While Japan’s borders remain closed as of the start of 2022, MEXT Scholars have been treated as an exception to the rule so far. So, not only is the MEXT Scholarship your chance at a free education in Japan, for now it might be the only way to be sure to get into the country to study in person!
Updates!
Updated: December 24, 2021.
Each year, MEXT releases the University-Recommended MEXT Scholarship application guidelines quite late. In fact, almost all universities’ application deadlines will have already passed by the time the guidelines come out!
I originally published this article in August, based on the application guidelines from 2020/2021 (2021 arrival), but have updated it in December once the guidelines were released.
Here is what the updates cover. You can find the details below.
- PGP Programs: Added a link to the new PGP programs selected in 2021, which are eligible for this year’s application.
- Number of slots available: While the calculation method is the same, the number of slots available is now based on the number of international students enrolled as of May 1, 2020, after the pandemic started/border closures went into effect, so this could impact the number of students used for the calculation.
- GPA: For years, I have described GPA as a “secret” requirement, because it wasn’t in the application guidelines, but it has been added as an explicit requirement. See my article about how to calculate your GPA for the MEXT Scholarship for more details.
- Students already enrolled in a university in Japan: Students who are already studying in a university in Japan with a residence status of “Student” are no longer eligible for nomination under the General Category. This applies even if the student is a bachelor’s degree student in Japan and will graduate in March 2022 – they would not be eligible for nomination for a master’s degree starting in September 2022. However, students in this situation are still eligible for PGP programs – and students nominated for PGP programs that were newly selected by MEXT in 2021 are no longer required to leave Japan between programs to apply for a new student visa!
- Dual Nationality: Clarification on when Japanese citizens with dual nationality would have to surrender their Japanese citizenship in order to remain eligible for the scholarship.
- Letter of Recommendation: Clarification about who needs to write the letter. (Deletion of mistaken information that the writer may vary based on your current university’s relationship with the university in Japan).
- Scholarship period: Added information about the period of scholarship award. This is not a change, I just had not included it in this article in the past.
Overview
Here’s what this article will cover:
- The scholarship types available (General Category and PGP) and number of slots.
- What the scholarship offers
- Scholarship eligibility
- Details about the forms and documents you will need to submit
First, a note on eligible nationalities
In the past, the University-Recommended MEXT Scholarship was available to all applicants in all countries, but in recent years, MEXT has focused more and more on its list of Priority Countries. At least as of the 2020/2021 application, it was almost impossible to get the scholarship if you are not from one of those countries. Only priority country applicants are eligible to apply for General Category scholarship. Applicants from non-priority countries can still apply for PGP programs (see below), but many of those programs have nationality restrictions, too. Universities are encouraged to focus their PGP programs on Priority Country applicants.
So, while I am afraid that this comes as bad news to many readers, if you are not from a Priority Country, I am afraid that I have to recommend that you stick to applying for the Embassy-Recommended MEXT Scholarship.
One other note on Priority Countries: This is not an eligibility requirement for the application. Anyone from any country is allowed to apply, so you won’t see it listed in the application/eligibility. However, it is clearly written in the instructions to universities about who then can nominate. That makes it one of the “Secret Requirements”, like GPA, which I will discuss later.
MEXT Scholarship for Research Students: General Category and PGP
First of all, I am only going to cover the MEXT Scholarship for Research Students in this article. “Research Students” refers to all graduate-level students, including non-degree students, master’s degree students, PhD students, and professional degree (e.g. MBA, MD, DDMS, JD, etc) students. I do not cover undergraduate degrees or the Japanese Studies Scholarship. For information on those, please contact the university that you plan to apply to.
These are the two primary “types” of scholarship places available: General and PGP. For the most part, these types do not affect you as the applicant. The amount of the award and the application process is the same for both. (The biggest difference is in eligibility to extend your scholarship later. See my article about How to Extend Your MEXT Scholarship for more details.)
There are two important differences to understand regarding General Category and PGP, and both have to do with eligibility requirements. As of the 2020/2021 application cycle, only applicants from Priority Countries (see chart below) are eligible to apply for General Category slots. That means that if you are not from one of the priority countries, you can only apply to an applicable PGP program. However, even for PGP programs, no fewer than 75% of nominees must be from Priority Countries, so even in that case, the competition is going to be high.
Even for applicants from priority countries, PGP programs offer a much better possibility of selection.
(There is also a third major type, Top Global University scholarships, but that process is rather different, so I will cover it elsewhere).
What are the MEXT Scholarship PGP Programs?
PGP programs refer to specific degree programs that have been approved by MEXT to have a guaranteed number of slots available each year for three years. These programs can be very narrowly defined, for example, there might be a PGP program at a particular university for Master’s Degree students from Malaysia or Thailand in Health Sciences who are studying in English. Clearly, that means that very few applicants meet the eligibility requirements for the program, so those who do will face much less competition and have a significantly higher chance of success.
Almost every year, MEXT reaches out to universities and gives them the opportunity to apply for a certain number of scholarship slots for one of their graduate or undergraduate programs in advance. It’s a tough screening process, but if approved, then that university is guaranteed to have a fixed number of scholarship places available for a period of three years.
What does this mean for you? Simple: PGP programs are your best chance to get a University Recommended MEXT Scholarship if you are eligible. It’s not even close. I have seen programs in the past that had 10 scholarship places available for one PGP program each year. However, outside of that program, the university only had 5 scholarship places for all of its other graduate schools and programs. In that case, there were 11 applicants for the PGP program, with a nearly 90% success rate. Meanwhile, there were over 200 applicants for the general scholarship, with a 2.5% success rate. (Back then, there were a lot more general category places available.)
How to Find PGP Programs
PGP programs are pre-approved by MEXT to have a certain number of scholarship places available each year for a period of three years. So, for the 2021/2022 application cycle, programs approved in 2019, 2020, and 2021 are available.
You can find the PGP program information at the links below (all PDFs on MEXT’s website):
- 2019: https://www.mext.go.jp/content/1423005_1_1.pdf
- 2020: https://www.mext.go.jp/content/20201207_mxt-gakushi02_000011491_01.pdf
- 2021: https://www.mext.go.jp/content/20211209-mxt_gakushi02-000019383.pdf
MEXT Scholarship PGP Program Eligibility
The biggest problem with the PGP program is that it might not be possible to find out in advance if you are eligible. When universities apply to MEXT for approval for a PGP program, it typically needs to be very precise and focused, like the example I gave above. Unfortunately, universities will not necessarily make those eligibility criteria available. So, even if you find a PGP program from the lists above, there is a possibility that you will not be eligible. That is just a risk you have to take. If the program matches your interest, it is still better to take a chance there than at a university with no PGP program.
General Category Scholarship Slots
In contrast to the limited PGP programs, in general any university in Japan can nominate students for the General Category MEXT Scholarship and there are no restrictions on major or degree level.
Since these programs are open to all applicants, that means that the competition is going to be intense! You will need to have top grades as well as a laser-focused, well-crafted Field of Study and Research Program Plan in order to have any hope of success.
MEXT Scholarship General Category Slots Available
During the 2021/2022 application cycle, the number of slots available to any university is based on number of international students enrolled in the university’s graduate school as of May 2020. In previous years, MEXT continued to use 2019 (before the pandemic and border closures) as the benchmark. This is the first time that pandemic-era numbers are being used. The number of international graduate students did not drop significantly from 2019 to 2020, though, as only new international students arriving in April were affected (and many of them enrolled online, anyway), so the impact should be negligible.
Number of Self-Financed International Graduate Students Enrolled | Number of MEXT Scholarship Slots |
---|---|
201+ | 3 |
11-200 | 2 |
0-10 | 1 |
Priority Countries
As mentioned above, only applicants from priority countries can be nominated for General Category slots. For PGP slots, at least 75% must be from priority countries. So, if your country is not on the list below, the chances of getting selected from the University-Recommended MEXT Scholarship are practically non-existent.
Africa | ||
---|---|---|
Algeria | Angola | Benin |
Botswana | Burkina Faso | Burundi |
Cabo Verde | Cameroon | Central African Republic |
Chad | Comoros | Cote D’Ivoire |
Democratic Republic of the Congo | Djibouti | Egypt |
Equatorial Guinea | Eritria | Ethiopia |
Gabon | Gambia | Ghana |
Guinea | Guinea-Bissau | Kenya |
Lesotho | Liberia | Libya |
Madagascar | Malawi | Mali |
Mauritania | Mauritas | Morocco |
Mozambique | Namibia | Niger |
Nigeria | Republic of the Congo | Rwanda |
Sao Tome and Principe | Senegal | Seychelles |
Sierra Leone | Somalia | South Africa |
South Sudan | Sudan | Swaziland/eSwatini |
Tanzania | Togo | Tunisia |
Uganda | Zambia | Zimbabwe |
Americas | ||
Argentina | Bolivia | Brazil |
Chile | Colombia | Ecuador |
Guyana | Paraguay | Peru |
Suriname | Uruguay | USA |
Venezuela | ||
Asia | ||
Bangladesh | Bhutan | Brunei |
Cambodia | India | Indonesia |
Laos | Malaysia | Maldives |
Mongolia | Myanmar | Nepal |
Pakistan | Philippines | Singapore |
Sri Lanka | Thailand | Vietnam |
CIS and Russia | ||
Armenia | Azerbaijan | Belarus |
Kazakhstan | Kyrgyzstan | Moldova |
Russia | Tajikistan | Turkmenistan |
Uzbekistan | ||
Europe | ||
Albania | Austria | Bosnia and Herzegovina |
Bulgaria | Croatia | Cyprus |
Czech Republic | Greece | Hungary |
Kosovo | Liechtenstein | Macedonia |
Montenegro | Poland | Romania |
Serbia | Slovakia | Slovenia |
Switzerland | Ukraine | |
Middle East | ||
Afghanistan | Bahrain | Iran |
Iraq | Israel | Jordan |
Kuwait | Lebanon | Oman |
Palestine | Qatar | Saudi Arabia |
Syria | Turkey | UAE |
Yemen |
You can find the original list in Japanese here.
