How to Apply for the Embassy Recommended MEXT Scholarship in 2022/2023

2022 Mext Scholarship Embassy Application

The Embassy Recommended MEXT Scholarship is your best chance for a fully-funded graduate degree in Japan.

Application Guidelines for the 2023 MEXT Scholarship

MEXT released the application guidelines and forms for the Embassy Recommended MEXT Scholarship on April 26, 2022.

What this Article Will Cover

How to apply for the MEXT scholarship guide ebook

Want a step-by-step guide to the application process, including how to develop your application strategy? Click here to learn more about the first book in the Mastering the MEXT Scholarship series.

Whether you are applying for the MEXT scholarship for Research Students for the first time, or whether you are a veteran applicant, this article will explain everything you need to know for the application process. I will also include links to other relevant articles that will help you along your way. I will cover the following topics, so if you’re looking for specific information, please skip ahead.

  • Available degree levels and programs
  • Scholarship benefits
  • Eligibility (*Separate article, linked below)
  • Where, when, and how to apply
  • What you need to submit
  • Application timeline

This article covers the MEXT scholarship for Graduate Students (a.k.a. “Research Students”, in MEXT’s terms). There is also an application process for Undergraduate Students, but I will not be discussing that in this article. Undergraduate applicants can find this year’s guidelines on the official Study in Japan website.

What Degree Programs are Available?

MEXT uses the word “research student” to refer to all graduate level students. You can apply for any of the following programs:

  • Non-Regular Student (also called “Research Student” at most universities)
  • Master’s Degree Student
  • Doctoral Degree Student
  • Graduate-level Professional Degree Student (MBA, JD, etc.)

There are two reasons that applicants apply as a “Non-Regular” student (Research Student). The first, and most common, is many applicants start as non-regular students for their first semester or first few semesters, only. During that time, they prepare their research for their thesis, take some courses to catch up on their academic work, and also take the entrance exam that is required to officially start the program. Here, a “Non-Regular” student is like being a “Pre-Graduate” student. You are just in that position short-term before applying for the degree (and simultaneously applying to extend your MEXT scholarship to cover the full degree).

The second reason to apply for a “Non-Regular” student status is if you are already enrolled in a degree in another country and want to come to Japan for a short amount of time to conduct research for your thesis or dissertation at your home university. In that case, you would not plan to earn a degree from a Japanese university. However, students in this situation are exceptionally rare.

Fields of Study

You should apply for the field of study that you majored in at university or its related field. This is one of the eligibility requirements! If you plan to change fields, you need to show a clear and compelling relationship between your past studies and what you will study in Japan to prove they are “related”. It is up to you to explain the connection and convince your reviewers!

Your field of study also has to be available at the graduate level at a university in Japan in a language that you speak. If you can find at least one graduate program taught in English in Japan in your field of study, with a professor who can supervise your research, you will be fine.

The scholarship does not cover programs that require practical training/apprenticeship, such as performing arts or programs that require technical training at a factory or company. You can study Japanese performing arts from an academic perspective, so long as no practical performance training is required.

Finally, for medical or dental fields, you can not participate in any clinical training until you receive the relevant licenses from the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare. License exams are only in Japanese and involve significant technical language. This essentially means that you would need native-level fluency in Japanese if you intend to pursue a degree in any of these fields that requires clinical training.

MEXT Scholarship Benefits

  • Exemption from paying tuition, entrance examination, and matriculation fees.
    Note: You may be required to pay entrance examination fees in advance if your MEXT scholarship award is not yet confirmed, but you would receive a refund of the fees after you are selected for the scholarship
     
  • Monthly stipend:
    • Non-Regular 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, because of high cost of living or seasonal adjustments for winter utilities, etc.
     
  • International flight ticket from your country of residence to Japan.
    Note: MEXT only covers the international portion of the ticket. You must pay all domestic travel costs in your home country and in Japan, plus the airport usage fees and fuel surcharges, etc. MEXT will only arrange travel from your country of residence, not from a third country. So, if you are living abroad prior to the start of the scholarship, you would have to pay for your own ticket.
    If there is no Japanese embassy in your country and you have to travel to another country to apply for your visa to come to Japan, MEXT will pay for an international flight to that third country and then an onward international flight to Japan. But all domestic travel expenses (e.g. airport to embassy) and lodging costs on your way would be your responsibility to cover.
     
