hopefully during that time, there will be improvements in the border situation. I have heard rumors that, even though the borders remain closed, MEXT may try to make special arrangements for MEXT Scholars to be able to come to the country.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
I just want to thank you for all your hard work in keeping us informed. I was informed by my embassy today that I’ve been granted the scholarship. I’m from Barbados in the Caribbean. So I’m assuming everyone’s results will be rolling out within the next few days. I am so overjoyed right now. Everyone keep your chin up.
Hi Mel,
Congratulations!
I have been starting to hear about results coming out over the past few days, so I think you’re right.
Good luck with your studies in Japan!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Mel, I am from Belize and I just got my formal acceptance letter too. I am sooo overly happy.
Congrats to you and all the other MEXT scholars out there! Travis, thank you for your assistance as well, you helped me a lot!
See you Japan!
Hi Rox,
Congratulations! I wish you the best of luck in your studies here in Japan. I hope to see you here in the future!
Good Luck!
-Travis from TranSenz
Dear Travis I’m just writing to let you know that the 2021 results for the secondary screening are out for some countries including mine.
I would like to sincerely thank you for this wonderful site, it truly made my journey less difficult than it otherwise would be. Also, it might interest you to know that
1- no one has been rejected so far and hopefully it stays that way
2- those who had LOAs from private (1st) and national (2nd) universities were placed at their second choice (that was the case with at least 3 of my fellow applicants).
Anyway thank you again and please keep up the good work!
Hi K,
Congratulations on your results and on earning the scholarship!
Thank you for your kind words, as well for sharing the results that nobody was rejected, as well as the information about placement.
Good luck with your studies in Japan!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Transenz.
Thanks very much for your support in helping people like me for the MEXT SCHOLARSHIP. I applied for the 2021 Research student in 2020 and I supported 2 LOAs to My Embassy. One of the documents my First choice University sent for me to fill and send through EMS and Email is titled
APPLICATION FOR ADMISSION
MEXT SCHOLARSHIP (EMBASSY RECOMMENDATION) STUDENT FOR 2021
I received this email from my First choice University
You need to fill up and send the application forms as attached files to me as soon as possible.
I know you did not get the final decision on MEXT scholarship but it’s better to prepare it for your next step.
All documents must be sent by ems and e-mail to me.
Would you read through the attachment files?
And we have an inquiry as follows:
1. Do you need Japanese preparatory education?
Yes: It means that you will be a research student once for a half year and then be a Ph.D. student from April, 2022.
No: You will be a Ph.D . student from October, 2021 (You can learn Japanese at our university).
Best regards,
Hope this is a good sign. As I am still waiting for the final Decision from MEXT
Hi Francis,
Congratulations!
Even though you have not gotten the official notification from MEXT, this message from the university is a sign that they already know that they will be hosting you as a MEXT Scholar. They would not ask you to fill in additional paperwork and pay for international postage if they were not sure that you would be accepted and placed there!
It is indeed a very good sign.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Francis,
May I know which country are you from? I’m still waiting for news and emailed the Japanese embassy in my country today, but they said there is no news from Tokyo at present.
Yan
Hi Yan,
Francis said that the university sent the forms to start the enrollment process, but that there was no official news yet from the embassy. So, do not worry that your embassy doesn’t know anything yet. It is almost always the case that universities know before the embassy, since they have to verify acceptance during the screening process.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
Thank you for the reassurance. It’s already mid June and I believe this year’s schedule is delayed compared to other years? Do you reckon they may be doing some last minute adjustments to the number of scholarships they are going to give out? Also do you reckon there might be a delay on when international students can enrol/enter Japan – I read online that international student visas are not issued at the moment due to the pandemic. Just many scenarios playing out in my head as I’ve got a full-time job and will need to give a few months advance notice for resignation. I’m kind of in a dilemma at the moment.
Yan
Hi Yan,
Usually, if MEXT says that the results will be available “in June”, they mean “the last day of June.” And in most years, when they say that, the results actually come out in July…
However, this year, I double-checked the guidelines after reading your comment and it says that the results will be released starting in June, so they are already indicating that it will probably be later.
I do not think that this has anything to do with them adjusting the number of scholarships. It is just slow bureaucratic processing. (And they might be trying to get some clarity on that visa issue, too, so that they can give you the next set of instructions.)
You are right about visas and the borders staying closed. I have heard some rumors that there might be a possibility of borders partially opening in time for the fall, but nothing confirmed yet. In the past, when they considered opening borders, MEXT scholars were a higher priority than other student visa holders, so hopefully there will be some consideration for you to be able to arrive in Japan on time, but right now, it is impossible to say for sure.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Dear Travis, thank you so much for providing us a very clear and update information about MEXT scholarship. It really helps a lot! Wishing you all the best for your life.
I have some questions, my husband is nominated by university to get MEXT Scholarship this year. We are now waiting for secondary screening announcement from MEXT. I am so anxious since we are not sure about the result, because my husband is taking his second master with this scholarship. Do you have any information that MEXT accept the scholar by university recommendation to get his/her second master? Will his chance to get scholarship is lower because he pursue a second degree? His first master is not from Japan and he got it without any scholarship at that time. Thank you for your time.
Hi Adel,
Congratulations to your husband on his nomination!
If the university has nominated him to MEXT, then it is almost certain that he will pass the secondary screening, since it is not a competitive screening, but rather a double-check step. The only reasons I have seen applicants get rejected at this point is if MEXT has a budget cut and needs to cut applicants across all universities (I have only seen that happen once in the past, and there were warning signs then. There is no indication of a similar problem now). Or if there is a problem with applicants’ eligibility, for example if they are affiliated with weapons research.
I have seen applications approved in the past for second masters’ degrees and I do not think that your husband should have any problems.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Adel,
First, congratulations to your husband’s nomination! You must be very proud. If you do not feel comfortable answering my following questions, I completely understand.
I wonder – will your husband be bringing you to Japan under a dependent visa if he is able to enter the country? I ask because I would like to bring my spouse, but I am worried that there may be circumstances where I am allowed into the country but dependent visas won’t be processed or permitted, therefore leaving my spouse stuck in my home country without any idea of when dependents will be received into Japan. If you have looked into this, or know anything about this process, I would really appreciate any insight you may have!
Thank you!
Hi Lan,
Adel might reply later, but for now I wanted to share what I have heard. Japan’s borders are still closed, but it sounds like there might be a special exception for MEXT scholars to be able to enter the country in time for the fall semester. So far, I have only heard about MEXT scholars, though, not even other student visa holders. So, it could be some time between when the scholar is able to enter the country and when their spouse is able to come later.
I will share anything I hear about borders here as soon as I can!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Dear Travis,
Thanks as always for the work you do on this blog. I have a question concerning the format for writing an “abstract of presented paper” as described in this year’s guidelines (for those who have a published paper). Do you have an existing template or is there any standard format recommended by MEXT for writing this?
Appreciate your help with this as always.
thanks.
Unimke.
Hi Unimke Adie,
Thank you for your kind words.
There is no template or standard format for writing an abstract of your thesis/presented paper, just a recommendation that it should be under one page.
In general, it should include the title of your research, your research methods, and your conclusion, but I would recommend that you ask your current academic advisor for advice on how to write one.
You can also look up journal articles in electronic databases through a library (or even google “research paper abstract”) to find examples of how other researchers have done it.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Dear Travis,
I hope this message finds you and your loved ones well and healthy. Thank you so much for all that you do to support MEXT applicants all across the world in fulfilling their dreams of studying in Japan! I really believe that it is thanks to all the information and support you provide online that I was able to pass the first screening at my local embassy and receive provisional LOAs.