There are several notable countries not on that list, including (but not limited to): China, South Korea, all of North and Central America (except the US), all of Oceania, all of Scandinavia, the UK, and most of Western Europe.
What the MEXT Scholarship Offers
The scholarship benefits are unchanged from last year:
- Exemption from paying tuition
- Monthly stipend:
- Research Students*: JPY 143,000/month
- Master’s Degree/ Professional Degree Students: JPY 144,000/month
- PhD Students: JPY 145,000/month
- (Undergraduate Students: JPY 117,000/month)
- Cost of Living Adjustment: JPY 2,000 – 3,000 in selected areas
- Round-trip flight ticket to Japan (covered by MEXT or the university). Note: only the international portion of the ticket is covered. You are responsible for all domestic travel costs in your home country and in Japan, plus the airport usage fees and fuel surcharges.
*Note: You cannot apply for the University-Recommended MEXT Scholarship as solely as a research (non-degree) student with no intent to earn a degree in Japan. However, all University-Recommended MEXT Scholars start their studies in Japan in the fall semester. If the degree program you are applying to only accepts new matriculants in the spring semester, you would spend your first semester as a research (non-degree) student while waiting to start the program.
Scholarship Period
The period of the scholarship varies based on your enrollment status at the university in Japan, as described below:
- Research Students: Maximum of one year and six months, (assuming you arrive in Japan in October 2022)
- Master’s Degree Students/Doctoral Degree Students: The standard number of years required to complete your program. Most commonly two years for a Master’s Degree and three years for a doctoral degree. (Some doctoral degrees in medical fields have a standard length of four years, and that would be covered in those cases)
- For a Integrated Doctoral Degree/5-year Doctoral Degree (essentially a Master’s + Doctorate but without a Master’s degree awarded in the middle): Two years if starting the degree from the Master’s level or three years if starting the degree from the third year of study
It is possible to apply to extend your MEXT Scholarship if you are moving up to the next degree level, for example from Research Student to Master’s degree student, but you cannot extend while remaining at the same level. In an Integrated Doctoral Degree, described above, you can extend your scholarship when proceeding from the second year to the third year of the program, since that is essentially the same as moving from a Master’s to a Doctorate.
How to Apply for the 2021/2022 University Recommended MEXT Scholarship
Every university in Japan sets its own application process for students.
Some universities will select their MEXT scholarship candidates out of the pool of general applicants and others will have a specific application process. Once you have selected your university, as I describe below, you will need to check their website for more information. I recommend searching google (not the university’s website) for the name of the university and “University MEXT Scholarship” to find the guidelines quickly.
Technical Differences between the Embassy-Recommended and University-Recommended MEXT Scholarship
If you have applied for the Embassy Recommendation in the past there are a few key differences in the scholarship that you should be aware of. (If you haven’t you can skip down to the next section).
- You can only apply to one university.
- You can only arrive in the fall semester – except for PGP programs that start in the spring.
- There is no Japanese language training semester.
- In most cases, the university will decide if you are allowed to start as a degree-seeking or research student. If they accept degree-seeking students in the fall, then you will almost certainly start as a degree-seeking student. If they do not, then you would have to start as a research student.
Choosing Your University – The Most Important Decision
You can only choose one university to apply to, so this decision is critical and must come very early in your application process.I have written another article about how to search for universities in Japan with English language programs in your field of study that should help you figure out which universities are even possible.
Focus on Partner Universities
However, keep in mind that you should select a university that has a partnership with your current university if at all possible. Some Japanese universities will only accept University Recommendation MEXT scholarship applications from graduates of partner universities.
Even if you do find a university that accepts applications from anyone, having a partnership connection helps you stand out over the competition, makes one of the application requirements a little easier, and also makes it easier for the university to accept you, since MEXT encourages them to nominate students from partner universities and requires universities to report their partnership status with applicants’ previous universities.
Another advantage of applying to a partner university is that it may be easier to learn their exact application process. As I mentioned above, not every university makes this clear or public. If there is a direct connection between your current university and the university in Japan, such as a connection between professors or between international offices, then you can use that to ask about the application.
Even if there is no formal partnership agreement between your universities, the existence of informal cooperation is also beneficial. Check with your university’s international office or international planning office to see if they can provide you with a list of all the Japanese universities that your university has partnered or worked with.
Applying to Non-Partner Universities
You cannot control what partnerships your university has in Japan, so you may find yourself in a situation where applying to a partner university is not an option. That doesn’t mean that you should give up! It just means that you’re going to have to work a little harder.
If you do not have the partnership connection, it may be harder to determine which universities will accept non-partner applications. So, even though you can only apply to one university, at the research stage, I suggest you come up with a list of several Japanese universities that you would like to apply to and follow-up to find the application process for each one. (I will cover that below).
If you are interested in a more detailed description about how to research and approach universities, my book How to Find Your Best Degree Program and Advisor for the MEXT Scholarship goes into much more detail on my recommended process for evaluating how suitable a university is for your research topic and determining if a professor is a good fit to be your advisor, plus recommendations and templates for your initial contact email!
Follow the Application Guidelines to the Letter!
As I described above, the competition for this scholarship is incredibly fierce. There could be hundreds of applicants for a mere three scholarship places (or fewer). So do not expect the university to have any patience with incomplete applications, documents that do not meet their requirements, or requests for exceptions to the rules. The universities will be actively looking for ways to shrink the pool of applicants that they have to seriously consider, so do not give them any excuse to discard your application.
I do offer coaching services to review your application to determine if it is complete and make recommendations for corrections/fixes, but this service has a fee. If you are interested, you can find more information at the Coaching Services link at the top-right corner of this page. Be aware though, that this service is first-come, first-served, and my queue fills up quickly.
University-Recommended MEXT Scholarship 2021 Eligibility Criteria
The requirements below are for the University Recommendation MEXT Scholarship. As I detail in my book, How to Apply for the MEXT Scholarship, there are differences between the eligibility requirements for University and Embassy Recommendation. I have published another article about the eligibility requirements for the Embassy Recommendation MEXT Scholarship as of the 2021/2022 Application Cycle that you can find at the link above.
These are also the eligibility requirements for the MEXT Scholarship for Research (Graduate) Students. I do not cover the requirements for undergraduates below.
Disclaimer
The eligibility requirements I describe below are the requirements set out by MEXT as of the 2021/2022 application. However, universities may have their own, higher eligibility requirements, as well. If you find that the university you are applying to specifies higher requirements than what I describe below, you have to meet both sets of requirements. Do not bother trying to argue with the university that MEXT’s standards are lower. That won’t work! MEXT’s requirements may change in future years, as well.
You may also find requirements below that are higher than what the universities require, or completely new. Even if there is some discrepancy, if you do not meet the MEXT requirements, the university cannot recommend you for the scholarship, period.
Minimum GPA
You must have a minimum 2.3 / 3.0 GPA on MEXT’s scale during your most recent degree. I have another article about how to calculate your GPA on MEXT’s scale, so please read that page for more details.
In the past, GPA was not specifically mentioned as a requirement in the application guidelines, though it was a requirement for universities to nominate students. As a result, it was a “secret” requirement that many students didn’t know about until too late. This year, it has been added explicitly to the application guidelines, thought the addition was after most universities started their call for applications, so it might not appear in the information from the university.
Exception: Programs with no objective grading
If your degree program has no objective grading or marking system (for example, a graduate program entirely by research with no coursework), then you may be eligible if you can provide objective evidence that you are in the top 30% of students in your program. In this case, your letter of recommendation from your university would have to state your order of merit within your graduate program or university as a whole, such as “#1 of 150 students”.
Please note that this exception does not apply if you do have objective grades. If your grades on MEXT’s scale are 2.3 or lower, but you are still in the top 30%, you are unfortunately not eligible.
Nationality
You must have the nationality of a country that has formal relations with Japan (e.g. not Taiwan or North Korea) and must not have Japanese Nationality, including dual nationality. If you currently hold Japanese nationality as a dual national, you must give up your Japanese nationality before you arrive in Japan or before the university formally registers you as a student (including as a research student).
That is the only requirement to apply, but just like with the GPA requirement, above, there is a “secret” requirement that you must be from one of the Priority Countries for the general category scholarship, as described in the table above.
Age
As of the application for the 2021/2022 scholarship application cycle, applicants would need to have been born on or after April 2, 1987.
Exceptions
There are only two exceptions to the date of birth above
- Inability to apply during the ages when you would have been eligible due to the situation in your country, such as compulsory military service or the total suspension of higher education due to war, as approved by MEXT. (Exceptions will never be granted for personal reasons such as family reasons, financial difficulties, health, etc.)
- Applicants who are graduates of the Young Leaders Program and applying for a Doctoral-level program that will start within 5 years of the end of the YLP.
Academic Background
For the University Recommendation MEXT Scholarship, MEXT requires only that you meet the admissions requirements established by the university recommending you.
Field of Study
You must be applying within the same field that you majored in previously at university or a related field. Your field of study must be available at the university you are applying to.
I have discussed the meaning of a “related field of study” in detail in past articles as well as in my book, How to Apply for the MEXT Scholarship, but here is a brief summary:
A “related field” is a field of research that falls within the same discipline as something you majored in previously. If your past and future fields could conceivably be majors in the same faculty, or if one is a subset of another, they are related. For example, international relations and political science are clearly related. The same could be said for media studies and communication, or mechanical engineering and robotics. If you come from a multidisciplinary field, such as area studies, then any of the related fields are fair game.
If your fields are not so obviously related, (for example, if you majored in computer science in undergrad and want to do an MBA in Japan) then you have to sell the connection in your Field of Study and Research Program plan by clearly showing how research in your past field provided you with a natural transition to the future one.
