How to Extend Your MEXT Scholarship


Pathway lined with torii gates representing MEXT scholarship extension

Once you start down the MEXT Scholarship path, you may want to keep going, so you’ll need to know about the scholarship extension application process.

If you started your MEXT Scholarship Award as a Research Student and want to join a degree program, or when you complete one degree and want to move on to the next, you have to apply for a scholarship extension.

In many cases, no information is available about the extension application before it is time to apply, so scholarship winners worry about this extension. Here are just a few of the questions I often receive in blog comments and by email:

  • It is easy (or guaranteed) to extend your scholarship?
  • Is it possible to extend my scholarship to move up to the next degree?
  • Can I extend my scholarship and move to a different university?
  • What are the requirements to extend a MEXT Scholarship?
  • Am I eligible to extend my MEXT scholarship?
  • How/when do I apply to extend my MEXT Scholarship?

In this article I will explain how the MEXT scholarship extension application system works, who is and is not eligible to extend their scholarship, and everything you need to know about eligibility and requirements. I will explain each type of extension separately, so scroll down to the scholarship extension type you are most interested in for more details. (But read the next section first!)

These guidelines are current as of 2023, for students extending their scholarship with the new program to start in 2024.

When is it Impossible to Extend your MEXT Scholarship?

There are a few situations where it is impossible to extend your scholarship. Fortunately, these situations will apply to a very, very small number of students, but let’s get them out of the way first:

  • If you will not be moving on to a new level. You cannot extend your scholarship period while staying in the same status.
     
  • If you are already a doctoral degree student. (There is no subsequent level to move on to!)
     
  • If you are in a degree program and want to become a research student.
     
  • If you are a University Recommended MEXT Scholar and want to change universities.
     
  • If you are a PGP Scholarship Winner, but your university has no PGP scholarship slots in the next degree level for the year you would advance.
    Note: In the 2023/2024 University-Recommended MEXT Scholarship, it is possible for past winners of the Undergraduate PGP scholarship to apply for a new University-Recommended general category scholarship, but not to extend their previous scholarships.
     
  • If you require permission from your employer or home country government to extend your MEXT scholarship and fail to obtain it.
     
  • If you intend to conduct fieldwork or participate in an internship outside of Japan after extending your scholarship.
     
  • If you fail to obtain acceptance to the degree program at the next level that you plan to apply for. (You do not have to have acceptance before applying for the extension, though. Those applications will likely move forward simultaneously.

If you are not in any of the situations above, you should be able to apply to extend your scholarship in order to move up to the next degree level. Read on for the instruction!

Who Can Extend Their Scholarship?

Here is a list of the different scholarship extension types and who is eligible. You can find more details about each extension in the sections below’

Started As Current Status Extending To Notes
Category I:
Research Student
Research Student Masters or Doctoral Degree Program (including professional degree programs)
  • Start of the degree program must be within 2 years of starting research student status (including Japanese language education period), or 1.5 years, if you started your studies in Japan during the fall. There cannot be a gap between the end of your current scholarship award period and when you would start the new degree.
  • Embassy-Recommended MEXT Scholars who are attending the intensive Japanese language program at a university other than the university where they will pursue their degree must apply for extension through the university where they will enroll in the degree program.
  • University Recommended MEXT Scholarship Students may only enter the degree program at their current university
  • Embassy Recommended MEXT Scholarship Students may select up to two universities that they would like to enroll in for the next degree level.
Category II:
Non-PGP:
Research Student or
Master’s Degree Student or
Professional Degree Student
Master’s Degree Student or Professional Degree Student Doctoral Degree
  • Students in a PGP Program should refer to the “Special Category” below
  • University Recommended MEXT Scholarship Students may only enter the degree program at their current university
  • Embassy Recommended MEXT Scholarship Students may select up to two universities that they would like to enroll in for the next degree level.
Category III
Non-PGP: Bachelor’s Degree Student
Bachelor’s Degree Student Master’s Degree, Professional Degree, or Doctoral Degree (in the case of a 6-year undergraduate program in medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, or veterinary studies)
  • Embassy Recommended MEXT Scholarship Students may select up to two universities that they would like to enroll in for the next degree level.
Category II-2
Non-PGP:
Bachelor’s Degree Student, or
College of Technology Student, or
Specialized Training College Student
Master’s Degree Student, or Professional Degree Student (for former Bachelor’s Degree students, only) Doctoral Degree  
Category III-2
College of Technology Student, or
Specialized Training College Student
Bachelor’s Degree Student or Advanced course at the College of Technology student Master’s Degree or Professional Degree  
Special Category
PGP: Master’s Degree Student, or
Professional Degree Student
Master’s Degree Student or Professional Degree Student Doctoral Degree
  • Program must have been originally approved for both master’s level and doctoral level slots and must either still be accepting new students in the year that the student would extend or be approved to extend students even after the conclusion of the PGP program approval.
College of Technology Student College of Technology Student Bachelor’s Degree Student (3rd year transfer enrollee) or advanced course at the College of Technology  
Specialized Training College Student Specialized Training College Student Bachelor’s Degree Student (3rd year transfer enrollee)  