That being said, I am also waiting for information about the secondary screening and final placement. I received no update from my embassy thus far which I think is a good sign! After seeing other students receive informal confirmations about their selection, I asked my prospective professor if he has heard anything from MEXT, but he says he has not yet. I was hence wondering if you had any insight on the final placement process! Is it a rolling process that will take place over the next month or so, i.e. MEXT is still working on contacting universities and conducting placements and it is normal that I haven’t been placed yet? Sorry for the somewhat silly question!
Thank you so much for your time and all you do once again!
Best,
Amanda
Hi Amanda,
Thank you for your kind words. I hope you and your loved ones are safe and healthy, too.
Congratulations on passing the primary screening and getting your LoAs!
I think it is a good sign that you have not heard anything back from your embassy. Typically the only information that they can release is if an applicant has failed the Secondary Screening (that would have been back around February, if it happened).
When MEXT contacts universities for the placement process, they do ask university to not say anything to the applicants. Not all universities stick to that rule, but it is perfectly normal to hear nothing.
It is not exactly a rolling process, since nobody is supposed to leak interim results. MEXT usually contacts all universities around the same time and then asks for a reply around the same deadline. There can be multiple rounds of this, for example if the first university that MEXT contacts does not agree to accept the applicant, they will contact a second. (MEXT only ever contacts one university per applicant at a time). But even in this case, they do not release official results to the applicants who were placed at the first attempt until all applicants’ results are confirmed.
So, unfortunately, all I can say is that you have to wait a little while longer.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
I know the situation is difficult right now in Japan due to covid-19. But I would like to know if MEXT also has a plan for MEXT scholars an future MEXT scholars? Heard that some 2020 scholars still cant enter to Japan, and undergraduate 2021 can’t too, can we hope thing will be better in october to be able to enter Japan? if MEXT don’t have plan for us so why they don’t stop futur aplications like 2022 that is already avalaible. We can’t take all the degree online and it’s very difficult with times difference, and many left their Job and others activities for this scholarship they should consider that too. I know Japanese people try to protect themself but they can also put some effort to organize MEXT scholars entry with help of universities, like they put so many effort to organize safe Olympic games.
Hi Jeff,
Unfortunately, it’s not MEXT’s decision whether or not students can enter the country. I’m not sure that they have any more information than the rest of us do.
For this spring, they were planning to prioritize MEXT scholars’ entry to the country, but then the border shut-down got extended.
Right now, I think Japan is focused on trying to minimize the spread in order to be able to hold the Olympics and Paralympics. I am hoping that by fall they will consider phased reopening of international travel. Based on the situation in the past, MEXT scholarship should be among the first priorities after business travelers. However, when and how that happens depends on the situation with COVID-19 worldwide and nobody knows how that will change over the next few months.
In the meantime, I think all we can do is to prepare for the possibility that things will get better.
I know it is a difficult situation for MEXT scholars who left their jobs, etc., and you might need to make some difficult decisions if the borders do not open again. That is going to depend on each person’s individual situation to decide whether they can continue with their studies remotely in the meantime or not.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello again Travis.
Hope you are doing fine.
As I’m writing this to you, some applicants have heard about their results from their prospective supervisor. I also sent an email to my supervisor asking him to introduce me some resources ( I didn’t mention anything about results) but no replies came back. I’m totally nervous at this point wondering maybe I am rejected after all and MEXT didn’t contacted any of my universities at all. Although the embassy told me that nothing has reported from MEXT so far I am wondering if the second screening is over for sure? Or I still have to wait more ?
Plus the embassy will open the next round of scholarship by the end 9f next week and if I conclude it rationally I think the embassy or Mext would have informed me a month ago if I were rejected. However, last year when 3 applicants were rejected of each country, the embassy of Japan in tehran informed their rejection along with official acceptance of other students. That’s why I can’t be sure whether I’m in or not.
Hi Aida,
From what I have heard from other countries, the Secondary Screening should have ended in February and embassies should have received information about any unsuccessful applicants at that time. Unless there are some extenuating circumstances, MEXT is going to process all countries together, so if the screening is over for one country, it should be over for all, and for all applicants, MEXT should now be contacting universities to confirm acceptance. (Typically, embassies should contact unsuccessful applicants as soon as they know those results, but since you mentioned that the Embassy in Tehran did not do that last time, I cannot be sure that this is always the case).
It is true that some applicants have heard from their universities, but you should not take it as a bad sign if you have not. Universities are not supposed to contact applicants until the final results are released. Some ignore this direction, but if your universities have not contacted you, it could just be that they are doing things “right”.
I should mention that the rejections last year were due to a decline in slots that MEXT released after the application process began, so it is not a normal situation to have so many students rejected after the primary screening. In last year’s case, each embassy announced those rejections at different times, but most mentioned it during the Primary Screening or the Secondary Screening. Even though Tehran was late with the announcement last year, if the same thing was going to happen this year, I assume we would have already heard about it from other countries. So, you should not need to worry about that!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis,
I have a sticky problem. So for the second phase, I read on the studyinjapan website that applicants without a latter of acceptance from universities before August 26 would likely not be accepted (even if they passed phase 1). I have already reached out to the only university I want to attend, Hokkaido University, and they will not even accept statements of interest from prospective mext students until October, never mind actually accepting those students and sending out those letters of acceptance. I really don’t want to apply to a different university. Is there any way that MEXT might be flexible on that requirement due to pandemic still being a thing? I’m very frustrated. I have also been requested not to contact professors directly.
Do you have any advice?
Thank you!
Hi Noor,
It sounds like Hokkaido University might not have read this year’s application guidelines yet.
Last year, the whole application process was pushed back several months, so the Primary Screening ended in September/October and applicants contacted universities for Letters of Provisional Acceptance in October/November. It looks like Hokkaido is assuming that will be the schedule again this year.
Once they see the new guidelines this year that move the Letter of Provisional Acceptance deadline back to August (which is the normal time), they should change their policy.
Even though the new guidelines are out on the Study in Japan website (in English), MEXT still has not published them on its own website (in Japanese), so there’s a good chance that universities haven’t noticed yet.
I do not think this is going to be a problem, they just aren’t as up to date as you are! They should definitely have the right information well before you apply to them for the Letter of Provisional Acceptance.
About contacting professors, though. If they have asked you not to do so, then I recommend that you follow their instructions, as disappointing as that may be.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thanks for all your help Travis! Unfortunately, I am not that ahead of the curve. I’m applying from Brazil where the pandemic is still raging so I assumed this year would be delayed again so I hadn’t ordered my official transcripts yet until I got your email list. (I ordered it Friday early morning) but they still might not arrive from the US to Brazil on time. So I’m not running on time, unfortunately. At any rate, if I can’t apply this year, I’ll just do it next year.
Hi Noor,
I have seen several articles about the state of the pandemic in Brazil lately, and I cannot imagine what you are going through living it each day! I hope that you and your loved ones are staying well.
If your transcripts cannot arrive by post in time, you could explain to your embassy that you are having them sent from the US and that it may take time in the post. You could ask if they will accept transcripts sent by email, first, to start the screening, and then submit the originals as soon as they arrive.
Under normal circumstances, I don’t think they would allow that, but the pandemic has disrupted international mail, so it might be possible this year.
Good Luck
– Travis from TranSenz
Quick question, what do they mean by digital authentication for university transcripts?
Hi Noor,
Can you tell me where you found that reference? I have not heard of digital authentication being mentioned in the application guidelines before.
In general, my understanding is that it refers to universities that do not issue paper transcripts and only issue PDFs through a secure system. In those cases, there is some sort of authentication code or link that is included when the pdf is sent or printed so that the person reviewing it can check on the original secure computer system to ensure that it is original.
I have seen these types of transcripts in my day job, mostly from US universities, but I have not heard them mentioned in MEXT applications before. I assume they are referring to the same thing, but I would like to see the reference in context to be sure.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Dear Travis
I hope you are doing well.
My professor has just casually told me that Mext has contacted him to confirm my selection. Now does this mean that the second screening is already over and now it’s just a matter of a university placement? Thank you for all that you do.