The most common changes I see that work are related to business and computer science, my examples above. I have seen many applicants switch to an MBA and emphasize how they want to study the business applications of the field they studied previously, or switch in/out of computer science by explaining how they will use the computer science knowledge (programming, data science, etc.) to conduct their research in their other field.
Language Ability
For either Japanese or English, you need to meet one of the requirements below. You only need to meet the language requirement for the language that your degree program is taught in.
You have to meet the language ability requirement at the time of formal enrollment into the degree program, not at the time of application as in the past. (Unless you are applying as a non-degree student, in which case, you would have to meet the requirements as of the start of your non-degree studies.) However, if you fail to meet the language ability requirement when you progress to the degree program, you would forfeit the scholarship. So, my guess is that regardless of MEXT’s relaxed timing, universities are still going to want to see that you have the requisite language ability at the time of application, in general. They do not want to lose one of their scholarship recommendees later!
Here are the standards you have to meet for MEXT. You only need to meet the language requirement for the language that your program will be taught in! So, if you are applying for a program taught in English, the Japanese language requirements are irrelevant to you.
Japanese Language Ability Requirement
You must meet one of the following (in addition to meeting the admission requirements for your degree program, of course).
- JLPT N2 or higher at the time of starting the degree program
- Completed your qualifying degree* in Japanese
- Have equivalent or higher ability in Japanese language to a person meeting criteria 1 or 2 above, as determined by the nominating university.
*Your “qualifying degree” is the degree that you earned as a prerequisite to the degree you are applying for. If you are applying for a master’s degree, your qualifying degree would be your bachelor’s degree. If you are applying for a doctoral degree, then your qualifying degree would be your master’s degree.
Note: If you are nominated under criteria 3 for either Japanese or English language ability, then you would have to meet requirement 1 or 2 in order to apply for an extension of your scholarship (from non-regular student to degree-seeking student or from Master’s to Doctoral level).
English Language Ability Requirements
You must meet one of the following (in addition to meeting the admission requirements for your degree program, of course).
- Have a formal language proficiency test score in English equivalent or higher to B2 on the CEFR scale (*PDF in Japanese from MEXT’s website. See the English translation below) at the time of starting the degree program.
- Completed your qualifying degree* in English
- Have equivalent or higher ability in English language to a person meeting criteria 1 or 2 above, as determined by the nominating university.
*Your “qualifying degree” is the degree that you earned as a prerequisite to the degree you are applying for. If you are applying for a master’s degree, your qualifying degree would be your bachelor’s degree. If you are applying for a doctoral degree, then your qualifying degree would be your master’s degree.
CEFR B2 Equivalency Table
Here are the scores that MEXT has determined to be equivalent to the CEFR B2, based on the PDF linked above:
- Cambridge English (Preliminary, First, Advanced, Proficiency): 160 or higher
- Eiken (Jun-1 kyu, 1 kyu): 2304 or higher
- GTEC (Advanced, CBT): 1190 or higher
- IELTS: 5.5 or higher
- TEAP: 309 or higher
- TEAP CBT: 600 or higher
- TOEFL iBT: 72 or higher
The requirements above are only MEXT’s minimum requirements. Universities may establish higher standards and in that case, you would have to meet the university’s higher requirements.
Health
Must be fit to study in Japan as determined by the nominating university. In general, this means that each university will have a medical form that they require you to have completed. Often, universities will use the same Certificate of Health used in the Embassy-Recommended MEXT Scholarship. Of course, you should be sure to fill in the document required by the university you are applying to, but the certificate linked above should be a good indication of what to expect.
Even if you have a pre-existing medical condition, in general you would only be disqualified for medical reasons if your home country doctor was unwilling to sign off that you are fit to study abroad in Japan. If your doctor agrees that you can continue your care or medication regimen in Japan, then there should be no problem.
Ability to Arrive in Japan on Designated Date
You must be able to arrive in Japan during the period specified by the nominating university, no more than 2 weeks before or after the official start of the semester. Failure to arrive by the end of the designated period will be considered voluntary withdrawal from the scholarship. In the event that nominees arrive outside of the designated period, their travel fees will not be paid.
Essentially, you need to follow the arrival dates designated by your university. The “2 weeks” mentioned above is an instruction for the university’s reference as to when they are allowed to set your arrival date. Arriving late will mean that you lose the scholarship. Arriving early is possible, but you would forfeit the travel benefits.
For the University-Recommended MEXT Scholarship, you will arrive for the fall semester in Japan, in September or October, depending on your university. The only exception is for some PGP programs that start in the spring semester (April), but this is quite rare.
The only exception to the travel time described above is if MEXT determines that there is a reason beyond your control that is preventing you from traveling. Border restrictions due to COVID-19 fall into that category, as long as it is the border situation that is keeping you from traveling.
Visa Requirement
In principle, you must apply for and obtain a “Student” visa at the Japanese diplomatic mission in the country where you hold nationality then arrive in Japan using that visa. Applicants who already hold other residence statuses in Japan, such as “Permanent Resident”, “Long-term Resident”, etc., must give up that status, apply for a “Student” visa, and return to Japan with that visa. After completion of your degree, it is not guaranteed that you would be able to reobtain a “Permanent Resident” or “Long-term Resident” status again, even if previously held.
Applicants who arrive in Japan without a student visa will have their scholarships suspended.
Disqualification Criteria
Anyone meeting any of the criteria below is ineligible to apply for the scholarship:
- Active duty military or military-employed civilian at the time of arriving in Japan or at any point during the scholarship award period.
- Unable to arrive in Japan by the deadline determined by MEXT or the nominating university.
- Previous recipient of the Japanese Government MEXT Scholarship (including those who withdrew from the scholarship in the past after arriving in Japan). However, applicants who have over 3 full years of education or employment history between the month after the end of the previous scholarship award and the commencement of the new award are eligible to apply. Past recipients of the Japanese Studies MEXT Scholarship who returned to their home universities and graduated after receipt of that scholarship (including those expected to graduate before the start of the new scholarship), past recipients of the Japan-Korea Joint Government Scholarship Program for the Students in Science and Engineering Departments, and past recipients of the Young Leaders’ Program scholarship are eligible to apply. Past receipt of the MEXT Honors Scholarship does not disqualify applicants.
- Applicants who are simultaneously applying for any other Japanese Government (MEXT) scholarship to begin in fiscal year 2022. (e.g. the Embassy Recommended MEXT Scholarship or applying to another Japanese university for the University Recommended MEXT Scholarship at the same time).
- General Category: Applicants who are already enrolled at a Japanese university with a residence status of “Student” at the time of application or who will enroll in a Japanese university as a fee-paying student prior to the start of the scholarship award period.
PGP: Applicants who are already enrolled at a Japanese university with a residence status of “Student” at the time of application or who will enroll in a Japanese university prior to the start of the scholarship award period.
Exception for students applying to PGP programs selected in 2019 or 2020: Applicants who are currently enrolled in a Japanese university (or who will enroll in a Japanese university) as fee-paying students and who have definite plans to complete their studies, return to their home countries, and obtain a new student visa before returning to Japan are eligible.
Exception for students applying to PGP programs selected in 2021: Domestic selection (selection of students already residing in Japan) is possible. For domestic selection students, if they are already enrolled in another program, they must be able to complete their studies prior to the start of the MEXT Scholarship. It is possible for Domestic Selection students to change their status of residence in Japan to “Student” without leaving the country.
- Applicants who are projected to receive (have been accepted/approved to receive) a scholarship from any other source, including their home country governments, after the commencement of the MEXT scholarship payment period.
- Applicants who have not yet graduated from their qualifying degree at the time of application and who fail to graduate before the start of the scholarship award period.
If you have not graduated, you are still eligible to apply and would have to submit a “Certificate of Expected Graduation” instead of a Certificate of Graduation. However, if you do not graduate as expected, you would lose the scholarship.
- Applicants who have dual nationality, including Japan as one of the nationalities, at the time of application and who fail to renounce their Japanese citizenship prior to the start of the scholarship.
- Applicants who intend to conduct fieldwork or internships outside of Japan or take a leave of absence during their studies for a long period of time.
“Long period of time” is undefined, but I would interpret this as meaning any period of time that interferes with coursework during the semester or the MEXT Scholarship payment cycle (one month). Fieldwork outside the country could be possible during vacation periods, for less than a month, but if you fail to sign in at your university each month, you would forfeit the monthly scholarship payment for the months that you do not sign.
- Applicants who intend to study only as non-degree students and do not plan to advance to the degree program. Applicants who have already obtained a doctoral degree and do not intend to earn another degree (e.g. post-doc research).
Note: Item 5, above, got more complicated this year. In the past all students who were currently enrolled in universities in Japan were eligible to apply, provided that they could prove that they would finish their degrees, return to their home countries, and apply for a new “Student” visa to come back to Japan for the MEXT Scholarship. That is no longer allowed for General Category students, only for PGP nominees.
Also, in a welcome development, nominees for PGP programs that were selected 2021 (this means that the program was selected as a PGP program in 2021, not that individual students were selected in that year) do not need to leave Japan if they are already residing here!
Willingness to Participate in Intercultural Interaction
During your studies in Japan, you must be willing to actively participate in interaction events with schools and communities to contribute to the strengthening of relationships between your home country and Japan. After graduation, you must remain in contact with your university, participate in follow-up surveys and studies, and join in activities conducted by the Japanese diplomatic mission in your home country to promote relations with Japan after returning home.
Of course, this is unmeasurable, but stating your willingness/excitement to participate in such activities during the application process where possible would help you application.
How to Apply
As mentioned above, the application guidelines will be different for each university, so you’ll need to check with the university where you will apply. They may have a different process, more forms you need to complete or even ask you to submit forms at different times during the application process.