  • International flight ticket from Japan back to your country of residence upon successful completion of the scholarship. The same conditions apply as for the flight to Japan. You must travel by the date specified by MEXT. You will not receive a flight ticket home if you lose the scholarship because of your own actions or if you decide to withdraw and return home before finishing the scholarship. Also, if you extend your stay in Japan, for example, to work in Japan after graduation or continue your studies, MEXT will not pay for your plane ticket home, even if you are going home for a short visit before starting work or your next degree. (If you extend your MEXT Scholarship to cover a subsequent degree, you will get a flight ticket home at the end of the scholarship, just not between degrees.)

MEXT reviews the stipend amounts above annually and may change them. However, they have never changed in the 11 years I have been working with the MEXT Scholarship.

Scholarship Period

The maximum scholarship period is:

  • Non-Regular (research) students: Up to 24 months, from arrival in Japan until March 2025. The maximum duration of 24 months is only available if applicants arrive in April 2023, since the end date is fixed. If you arrive in the fall semester and your university’s semester starts on September 1, 2023, you will get 18 months of stipend (including September), but if the university semester starts on September 2 or later, your scholarship stipend will start in October 2023 and you will be eligible for a maximum of 17 months.
     
  • Master’s Degree or Professional Degree Students: 24 months
     
  • Doctoral Degree or Doctoral-level Professional Degree Students: 36 months
    *For doctoral students in 4-year programs in medicine, dentistry, veterinary science, or pharmacy, the duration would be 48 months.

For students in degree programs, you may also take part in a 6-month preparatory Japanese language program prior to the start of your degree. This program helps you learn basic, survival Japanese, so it is primarily for students with little to no language ability. It does not teach academic Japanese sufficient to study a degree program. If you join this program, the scholarship will cover the six months (as a non-regular student) prior to your degree. For students applying as non-regular students, these six months are part of your maximum 24 months!

The scholarship stipend only applies to months that you are in Japan. During the period that MEXT Scholars could not come to Japan because of the pandemic and closed borders, they did not receive the scholarship stipend, even if they were studying remotely. As of March 2022, borders are open again and scholars can enter Japan, but if they close again in the future, please note that you would not receive the scholarship while outside the country.

In order to receive your scholarship stipend each month, you must be present at your university in person and show your Residence Card with your “Student” residence status once per month on the designated day. If you do not appear during a month, you would not receive the payment.

It is possible to apply to extend the scholarship if you advance to the next level degree (from Non-Regular Student to Master’s or Doctoral Degree or from Master’s to Doctoral Degree). However, you cannot extend your time as a Non-Regular (Research) student and you cannot extend the scholarship period if you cannot complete the degree within the time limit above.

Who is Eligible?

I have published a separate article that covers the Embassy-Recommended MEXT Scholarship eligibility requirements for 2021/2022.

Besides these requirements, you should also pay attention to any additional eligibility requirements established by the Japanese embassy in your country. You must meet all sets of requirements in order to apply! For example, in some countries, applicants have to complete a pre-screening by a government office in your country. Or some countries limit the eligible fields of study, add academic eligibility requirements based on the local grading scale, etc. Check the website of the Japanese Embassy or Consulate nearest you for details! (See below).

Where and When do you Apply?

You apply at the Japanese embassy or consulate that serves the area where you live. You can find a list of Japanese embassies and consulates at:
http://www.mofa.go.jp/about/emb_cons/mofaserv.html

I recommend using a Control-F search on that page to find your country. It may not be listed under the region you are used to.

While I will give the general application deadlines below, each embassy or consulate sets its own deadlines, so be sure to check the embassy or consulate webpage for specific application instructions. Your embassy or consulate will explain exactly what you have to submit and how. For example, in 2021, some embassies accepted submission by email, since applicants could travel and the postal service was disrupted. Please be sure to check the details for your specific embassy or consulate!

Your embassy or consulate may also have additional eligibility restrictions (such as additional GPA requirements in your home country’s system) or required paperwork (for example, pre-screening procedures) that you can only find on their website.