MEXT Scholarship Extension Application Requirements

Here are the requirements, conditions, and number of slots available for each type of extension.

Category I: Extending from Research to Degree Program

In order to extend from Research Student Status to a Degree Program, applicants must:

  • Be expected to receive admission in the appropriate degree program
  • Be strongly recommended by their advising professor
  • Be appropriate for recommendation, as determined by the president of the university or Dean of the Graduate School
Changing Universities

For Embassy-Recommended MEXT Scholars, it is possible to change universities when moving from research student to degree-seeking student status. You can fill in up to two choices of university/graduate school for your next degree. However, the student’s current advising professor must clearly explain the need for the change in the adviser’s section of the extension application form if you list another university or graduate school as your first or second choice. If you end up pursuing your next degree at a university/graduate school other than one of the ones on your list, you would lose the MEXT Scholarship.

University-Recommended MEXT Scholars will lose their scholarships if they change universities.

Slots

There is no limit to the number of scholars that universities can nominate in this category. However, that does not mean that all nominees will automatically be accepted for extension by MEXT. The number of successful nominees will be determined by the contents of the nomination and MEXT’s budget.

In practice, I have never heard of anyone in this situation being unsuccessful in their extension application. The caveat about MEXT’s budget is always there because they are not allowed to commit to any spending in advance of the fiscal year. It is nothing to worry about.

Category II and III: Extending from Master’s to Doctoral or Bachelor’s to Master (Non-PGP)

This category does not include students who started as undergraduate MEXT scholars, previously extended to a Master’s degree, and are now applying to extend to a PhD. Please see Category II-2 below if you are in that status.

Both of these categories have the same requirements and share a combined slot limit, so I am addressing them together.

In order to extend to the next degree level, applicants must:

  • Have a GPA of 2.50/3.00 in their current degree program
  • Be expected to receive admission in the appropriate degree program
  • Be strongly recommended by their advising professor
  • Be appropriate for recommendation, as determined by the president of the university or Dean of the Graduate School
  • Be expected to complete their current degree within the standard years of enrollment*

*The standard years of enrollment is 4 years for a bachelor’s degree (6 in the case of some medical, dental, pharmaceutical, or veterinary programs) and 2 years for a master’s degree. If you take longer than that to earn your degree, you would lose your scholarship at the end of the standard years (or as soon as it became apparent that you would not finish within the standard years) and would not be able to extend your scholarship.

Changing Universities

The same condition applies as to research students extending to the degree program.

For Embassy-Recommended MEXT Scholars, it is possible to change universities when moving from research student to degree-seeking student status. You can fill in up to two choices of university/graduate school for your next degree. However, the student’s current advising professor must clearly explain the need for the change in the adviser’s section of the extension application form if you list another university or graduate school as your first or second choice. If you end up pursuing your next degree at a university/graduate school other than one of the ones on your list, you would lose the MEXT Scholarship.

Slots

The base number of students a university can nominate for these two types of extension combined is equal to the average number of nominees for the two types combined over the past three years, rounded up (e.g. 2.01 would be rounded up to 3).