Ultimately, though, here are the documents that you will need to submit by the end of the application. This is the list of documents that MEXT requires universities to obtain. All documents must be written in English or Japanese or be accompanied by a Japanese translation. For the certificates mentioned below or any documents from your university, etc., if they are not available in English or Japanese, then you would have to submit the original as well as a certified translation into Japanese. (Note: If the original is written in a language other than English of Japanese, only a Japanese translation is acceptable.)
Application Form
I have a separate article that walks you step-by-step through the 2020/2021 University-Recommended MEXT Scholarship application form (the most recent version of the form available at the time of this writing). You can find my article about how to complete that form at the link above and if you join my mailing list (see the link at the bottom of this article), I will send you a sample version of the filled form for your reference.
You should get the official form from the university that you are applying to.
Photo
You will need to attach a physical photo to the application form or digitally insert one into the form.
If you are attaching a physical photo, it must be printed on photo paper, never regular printer paper. You should attach it with a glue stick – never use a stapler, since a photo with staple holes in it will be rejected and you may have to resend a new one. I also recommend including a second photo inside a protective bag or folded inside a piece of paper to protect it, just in case something happens to damage the original during transit.
The photo must:
- Have been taken within six months of your application
- Must be 4.5 cm high by 3.5 cm wide – don’t worry if it is larger than the physical space for it on the form, just make sure it matches the dimensions
- Must be high resolution (no visible pixelation or color distortion)
- Must show you facing directly forward from the chest up, with no hats or unnecessary glasses. (Note: Hair coverings worn for religious reasons are acceptable)
If attaching a physical photo, write your name and nationality on the back, in case it falls off and they need to check which application to reattach it to.
Field of Study and Research Program Plan
I have a separate article about how to complete the Field of Study and Research Program Plan for the University Recommended MEXT Scholarship. If you have purchased my book, How to Write a Scholarship-Winning Field of Study and Research Program Plan, the chapter about formatting your final plan is based on the embassy format, but you can still use if for the University format! Simply move the “Research Goals,” “Previous Research in the Field”, and “Existing Research” to question 2 and move the rest to question 3.Copy of Passport or Government-Issued Identification Record
The purpose of this documentation is to confirm both your citizenship and your personal identifying information, such as your legal name and birthdate.
Submit a copy of your passport, if you have one. The copy of your passport should include the outside cover as well as the page with your photo and identifying information. You do not need to include copies of all pages or copies of pages with visas, entry/departure stamps, etc.
Make sure your photocopy shows the whole page. Ideally, the edges of the passport should be visible in the copy. That will help prove that there is no other information or invalidation outside of the copied area.
If your passport has any incorrect information (e.g. Your name is spelled incorrectly), you should get that corrected officially before submitting the copy, or wait until after your MEXT scholarship to get it corrected.
If you do not have a passport yet, then alternative documents can include a Family Register or Birth Certificate.
Certificate of Grades from last university completed and current university
Your certificate of grades is an official document issued by your university that shows the grades or marks that you have earned in each course during your degree, as well as the credit value of those courses (if applicable) and when you completed them. If you do not have one document that shows all of these items, then you may have to submit multiple official documents (for example, one showing your grades and another showing when you took each course) to meet this requirement.
As I will discuss under “Proof of Outstanding Academic Achievement” below, your transcript must also include or be accompanied by an explanation of the grading system so that the university in Japan can understand the relative quality of your grades and calculate the conversion to MEXT’s 3.0 GPA system, which is a requirement for recommendation.
If you have already graduated from university and are not currently a student, then you would submit your certificate of grades from the university degree program that you graduated from most recently.
If you are currently enrolled in a university, then you must submit the certificate of grades from your current degree program as well as the most recent university degree you have completed, if applicable. For example, if you are currently enrolled in a Master’s degree, you would submit your grades from that program and your Bachelor’s degree. But if you are enrolled in a Bachelor’s degree and it is your first university degree, you need only submit the certificate of grades from that program.
If you transferred universities during the course of your degree and have transcripts from multiple universities showing the courses and grades that count toward your current or most recent degree, you would need to submit a certificate of grades from each of the universities that you attended.
The certificate of grades must be an original document, or a copy certified as being accurate by the issuing university (if you cannot get it certified by your university, certification by a notary would also be acceptable), and it must be in English or Japanese. If your document is in another language, you would need to include the original document and a certified translation.
Certificate of Graduation from last institution attended
A “Certificate of Graduation” is not the same thing as a diploma. (Never send your only original diploma as part of the application! You will not get it back.)
A Certificate of Graduation is a document issued by your university that certifies that you have graduated. This could be a certified copy of your diploma, but it does not have to be. A letter from your registrar that certifies that you have graduated and shows the date of graduation (or of completing all of the requirements) would be equally valid.
In some cases, your Certificate of Grades may show the degree you were awarded and the date of graduation. In that case, your Certificate of Grades could also be considered a “Certificate of Graduation.” If you submit your Certificate of Grades to cover both requirements (Certificate of Grades and Certificate of Graduation), then I recommend you also include a separate sheet with a brief explanation saying that your date of graduation and degree are certified as part of the Certificate of Grades to let the reviewers know to look there.
Special Case: Certificate of Expected Graduation
What if you haven’t graduated yet? This is very common, since many applicants want to start their degrees in Japan immediately after graduating in their home countries, so they have to start their applications while they are still studying.
In that case, MEXT asks that you provide a “Certificate of Expected Graduation” that shows the date you are expected to graduate and the degree you are expected to earn.
This requirement frequently results in confusion: Universities will often refuse to “certify” that a student will graduate by a specific date. After all, you haven’t completed all of your requirements and they do not want to be liable if you fail to do so. But here’s the solution:
The Certificate of Expected Graduation can be conditional! It is not a problem for your university to write that your graduation is conditional on completing your remaining classes, passing your thesis, etc. Essentially, the Certificate of Expected Graduation is asking the university to certify that “it is not impossible for you to graduate” by the expected date.
If your university protests that they cannot certify your graduation, the explanation above has worked in every case that I am aware of!
Note: In some countries, Certificates of Graduation are issued by a national authority instead of by the university. In that case, a Certificate of Graduation issued by the national authority is acceptable.
Proof of outstanding academic achievement from the last institution attended
In almost all cases, this requirement is met by submitting your certificate of grades along with an explanation of your grading system. For more on what an explanation of grading system is, please refer to the article linked in the previous sentence.
If you do not have any grades because your program does not issue them, such as a research-only degree, then your Letter of Recommendation, described below, can meet this requirement if it explicitly states that you are in the top 30% of students in your college/graduate school/university, with objective facts to back up that assertion, such as your order of merit.
While the two options above will meet the requirement for well over 99% of applicants, if you have further proof of your outstanding academic performance, you can submit those, as well. Examples would be statements of order of merit, awards for top graduate in your department, etc., awards earned at conferences or competitions, or publications in peer-reviewed journals.
Letter of Recommendation from the Dean or higher at last institution attended
*Please note, the requirements described below apply to the University-Recommended MEXT Scholarship, only. The Letter of Recommendation requirements for the Embassy-Recommended MEXT Scholarship are significantly different, so if you are applying for that scholarship, please refer to my separate articles about that process!
There are several important requirements for your Letter of Recommendation, which I will cover below.
What University Should it Come From?
First of all, your Letter of Recommendation needs to come from your most recent university attended, which is the university where you are currently enrolled as a degree-seeking student or the most recent university you graduated from, if you are not a student. There are no exceptions permitted. It doesn’t matter if your most recent university was in another country, if you are closer to a professor from a past university, if you have been working as a researcher at a university, or if you were a study abroad student in Japan, etc.. It has to be the most recent university where you earned a degree.
Who Should Write It?
The letter must be signed by a Dean of your faculty or someone in a higher position.
If your university does not use the title “Dean”, then to find the equivalent person, you would need the administrative head of a “faculty”, “school”, or “college”. That person should report directly to the Provost, or head of all academic affairs for the university (unless the Dean is doing double duty as the provost).
How Do You Get the Dean to Sign It?
Let’s get this straight, first: Your letter of recommendation needs to be signed by the Dean. It does not have to (and in most cases should not) be written by the Dean. This is something that trips up applicants all of the time. They think that they need to walk into the Dean’s office – where the Dean does not know them personally – and convince the Dean to write them a letter.
That’s not the right way to go about it. Here’s why:
- You should never in your life ask someone to write you a letter of recommendation from scratch! Always give them a draft or, at the very least, a bullet list of your significant achievements that you want included.
- You probably should not be going directly to the Dean, either, unless you already know them. Start with your adviser. Show your adviser or a trusted professor the draft, ask their help in editing it, then ask if the adviser will approach the Dean on your behalf.
If you were one of the top students in your field, you should have a good relationship with your adviser, and your adviser should have no trouble talking the Dean into signing the letter.
You can also have your adviser/trusted professor sign the letter and have the dean counter-sign it. That means that you would have signature blocks for both your advisor and the Dean.
What Does it Have to Include?
The letter needs to be addressed to the President of the university you are applying to – make sure to use the title! – be signed by the Dean (with his or her title, as well), and somewhere in the body include the words “I recommend [your name] for the Monbukagakusho Scholarship at [university you are applying to].”
Everything else is just window dressing. It helps to list your most significant academic achievements or activities that indicate that you would do well in an international environment, but in most cases, your letter of recommendation will not have much of an impact on your application evaluation since almost every applicant is going to have a superlative Letter of Recommendation and there is little room for objective differentiation between them.
Abstract of Thesis
If you have written or will be writing a graduation thesis or any other published work (as listed in your application form), you need to include a half-page to full-page abstract (summary) of it with your application. Do not send the entire thesis – nobody has time to read that.
Since you are only sending an abstract, you can write one even if you haven’t finished the thesis itself or gotten it approved. If your original thesis was written in an language other than English or Japanese, you can still write an abstract on your own in English. You would not need to translate it into Japanese!
No Graduation Thesis?
If you have a graduation thesis, you have to submit an abstract of that paper, even if it is off topic from what you plan to apply to study in Japan. This still applies if you graduated years ago and have since written and published academic papers that you consider to be better.