Hi Khalid,
From what I can tell, the Secondary Screening portion is indeed over. It sounds like any unsuccessful applicants would have been reported to embassies around February.
MEXT is reaching out to universities from your Placement Preference Form/Letters of Provisional Acceptance now to ask them to formally confirm their acceptance. If the university confirms, that is the last step to verify your acceptance and receipt of the scholarship. So, while it isn’t technically “official”, if the professor has told you that MEXT contacted them and they have agreed to accept you, you can be positive that you will receive the scholarship!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis,
I’ve commented before and had received great help from your articles. A little update from 2020/2021 postgraduate final candidates, currently I’m still waiting for the secondary result which is expected to be announced in June this year. Some of the postgraduate candidates in my home country have received some sort of early confirmation email from their professors and university. Honestly, I’m anxious since I haven’t received mine yet but I’ll patiently wait for it haha.
On to my question, I have heard that 2019/2020 scholarship recipients have yet to depart to Japan until now due to Covid-19, is that true? It is expected for the undergraduates from my country to depart to Japan by end of April or early May (which is soon). However, if what had happened to 2020 MEXT scholars is true I was left wondering if they will actually depart end of this month. I am aware that Japan has also yet to open their border so that might be the case. On that note, do stay safe Travis!
Hi Hada,
Thank you for your comments and feedback! I have also heard from some applicants that their universities have reached out to them about paperwork or that professors have told them they were accepted, even though MEXT’s official process isn’t done yet. Universities aren’t supposed to do that, so don’t fret if you haven’t heard. The applicants who have heard back directly from universities are the exception, not the rule!
Unfortunately, my understanding is the same as yours: Many applicants from last year still have not been able to enter Japan. There was a time from October to December of 2020 when the borders were open, so some applicants may have managed to get into the country during that time, but they unfortunately closed again thanks to the spread of the more infectious COVID-19 variants. As of April 2021, there is no official word or even suggestion as to when they might open again.
MEXT might be making an exception for the undergraduate MEXT Scholarship applicants that you mentioned, but if they are, I have not heard about it. I would be surprised if those scholars are able to travel to Japan this month or next, especially with the situation here getting worse again by the day.
I will share any information on the borders as soon as I hear it!
By the way, thank you for your kind wishes. I am fortunate to live in a rural area where the spread has not been too bad yet and our daily lives haven’t really been impacted. But we are constantly staying vigilant!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis
I applied for the MEXT scholarship through the embassy in my country. I passed the primary screening from the embassy.
Yesterday I received an email from my supervisor sensing me the graduate school application form and Field of study and study program form for me to fill and send by both EMS and email. He said he knows i haven’t received the final decision from MEXT but that i should fill it because it is needed for my next step.
Hope this is a good sign sir.
Thanks for all your posts because it encourages me.
Hi Francis,
Congratulations on passing the primary screening and getting an LoA!
Indeed, I would say that the letter from your supervisor should be a good sign.
At this point in the application process, MEXT should be reaching out to the universities that issued Letters of Acceptance to ask them to formally accept you. If the university has received a request to accept you and has either approved it already or is in the process of doing so, then they may start you moving on other paperwork. (One of the common examples I see is that universities start telling applicants to apply for housing, even though they have not yet gotten the formal word from MEXT.) It sounds like that is what has happened with you. Especially since the paperwork they are asking you to submit involves a cost on your part (EMS), I do not think they would do that unless they were sure you would be studying there.
Universities cannot officially tell you your results, but I think you can be relatively confident that university knows that it will be accepting you as a MEXT Scholar.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello again Travis!
I was just wondering if we are supposed to keep in touch with the professor who accepted to be our mentor at the university that issued a LoPA during the Secondary Screening process ? In my case, there are no many things to talk about in the mean time, since everything was clearly said in our previous communication during the application process, and I don’t want to be pretentious since at the end the scholarship isn’t granted till June, and probably the professors are busy enough with their ongoing academic work. But yet, I’m not sure….
Thank you for your understanding and help as always.
HI Ivs,
Yes, I do recommend keeping in contact with your professors as the screening process continues, but it does not have to be frequent.
It’s a little different for the Embassy Recommended MEXT Scholarship, since you could have professors at multiple universities and you obviously cannot work with all of them, but the idea is that the professor that issued you the LoA will be your advisor once you arrive in Japan. Ideally, you should still be working on preparing for your studies in Japan in the meantime, such as reading additional works in the field or considering your methodology. So, in that case, you would be contacting your professor every once in a while to update them on your progress. For example, if you read a new study or book related to your research topic, you could let the professor know and also what you thought about it.
If you do not have anything on-topic to say, then I don’t recommend contact for the sake of contact alone, though. If you keep your communication focused on the research you want to do with them, then it shouldn’t be a bother.
However, I will caveat this for the Embassy – it is fine if you want to wait until after you find out which university you have been assigned to. In most years, that happens a lot earlier (LoPAs in September and finding out the university in January or so), so that leaves a lot of time to be in communication afterward, but since everything was delayed this year, you won’t really have that much time to communicate after you find out your university in June, so you don’t need to worry about it too much!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you so much for your advice Travis! It’s very helpful as always!
Hi Travis,
I applied for MEXT embassy recommendation in 2020 June and faced for preliminary examination in 2020 August 29th.
I didn’t get any result hereafter. Does that mean I am not qualified from primary screening?
At the same time I applied for university recommendation by this February 2021 and the university officially nominated that I am selected.. And they informed that the final result will be announced during June. Please let me know what are the chances of getting MEXT?
Thank you very much
Hi Priya,
For the Embassy Recommended MEXT Scholarship, if you did not hear back after the Primary Screening, that would mean that your application was not successful at that point. (Had you passed the Primary Screening, you would have then had to apply to universities for Letters of Acceptance back in October/November). Passing the Primary Screening would have also made you ineligible to apply for the University Recommended MEXT Scholarship, since those applications overlap.
Now, with the University Recommended MEXT Scholarship, if the university has recommended you to MEXT, then you can be almost certain of earning the scholarship. I have only seen it happen once that a significant number of applicants were eliminated after nomination to MEXT, but that was in the midst of a serious budget issue when scholarship slots were cut for both the University and Embassy. I do not see any indication that the same thing would happen again this year.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Dear Travis,
Thank you very much for your reply.
I was bit worried that as I faced the preliminary examination with embassy recommendation, my chance of getting university recommendation is at risk.
As I am not contacted by embassy after preliminary exam so far, I guess I don’t want to worry that thing, isn’t it,
I am having few questions, I would be very grateful if you can help me in these.
1. I am selected by obihiro university(university recommendation) What are the chances of getting the scholarship this ?
2. Is there any thing to do by my side to secure the chances of getting the scholarship?
3. I have a 4 years old daughter. Is there any possibility to accompany my husband and daughter when I am going there.
Thank you very much .
Hi Priya,
Thank you for your reply.
1. It doesn’t matter what university you were selected by (unless it’s a PGP program). If they have nominated you to MEXT, then you should be within their allowed number of nominees and I would expect that your chances of receiving the scholarship are very high. The only reason I have seen nominated students not earn the scholarship in the end was one year when MEXT faced significant budget issues and had to cut slots across the board.
2. No. The entire application process is out of your hands now and all you can do is wait.
3. Your family will not be able to come with you when you first arrive in Japan. You will have to arrive, complete your residence registration, etc., then apply for a Dependent CoE for each of them so that they can apply for visas and come join you later. So, expect that you will be apart from them for several months. (They could possibly come with you at the same time on tourist visas, if the Japanese immigration restrictions allow at that time, but then they would have to leave Japan once to apply for the Dependent Visa and then return later).
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Dear Travis,
Thank you very much for your kind and informative reply.