In addition to the base slots calculated above, each university receives additional slots as determined by the table below:

Number of MEXT Bachelor’s Degree and Master’s Degree Scholars in Categories II and III finishing their studies in AY 2024 Number of additional slots for the extension application
1-2 1
3-4 2
5-9 3
10-15 4
16-20 5
21-25 6
26-30 7
31-35 8
36-40 9
41-45 10
46-50 11
51-55 12
56-60 13
61-65 14
More than 65 15

*This chart applies to the extension application in AY2024 and may change in future years.

If a university has not nominated any students for extension in either category over the preceding three years, the number of nominees is capped at two. (The additional slots calculation does not apply in that case.)

Unlike the condition for research students advancing to the degree program, above, there is no statement about not all nominees being accepted.

If you are applying to change universities when you advance to the next degree level, you would still need to be nominated by the university that you are currently attending and you would count toward their limit of nominees.

Category II-2: Former Undergraduate MEXT Scholar Extending from Master’s to Doctoral Program

In order to extend to a doctoral degree, applicants must:

  • Have a GPA of 2.80/3.00 in their current master’s degree program
  • Be expected to receive admission in the appropriate doctoral degree program
  • Be strongly recommended by their advising professor and the dean of their graduate school or president of the university
  • Be expected to complete their current degree within the standard years of enrollment

The standard years of enrollment for a master’s degree program is 2 years. If you fail to complete your degree within 2 years, you would lose your scholarship at that point (or as soon as it became apparent that you would not graduate within 2 years) and would not be eligible to apply to extend your scholarship.

Slots

There is no limit to the number of scholars that universities can nominate in this category. However, that does not mean that all nominees will automatically be accepted for extension by MEXT. The number of successful nominees will be determined by the contents of the nomination and MEXT’s budget.

In practice, I have never heard of anyone in this situation being unsuccessful in their extension application. The caveat about MEXT’s budget is always there because they are not allowed to commit to any spending in advance of the fiscal year. It is nothing to worry about.

Category III-2: Former College of Technology MEXT Scholar or Specialized Training College MEXT Scholar Extending from Bachelor’s (or advanced courses at a College of Technology) to Master’s Program

In order to extend to a master’s degree, applicants must:

  • Have a GPA of 2.80/3.00 in their current bachelor’s degree program
  • Be expected to receive admission in the appropriate master’s degree program
  • Be strongly recommended by their advising professor and by the dean of their faculty or president of the university
  • Be expected to complete their current degree within the standard years of enrollment

The standard years of enrollment for a bachelor’s degree program is 4 years. If you fail to complete your degree within 2 years, you would lose your scholarship at that point (or as soon as it became apparent that you would not graduate within 4 years) and would not be eligible to apply to extend your scholarship.

Changing Universities

The same condition applies as to research students extending to the degree program.

For Embassy-Recommended MEXT Scholars, it is possible to change universities when moving from research student to degree-seeking student status. You can fill in up to two choices of university/graduate school for your next degree. However, the student’s current advising professor must clearly explain the need for the change in the adviser’s section of the extension application form if you list another university or graduate school as your first or second choice. If you end up pursuing your next degree at a university/graduate school other than one of the ones on your list, you would lose the MEXT Scholarship.

Slots

There is no limit to the number of scholars that universities can nominate in this category. However, that does not mean that all nominees will automatically be accepted for extension by MEXT. The number of successful nominees will be determined by the contents of the nomination and MEXT’s budget.

In practice, I have never heard of anyone in this situation being unsuccessful in their extension application. The caveat about MEXT’s budget is always there because they are not allowed to commit to any spending in advance of the fiscal year. It is nothing to worry about.

Special Category: PGP Scholars Extending from Master’s to Doctoral

In order to extend to the next degree level, applicants must:

  • Have a GPA of 2.50/3.00 in their current degree program
  • Be expected to receive admission in the appropriate degree program
  • Be strongly recommended by their advising professor
  • Be appropriate for recommendation, as determined by the president of the university or Dean of the Graduate School
  • Be expected to complete their current degree within the standard years of enrollment

The standard years of enrollment is 2 years for a master’s degree. If you take longer than that to earn your degree, you would lose your scholarship at the end of the standard years (or as soon as it became apparent that you would not finish within the standard years) and would not be able to extend your scholarship.

Changing Universities

It is not possible to change universities as a PGP Scholarship recipient.