If you do not have a graduation thesis, then you should contact the university for further instructions (or look at their application guidelines from the previous year), but here are a few common alternatives:
- Abstract/summary of equivalent graduation project
- Abstract of a published paper or paper presented at a conference
- Abstract of a term paper (in the class that was closest to what you plan to study in Japan)
Proof of Linguistic Ability
You only need to submit proof of your ability in the language of instruction for your degree in Japan. That proof should meet the requirements I listed in the eligibility section, above.
This is one of those requirements that can hurt you if you aren’t prepared well before the actual guidelines are released. It’s nearly impossible to get an official language proficiency test score on short notice, and it is impossible if that language is Japanese, since the JLPT is only offered twice per year. If you are planning ahead to apply for the University Recommended MEXT Scholarship, make sure that you have your language proficiency test done and score report available before the application period begins. Score reports are good for two years in most cases, so you do not need to worry about preparing too early.
One of the ways to meet the language proficiency requirements is if you completed your previous degree entirely in English or Japanese. In that case, you would need a letter from your university saying so. Otherwise, you would need official language proficiency test scores.
Other Requirements
There will probably be some form of certificate of health required. As I mentioned above, many universities use the Certificate of Health format from the Embassy Recommended MEXT Scholarship, but not all do. I recommend that you wait until the official application guidelines are available from your university before getting this documentation, since it can be costly in some countries. However, be prepared to make a doctor’s appointment and get the certificate in time to submit it by the university’s deadline!
Universities may also have additional requirements, such as their own forms for you to complete or additional tests and certifications, like GRE, GMAT, etc. The only way to find out for sure is to check that university’s website, so make sure that you are doing your research in advance.
When will the application results be out?
Application results for the University Recommended MEXT Scholarship come in two stages: University Selection Results and Official MEXT Results.
University Selection Results
Universities must select the applicants that they are going to accept and nominate to MEXT by the dates below. That means that universities must finish their internal selection procedures, inform applicants of the results and confirm that all applicants are still willing to participate in the scholarship by those dates, in general. The results may be even earlier if the university has not yet asked you to submit all of the documents above and need to ask you to send them after the results are out.
Deadlines for universities to submit nominations to MEXT *Based on the 2021/2022 application cycle.
- PGP Scholarships (April Start): January 18
- General Category Scholarships (September/October Start): March 24
- PGP Scholarships (September/October Start): March 24
Different universities may release their initial results at different times. Do not get discouraged if you hear that results are out at different universities, but not at yours. However, if you do not receive a notification from the university by mid-March that you have been selected and nominated to MEXT for the scholarship and their final decision, then I’m afraid that means you were not successful this year and you should start preparing for the next Embassy Recommended MEXT Scholarship application process, which will likely begin in April.
Caution: Results Notification
In some cases, I have seen situations where individual faculties at the university each select one candidate and then that candidate is sent forward to a university-wide screening board for final decision about the university’s nominees. If you are informed that you were selected as the faculty’s candidate and that they will then screen your application at the university level, that does not mean that you will ultimately be selected for the scholarship.
Final Selection Results
After universities select their nominees, they are sent to MEXT for final screening. MEXT claims that results will be out by early March for PGP applicants arriving in April or the end of June for all applicants arriving in the fall, but it is not uncommon for the results to be late, especially for fall arrivals. So, expect that the results will be a little later than those dates. Those are also the dates when results are released by MEXT to the universities. It may take universities another few days to communicate those results to their applicants. Again, this may take some universities longer than others, so if other applicants have heard their final results and you have not, that might be the cause.
Since universities know in advance how many nominees they can have accepted each year, usually all nominees receive the scholarship in the end, but this is not a guarantee. In 2019, due to budget problems, MEXT ended up cutting down the number of slots at the last minute, so some applicants received the shocking news that they were not accepted. Since then, however, the maximum number of slots was reduced dramatically (maximum of 3 instead of 9 like it was originally in 2019!), so I do not think this should be a risk in the future, but nothing is sure with MEXT.
Want to Maximize Your Chance to Win the MEXT Scholarship?
I have written three books under the Mastering the MEXT Scholarship series that go into more detail then I can possibly cover in a simple blog article – even one this long! Each of these books cover different aspects of the application in detail and should give you an advantage over most other applicants out there. They are available in ebook or print format. You can also ask your local public or university library to purchase them instead so that you can read them for free! Please see the links below for more details about what each book covers, purchase links, and the details that libraries would need to make the order.
- How to Apply for the MEXT Scholarship: Information about the scholarship goals, eligibility, and how to create an application strategy to increase your chances.
- How to Write a Scholarship-Winning Field of Study and Research Program Plan: Everything you need to know about the most important document in the MEXT Scholarship application, from developing and testing a research question through to formatting your plan for submission.
- How to Find Your Best Degree Program and Advisor for the MEXT Scholarship: How to choose the university and supervisor in Japan that is best for you, along with contact strategies and templates.
Special Thanks
Special thanks to the TranSenz supporters on Patreon, who help keep this site running through their generous contributions, especially to my newest Samurai patron, Wakisho. I cannot tell you how grateful I am for your continued support! If this site has helped you in your application process and you want to “pay it forward” to keep the site running to help future applicants, every contribution helps!
Questions?
Let me know in the comments below!
Hello Travis,
I have passed the primary screening, however, Unlike most applicants, I feel SO intimidated with a lot of anxiety because it seems that I made a huge mistake in the replacement form. I looked for universities that has a biomedical engineering program (master’s degree) taught in English without checking their MEXT page. And now when I am checking the page in the universities’ website that I chose in the form submitted to the embassy (too late) I found that there are only certain programs allowed for MEXT students to apply for and get a LoA.
We are not allowed to contact universities yet and I am still lost. What should I do? Apply to the universities ignoring the info provided in their website? Look for other universities? I am afraid that MEXT expect LoA or at least rejection from the universities I selected..
Hi Fatimah,
I can understand why you are feeling stressed, but I don’t think you have anything to worry about.
You should be able to change the universities on your Placement Preference Form freely when you resubmit it. I have never heard of embassies asking applicants to provide proof of rejection when removing a university from their list.
Just to be safe, I recommend that you contact the embassy and ask them if you can change the universities on your Placement Preference Form after acquiring Letters of Provisional Acceptance. You can explain that based on further research, you have found universities that are a better fit for your program. (Since the current universities won’t accepts MEXT scholars in your field, that’s not inaccurate.)
In any case, I think you should move forward with contacting only new universities. There is no point in wasting your time on universities that you know cannot accept you, since you can only be in touch with two universities at once and don’t have that much time to submit the final application. If the Embassy asks why you did not include the original universities from your list, you can tell them that they informed you that they could not accept MEXT Scholars in the programs you were interested in, which is true, since it was on their website.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis,
Thank you for your reply and sorry for posting the question in the wrong topic.
However, most of the universities (unfortunately) don’t have English programs for bioengineering and bioinformatics and the professors with researches aligned with mine belong to these non-English master programs.
I have found only one with most relevant researches in Tohoku uni and I emailed him but I am afraid I will not get any response..
Other labs in the same field (bioinformatics) available in Tokyo university but their focus is far from mine.
I searched the “name of the university along with English programs” before submitting the documents to the embassy but maybe I am not used to this kind of search and there was a misunderstanding from my side.
Hi Fatima,
The Google search you mentioned doesn’t sound like it would give you very thorough answers. Have you read my article about how to search for universities in Japan with degree programs taught in English? One of the links in that article is to a comprehensive list that shows all universities by topic. I also have some advice about how to search by research field and how to evaluate the suitability of professors. I have a book on the subject that goes into a lot more detail, but the article should give you enough information to get started!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
Of course I did! I have been following your articles and advices since 2017! That is why I believe I made it to pass the first screening without any hurdles. Though I am struggling now with the LoA. I Reread your article again perhaps the method of finding suitable school with English program was wrong, and I finally succeed to find 3 choices with E programs + professors with related researches. However I am still concerned about these professors to be actually interested in the topic.
I got the stamped papers back (soft copy) on 18-07-2022 (holiday in Japan) and sent the emails directly the next day (around 12pm time in japan) and did as you suggested to send a short email and a follow-up email with the documents. My question is:
1- Is it unusual for universities/professors to ever reply before making their decision to either reject or accept? Because I saw some applicants in your posts’ comment section saying that they got a confirmation email or some even got their LoA at the very begging of August (Too early!!). Maybe some of them are in contact with professors previously but for me not 🙁
Also;
2- Am I going to receive hard copy of the papers I sent to the embassy?
Honestly, I always believed passing the first screening is the hardest part, but I was very confident that I will pass; however, I’ve never imagined that my real struggle would be finding an interested professor…
BTW, I am excited to join your live session in August!
Hi Fatimah,
Thank you for your follow-up and for following this site since 2017. I’m very impressed!
I am glad to hear that you were able to find a few more relevant universities. Hopefully at least one of the professors you have contacted will be interested.
1. It depends on each university. Where I worked, we did not acknowledge or reply to applicant emails until after we had the screening results (unless we had to contact the applicant to ask for more information, submission of missing documents, etc.). So, an applicant would send us the application documents and sometimes it would be a month or more before they heard back from us with the results. Other (more polite!) universities will email back to acknowledge receipt before the screening.
As for the screening time, that also depends. I can share the example of my former university. There, every applicant had to be approved first by the professor they selected then formally approved at a regular faculty meeting. But those meetings only happened once per month during the semester. So, if an application arrived early enough in July (the last month of the Spring Semester), applicants might get a reply that same month. But if they arrived in August (Summer Break) there might not be another faculty meeting until early October, so the response could take 2 months.
Since you got your messages sent in mid-July, I hope that was enough time for a quick review!
Was there any information on the university website about how long they expect to take to make a decision?