Priya from Sri Lanka
Dear Travis,
Again I am Priya, so sorry for disturbing you all the time.
I got band 7 for IELTS ACADEMIC but i sat for the exam on 2017/o4 /22. That means I sat for the exam before 4 years. At the same time I have IELTS – general training as well which I sat on 04/02/2019 and got band 7.
Will this old test dates be a reason for not getting me the MEXT at end? ( now I got my university recommendation).
Sorry for all the troubles I am giving.
Thank you very much
Priya
Hi Priya,
I can certainly understand that the long wait from the university nomination to the final result could be making you nervous!
Since you have already passed the Primary Screening at the university and been nominated to MEXT, your IELTS score should not be an issue. MEXT requires universities to make the check of your language ability. They have to verify that you have at least B2-level language ability or that you completed your previous degree entirely in English. If you meet that second criteria, then the date of your score won’t matter.
If your previous degree was not taught in English, then you will have to obtain a new English language proficiency test score before applying for a scholarship extension (i.e. if you are starting as a non-degree student and will be matriculating to the degree program after arrival), but it should not affect your initial acceptance.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Dear Travis, Konnichiwa
Hope you are doing fine.
It’s almost mid March and although we are still waiting for our final results I am wondering if not hearing back from the embassy might be a good sign of passing the second screening? or we should wait more like until the beginning of April or May? All of my other friends have the same concern and they insisted that I ask you about this. Last time I spoke to my coordinator, she said that there’s nothing wrong with our documents and only our LOAs now matter to MEXT. Hope she is right cause we all are getting really tired of this long wait.
Thank you in advance for supporting us this whole time.
Hi Aida,
In my experience, applicants typically do not hear back after the Secondary Screening unless their application was rejected at that stage, so “no news is good news” at this point.
If I look back at last year, the one year that I am aware of a significant number of Secondary Screening rejections occurring, the Secondary Screening and University Placement began around October with December to February being designated as the results release dates. I think the first time I started hearing about applicants getting rejected was in late December – so almost three months after the start of the Secondary Screening and into the beginning of the results period. (I should note that I didn’t start hearing about successful results until much later in the results period).
This year, the Secondary Screening and University Placement started in February with the results release projected in June. By either comparison to last year, it is still earlier in the process than it was when the rejections were announced last year. So I can’t say that it’s a “good sign”, yet. (I should also note that the Japanese fiscal year ends in March, so this time of year, I expect that MEXT is focused on their end of year reports and budget as well as planning for the start of next year. The MEXT scholarship process may well be on the back-burner for a bit).
However, I will fall back on my previous experience – aside from last year, I am not aware of any other year when there were significant cuts in the number of slots available over the past decade. At the time the Embassy slots were cut, there was also a decrease in slots for the University Recommended MEXT Scholarship around the same time. However, this year, the University slots remain the same as last year, so I have no reason to think that there is going to be another decrease.
I know it’s a long, tough wait, but hang in there! Nothing about the wait is bad news.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
However, I will
Hi Travis,
Thank you very much for your blog! I believe that I passed the first screening for the research scholarship via the embassy selection following your posts. This year, many of us are unsure about the secondary screening timeline. I was wondering if you knew whether MEXT releases the results from a single country at one time, or on a rolling basis whenever a candidate gets screened.
I submitted my updated placement preference form with 2 LOAs in mid-November. On January 15th, my embassy coordinator requested additional transcripts from other schools I attended (transferred from) during my undergrad. I’m hoping this is a sign that MEXT is reviewing my application but wondering if they need to screen everyone in my country before I receive the result.
Hi J,
Thank you for your kind words and congratulations on passing the Primary Screening!
In my experience, MEXT/the embassies never release results on a rolling basis. All results are always released once all applicants have been screened. This applies for the Primary Screening, Secondary Screening, and Placement. So, it is possible that one applicant could hold up the results for all. (I have heard of that happening in the past with the placement results, when one applicant ended up having to be placed in their third choice university, which required three times the usual screening time, since they were rejected by their first and second choices, and delayed everyone’s results).
If MEXT asked for additional documents (those transcripts should have been required in the first place), it sounds like they were in fact reviewing your application at that point, probably for the Secondary Screening.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you for the prompt reply and clarifying the secondary screening procedures for releasing the results! Hopefully not hearing anything back since last month is a good sign 🤞
Hi Travis
Long time reader here. First of all, I would like to thank you for all the information you have shared. Its been more than helpful.
You mentioned that there was an applicant that got rejected by their first and second choice universities during secondary screening. So there is a chance that our university of choice could actually reject us despite initially providing us an LOA?
Regards,
Greg
Hi Greg,
From what I know, it is extremely rare for a university to reject an applicant during the Secondary Screening/Placement after giving them an LoA. I do not have any specific knowledge of cases where I can say that happened.
That story about the applicant who was rejected by their first and second choice universities is something I heard third-hand (another applicant told me the embassy said that was why results were late), so I do not know the particulars of what happened. But yes, it is technically possible that universities could reject your application later in the process despite having given you an LoA in the first place.
I honestly do not know what kind of scenario would make this happen. I can imagine it would happen if the the professor who had agreed to supervise you then decided to accept a job somewhere else. Or, perhaps, if a university left initial LoAs up to individual professors and didn’t go through a thorough screening process at that point. At the university where I handled these applications, we always stressed that we did a full application review before issuing an LoA so students could be guaranteed of acceptance.
Another possible situation is that it sometimes happens that applicants put universities on their Placement Preference Form where they haven’t actually received an LoA. You are allowed to list universities there as long as they haven’t rejected you, so if they haven’t yet responded to your LoA request or you never contacted them in the first place, you can list them. That scenario would be more likely to lead to a rejection later, though.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
Thank you for the reply. Your explanations do make sense, i really hope. I guess we really just have to wait for secondary screening result at this point of time.
Cheers,
Greg
Hi Travis,
Hope you and your loved ones are doing well amid this current times. I would like to ask you regarding something which the international office coordinator said in an email conversation. So a week ago I sent an email to the international office regarding some documents for the master program at the university. During the exchange I gave it a shot in asking the status of the second screening and this is what the coordinator exactly said “Regarding the status of the MEXT scholarship, it is still under the screening. We are currently processing all applicants’ paperwork, including yours. However, you have to wait for official announcement, as we are not allowed to mention anything at this stage”
Can I take “processing my paperwork” as a positive sign at this stage?
Thank you
Regards,
Greg
Hi Greg,
Thank you for your kind words. I live in a rural area where we have been relatively unaffected, so far. I hope you and your loved ones are doing well, too!
If the university is reaching out to you at this time with documents about enrolling in the program there, that is certainly a positive sign.
In my experience, the university would not be reaching out to you at all unless MEXT had contacted them to ask them to accept you as a scholarship student. Until MEXT contacts universities with that information, they generally do not consider you to be an incoming student and would not be processing paperwork for you.
Unfortunately, it is still going to be a couple months before the final results, but I think you can be confident about your selection and placement now!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
I am currently awaiting secondary screening results and cam across this article recently:
https://www.hindustantimes.com/education/admissions/students-from-bihar-fail-to-qualify-for-japanese-scholarship-101612948385873-amp.html
Do you know anything about the above and if this is a common occurrence?
Hi Katlego Makubetse,
I read the article, but as far as I can tell, all it is saying is that all of the applicants from one particular area did not make the cut. The MEXT Scholarship is highly competitive and seeks a high level of student who can perform independent research, so there is nothing surprising about applications being rejected. I have not seen a report in the past about how that affected a particular region, but it seems completely normal to me.
It looks like the applicants in question in general had weak Fields of Study and Research Program Plans, which is a common reason for applications to be rejected.
I should note, however, that it looks like this refers to the Primary Screening, not the Secondary Screening. These are applicants who would have been eliminated earlier in the application process and would not have made it as far as you have.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
Thank you so much for your response.