Application Timeline

Step Dates Notes
Submit application to embassies April-June, 2022 See the website of the Japanese embassy in your country for specific deadlines, requirements, and submission methods!
Primary Screening May-July, 2021 Includes review of submitted documents, language proficiency tests, and interview.
Apply to Universities for Letter of Acceptance
Note: Article is from the 2021/2022 application cycle. I will update it as soon as possible.
July-August 26, 2022 August 26 (Japan time) is the deadline to apply to universities, not the deadline for them to get back to you.
Submit letters of acceptance and Placement Preference Form to Embassy Late September 2022 See the website of the Japanese embassy in your country for specific deadlines!
Secondary Screening and University Placement October 2022-February 2023
Notification of Results January-February 2023
Arrive in Japan April 2023 or September / October 2023

What you Have to Submit

Each of the documents below is required by MEXT. However, embassies may ask for additional documents and may ask for each document at a different time (for example, you may not be required to submit all the documents with your initial application), so again, be sure to check the specific instructions for your embassy!

For each document below, you will need to submit one original as well as two photocopies (except where noted below) and you must number them in the top right corner. I will include direct download links to MEXT’s documents where available. Keep in mind that these are the documents for the 2022/2023 Embassy Recommendation MEXT Scholarship Application for Graduate Students. Do not use these links if you are applying for other scholarship types.

I will post a separate article soon about the Application Form for this year (in the meantime, here is my guide to the form from 2021/2022, which is nearly identical) and about the other required documents. Be sure to subscribe to my MEXT scholarship mailing list to be the first to know when I release that article! I will also send you a sample completed application form as a special bonus.

  1. Application Form with attached photograph* (Fillable PDF format from the Study in Japan website)
    As a special thanks to mailing list subscribers, I will send you a sample of the completed application form that you can use as a guide!
    Click here for my article from the 2021/2022 cycle about how to complete this form.
    *The photograph must be clear, without shadows, no more than 6 months old, show your upper body, facing forward with no hats (except religious head coverings), and be 3.5 cm wide by 4.5 cm tall. The photograph must be printed on photo paper with your name and nationality written on the back, and pasted to the form. Never use staples to attach a photo! Alternatively, you can insert photo data directly into the pdf before printing it out.
     
  2. Placement Preference Application Form (Fillable PDF format from Study in Japan website).
    Click here for my article about how to complete this form.
    *For this form, you only need to submit one original. You don’t need to submit two additional copies.
     
  3. Field of Study and Research Program Plan (PDF format from Study in Japan website)
    In previous years, MEXT offered this form in MS Word format, so you could input text directly. In 2022, the website only has a PDF version that you cannot edit, but the previous Word edition is still available, just not linked. You can download the Field of Study and Research Program Plan (Word format) here.
    Click here for my article about how to complete this form.
     
  4. Academic transcript for each academic year of university education attended, issued by your university or national government. The transcript(s) must show the grading scale, all grades earned in each course, and the year in which you took each class. If you cannot get all of this information in a single document, then you might have to submit multiple official documents showing each part of the required information.
    Depending on your enrollment status, you must submit transcripts as below:
     
    Undergraduate Enrollment Status Graduate Enrollment Status What to submit
    Graduated Never enrolled 1) Academic transcript of the undergraduate program
    Graduated Graduated (not currently enrolled in a subsequent degree) 1) Academic transcript of the undergraduate program
    2) Academic transcripts for all graduate degrees
    Currently enrolled Never enrolled 1) Academic transcript for undergraduate program showing all semesters or years for which grades have been determined as of the application deadline.
    Graduated Currently enrolled 1) Academic transcript of the undergraduate program
    2) Academic transcripts for any completed graduate degrees (if applicable)
    3) Academic transcript for your current graduate program showing all semesters or years for which grades have been determined as of the application deadline.

    If you transferred universities or studied abroad, you will probably also be required to submit your pre-transfer transcript or the transcript from your study abroad university, as well.
    *If you are currently enrolled in a degree program and will graduate before the end of the screening process, they you will also be required to submit your final transcript for that program when it becomes available, not later than the start of your degree in Japan.
     

  5. Certificate of graduation or degree. MEXT will accept a copy attested by an official at the university as an original. Do not submit your original diploma as submitted documents will not be returned to you!
    Depending on your enrollment status, you must submit Certificates of Graduation as below:
     
    Undergraduate Enrollment Status Graduate Enrollment Status What to submit
    Graduated Never enrolled 1) Certificate of Graduation from undergraduate degree
    Graduated Graduated (not currently enrolled in a subsequent degree) 1) Certificate of Graduation from undergraduate degree
    2) Certificate of Graduation from all graduate degrees
    Currently enrolled Never enrolled 1) Certificate of Prospective Graduation* from undergraduate degree
    Graduated Currently enrolled 1) Certificate of Graduation from undergraduate degree
    2) Certificate of Graduation from any completed graduate degrees (if applicable)
    3) Certificate of Prospective Graduation* from current graduate degree

    *Certificate of Prospective Graduation: This document often causes challenges for applicants. Their universities will refuse to issue a certificate saying that they guarantee students will graduate by a certain date before students have completed all the requirements. But this is usually the result of misunderstanding MEXT’s poor explanation! A “Certificate of Prospective Graduation” can be conditional! So, your university can say that you are expected to graduate by XX date, provided that you complete all graduation requirements by that date. Essentially, all they are doing is certifying that it is possible for you to complete your degree requirements and graduate by then. It is up to you to meet the requirements. (MEXT will cancel your scholarship if you do not graduate before coming to Japan.)
     