2. I don’t think so. Now that the process for applying for an LoPA is entirely online, I think they just give you the soft copies. But there is no formal MEXT rule on this, so you could contact the embassy to check. (Of course, you will not receive the originals back, but they might be able to give you a stamped set of copies if you need them.)
I’m a little nervous about this upcoming live session–it’s my first time, but thank you for letting me know you’re excited to join!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Replying to the last message:
1- From my list two universities require contacting the prof first without mentioning time. While one (private) doesn’t require contacting prof and mention they will reply back as soon as possible but the process takes at least month. The private uni replied to me confirming receiving of documents after a week. Then sent me yesterday that the prof I wanted “does not accept MEXT scholars”..!! I have never expected this reply, why for this reason?? I believe you are the right one to answer. Though, they recommended another prof and told me to contact him. I did although the first prof research area aligns more with mine. The second prof told the technique they have in their lab is different from mine, he is happy to work with me if I shifted to their technique (which means the whole research theme and methodology will be changed) + he told me that he is just moved to the university and there are no international students so far. What could be the challenges in your opinion especially from the second point? I told him let us have a zoom meeting to discuss the opportunity but I seriously do not know how the meeting will go.
Note: I contacted prof from my third choice and no reply, I found their master program more attractive for me and close to my area of research as well as the prof..
2- I gave them my original graduation certificate 😂
Hi Fatimah,
Thank you for your reply.
1. I’m sorry to hear about your experience with the private university. I’m afraid I have never heard of a professor that does not accept MEXT scholars before. I wonder if perhaps the professor does not accept international students at all, maybe because of a lack of confidence with language ability in guidance or because of a bad experience advising them in the past. Unfortunately, if that is the professor’s decision, then there is nothing that you can do about it. It’s not like you are going to have an opportunity to change their mind.
Actually, in the case of the Embassy-Recommended MEXT Scholarship, private universities are aware that MEXT prefers to place scholars at national universities, so they know that at the Letter of Acceptance stage, there is still a quite low chance that you will end up at the university, so the professor might turn down MEXT scholars because they are fed up with getting invested in potential advisees who always end up at other universities.
As for the second professor, it depends on how attached you are to your current research theme and methodology and whether you are willing to give up that theme/methodology or give up that university and apply to a different one instead. If the professor is not used to supervising international students, you might face a challenge where he expects you behave like a Japanese graduate student and is not flexible with different ways of thinking or letting you do your own thing. He may expect you to work on an assigned project related to his research instead.
You might also find yourself a little isolated in the lab if you have no other international students to talk to when you are experiencing any challenges. You would have to try hard to make friends with the Japanese students in the lab and overcome any language barriers.
It does seem like there are quite a few downsides to this potential lab, so I think it is a situation where you might want to consider just how badly you want to attend that university and think about finding a different one where there is a lab more closely related to your original research interest.
2. Yikes. Even if you do get hard copies back from the Embassy, it would only be a copy. They retain all of the originals and do not return them.
You might be able to negotiate with them to try to get it back, but the instruction are pretty clear about not sending originals because they won’t be returned, so I’m not sure how flexible they would be willing to be.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you Travis. Your comments are so helpful as always. I got another reply from a prof. In a national university and he will ask the administrative office to issue a PLoA by September. Though, He asked when I am comping as a research student (Master’s program starts on April) and he suggest to come as a research student on April 2023 and proceed to master’s on 2024. But I am not sure what is the allowed period to stay as a research student since I recall that I saw somewhere that we are allowed to stay on a non-degree program for only 6 months (not sure though. I looked for this information again but I did not find it). I asked the embassy but they did not reply to me since last week. I saw in one of your posts (2019) that time covered for research students is up to 24 months if arrived in April. I am not sure if there are any conditions, should I consider going in April in stead of October without any concerns?
Hi Fatimah,
Thank you for your kind words.
If you arrive in April, you can stay as a kenkyusei for 24 months (including the Japanese language program, if applicable). So, there should be no problem with arriving in April 2023 and starting your degree in April 2024.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
First of all thank you for your support in applying to the scholarship and information you provide us.
Travis, my question is regarding research plan. At bachelor degree I studied Chinese philology, masters Chinese-English interpretation The problem is I can’t speak Japanese, but I really want to apply for this scholarship and study in Japan. It’s a bit difficult for me to choose the research topic. I thought about Japan-China relations, but I’m not sure if it will be right to discuss it thesis. I more opt to cultural relationships between Japan and my country research education system in Japan. But it is not connected to my previous educational background. I’m a bit confused about it.
Dear Travis, may I ask your advice about this situation?)
Thank you in advance..
Best wishes,
Yulduz
Hi Yulduz,
It is not a requirement to speak Japanese for the MEXT Scholarship. Many Japanese universities have graduate degree programs taught in English, so you would be able to apply for one of those.
Frankly speaking, you should have a topic that you want to research before you consider applying for a graduate degree. At the very least, for a successful MEXT scholarship application, you need to have a clear goal of what you want to accomplish in the future – something that contributes to society and/or to relations between Japan and your home country. Then you can develop a research topic that contributes to that career goal. Your research topic must also be related to your previous major or field of research at the university level, but it doesn’t strictly have to be the same topic. As long as you can show how the two are related, then you would still be eligible.
For now, I would encourage you to think of what it is that you want to accomplish after your MEXT Scholarship, then think of what you could research that would help get you there.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Dear Travis, thank you for your reply and willingness to help us). I really appreciate it. The thing is that I studied philology and translation in the past but as I can’t speak Japanese I’m afraid that I it would be hard to choose these topics to research as it requires language skills. I would like to ask if I can research something that is not related to language studies or connect language studies with culture or education? Would it be right to do so?
Hi Yulduz,
I understand now. Yes, you would most likely need a high level of Japanese ability to apply for a philology or translation course involving Japanese.
But a related field, like you suggested, should be no problem. I think you would have a better chance with a related field like culture or education (language teaching methodology?), but you could get more creative, too, as long as you can show how your interest and research topic relates to what you studied in the past.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Dear Travis, thank you so much for your valuable advice))). I will try to show the connection between my research plan and past educational background and do my best. Thank you for your motivating reply.
Do universities have a wait list for the university recommend track? As in , if an applicant forgoes their scholarship do they offer it to some other applicant?
I am asking especially in regards to top notch universities like Todai, Titech, etc.
Hi B,
I can’t say for sure whether all universities do it, but I recall that we had a waiting list at my university when I handled the scholarship.
However, the waiting list only applies during the period when universities inform applicants that they have been accepted and when they submit nominations to MEXT (Deadline March 24, for Fall 2022 arrivals). If applicants drop out after the nomination to MEXT, even if it is before the final results (June/July), then universities cannot submit a replacement, so they just lose the slot.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Dear Travis!
First of all I’d like to thank You for all the help and guidance we receive through Your blog!
I am currently waiting for the official results of the second screening from my embassy (postgraduate). However I have received a mail from my top choice uni – Todai, to apply for housing for newly intake MEXT students April 2022. Could I take this as a confirmation I have passed the second screening and got selected to this uni? Or in your experience do the universities send out such mail to all students they’ve issued the LoAs to, and it doesn’t really mean anything?
Thank You!
Hi Anna,
Thank you for your kind words.
Yes! You can consider the message you received from Today to be unofficial confirmation of your MEXT Scholarship and placement!
In my experience, universities do not send those notifications out to students that they have issued LoAs to unless MEXT has also already contacted the university and formally asked them to accept you.
The official notice should come this month or next from the embassy, as well.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank You a lot for the reply! This is great news! I will be waiting more calmly now for the official results 🙂
Hi, thank you for a very informative post.
I am planning to apply through university track and had set my eyes on a master program. However, on the school’s post about scholarship for the program, they only mention MEXT honors but not MEXT. I also can not find any information regarding applying for MEXT university track to that program. It also stated that
Students will apply for scholarships after entering the school. Is that means it is less likely there is a slot for the program? Should I try embassy track then?
Hi Ann,
Not all universities have a public call for applications for the University-Recommended MEXT Scholarship. For example, some offer the scholarship slots only to students from overseas partner universities and others select the top candidates from their general, fee-paying application process to nominate for the scholarship.
If you are not able to find information about applying for the MEXT Scholarship at all on the university’s site (or if you can only find information about the Embassy-Recommended MEXT Scholarship), then there’s a good chance they are not accepting applications. But before you reach that conclusion, I recommend that you thoroughly check their site. Generally, the pages with information about scholarships for enrolled students and scholarships available before enrollment (e.g. MEXT) are in different parts of the site.
The MEXT Honors scholarship is something different and is only available to currently enrolled students. If the university is only mentioning scholarships that you apply for after enrollment, then the MEXT Scholarship wouldn’t be included at all.
If that university does not have a general call for the University-Recommended MEXT Scholarship, then yes, the Embassy route would probably be your best bet!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Transenz,
After applying, I was told my GPA does not meet the requirements after conversion. Is there any alternative you think I can apply for?
Hi Minty,
I’m sorry to hear that! Unfortunately, if the university is telling you that you don’t meet the GPA requirement, then I am not aware of any other alternative scholarships that you would be able to apply for in Japan.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Transenz! After reading your post about calculating MEXT GPA. I realized if they had followed the
A-3
B-3
C-2
D-1
E-1
F-0
I should have a 2.8/3.0 as my MEXT GPA. Is it possible to ask for a review of the grades calculator? I think they calculated it using my percentages rather than grades because in our grading system, A starts from 70%-above
I contacted the university and I was told they used the percentage to calculate rather than the grades. Is that really how it’s done?
Hi Minty,
There is no one rule for how to convert grades. It depends on your university’s system and the explanation of the grading system that you provide (either as part of the transcript or as a separate official document). So, without seeing the transcript and grading system for your university, I cannot say how it should have been done.