I did not thank you in the above comment and I believe it is only fitting to let you know that I have been following your blog from the moment I heard about the scholarship. Thank you so much for being a guide and the most wholesome sounding board to applicants. I cannot imagine having successfully gone through the process without the wealth of insight you provide here!
Thank you for the wishes, I will make sure to keep you updated on the outcome :).
Hi Katlego Makubetse,
Thank you very much for your reply and your kind comments. I can’t tell you how motivational it is for me to hear back from applicants who have been able to make use of these articles to succeed in their applications!
I look forward to hearing your final results when they come out, as well.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Trevis, I discovered your blog after I applied and received LOA, unfortunately, since your guidelines are just amazing. And now reading through it I’m a bit freaked out for the Secondary Screening. I believe I did a stupid mistake: In the “Employment record section”, as the 2nd recent employment I listed a freelance work that I did, like it was a full time job but there is no official record since I was doing it via an online profile. I did so because the only thing that I thought that they may look for is a reference from the company. But I’ve read here that Mext is doing some background check during the screening. Like it is doing just criminal and deportation history check or a full background check with employment, payment, places you lived and etc. ? Since if it so, this will look like I lied on my application.
Hi Maria,
I’m sorry. It sounds like I have caused you unnecessary worry. First, I do not think MEXT is going to call up your previous employers for a reference. If that was going to be done at any stage, it would have already happened at the embassy level. MEXT is looking for much higher level issues, like deportation history or whether or not you have been employed by a company that is blacklisted for researching Weapons of Mass Destruction technology, etc. (Highly unlikely!).
Even if they did contact your old freelance employer, your was an honest mistake and not something they would cancel your scholarship over.
The instructions I have included in my articles here are generally based on questions that I have received from applicants in the past. So, if I have written “Fill in X, not Y.” It does not mean that filling in X will get your application rejected, just that filling in Y is what they are looking for, so it is the “better” answer if you want to meet expectations. But again, in your case, there is nothing to worry about.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Ahh, thank you very much for the prompt response! I’m very sorry for the panic allert, but this period of waiting is very anxious and some of us are probably overthinking every tiny detail that can make things go downhill. At the end there is nothing we can do. Just wait, wait, wait.
Good luck and a lot of patience to everyone here who is also waiting!
Hi Maria,
I completely understand! This is a very long and stressful wait, and I know it’s nerve-wracking for applicants each year. But really, the Secondary Screening is rarely something that anyone needs to worry about. For all the time it takes, it’s not actually that intense and in-depth. The Primary Screening is the biggest hurdle, and you’ve already passed that.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello!
For anyone perusing these threads looking for expected result announcements dates like I am, I just wanted to share that the San Francisco embassy shared to me that a final decision should be expected by June. It seems a bit far, but I guess with no April 2021 MEXT admits and COVID throwing the future into a lot of uncertainty, it makes sense. Has anyone else heard anything about screening results from their embassies?
Thank you!
Hi Lan,
Thank you for sharing that!
That is consistent with what MEXT said in the application guidelines. However, I should caution that it is not uncommon for MEXT to be late!
Certainly, if the end of June comes around with no reply, it would be worth contacting the embassy/consulate again, but do not take it as a negative sign if you don’t get a reply by then. Usually it’s just a matter of the bureaucracy being slow.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Lan! I was wondering about this too. I know on the MEXT General website it says they will announce 2nd screening results in February, then final placements in June. Not sure if some embassies will hold off until June to announce both at once.
Hi Cass,
Could you tell me where you found the information that MEXT would announce the secondary screening results in February?
I double-checked the application guidelines after reading your message, but the only information I could find was that MEXT would start the secondary screening and university placement in February and that the final results would be announced in June or later. (This is for the scholarship for graduate students. For undergraduate students, the final results will be announced by the end of January).
Thank you and good luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hey Travis,
First of all, let me express my gratitude for your kind initiatives in helping out the MEXT applicants. I saw your conversation on Youtube the other day and along with this blog, the information and clarifications you have given, have greatly helped me throughout the whole process of the application.
At this point, I have obtained 2 Letters of Acceptance from Japanese universities, one from University of Tokyo and the other from SOKENDAI. In the former case, I also had to give an interview. These Letters were submitted to the Embassy of Japan in India (I hail from India) last month. Thus, I am now in eager anticipation for the Second Screening results.
Most of my doubts have been resolved by going through the articles on the Blog and the comments etc. There are just some minor points I wanted your opinion on:
One, you mention above about unofficial results from the prospective supervisor. How accurate would such a communication from the Professor be?
Two, should I contact the officials at the Embassy asking about the status of the application before the results are announced? Would this be a recommended thing to do? This prolonged wait is kinda agonizing at times, when the status of the scholarship is unclear.
Thanks once again.
Keep up the good work!
Regards,
Suyog.
Hi Suyog Garg,
Thank you very much for your kind comments.
It sounds like you are in a very good position for the Secondary Screening and I would not anticipate any difficulties in the rest of the application process!
Regarding the unofficial results from prospective supervisors, in my experience, that is typically quite accurate. If the professor suddenly reaches out to you during the Secondary Screening, it is usually because MEXT has contacted that university to ask them to formally accept you as a MEXT Scholar and the university administration has asked the professor to be your supervisor for that process. While the final results will not have been formalized at that time, it is just a matter of time.
Of course, the absence of communication from a professor should not be taken as a negative indication. Professors are not supposed to contact applicants with unofficial results, so some will take that more seriously.
I do not recommend contacting the embassy about the process before the results are released. Throughout the Secondary Screening and placement, the whole process is in MEXT’s hands in Japan and they will not be keeping the Embassy up to date, so there is nothing to be gained from contacting them and you do run the risk of irritating them. Typically, once the Embassy gets any results from MEXT, they will provide them to you as soon as possible, so in the meantime, they are in the dark just as much as you are.
The only time I recommend contacting the Embassy is if they have given an expected date for the release of results and that date has passed with no communication. (It is likely in that situation that MEXT is just late, as usual, but it can be worth checking).
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
Thanks for your answer.
But lemme tell you this. It is mentioned that ” who are going to be enrolled, or plan to enroll, in a Japanese university…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.” But if I get MEXT Scholarship, I will not enrol myself to this other university at first place. If I come to know in June 201 about the results, I will simply withdraw my admission from other university. P.S. Getting admission and enrollment is different what I have been told. I am really confused. Should I withdraw from this now only? But if I do that. and then also I do not get MEXT, it will be a huge loss of time.
Hi Nisha,
I’m not sure what else to say. I have given you my opinion based on my interpretation of the requirements, but you insist on arguing each point with me. Ultimately, it is your decision.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Nisha
according to my experience, last year some of my Iranian friends won another scholarship and applied for other universities before MEXT’s final results. So, on second screening both of them got rejected because of that. I strongly suggest you to cancel all of your applications for other universities and just wait for the results. There is no other way. I did that too.
Hi Aida,
Did your friend apply for another government scholarship in Japan or was it a privately financed category? As long as I know that in Iran they rejected few applicants last year because they were having some military connections. Otherwise, even if MEXT would cancel then still they should be having other option with them because it is nowhere mentioned that your all the applications will be canceled. That’s inhumane!
Hi Travis,
I have a very important question and the guidelines are very confusing.
So I got an admit from one of a private university in Japan under private scholarship. But I was not able to go there because of COVID so I deferred my admission to Fall 2021. Now in meantime, I applied for MEXT Embassy Research cleared Round 1 and got LoAs from two national universities, My question is related to my previous admit which I have. Is it gonna create problem in Second Screening?
As per the MEXT guidelines, I should not have an old Student resident status from the time of the MEXT scholarship payment being. But in my case, I have no resident status yet. So I am eligible to get the scholarship. Right?
Hi Nisha,
In the eligibility criteria for the scholarship, it says that anyone who meets the following criteria is ineligible:
“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.”
It sounds like you could fall into the category of “plan to enroll in a Japanese university . . . as a privately-financed international student.” However, if you reject the deferred acceptance offer to that private university (or withdraw, in the case that you have already accepted the offer), then it should not cause a conflict with the MEXT Scholarship.
If you do not withdraw from the private university’s offer and it is discovered during the Secondary Screening, that could cause a problem with the eligibility criteria. I cannot be sure that it would, but as long as there is that chance, if it were me, I would play it safe and choose one or the other.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
I understand your point. But in the continuation of the same point, it also says, “However, this stipulation does not apply to privately-financed international students who, even though they are enrolled, or are planning to enroll, in a Japanese university or other institution, verifiably complete their studies before the start of the scholarship payment period, return to their home country at the time of the scholarship application, and newly acquire the “Student” residence status and come to Japan”.
So I think all they are trying to say that I should not have a “Student” status while applying for MEXT (In my case, I don’t have yet, It is just an offer).
Now other point also says that. ” Those who are currently also applying to another program under the Japanese Government (MEXT) Scholarship system. This includes the programs for which scholarship payments will begin in FY2020, although their final selection results have not been decided yet, and the programs for which scholarship payments will begin in FY2021.”. This says I cannot appy to other programs under MEXT but my admission is under a private scholarship.
If you also look at this situation from an applicant’s point of view then it is obvious that one student will try to come with Plan B in case MEXT is not given (which no one is sure of even in second screening).
Hi Nisha,
Unfortunately, I have to disagree with you on the exception you identified.
That exception refers to someone who is currently studying in Japan or has an offer to study in Japan for a fixed term of study that will finish before the start of the MEXT Scholarship. So, if you were in a situation where you had an offer to study at a Japanese language school for 6 months on a Student Residence Status and would return home, then you would meet the exception. Your studies in Japan would be conclusively over by the start of the scholarship.
Having an offer that hasn’t even started yet or would start start at the same time as your MEXT scholarship does not meet the exception.
Of course, I understand that an applicant would want a Plan B. However, the MEXT Scholarship is intended to bring scholars to Japan who would not be able to come otherwise, so if you already have another scholarship to study in Japan, you’re not quite in that target area and I would not expect MEXT to make an exception to their standard rules/practices in that situation.
Ultimately, it is your decision, of course, but since you had asked, I just wanted to share my interpretation.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Travis I apologize for opening this discussion again, some of my friends canceled their application for other universities in other countries. They were wondering if this ineligibility section means applying for other universities or institutions inside Japan? or no difference and they should not apply for other scholarships out side of Japan? Which one is correct?
Thank you in advance
Hi Aida,
This ineligibility criteria only applies to universities in Japan. It is perfectly fine to proceed with applications for other scholarships or regular admission to universities in other countries at the same time. (That would be the expected form of a “Plan B”).
Of course, there may come a time when one program (likely the one in another country) has released its results and is asking you for an answer, while MEXT still has not released its final results. Ask yourself, if that were to happen, which would you choose? If you decided that you would choose to stick with MEXT, even if it means that you have to give up the other program before you know the final conclusion from MEXT, then I would recommend that you cancel your application to that other program earlier rather than later, so that the other program has time to select an alternate candidate and someone else can have that chance.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you very much for your kind and complete answer.
Happy Holidays
Hi, Travis. Sorry for coming accross at this comment. But I have similar case like in this part. I have passed the primary screening and submit my LoA,now I am waiting for the result of the secondary screening. But recently I got a scholarship offer from another country. Since the final result of MEXT is still uncertain, so I consider to take another scholarship offer from another country. Actually I agonized so much about this decision TT My question: if I cancel my candidacy during this secondary screening process, would there will be any penalty? Such as maybe I will blacklisted from apply any other MEXT program in the future?
Hi Via,
I understand that can be a tough decision!
There is no official punishment to you for withdrawing from the scholarship prior to arriving in Japan. (If you withdraw after arriving, then you are not allowed to apply again for at least three years from that date, the same as if you had completed the scholarship). I am not aware of any blacklist, either.
However, you would run the risk of “unofficial” blacklisting. For example, if you apply again for the Embassy Recommended MEXT Scholarship and someone remembers you as a candidate who withdrew (and therefore cost the country one of its scholarship places that year, since they cannot replace you with another candidate at this point), they might suspect that you could be a risk to withdraw again and hold that against you. But that is all I am aware of!
Good Luck with your difficult decision!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
I had a similar situation as mentioned by Nisha this year. I just accepted the offer but do not plan to enroll in another Japanese university if I get MEXT. Recently, I was contacted by my first choice university for confirming the schedule and supervisor. Does that mean I passed secondary screening and my existing admission offer did not cause any conflict?
I asked our Embassy as well here and they said as long as you are not in Japan from the time of application till your first payment (that is I don’t have residence status), I should not worry.
Hi Anjali,
If the university has contacted you about the next procedures, it is probably because MEXT contacted them to ask them to accept you. If true, that would mean that you have already passed the Secondary Screening, too.
Besides, the information from your Embassy makes it sounds like there is no problem, as well.
You should be hearing good news soon!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi!
I applied through Embassy Recommended MEXT in India and passed the primary screening. I got two LoAs (Kyutech and Kobe University) and submitted back to Embassy for the second screening. I just wanna know how it goes after that? I know its a long wait but I am afraid of getting rejected at this point.
Hi G Kumar,
At this point, your in as good of a position as you can possibly be for the scholarship application!
In past years, I would have told you that there was practically no possibility that you would end up not receiving the scholarship at this point. However, if I’m completely honest, last year, there was (for the first and only time that I am aware of) a situation where a significant number of applicants were rejected during the Secondary Screening. My understanding is that MEXT reduced the number of scholarship slots available midway through the process so there was a need to cull the numbers. Incidentally, it seems that one characteristic most applicants had in common was that they had left the Japanese language test blank.
I do not expect that to happen again – particularly not two years in a row – so I can still say quite confidently that you should receive the scholarship in the end.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Oh! Thanks for the answer.
But in my case, I have been told by the universities to take the preparatory language course for 6 months before enrolling to the actual program. It is mentioned on my LoA as well. Does it mean anything? Because I too don’t have any Japanese language test. But I am gonna learn it in Japan itself. I just submitted IELTS test scores to be on the safer side.
Also, I mean if they reduced the number of seats last year so this year probably they will inform the embassy to do preliminary screening based on the actual number of seats available. Isn’t it?
Hi G Kumar,
Being told to take the preparatory language course is quite common. I wouldn’t worry about that. The point wasn’t that the applicants last year did poorly on the Japanese language test, it was that they didn’t try at all.
Like you said, I assume it was a one-time reduction in slots last year (or at least it is something that is unlikely to happen multiple years in a row) and they should have started with the correct number this time, so I do not think there should be anything to worry about.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
Thanks for your reply.
Just one more thing. Is it true that the embassy recommends people more than the actual slots they have?
I mean suppose 10 students passed the preliminary screening and MEXT has given 6 quotas (slots) to that specific country. Then what happens in that case? So the other 4, even if they have LoA are not gonna make through?
Hi G Kumar,
As far as I know, embassies should only select the number of applicants they are allowed during the Primary Screening, so the numbers should already be trimmed back at that point. I cannot imagine a situation where the embassy would select 10 applicants in the primary screening if they only had 6 slots.
It could be possible that they would select one alternate, but even then, I have not heard any specific examples of that happening. The only time I was aware of applicants not making it through the process because of slot limitations was last year, when MEXT apparently reduced the slots after the Primary Screening was ongoing/already finished in some cases.
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 but do I need to state the name of the supervisor I want to supervise my research(supervisor’s name is not mentioned in the documents I have sent)?
Thanks,
Amy
Hi Amy,
I saw your question on the post about Letters of Acceptance and answered it there first.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
First thing first I would like to thank you for all your post relating to the preparation for mext application, it helps me a lot and now i have passed the primary screening. I would like to ask your opinion, is it ok to only sumbit one school preference for the secondary screening? I have one preference lab and im so excited to pursue my research there. I already developed good relation with the professor since early this year and now im in the process to get the LoA. I just don’t feel like to propose to other schools eventhough I wrote 2 schools in my school preference for the primary screening application. How is the chance to get passed the secondary screening by only proposee one school? Or is it better to propose more options?
Hi Seren,
If you really want to study at that one university, it is possible to submit only one Letter of Acceptance with the revised Placement Preference Form.
I do not think that submitting only a single letter is going to decrease your chances of passing the Secondary Screening. At least, I have never heard of anyone being rejected in the Secondary Screening for that reason in the past. This year, the maximum number of LoAs that you can submit is two, so I do not think it would look terribly out of place if you were only able to submit one. There must be many applicants in similar situations.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi
Pls I applied for the mext embassy recommendation scholarship in Nigeria, but I submitted only 1 recommendation letter because that is the only copy my school gave me but I left a note for the Embassy.
Will this affect my application.
Hi NNAH Godspower,
I’m afraid that this reply is coming too late to help you, but as far as I know you are only required to submit one original letter of recommendation to the embassy and two copies of it (unless you are employed, in which case, you would need one academic recommendation and one from your employer).
If you are concerned, you can always contact the embassy for their specific advice, but it sounds to me like you followed the instructions.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
hello sir
I applied for the university recommendation MEXT scholarship program 2020 and I did not get shortlisted for the scholarship from the university itself (Hokkaido University). I want to try again through the embassy selection procedure. However, I have few concerns before applying. Please help me through it.
As I applied earlier, I found that field of study and research program is the most important selection criteria for university recommendation , as far as I remember, my proposal was thoroughly prepared in a detailed manner after having a proper discussion with the professor for this, I can say that because my prospective supervisor in Japan sincerely helped me while preparing it. Apart, from that my prospective supervisor after going through my profile was hopeful and wrote to me I have a good chance to get this scholarship. however, I did not get it. One of the things lacking on my profile was I was not having any english and japanese proficiency test score on my profile. Though, I have been studying and taking exams in English only throughout my school and university education (graduation+postgraduation) and I got a certificate of english stating my proficiency in English from the head of department in hokkaido university for the purpose of making application at that time.
This makes me think that due to the lack of a certified IELTS/TOEFL score my application got rejected. Even now if I plan to apply for Embassy recommendation , I still do not have this one basic thing on my profile and due to covid-19 nationwide lockdown in India, I might not be able to take it atleast in the next 4-5 months.
I wanted to ask you given such a situation , if lack of certified language score card would make my application get rejected again? Or should I not make an application for Embassy recommendation procedure?
Also, I wanted to know if for research students, not having a publication reduces my chances for the selection (I completed my masters in July, 2019).
Hi V,
I am sorry to hear that you weren’t successful with the University Recommended MEXT Scholarship. One thing to keep in mind is that the application is a zero-sum game. It’s not just a matter of being better than a certain level, you are competing directly with every other applicant and have to be better than them to get one of the few slots.
For English language proficiency requirements, in my experience that is not so much a competitive point. As long as you meet the criteria, that’s all that matters. For the University Recommended MEXT Scholarship, if English was the primary language of your previous degree, that should be considered meeting the criteria. But if all other things were equal, perhaps someone with a high score would have been favored, but I have never seen a case where language proficiency scores were the deciding factor. GPA could certainly be, and perhaps one research topic may be preferred over another, even if the quality of both proposals is equal.
For the Embassy-recommended MEXT Scholarship, English Language Proficiency Scores aren’t even required. During the primary screening, you will have a language proficiency test at the Embassy and that will be the language score used for your evaluation, so you should not face the same problems. But for either the embassy or university, I do not think that a lack of language proficiency score alone is going to make a significant difference.
Similarly, I do not think that a lack of publications is going to hurt you at all, unless you are a career academic who would be expected to have publications, which doesn’t seem to be the case for you. If you had a publication, it could be a minor benefit in your application, but in general most applicants do not have one.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you sir for your help. I shall think about applying again. Please
Hello Everybody!
How are you going through these hard days when coronavirus is everywhere? Let me wish condolence to those who were terribly affected by this disease! Travis and guys, I want to know your opinion whether this year will Mext be or not!? Any info will be good! Best regards
Hi Mike,
It’s good to hear from you again and I’m glad to hear that you’re planning to apply again this year.
I share your sentiment about condolences to those affected by the disease.
As far as I know, the plan is still for the MEXT scholarship to open for applications this year, though I haven’t heard anything official from MEXT one way another about their plans, or about the delay and when to expect an answer. So far, I saw a post from one Japanese Embassy (Tonga) saying that they expected the guidelines to be delayed to mid-May, and another commenter here posted that the embassy in Indonesia has said to expect a delay to June.
As soon as I hear anything, I’ll be sure to share it!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you Travis! For your fast and kind response! I am looking forward hearing any news!
Hello Travis, thank you so much for your articles.
I read that to get admitted into a school, you have to take an entrance exam. I have few questions to ask?
1) For a research student, do you know what this exam entail i.e questions and all.
2) How serious is this exam?
3) If you’re entering through MEXT scholarship, are you expected to take this exam?
I am applying for MEXT this year and I want to know as much as I can.
I hope you take these questions into consideration, thank you.
Hi Oreoluwa,
The entrance exam is going to be different for every graduate school and every university. Depending on your field, the entrance “exam” might not even be an exam, at all. Japan calls all application processes “entrance exams” even when they are only a review of submitted documents.
I would recommend that you check the website for the specific university or universities that you are interested in and try to find information about their entrance exam process.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you very much Travis.
Hi sir Travis
I would like to ask if is it possible for me to apply for the mext scholarship while I was still working as trainee visa here in japan .my contract will end this June. Thanks
Hi Sonny,
Yes, you are able to apply for the MEXT Scholarship while living in Japan, as long as you will be leaving Japan and returning to your home country before the scholarship starts. Your situation is a perfect example.
The next scholarship application will starting next month for scholarships beginning in April or September/October 2021. Since your contract ends in June 2020, you will have met the requirement of going home in the meantime.
However, in order to apply for the upcoming Embassy Recommended MEXT Scholarship process, you may need to appear in person at the Japanese embassy or consulate in your home country for parts of the application, including the language tests and interview. In that case, you would need to make sure that you can travel to your home country to complete those requirements.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you so much sir Travis. I will work hard to pursue my career here. May God bless you always:-)
Hello Travis,
This is Alemu,
I have applied to University Recommendation scholarship, and my University told me that I have passed the Entrancement examination . they also told me they will recommend me for MEXT scholarship. The University also told me that they are not sure about the final result, the result would be made by MEXT.
Please help me how is the probability of getting a chance winning MEXT scholarship.
Thank you.
Hi Alemu,
Once the university has decided to recommend you to MEXT, you have passed the last competitive hurdle. You will not be compared against nominees from other universities because each university has it’s own set number of applicants that it can nominate for the scholarship (with the assumption that all will receive the scholarship).
At this point, the only concern left is MEXT’s budget. Up until last year, every applicant I ever knew that was recommended for the MEXT scholarship ended up getting it. But last year, MEXT cut its budget for scholarships suddenly and all universities had to reduce their number of nominees. That is the only risk to you right now, and unfortunately, it is not something that I can predict with any effectiveness. Between the coronavirus situation, the 2020 Olympics, and free tertiary education coming into effect in Japan this year, it’s very hard to predict what the ministry’s budget situation will be like.
I can say that this year, MEXT started all universities out with a much lower number of nominees to begin with, so there really isn’t any more room for significant cuts to the scholarship. That should offer some hope.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
hello sir,
can we change the names of professors in application form after clearing preliminary test?