Slots

A university can only nominate students for scholarship extension if the PGP program was originally able to nominate students at both the Master’s and Doctoral level and is still able to nominate Doctoral students in the year that you apply for the extension.

The rules about when it is possible to extend have changed several times and are subject to future change depending on the year that the PGP program was approved, so ultimately you are going to have to check with the university that you want to apply to to see if it will be possible to extend or not.

Since PGP programs are approved to accept new students over a three-year program, if you enroll as a Master’s student in the program’s first year, you would be eligible to apply for extension at the conclusion of your degree, since the program would still be in its third year of approval and accepting new students. (Though you would be competing with those new Doctoral level students for a slot).

If you enroll in the Master’s degree in the PGP program’s second or third year, though, the possibility of extension can vary, so you would need to contact your university to find out for sure. In past years, it has not been possible in some cases, possible in all cases, or possible only if the university applied for an extension of the PGP program period as a whole (regardless of whether that extension was approved or not).

College of Technology MEXT Scholar Extending to Bachelor’s Program or Advanced Courses at the College of Technology

In order to extend to a bachelor’s degree transfer student or to advanced courses at the College of Technology, applicants must:

  • Have a GPA of 2.80/3.00 in their current program with a class attendance rate of 95% or better
  • Be expected to receive transfer admission into the third year of the appropriate bachelor’s degree program or to the advanced program at the college of technology
  • Be strongly recommended by their advising professor
  • Be appropriate for recommendation, as determined by the president of the university or Dean of the Graduate School
  • Have a clear connection between their current field of study and the field of study to be pursued in the subsequent degree
Changing Universities

Allowed (required if transferring to a bachelor’s degree). Applicants may select up to two universities, two advanced courses at colleges of technology, or one of each, that they want to proceed to. Only national universities or colleges of technology are eligible (you cannot apply to private or local public universities ).

If you end up pursuing your next degree at a university other than one of the ones on your list, you would lose the MEXT Scholarship.

Slots

In general, up to 1 nominee per College of Technology. If the College of Technology determines that there are two or more equal applicants, they may nominate more than one, but must indicate their order of priority. Not all nominees will automatically be accepted for extension by MEXT. The number of successful nominees will be determined by the contents of the nomination and MEXT’s budget.

Specialized Training College MEXT Scholar

In order to extend to a bachelor’s degree transfer student, applicants must:

  • Have a GPA of 2.80/3.00 in their current program with a class attendance rate of 95% or better
  • Be expected to receive transfer admission into the third year of the appropriate bachelor’s degree program
  • Be strongly recommended by their advising professor
  • Be appropriate for recommendation, as determined by the president of the university or Dean of the Graduate School
  • Have a clear connection between their current field of study and the field of study to be pursued in the bachelor’s degree
Changing Universities

Required. Applicants may select up to two universities that they want to proceed to. Applicants may only select national universities. (It is not possible to extend to a private or local public university).

If you end up pursuing your next degree at a university other than one of the ones on your list, you would lose the MEXT Scholarship.

Slots

Up to 2 nominees per Specialized Training College. However, if the Specialized Training College determines that there are more than two equal applicants, they may nominate one additional applicant, but must indicate their order of priority. Not all nominees will automatically be accepted for extension by MEXT. The number of successful nominees will be determined by the contents of the nomination and MEXT’s budget.

Payment of Application and Matriculation Fees

When you apply to degree programs for admission, you would be responsible for paying all application and matriculation fees for the programs that you want to apply to. However, the fees would be refunded to you as follows, based on the success of your MEXT scholarship extension application.

If your application to extend your MEXT scholarship is successful, the application and matriculation fees to the university you enroll in will be refunded. (In the case of Embassy-Recommended MEXT Scholars, MEXT will refund your fees. In the case of University-Recommended MEXT Scholars, the university will refund your fees.)

If you apply to multiple universities (Embassy-Recommended MEXT Scholars are allowed to apply up to two during the extension process), then your fees for the university that you do not end up attending will not be refunded.

Your fees would also not be refunded if you failed to pass the entrance exam or if your MEXT scholarship extension application is not approved.

Application Timeline

In 2023, MEXT released the application guidelines for the Extension application in early December and the deadline for universities to submit their nominations is January 16, 2024. So, expect the university’s internal deadline to be much earlier!

This is the application period for students who want to extend in either April or October 2024. There is no separate application period later for the October extension, so this is you one and only chance to apply for that year.
*The only exception to the timeline is for applicants who start their scholarships in April as research students and then apply to extend to a degree program starting in that October.

Your university should let you know when it is time to apply, but if you do not hear from them by the beginning of December, it would be a good idea to contact your university’s Center for International Affairs to follow up.

Results

MEXT aims to release results of the extension application to universities in early March. Universities must then inform their nominees of their individual results.

Progression Timing to Your Next Degree

There cannot be a gap between the end of your current scholarship/degree and the start of your extended scholarship.

If your current degree or status ends in March, then your next scholarship must start immediately in April. It is not possible to have a “gap semester” and start your next degree in the fall (September or October).

Exception for Gaps that Occur Because of Semester Date Differences

The only time that you can have a “gap period” of any length between the end of your current MEXT Scholarship and the start of the extension is if you change universities, and the two universities have different academic calendars that do not line up exactly.

This should only be a factor with the fall semester, since all universities start their spring semester (and academic year) on April 1. But for the fall, some universities start the semester on September 1 and some on October 1. If you are currently studying at a university where the spring semester ends on Aug 31 and want to extend to a university where the fall semester starts on Oct 1, then you would have a one-month gap. It is possible to extend in that situation, but the following conditions would apply:

  • During the gap period, you would need to maintain a “Student” residence status. (If you change your residence status, your extension permission would be cancelled.)
     
  • You would not receive a scholarship stiped for the month(s) during the gap period.
     
  • During the gap period, you are still the responsibility of the university that nominated you for the extension (your previous university) and they must continue to provide an environment offer guidance for you to be able to pursue your student life.
     
  • This exception only applies in cases where there is a difference in the academic calendars between the universities. It does not apply to cases where the scholar finishes their studies has a full semester gap before starting their next degree.
     
  • If scholars return to their home country during the gap period, it is considered a temporary return home and MEXT will not pay for travel expenses.

Application Documents

You will receive the forms from your current university, but they should not pose any difficulty.

Application Form

The application form itself is similar to the initial application form, but shorter and simpler. Since you have already completed the application form once, it will be no trouble.

Research Plan or Research Status Report

The second form you have to submit is a Research Plan or Research Status Report. If you are applying to advance to the next degree, your Research Plan would be similar to the type of document you submitted for your initial Field of Study and Research Program Plan, except simpler. In this case, you would not be submitting your application for a competitive evaluation to professors/a university that is unfamiliar with your performance. So, your plan can be a simpler explanation of what you plan to research. Your current adviser should be willing to help you write it, as well.

If you are extending from research student status to degree status, and continuing your ongoing research, then you would write an update on your progress.

Essay (Category II-2 or III-2 applicants, only)

Former undergraduate or college of technology MEXT scholarship winners extending from Master’s to Doctoral degrees and former college of technology students extending from a Bachelor’s to Master’s degree must also submit a short essay. However, MEXT’s application guidelines have no instructions for this essay, so please follow up with your host university for more details (and let me know in the comments below!)

Proof of Language Ability (University-Recommended MEXT Scholarship Category I applicants, only)

This requirement only applies to applicants who were initially accepted as University-Recommended MEXT Scholarship “Research Students” (i.e. Non-Degree Students) and who did not submit documentary evidence of their language proficiency, such as language proficiency test scores showing CEFR B2 level English or N2 level Japanese or proof of completing their qualifying degree in English/Japanese at the initial time of application.

If the university accepted you under the condition that they judged your language ability to be “equal to a person with B2 level English or N2 level Japanese” without any documentary evidence, you would be required to submit test scores in order to extend to a degree program.

Special Thanks

Special thanks to the TranSenz supporters on Patreon, who help keep this site running through their generous contributions, especially to everyone who has been supporting the site for months or years. 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!

If you want to show your support but Patreon is out of reach, I’d appreciate it if you say hi on social media or in the comments below to let me know if you appreciate these posts. You can find me on facebook at @TranSenz or on Twitter at @tagsenzaki. I look forward to saying hi!

Questions?

Let me know in the comments below!

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