If the transcript/grading system shows a clear stratification between grades at different percentages (i.e. if it indicates that the 70%-100% is an “A” or “Excellent” grade), then the university should use that as a basis. But if there is no clear definition of the quality of different percentage ranges, then the university would not have a basis to make that decision.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Minty,
Without seeing your transcript and university’s grading system, I can’t really say how I think they should have done the conversion. There’s no formal process to request a review of the grade conversion (in the past, it wasn’t even officially announced as a criteria), but you could try (and based on your next comment, it sounds like you already have!)
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis,
thank you very much for this article. I have been in contact with the university I wish to apply to since this week and I would like to ask about the certificate of prospective graduation. I already completed my bachelor’s degree and am now a masters degree student. I am applying for MEXT scholarship through university to study another masters degree (and then doctor’s degree hopefully). I was wondering, is it necessary for me to submit a certificate of prospective graduation, when I already graduated bachelor’s, which is what I need to study masters in Japan? Also, are there any problems if my certificate says I can graduate in June, but I would be unable to and I’d have to graduate in September, but still before leaving for Japan?
Regards
Anke
Hi Anke,
Unless you plan to drop out of your current Master’s Degree without completing it (or go on an extended Leave of Absence during your studies in Japan), then you must submit a Certificate of Prospective Graduation and Academic Transcript for that program, even if you don’t technically need that degree to qualify for the degree you are applying to in Japan.
I have never actually dealt with a case where an applicant didn’t graduate by the time specified on the Certificate of Expected Graduation but did graduate before arriving in Japan.
However, in your case it should not be a problem, even if you don’t graduate from your Master’s degree in time, since that degree is not required to qualify for your Master’s in Japan. You would only be disqualified if you failed to graduate from your “qualifying degree” before traveling to Japan, which would be your bachelor’s degree, in your case.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis, I hope you’ve been well!
I have a question about the timeline of the research plan.
In the application form, I have checked:
“The first course you plan to take in Japan” —> Non-regular (Non-degree) course.
“Term you wish to study in Japan” —> Up to the completion of doctoral program.
In the timeline table of the research plan, Should I make it 2years (as I will start with Master degree), OR make it 5 years (Master+PhD) as I checked in the application form?
Thanks for your effort.
Hi Mohamed Ragab,
I saw that you had asked the same question on another article and answered it there first.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis, i noticed you hardly talk about the specialized training college students category
And that’s what I want to apply for in MEXT…is it the same process as the masters/research category
Hi Emmanuellayu,
You’re right. My area of expertise is the MEXT Scholarship for Research Students (Graduate Student), and I have not done much research into the other scholarship types, so I have not written about those.
Some of the information about the MEXT Scholarship for Research Students will apply to the other scholarship types, so I hope that you find it useful, but hopefully for specific details you can find someone who is an expert or experienced with that application. It is a different application process, though, but it goes through the embassy, similar to the Embassy-Recommended MEXT Scholarship. You can find the application guidelines on MEXT’s Website and should be able to find specific application instructions on the website of the Japanese embassy in your country, when they are accepting applications.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
I would like to apply for mext scholarship. But According to Guidelines, I have to complete 18 years Education because I am a dentist and want to apply for graduate school of dentistry. However, in my country, dental college Education is 5 years. So I only completed 17 years education. I wonder if I can still apply for this scholarship?
Thank you for your time and guidance.
Hi Mari,
For the University-Recommended MEXT Scholarship, MEXT does not require a specific number of years. MEXT only requires that you meet the university’s eligibility requirements for admission.
In your case, can I assume that you have found a university that you want to apply to and that they require 18 years of education? In that case, you would need to follow up with the university to see if there are exceptions for students who come from countries where the standard years of study is lower than in Japan.
By the way, for the Embassy-Recommended MEXT Scholarship, where MEXT does have a requirement for the years of education, they do make an exception for cases like yours. One of the options to meet the years of study eligibility criteria specifically says: “Applicants who have completed a program with the standard study period of five years or more at universities or equivalent educational institutions in countries other than Japan and received a degree equivalent to a bachelor’s degree.”
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis
Thanks for leading me to the most recent article about this topic. I’d like to ask if it is possible to apply to multiple universities in this scenario — Apply for MEXT scholarship through university recommendation for my first choice, then for my second and third choices of university, apply through their normal process without signifying my intent to apply for MEXT scholarship.
I would like to be admitted in any of the three universities I selected for a masters degree, regardless of scholarship status. I am willing to fund my studies on my own, in case I am not granted scholarship. Is this still considered a violation of MEXT rules?
Hope you could shed light on this. Thanks!
Hi Jen,
Your suggestion sounds fines. Applying to back-ups without the MEXT Scholarship is allowed.
You are only allowed to apply to one university for the University-Recommended MEXT Scholarship, but there is no rule against applying to other universities on a fee-paying basis as a back-up plan.
The problem is the decision timing. You should know by around March whether or not the university has selected you for nomination to MEXT, but the final results won’t be out until summer. So, you may run into trouble if you have to make a decision on your other universities in the meantime. If the fee-paying universities accept you, they typically give you a limited time to confirm the acceptance offer and pay the admission fees, so at that point, you’re going to have to make a choice about whether or not to continue with those.
Once the university selects you for nomination to MEXT, the scholarship award is almost a sure thing, so if you can, I recommend choosing back-up universities whose acceptance announcements and admission paperwork occurs after mid-March.
For your MEXT application university, if you can find a university that has a PGP program in your field, and you are eligible for it, that would be your best chance of getting the scholarship, so when choosing the university to apply to for MEXT, that could be a consideration.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you, Travis, for the detailed reply. I agree with your advice and will do my best to manage the timing of the application results of my selected universities. Thanks again!
Thank you for nice information
Hello Travis,
I hope all is well with you. Thank you for your helpful post on the MEXT scholarship!
I intend to apply for the University-recommended MEXT in the same university where I got my Master’s degree. I was a self-financed student during my Master’s study. My question is that as I am residing in Japan with a tokutei visa, am I eligible for the MEXT scholarship? I’d love to hear your advice. Thank you in advance! I hope you keep up the good work!
Hi Meng Huang,
One of the eligibility requirements of the MEXT Scholarship is that you must newly arrive in Japan on a Student Residence Status to start your scholarship.
If you are currently residing in Japan, that means you must be able to show that you have a definite plan to end your current residence and return to your home country prior to the start of the scholarship so that you can apply for a new Student Visa there and reenter the country. (The university should follow up with you to confirm this plan.)
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
Thank you for your detailed answer. I am glad to receive your advice about this matter. I will talk with the administrative department about my plan to return to my home country.
I’m interested in pursuing a Ph.D. in Economics but most national universities (Tokyo, GRIPS, Nagoya, Kyoto, etc.) do not post information about University-recommended MEXT scholarships. Is it the case that these universities only allocate scholarships through the Embassy’s route? Or is it because they have not posted it yet?
Thank you for your time! I hope you have a great week ahead!
Sincerely,
Hi Meng Huang,
I’m not sure why those universities haven’t posted information yet, but there could be any number of reasons: They might not conduct a public call for applications (Some universities select the top eligible applicants from among their regular, fee-paying applicants to nominate, while others limit the application process to a few specific overseas partner universities.) Or they simply might not have posted the information yet. MEXT hasn’t released its official application guidelines this year, but many universities typically call for applications beforehand, based on the previous year’s guidelines.
If you can find out whether or not they posted a public call for applications last year, that might be a hint regarding their process. Otherwise, you could also try to contact them to see if they plan to call for applications later. It’s going to be a university-by-university decision, so I’m afraid I don’t have one answer that would apply to every university.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
Thank you very much for sharing your insights. You have helped me a lot in knowing what to do going forward in the application. Overall, thank you for your work supporting the community of MEXT applicants!
Sincerely,
Hello Travis,
I’m currently going through your book “How to Apply for the MEXT Scholarship.” I just got through reading Chapter Three about the requirements and disqualifications. Could you verify something for me? I realize that your book is a few years old by now, but according to the section on age, one has to be born on or after April 2, thirty-five years from the year that one begins studying in Japan. Another article I had read did not make that specification about the year one would be starting their degree. I had thought it was from the time of the application and that the year would increase every year. I had assumed that an age increase would mean that April 2, 1987, would be pushed back to April 2, 1986. But, it seems to be the opposite. I am currently 33 years old, and I plan to apply for the 2022/2023 scholarship. My birthday is March 30, 1988. A mere few days before April 2. I would only be 34 when applying for the scholarship (so I thought I was all set). However, if the age limit will indeed be April 2, 1988, the next round, I would be a couple of days into my 35th birthday. I couldn’t find a solid answer anywhere, so I’d appreciate some insight into whether I should give up now and find an alternative or if I’m making the cut. And if I will not be eligible, do you know off the top of your head if there is an age limit in general for applying to graduate school in Japan, or if this is just a requirement for MEXT?
Thank you for your time,
Matt
Hi Matt,
I’m currently about halfway through the revisions to update that book and release a second edition based on everything that’s changed since the original writing.
But the age requirement for the MEXT Scholarship has not changed. You still need to be 35 or younger as of April 2 of the year that you start the scholarship. So, if you are applying now for the University-Recommended MEXT Scholarship to start in 2022, then your birthday would have to be April 2, 1987 or later. (The guidelines for the 2022 University-Recommended MEXT Scholarship still aren’t out, but the requirement will be the same as it was for the 2022 Embassy Recommended MEXT Scholarship).
Unfortunately, with your birthday, this year’s University-Recommended MEXT Scholarship is your last chance. If you apply next year (2022/2023) for either type of the MEXT Scholarship, the requirement will change to April 2, 1988 or later, so you would just miss it.
Outside of scholarships, there is no age limit for general admission in graduate programs in Japan.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello,
I’m wondering about the Mext scholarship requirements for undergraduate studies.
The requirement of the GPA is 2.3 for the recent 2 years.
But my high school education lasted only 11 years, and I took a 2-year junior college course, so it should be 13 years cumulatively. So my question is about the grade points they look at. from the most recent two-year college transcript or a secondary school transcript?