Hi Hironmoy,
Yes, you can change them. In many cases you’ll have to change the names and university names when you submit the Placement Preference Form for the second time after acquiring the Letters of Provisional Acceptance, since at that point, you will only be allowed to list universities and professors that have given you a Letter of Provisional Acceptance.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
I just received the final acceptance letter from Embassy yesterday for College of Technology Studies. Thanks a lot!
Hi Saurabh Sharma,
Congratulations! Thank you very much for sharing your results, as well.
Good Luck with your studies in Japan!
– Travis from TranSenz
Dear Travis.
As 5th February 2020, and after many weeks of paranoia and anxiety, I finally got the email from the Embassy notifying me that I am officially a MEXT Scholarship awardee. This good news has been a little hard to process, or I just can’t describe how happy I feel right now, since I can now make this dream come true in my very last chance. Also, the lady from the Embassy told me that none of the applicants from Colombia who passed the Primary Screening was turned down.
In the name of all the members of this community, I would like to thank you for all the time and patience you have put in this blog, for guiding us to a successful application and for providing to us a space to share our experiences and feelings. Count on me so this community and this service can grow, and for the ones who couldn’t get the scholarship on this attempt, please don’t lose your heart and try as many times as necessary, in the end you have the chance to do it better next time.
Cheers.
Hi Georgi,
Congratulations! I am very happy for you.
It must have been difficult to wait while others were sharing their successes, but I’m glad you got a positive result in the end.
Thank you also for sharing that nobody in Columbia was turned down at the Secondary Screening. I am still trying to refine my theories on what happened this year, so every bit of information helps.
Finally, thank you for your kind words about this site and community. I am thrilled to hear that it has been helpful for you. Hearing back that it has been helpful is why I keep it up!
Good luck with your studies in Japan!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
I am great full to God Almighty and to you for the success in the 2020 MEXT. I received the official confirmation. I am from Cameroon, the country have a problem with the production of passports. The Japanese embassy here is awear of it. The embassy asked for a photocopy of my passport. But I don’t have a passport yet since I applied for it July 2019. I may a request to the director in charge of passport for an urgent passport production and my requestwas granted but I don’t know when( exact date) I will have the passport. My question is, can my departure date be shifted due to this problem? Thank you.
Hi Nathacha,
Congratulations on earning the scholarship! I am glad that I was able to help in some small way.
I don’t have any direct experience with a passport situation like the one that you described, but I would recommend that you contact the Japanese Embassy and let them know as soon as possible what your current status. They might be able to put some diplomatic pressure on your passport authority there to encourage them to process it faster (or just put in a call to ask when it will be ready – that could be more effective than you asking).
Only the Japanese embassy can tell you if it will be possible to change your travel date, so the earlier you consult with them, the better.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
I cannot thank you enough for your wonderful work. I am from Cambodia and still waiting for my final result. Having heard of rejected applicants makes me worried. I would like to ask you a question? From your experience working with this scholarship, have you heard of any applicants being finally rejected at this stage just because their university choices are all private?
Thank you very much.
Hi Koemhong Sol,
Up until this year, I had not heard of applicants being rejected at the Secondary Screening stage at all. It may have happened, but the cases were very rare.
Certainly, I had not heard of applicants being rejected because their university choices were private.
So far this year, the best guess I have seen as to why applicants were rejected was because the did not attempt or did very poorly on the Japanese language test during the Primary Screening.
I hope that you have heard good news since your original post!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
Thank you for your reply. I got accepted. I am going to International Christian University (ICU) for a PhD programme in Education.
Many thanks.
Hi Koemhong Sol,
Congratulations!
Good luck with your studies in Japan!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis!
I would like to thank you so much for every tip and advice you have given on your blog. Without your help I could’t Have had this scholarship. Yesterday I was informed that I had passed the second screening, and was placed at my first choice university ( Reside in Central Asia).
I was very anxious and stressed During the whole process that it took so long for them to announce the results. Every morning I would read your and others comments and would feel supported.
I feel very sorry for the three applicants that were rejected. I really feel them. But everything happens for a reason. Maybe they will have better options in the future. I’m sure they will overcome everything together with their families and friends ( and with us))!
Again thank you a lot for your precious help and support! Please keep doing your good work!
Thank you!
Ozi
Hi Ozi,
Thank you very much for your feedback and for sharing your results. Congratulations on earning the scholarship!
Good Luck with your studies in Japan!
– Travis from TranSenz
Dear Travis,
I want to thank you for your effort in maintaining this blog (post) especially after it has gone 2 years and people still asks about their concern on this page yet you still keep responding their problem. Thank you.
I’ve just been notified that I passed the secondary screening and been placed to my first choice university. However I’ve been told to contact the other university that I’m not getting to inform them about the condition that I have been placed in other univ. I’ve done that. However, the professor in the first university I contact seems like he’s aggrieved and mad at me just realizing that I also applied to other university. I tried to respond by explaining the concern that the decision is enclosed by MEXT and that applying to more than one univ is encouraged by my embassy and he left my email unreplied. I’m just worrying that the prof. really offended by this and I want to fix this. I got a friend whose doing her doctoral in the same department and I’m afraid this will concern her as I’ve been told she recommended me to the professor in the LoA phase.
Is there anything I can do to patch it up? Or is it something that I shouldn’t worry about?
Sorry if it has been too long but it keep making me concerned. Thank you for your time Travis.
P.s.: the other email to other professor went real smooth.
– I’m afraid that the professor mixed about me applying for a U to U scenario instead of G to G scenario although I’ve explained that I apply for G to G (embassy scenario) in the mail when I applied for the LoA.
Hi Vlan,
Congratulations on earning the scholarship and on your placement!
I think at two years old, the article is due for an update soon, especially after all the chaos this year. . .
I am sorry to hear about the problems with that professor. I hope you didn’t tell him that you were placed in your “first choice” university instead. That might be seen as an insult. But as long as you just told him that MEXT decided to place you somewhere else, I do not think it is particularly reasonable for him to get upset, unless you had previously promised that you would not apply anywhere else. Frankly, he should be used to this happening!
I think in this situation, you probably cannot expect a reply from the professor, and I would recommend that you consider the issue closed. I know that it can be tough to leave on a somewhat negative note like that, but I don’t think there is anything further that you can do to make the situation any better. If your friend indicates that the professor has complained to her about you, then perhaps it would be time to take more action (for instance, bringing a small token gift, like some souvenir sweets from your home country as a thank you for the professor’s consideration during your application), but for now, I think that if you leave the situation alone, the professor will forget soon enough.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi,
Does MEXT release results for all countries at once? It’s been a week since people start getting their results in other countries and I am still waiting in India.
Hi Rahul Modi,
No, the release of results is not always simultaneous, at least it hasn’t been in the past. From what I have seen, once all of the applicants for a particular country have been confirmed, the results are released for that country. But if only one applicant’s results are still undetermined, there can be a delay. (For example, if all applicants are placed in the first university that MEXT contacts, the process ends sooner. But if one applicant or more cannot be placed in the first or second university that MEXT contacts to ask them to accept, then it would take longer to contact the third university and get the final results.)
That said, since it has been a week since results started coming out, I think it would be worthwhile for you to contact the embassy and ask for an update.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi!
I just wanted to say that I can relate – I have been really really nervous during the last few days, because all the other candidates from my country received the YES answer last week except for myself. It was horrible. But fortunately I have received an e-mail today that I’m in!
So now I know that late answer does not imply rejection or anything. I didn’t get any explanation why it came so late. Everything is a secret, which is very annoying.
Keep your head up Rahul! Fingers crossed.
Hi Anna,
Congratulations and thank you very much for sharing your experience!
Good luck with your studies in Japan!
– Travis from TranSenz