  6. Recommendation letter from the president, dean, or your academic advisor at the most recent university where you are/were enrolled in a degree program. There is a sample template available (PDF format) on the Study in Japan website, but I do not recommend you use it, since you can submit a free-form letter, instead. Just make sure that your free-form letter covers the questions shown in the template.
    The template letter includes out-of-date instructions that the letter has to be submitted in a sealed envelope. That is no longer a requirement, though your recommender can choose to submit it sealed, if they prefer. Remember, though, that you need to submit one original and two copies, so if your recommender prefers to seal their letter in an envelope, be sure to ask them in advance to also make two photocopies of the letter and include them in the same envelope.
    *In 2021, some embassies called for applications to be submitted by email, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and they may ask for recommenders to submit their letters of recommendation directly to the embassy by email. Be sure to check the instructions on the website of the Japanese Embassy where you will apply for specific instructions in your case!
    *If you have already received a letter of recommendation in a sealed envelope by the time you are reading this and there is only a single original in there, please ask your local Japanese Embassy for guidance about what to do. They may instruct you to submit just the one original or may ask you to open the letter and make copies. This varies from country to country.
     
  7. Medical Certificate (a.k.a. Certificate of Health) completed by a medical doctor (PDF format from Study in Japan website)
    *Please check the website of the Japanese Embassy where you will apply to see if they have specific instructions about this form. In some countries, they do not request this form at the start of the Primary Screening and only ask applicants to submit it later. Be sure to check the requirements for your country!
     
  8. Abstracts of graduation theses or published articles, if available
    *If you have not written a graduation thesis or completed a similar graduation project (e.g. there is no thesis requirement for your degree), please contact the Japanese Embassy where you will apply to check what you should submit. Sometimes, they may say that you do not need to submit anything, but in others, they will ask you to submit an abstract of another major paper or presentation instead. If you have not written your thesis yet but will write one later, you can still submit an abstract before the thesis is complete, if your topic bas been determined.
    *You should also submit abstracts of all the published works you listed in your application form.
     
  9. Certificate of language proficiency (English and/or Japanese), if you have any. Typically, this refers to language proficiency tests. If you do not have test scores but have other certificates of proficiency, such as a letter from your university attesting to your English language ability, you can submit those certificates instead. This is an optional item, so if you do not have any scores or certificates you can still apply, unless otherwise stated by the Japanese Embassy where you will apply. In most cases, you will take language proficiency tests during the Primary Screening process that will be used for your official evaluation. However, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, some countries have cancelled those tests and made submission of proficiency test scores mandatory, instead. Please refer to the embassy where you will apply for specific details in your case.
    *If you have mentioned language proficiency test scores in your application form, you should be sure to submit copies of those scores.
    *No original is required for this item, only 3 copies are needed.
    *Even if the embassy does not require you to submit proficiency test scores, Japanese universities may ask you to do so when you apply for Letters of Provisional Acceptance. Check in advance if the universities that you want to attend will require scores or not, if you can.
     
  10. Recommendation letter from present employer, if employed. The same sample format can be used as for the letter of recommendation from your university, but as mentioned above, I do not recommend that you use the template!
     
  11. Photograph(s) or digital audio recordings of applicant’s works, if applying for fine arts or music programs.

Be sure to check with the Japanese embassy or consulate in your home country! They may have additional requirements or may require the documents above at different times during the process.

The embassy or consulate is also your only source of information about the application deadline and the means of submitting the application!

Good luck with the MEXT scholarship application in 2022! If you have questions I didn’t cover, let me know in the comments below!

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Want to know more?

My book, How to Apply for the MEXT Scholarship, describes the scholarship in detail, including the purpose and coverage, the eligibility criteria, how to develop a successful applicant mindset, and how to craft your application strategy for the greatest chance of success!

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