Hi Ryan,
The previous system of only counting the most recent two years of grades seems to have been eliminated last year. Now, my understanding is that they calculate your grades from your entire current/most recent program.
However, Junior College doesn’t fit neatly into MEXT’s system, so it’s difficult to say for sure how it will be counted. It is not specifically covered in the guidelines.
Tertiary (university) education is typically understood to be a Bachelor’s degree program. On the other hand, if you attend university preparatory education after high school and before university, that is part of secondary education. Non-degree university-level education (e.g. a certificate program) isn’t counted at all.
My guess is that junior college would be included in the Upper Secondary Education section as “Preparatory education for university admission”, as explained in the guidelines and that you would then use your grades from the Junior College to meet the requirements. However, just to be safe, I recommend calculating your grades 3 ways to make sure you qualify in each instance:
1. High School (high school only, don’t include middle school and below) only – in case your Junior College isn’t counted at all
2. High School + Junior College together – in case both count as Upper Secondary Education
3. Junior College only – in case it counts as tertiary education or is used as the only reference as your most recent program
In any case, you are going to have to submit your transcripts from both to the university when you apply.
I would also recommend that you contact the university in advance and ask them which is considered your most recent academic program, since that will determine who you need your Letter of Recommendation from.
Sorry I couldn’t answer specifically, but when multiple options are possible, it is best to prepare for any eventuality.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thanks for your reply.
Like you mention about to calculate my grade in upper-sec as well.
these are what the grading system in Malaysia look like:
Marks 90 to 100 : Grade A+ (Excellent)
Marks 80 to 89: Grade A (Excellent)
Marks 70 to 79: Grade A- (Brilliant)
Marks 65-69: Grade B+ (Highest Honours)
Marks 60 to 64: Grade B (High Honours)
Marks 55 to 59: Grade C+ (Top Honours)
Marks 50 to 54: Grade C (Praiseworthy)
Marks 45-49: Grade D(Upon Graduation)
Marks 40 to 44: Grade E(Pass)
Marks 1 to 39: Grade G (Fail)
Scores Lower than This: Fail
So how to its look like on the MEXT 3.0 scale?
After graduating from sec school, I took a Diploma program in Malaysia, so how do you think that undergraduates MEXT’s scholarship (recommended by university) GPA requirement will look into?
Additionally, this is the original requirement for the MEXT’s scholarship
Additionally, this is the original requirement for the MEXT’s scholarship. (The applicant must have maintained a GPA of 2.3 or above in the previous two years in high school, and be expected to maintain it during studies.)
Hi Ryan,
In the case of your grading system, my interpretation would be as follows:
Marks 60 – 100: 3
Marks 50 – 59: 2
Marks 40 – 49: 1
Marks 0-39: 0
That seems like a generous system though. I’m not sure how common A and B grades are, but if it is common for students to consistently earn those grades, it could be more of a strict conversion.
As for your diploma, unless it was part of a college preparatory program, my understanding is that it wouldn’t be counted. Typically, it is only high school (and college preparatory school if required in your country) and university bachelor’s degrees and above that are counted as part of your official education. I’m not particularly familiar with the education system in Malaysia so I can’t say for sure, though.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello, Travis!
I would like to ask how strict is the committee with regards to dry seal? I finally got my recommendation letter, and it is signed by the dean, but it is lacking the dry seal. I wonder if it would affect my chances. Thanks!
Hi Faith,
I’m not entirely sure what you mean by “dry seal”. If the letter of recommendation has the Dean’s original signature, then that should be sufficient.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
I see. This answers my question, and quashes my worries, then.
Thanks, Travis!
Hello Travis, Hope you’ve been well during these time.
I applied for the 2021 embassy route MEXT back in 2020 but didn’t get it. Fortunately, I’ve started a master’s in my home country. However, I’m still considering applying for either the uni direct route or the embassy route, while balancing when I’ll finish my master’s. Should I consider applying well in advance (3 semesters prior to graduating)? Or only around when I defend my thesis? Also, the last time I spoke with profs at 2 schools, they both informally agreed to take me on at the time. Then would it be better to apply for the uni direct route?
Sorry, I wasn’t sure if this should of gone into your FAQ section or not.
Regards,
Scott
Hi Scott,
If you have an idea of when you will graduate, I would recommend timing your application so that you can start your degree in Japan as soon as possible after you finish your current degree. That would usually mean submitting your application in May/June of the year before you want to arrive in Japan, so you would probably have 2-3 semesters remaining of your Master’s Degree at that time. For example, if you want to start your studies in Japan in September 2023, you should start your application in May 2022. (Well, that’s when you would submit it, of course you should start working on it much earlier!)
Even though you have had contact with professors in the past, I recommend that you start with the Embassy Recommended MEXT Scholarship route. There are more scholarship places available that way and being able to say that you have already been in contact with professors/received informal acceptance from them to advise you during the application will help your case, as well!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thanks! This was really helpful!
Regards,
Scott
Hi, Travis.
Thank you for answering all my queries. The student affairs responded back to me, but they said there’s no telling if the govt will release the MEXT University Recommended slots for Nagoya University or not, so I am confused about what should I do now. can you let me know any information about a privately funded Ph.D. in Japan, and what are the chances of getting a scholarship after enrolling in the university? I have heard that there are more scholarship options after enrollment than before enrollment such as JASSO and SPRING. Can you let me know if it’s worth the risk?
Hi Joyeeta Kar,
It sounds like Nagoya might be applying for a new PGP program in your field if they are not sure about the slots. If their application is successful, that would mean you would have a very good chance of getting the scholarship there, but if MEXT does not approve the program, then they would not have slots to award. At least, that’s my guess. Unfortunately, the results of the PGP program application typically don’t come out until after the MEXT Scholarship application deadline at the university, so it’s a gamble.
As for the path of enrolling as a fee-paying student and then looking for scholarships, it is possible, but there are no scholarships nearly so generous as the MEXT Scholarship. Many of the scholarships for current students that I am aware of require you to be fluent in Japanese, as well. JASSO is a notable exception and probably the most widely available to international students, but even then, JASSO awards 80,000 yen per month (compared to 145,000 for MEXT) and does not cover your tuition, so you would likely need to have additional sources of funding.
If you want to apply as a fee-paying scholar, I think you should be prepared to fund your studies and life in Japan on your own without relying on scholarship funding in Japan. If you get the funding, that’s great! But you don’t want to end up in a situation where you have traveled to Japan, started the program, then have to quit and go home because you can’t fund your studies without the scholarship.
I’m sorry I don’t have more positive advice, but I think the risk may be too great, so continuing with the MEXT Scholarship and hoping Nagoya gets those slots might be your best route!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi, is this information applicable to potential PhD students too? I am planning to apply for a PhD at Japan and I have been told that I should contact potential supervisors first before applying.
Hi Joyeeta Kar,
In terms of the application process, yes, this applies at the Master’s or PhD level. Of course, it’s always a good idea to try to get to know your potential supervisor in advance and make sure that you can work together, but that’s separate from the application process itself, so I recommend thinking of contacting and applying as two separate processes.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
I have been accepted by two professors at Nagoya University and Hokkaido University. I am confused about which one should I focus on now? Also, I have been mailing the Nagoya student affairs department as they have stated on their website that I have to contact them after getting an acceptance from the professor (with the format provided by you), but I haven’t received any response yet. What should I do? Should I keep the documents ready as the university needs a recommendation letter from the dean? I am confused.
Can I ask the student affairs department about PGP, Top Global University Scholarships too? Or is it too late by now?
Also, I have been in contact with multiple P.hD. MEXT scholars in Japan and one of them told me he applied at 3 different universities for MEXT University Track, and when he got acceptance from two universities he withdrew from one before the University could forward his documents to MEXT. Isn’t it too risky, as he is suggesting I do the same to maximize my chances?
Hi Joyeeta Kar,
You are only allowed to apply to one university for the University-Recommended MEXT Scholarship, so you’re going to have to choose one and stop working on the other application. I cannot support or encourage the scheme that your contact ran. You run the risk of not being able to stop the application in time and you would also be potentially denying a scholarship opportunity to other scholars. I think you would be much better served by focusing on one.
In either case, it sounds like you need to find out how the university you want to apply to accepts MEXT Scholarship applications. The application procedures are different for each university, so you do need to keep trying to get in touch with them to find out what their procedures and deadlines are. For Nagoya University, it looks like you should be contacting the specific graduate school where you want to apply for their instructions. Unfortunately, I do not have any other specific information about the process there.
It sounds like you have been trying to contact the university’s student affairs office, but I recommend that you try to get in touch with the administrative office of the graduate school where you want to apply.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis,
Thank you for your efforts. Regarding the recommendation letter, it should be signed by the Dean. Should the signature be by hand writing OR electronic signature will be accepted?
Thanks.
Hi Mohamed Ragab,
In general, all signatures should be by hand and all documents should be original (sent by post, not email), unless the universities specifically says that digital signatures/digital submission are acceptable.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis,
Thank you for your reply. The university didn’t mention that signatures should be by hand. I ‘ll share their guidelines with you.
“Dean’s recommendation letter from the home institution.
□ Recommendation letter should be written on letterhead of the affiliation.
□ The recommender must be the head (e.g. Dean, Chair) of a school / college / faculty in
your university or the university you have attended. The position and affiliation of the
recommender must be clearly stated in the letter.”
Hi Mohamed Ragab,
The default expectation for signatures is that they should be done by hand. Digital signatures are an exception and in general they would only be allowed if the guidelines specifically say “digital signatures are acceptable”. In the case where they say nothing about digital or hand signatures, you should assume that signatures must be by hand.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
How do I write the name and nationality on the back during filling the application if if the photo is digital
Hi Haymanot,
You only need to write your name and nationality on the back if you are attaching a physical photo. It is not necessary for a digital one. (The reason they have you write that information is so that they can match the photo to your application if it falls off.)
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz