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) |
|
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 |
|
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) |
|
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 |
|
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!
Hey Travis
I plan to apply for PhD through MEXT Scholarship in 2025 session via the embassy recommendation route. So if I get selected, I will be entering as a non regular student right? Is it possible to continue in that status if I fail to get the extension to tha status of a degree student . Does universities conduct entrance exam for the students enrolling through the embassy recommendation to transfer from non regular student status to degree seeking student?
Hi Elsa,
It depends on the university as to whether you will start as a non-degree student or a degree student. It is possible to start directly with the degree, if they allow it.
If you start as a non-degree student then yes, you can take the entrance exam at the university and apply for the MEXT Scholarship extension in order to transfer to a degree-seeking student and extend your scholarship.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you so much..
But what if the student fails in the entrance exam… Can they continue as a non regular student for 2 year?
Hi Elsa,
The maximum period of enrollment as a non-regular student (including the Japanese language program) is 2 years if you arrive in Japan in April or 1.5 years if you arrive in the fall. You can remain in the non-regular status until the end of that period and take the entrance exam (and apply for the scholarship extension) multiple times, but you would have to pass the entrance exam to gain admission no later than April of the year that your non-regular student status ends.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hey Travis
I plan to apply for PhD through MEXT Scholarship in 2025 session via the embassy recommendation route. So if I get selected, I will be entering as a non regular student right? Is it possible to continue in that status if I fail to get the extension to tha status of a degree student . Does universities conduct entrance exam for the students enrolling through the embassy recommendation to transfer from non regular student status to degree seeking student?
Hi Arya,
It depends on the university as to whether you will start as a non-degree student or a degree student. It is possible to start directly with the degree, if they allow it.
If you start as a non-degree student then yes, you can take the entrance exam at the university and apply for the MEXT Scholarship extension in order to transfer to a degree-seeking student and extend your scholarship.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you for the information
So when I write my FSRPP, do I have to mention in that in the timeline as to whether I’m starting as a non regular student or degree seeking student. I m not yet sure about what I will start as?
Please help me
Hi Arya,
You should write your FSRPP based on your study plan. So, if you say in your application form that you want to start as a degree student, write the FSRPP research timeline as if you will start as a degree student. If you say that you want to start as a non-regular student, then write the FSRPP research timeline with one semester as a non-regular student. (It should never be more than one semester, at least in your plan.)
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you for your response
But I’m still not sure whether to start as a regular or non regular student. In that case how would I know what will be better for me?
Hi Arya,
It might not even be up to you in the end, but as far as your decision goes (what to put in the application form) the only question you need to ask yourself is: Do you want one extra semester to settle in to Japan and start work on your research, or do you want to get started with your degree right away to finish as quickly as possible?
I typically recommend the former, but it’s entirely up to your situation.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis, I have finally received my results and I got the scholarship! I was asked by my supervisor what would I like to start as – as a non degree student in April 2024 and then joining the regular problem in October 2024, or joining straight away as a regular student in October 2024. I chose the former, because I wanted to get acquainted with the place and get started on my research. That would mean that I would have to apply for extending the scholarship to start as a regular student in October 2024 right? When do I have to apply for that? Is it after I go Japan or should I inquire about it beforehand?
Hi Ava,
Congratulations! That’s great news!
Since you will extend from non-degree to degree student in fall of the year that you arrive, you will have to apply for the extension almost immediately after you arrive in Japan, so I recommend that you talk to the administrative office that handles the scholarship procedures once you arrive.
Typically, universities have to submit their nominations for the fall scholarship extension for new arrivals in the first half of May, so you would need to submit the documents to the university admin office even earlier than that.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
I hope you are doing Well and Thanks for your Support every time you are doing.
I am going to Apply For College Of Technology this year. After I get diploma Certificate, Will I able to extend the scholarship period for undergraduate certificate ( As COT is for 3 years and wanted to extend it for 1 more year). Is it possible For COT students?
Hi Franklin John Paul,
As explained in the article above, at least as of this time, it is possible to apply to extend your scholarship from College of Technology to transfer into a Bachelor’s degree, but you would transfer into the third year and have to finish two more years at the university to earn your degree.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
HI Travis, Because I’m worried that my comment isn’t in the right article title, I’m writing it again here..
Thank you for your wonderful blog. You helped me so much. Thank you so much.
Travis, currently I am a Research student funded by MEXT by University recommendation. I was a research student for 1.5 years due to language problems. Then this year I applied for an extension to the master’s program. I was surprised that I was ranked last in the recommendations given by the university to MEXT due to the long research student period (I was ranked 5th out of 5 recommendations). The university also said that it is possible that not everyone the university recommends will be accepted. I was really shocked and confused about what I should do. Please give me suggestions. Thank You
Hi Rafa,
Thank you for your kind feedback!
I am sorry to hear about your situation, but at this point, there really isn’t anything that you can do. If the university has already submitted the nomination to MEXT then all you can do is wait for the results. (I assume you’ve already finished your admissions application.)
However, there is no limit on the number of students that universities can nominate for extension from Research Student Status to Master’s and, in general, all should be accepted, so I think there is still plenty of reason for hope! The university is essentially required to tell you that there is no guarantee that all applicants will be accepted, since they do not make the final decision and cannot guarantee something that is out of their control. It’s something they tell everyone, so you shouldn’t worry about it.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Traviz,
Thank you very much for your answer. Has there been a slot cut from MEXT at this stage before? So is there anyone who doesn’t pass this stage?
Hi Rafa,
There is not a set number of slots for extending from Research Student to Master’s degree student. It is assumed that all students who were accepted as research students will continue on to Master’s degrees, though usually as soon as possible.
There could be a budget cut that could mean that not all qualified applicants are accepted, but I have no idea if that is likely or not at this point. The only other reason I can think of for not being approved was if your performance was weak and the university indicated that they did not think you were capable of completing your degree.
However, I should stress that I have never heard of a case of an extension from Research Student to Master’s student being rejected by MEXT. (If anything, it is more common to hear about MEXT scholars failing to pass the entrance exam to enter into the degree program, but even that is very rare.)
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
How can i continue my study to doctoral if i dont get extension from Master study
Hi Justin,
If your MEXT extension isn’t approved, then the only way for you to continue your studies in Japan would be by paying for it yourself.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Your website is amazing! Thanks alot!
In case we wrote 2 universities for extending the scholarship, is MEXT will decide which one to go, or we still can decide after approving our extension?
When usually we get approval on our extension? February?
Hi Sato,
Thank you for your kind feedback!
You get to decide which of the two universities you will go on to, assuming of course that both accept you!
According to the guidelines, MEXT’s target date for the results of the application is early March. They will inform the nominating university of the results and the university is to inform each of its applicants.
I will add that information to the article!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis, thank you for this very helpful post.
I am an embassy-recommended 4th-year undergraduate chemistry student in Kanazawa University and I am applying for the extension for master’s in the same university.
In a reply to someone else’s comment you said that the research plan will be primarily reviewed by the university you are applying to. How do you know that information?
Hi Henric Mezzomo,
It’s a simple matter of personnel and processing. MEXT is a government ministry. It does not have experts in each of the fields of study that come up in applications, so it cannot review research proposals from an academic perspective. The only evidence I have seen of content reviews by MEXT is that they look for research topics that could be related to military technology and/or weapons of mass destruction and eliminate those (although the universities are supposed to do that, too.) Universities have the expertise in the various research fields, so MEXT leaves the decision to them as to whether the research is appropriate and something that they can support.
As for process, MEXT pre-determines the number of slots offered in each category to each university and embassy, depending on the process. As long as a university’s nominees are within the allotted slots, there are no budget cuts that reduce the slot numbers, and the applications meet all eligibility requirements, then in general, MEXT approves them. They do not conduct a competitive screening. (Even in the event that there is a budget cut and slots need to be reduced, the universities will have submitted nominees in priority order, so MEXT would simply start cutting from the bottom.)
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you for your reply, Travis
I’d like to know too if we can choose only one university, instead of two.
Hi Henric Mezzomo,
Yes, of course! You can choose “up to two”, so only choosing one is perfectly viable.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis! Thank you for your amazing website! I am currently a non-regular student planning to apply for an extension to PhD. My research period started in October. I was wondering about the Research Status. I would be continuing with the same research, but a little over three months hasn’t really been enough to get any substantial results – I have mainly been improving my existing research plan, doing literature review and preparing for the PhD application. May I ask, how is the Research Status Update supposed to look like? Should I just include all the progress I’ve made, even though it is only theoretical knowledge? There is a lot of information on the research plan itself, but I am struggling with the research status update and any guidance would be a huge help.
Hi Anke,
After one semester, it isn’t expected that you would have made much progress on your research proposal, so you don’t need to worry about having much content there.
My suggestion would be to explain what your initial FSRPP stated for your first semester target, what your end goal is (briefly), and how your progress so far matches with the progress you expected at this point.
Your advisor might also be able to help you, as I would assume that they have worked with students in the same situation in the past.
Overall, I don’t think it’s something you have to worry about too much when applying to extend from research student to degree student. All you need to do is show that you are on target as expected!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis
I wanna ask you something important about scholarship extension form master to phd. Application form has a place callled as 論文 thesis asking for most recent thesis, as I master student naturally Ido not finish my master thesis during the application that’s why (I am not wrong) I cannot write the title of my current unpublished master thesis, but if I should write my bachelor thesis, I didn’t have a bachelor thesis because my undergraduate program did not have a bachelor thesis system,. What would I do?
Hi Jan,
You should write the title of your thesis for the current degree that you are enrolled in. It doesn’t matter that you haven’t written it yet, you can still write the title or at least the working title. Since it’s still a work in progress, it won’t hurt you if the title changes in the end.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello travis!
Thanks a lot for your help, it was very usefull in 2019when i applied and got the scholarship by embassy track.
Im graduating master in March and am going to apply to PhD.
I’m changing university because there no professors available to guide doctoral course in my current Univ.
I’m also changing research plan and faculty. Currently there’s no teachers on my field in other doctoral program at arts universities.
Research topic is also different but related.
Do you think this may affect the result of the result of the Mext screen?
I already have the approval of the Teacher of the new University.
Hi Chapa,
That seems like the most straightforward reason to change universities!
As long as your new research topic is related and you can explain in your application how it emerged from your current research, it shouldn’t negatively affect your extension application.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Dear Travis,
I hope this message finds you well! I am writing as I have been a bit worried about the MEXT extension from master to phd. Is it normal for candidates to have their extension denied? If so, under which circumstances this happens?
As far as I know if you have good grades, makes a good master thesis and receive a recommendation letter from your advisor you should be fine. Is this correct?
Thank you very much for the wonderful assistance you have been providing us throughout the years!
Best regards,
Grilo
Hi Grilo,
I don’t think it is particularly “normal” to have extensions denied for General Category scholars or Embassy Scholars. I have not heard any stories of it happening. For “Good Grades” your GPA needs to be 2.50/3.00 or higher on the MEXT Scale, so that is the one clear, objective criteria.
There are a limited number of extension slots available at each university each year, but it is based on the average of the previous three years, so as long as your university didn’t experience a sudden explosion of extending scholars, you should be fine. (There is also a provision to add bonus slots based on the number of eligible applicants, so everyone should have a chance).
The only exception is for PGP Scholars, since they can only extend if there are PGP slots available that year in the PhD program, so that becomes more difficult.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Dear Travis,
Firstly, I hope this message finds you well!
Secondly, thank you for the fast and informative reply! You certainly help us a lot through your kind support!
I have another question regarding the sloths! What I want to know is:
If we got informed by our university office that we were indicated by our institutions to receive the MEXT extension, should we consider this as already as an informal acceptance result?
I am asking this since I assume that the university will send the names already under the sloths available to them by MEXT, which means that the possible internal selection process is conducted by them rather than by the MEXT officials.
The second one is: my professor add two of my publications on my recommendation letter. Even though they were small ones, published on a Journal in my home country, do they still count as extra points in my application?
These are all my questions!
Once more, thank you very much for your kind assistance!
Best regards,
Grilo.
Hi Grilo,
If your university office indicated that the university has selected you for nomination for the extension, that is not informal acceptance or really any sort of milestone. There generally isn’t any sort of competition at the university level. I have never heard of a case where there were insufficient slots.
In most cases the extension is all but guaranteed, so there aren’t any significant milestones along the way other than the final answer from MEXT and the results of your applications for the degree programs.
There is no point system in the evaluation, so there is not a direct link between the number of publications and your evaluation score or priority, regardless of where they were published.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello!
Your blog is live-saving!
I am a MEXT scholar who will graduate in September 2024.
I received the notification of an extension of my scholarship from my university.
But my question is, until what period do I have to have a letter of acceptance, from a program for a Ph.D in October 2024? , do I need to do it now in January-February, to get a letter in March or could I have it later on, like, for example, in July (the date of examination results come out for the program I want to apply), for October entrance 2024?
Thank you!
Hi Maria,
Thank you for your kind feedback!
I’m surprised that your university notified you about the extension application already. As far as I can tell, the official guidelines aren’t out yet.
When you extend your scholarship, the scholarship extension application and the admissions application are completely separate processes. You do not need to already have admission into the program to apply for the scholarship extension. In the scholarship extension application, you will identify up to to universities/programs that you would like to attend. If your scholarship extension is approved and at least one of those universities accepts you, then you can enroll there and continue with your scholarship. But as far as I understand, that process occurs after the scholarship extension application is complete.
So, when you apply for admission to the PhD program, you should follow the standard application process for that university. If they do not release results until July, then that should not be a problem as far as I know.
(On the other hand, if you find out in July that you didn’t get into the program and that was your only chance remaining, then you would also lose the ability to extend your MEXT scholarship and would have to return home.)
I hope that helps!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
Thank you so much for all your helpful info on the scholarship! I’m currently a research student and will be applying for extension to do my masters soon, and I was hoping to change universities. Do you know if I will be required to identify a research supervisor at the new university as part of my extension application? I wasn’t sure given the fact that I won’t have a “research student” period at the new school.
Thank you!
Hi L,
Typically, MEXT expects you to continue on to your degree at the same university where you are enrolled as a research student, so it is very rare for a student to change universities at this point, unless there is a compelling reason, like your advisor retiring/moving universities and there being nobody else who can supervise you.
If you indicate in your application that you want to change universities, your current advisor must also write why they support that change.
You do not need to identify an advisor at the new university for the MEXT Scholarship application paperwork, but you will also need to apply for admission to that university following all of their usual procedures for fee-paying students. (Once you are accepted as a fee-paying student and your scholarship extension is approved, you will be able to continue as a MEXT scholar, but you do have to apply as a fee-paying student, first.) When you apply to the new university, they may require you to identify a potential supervisor. Having a supervisor is just as important-or more important-as a degree student than it is as a research student!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
Thank you for your reply! I wasn’t sure of the circumstances for other students when they change universities, so that’s good to know. My supervisor isn’t retiring or moving universities, my reason is linked to the fact that my time as a research student has shown me that the program itself might not be the best suited to support the research I want to do. I’ve already spoken to my supervisor about it, and he told me to follow what I think would be best for my research.
Do you think that if I pursue applying to the other university without my supervisor retiring that would be a red flag to MEXT? I hadn’t assumed so before but now I’m not sure… I wouldn’t want to hurt my relationship with MEXT, but I also want to make sure I’m at a university that’s the best fit for me. I reached out to my home embassy about it but they didn’t even know such a thing was possible, and the MEXT coordinators at my current university in Japan simply said it’s possible but only happens with around 1 or 2 students a year from the university, so I wasn’t sure where else to ask. Thank you so much again!
-L
Hi L,
If your advisor is not strongly opposed, then I think it would be possible in your case.
I do not know of any rule saying it is strictly not allowed and I have never heard of someone failing the extension application or losing the scholarship over applying to change universities, so I do not think there is a particular risk of that or of damaging your relationship with MEXT. (For better or worse, MEXT probably knows you only as one name on a list, anyway. They’re not likely to remember something like this, hold a grudge, etc!)
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hey L!
Current master degree student who changed univ from Research here!
I dind had any problem. My Univ and proffesor asked me if i wanted to change or not. i didnt knew it was possible untill then.
i changed because i would be the only one post graduate student on my course and i though it would be better for me and my reseach to have more classmates. My professor agreed. i applied both, passed both exams and went to the new Univ.
Now im trying to change to a new Univ because litterally theres no doctoral teachers in my Current program
Hi Chapa,
Thankyou for sharing your experience! I haven’t heard many cases of applicants successfully changing universities between research and degree, so this is a very useful reference!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis.
Thank you so much for all the information and guides you have provided over the years.
I am a fourth-year undergraduate student in the 文学部 at Hokkaido University.
I plan to graduate in March 2024 and I’m looking to extend my scholarship towards a master’s degree. As such I have a few questions about the extension process:
1) I’ve been looking at a number of graduate programs but the majority of applications for an April 2024 entry seem to already be over. Would it be possible to enter a program from Fall 2024 and still extend the scholarship? That may result in a “gap-period” but I would highly appreciate it if you could clarify.
2) In this guide you stated that it is possible to apply to a maximum of two universities in my situation. To clarify, does this mean “two separate universities” or does this mean “two different programs”? For example, would it be possible to apply to two different graduate schools at my current university in addition to a program in another university?
3) In one of the programs I am interested in, it states the following in the section about test fees: “本学の国費外国人留学生は納入不要。” From this guide, I gathered that we would have to pay the test fee and later have it refunded in the case that we passed the test plus renewed the scholarship. Should I work under the assumption that I will have to pay the test fees upfront?
4) Do you happen to know any Masters 文系 programs in English that are still accepting applications?
I highly appreciate your hard work. Thank you.
Hi Justin,
You didn’t say, but I’m assuming that you’re an Embassy-Recommended MEXT Scholar already. If you’re not, then my answers below may not all apply.
1) No. You cannot have a gap period of a whole semester. You need to find a program that starts in April.
2) It means a total of two programs. However, in general, you should only apply to one program at each university. There is going to be one best fit for your research, in terms of the field. If you apply to two different programs at the same university, you would need different research approaches for each one, which would indicate that you don’t really have a focus.
3) In general, you will be applying for the general admission process for fee-paying applicants. (Note: Universities might have a separate application process for University-recommended MEXT Scholars, but that would not be the right application for you.) In most cases, assume that you will need to pay the application fee yourself, but you might get lucky and find other programs with a similar exemption.
4) I’m sorry, but I do not keep track of the individual application deadlines for different universities and programs. That would be a nearly impossible task! 文学 is a really broad category. I think you need to get a lot more specific about what program you are interested in and your research focus. That should help narrow down the schools, as well, so that you can focus your search.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
Thank you for the swift reply. I would appreciate it if you could answer some questions I have about what you have mentioned. Please note that I am an embassy recommended MEXT undergraduate scholar.
2) What if there are two potential programs at the same university that would allow me to carry out a similar research project? For instance, my current research is about Japanese pop culture (manga in particular), And if possible, I would like to. continue researching in a similar field.
More specifically, I was wondering if I could then potentially apply to Hokkaido University’s “Graduate School of International Media, Communication, and Tourism Studies” under a professor specializing in pop culture and also apply to Hokkaido University’s “Graduate School of Humanities and Human Sciences” (for my current research lab *映像現代文化論研究室*) under a professor also specializing in pop culture.
Conversely, if I were to apply to two different universities in different fields (i.e. one school for media studies and another for pedagogy) each with unique research proposals, would that also likely ruin my chances of renewing the scholarship?
3) Just to confirm, if I see the phrasing “本学の国費外国人留学生は納入不要”, this phrase would only apply to university-recommended scholars, NOT embassy-recommended scholars? I tried asking my registrar to which they said “you probably won’t need to pay”, but they did not seem very confident in their answer as the papers for this year’s scholarship renewal have not come out yet.
4) Thank you for the advice. Just as a general rule, is this around the time of year where universities start listing the 募集-related documents for the second semester entrance exams with an April entry timeline or is that a bit later?
5) Also, do you happen to know a way to search programs that are available to MEXT scholars (perhaps filtering by 国立大学?) I have followed the instructions on your guides to seraching finding universities, but I was wondering if there are certain programs even at 国立大学 that are perhaps unavailable to MEXT scholars and whether there may be a way to know whether I am (dis)qualified or not to apply.
Thank you so much,
Justin
Hi Justin,
Thank you for your follow-up questions!
2) As mentioned in my previous comment, you can only apply to one program per university. So, I recommend that you choose the one that is closest to your interest. You might also want to factor in the course requirements of the two programs. Of course, you should still be able to consult with the other professor during your research, but only one can be your primary supervisor.
You can also only submit one research proposal within the context of the MEXT extension application, so you would not be able to apply to two different fields with different research proposals. (You could submit different research proposals for the individual applications to those schools, but not for the MEXT application.)
3) Without seeing the phrase in greater context, I cannot say for sure. My assumption is that it would apply to any MEXT scholar currently enrolled at that university (Embassy or University-recommended) who is applying to extend at that university. (But not to those who are currently enrolled at another university.) But I cannot say for certain.
4) I honestly don’t know. You would be looking for the admission requirements for fee-paying students, which vary from school to school (and graduate school to graduate school within the same university, in some cases). I have never tried to keep track of that. My focus is on the dedicated MEXT application procedures.
5) All programs at all universities are available to MEXT Scholars, as long as they meet the eligibility criteria for the programs and the university is willing to support MEXT scholars. You shouldn’t have any problems at national universities, but some smaller public or private universities might not have the staff to accept MEXT scholars (it takes a lot of paperwork on the university’s part!)
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
Thank you for the very detailed responses.
1) I would like to ask about what you mentioned in response #5. I am thinking about applying to a program at ICU (Int. Christian University). I know it depends on the program, but do private universities tend to support fewer MEXT scholars than national/public universities and would the free tuition/stipend be the same?
2) I have been suffering from carpal tunnel syndrome and pain in my wrist from 2020 (a condition which began during my scholarship period), and which my current university has accommodated me for the past three years. When applying for the scholarship extension and/or for individual universities, would requesting reasonable accommodation and submitting a new medical certificate put me at a disadvantage? I know that MEXT requires scholars to be in-good-health, so I am wondering how I should deal with my situation.
3) When submitting our MEXT research proposal for an extension, is it okay if our proposal differs heavily from the 専攻希望理由 sheet we submitted during language school 4 years ago? I originally wrote about wanting to learn literature to become a J-E translator, but now I’m more interested in international media and pop culture for my research.
4) Is it okay to submit two relatively different research proposals to the two universities I have applied to? For example, I would like to apply to Hokkaido University in the field of international media with a focus on pop culture, and a program at ICU related to general international relations and international media (more politics-focused). I would imagine I could focus on my desire to research in the field of international media in the MEXT scholarship’s research proposal, but would it be a problem if I do not specify the exact research theme (i.e. Japanese subculture in its relation to international audiences perception of Japan) and details such as my desired supervisor?
Thank you as always,
Justin
Hi Justin,
1. If you are applying for an extension, then your selection would come out of the number of scholarship slots allotted to your current university, not the university you might transfer into, so you do not need to worry about placements offered by ICU. The benefits of the scholarship are the same regardless of whether you study at a national, public, or private university.
2. I am sorry to hear about that. Remember that applying to universities and applying for the scholarship extension are entirely separate procedures. There is no reason that you would need special accommodation for the MEXT scholarship extension. So, it would only be a factor for the university admissions, and then, only really if you needed accommodation on a written entrance exam. Otherwise, as far as I know, you would apply for academic accommodation for class after your enrollment at the new university. The MEXT requirement that you be in good health basically wants to make sure that any condition can be managed in Japan and does not prohibit you traveling to Japan (in the case of new scholars). Your situation, troublesome as it is for you, should not be a problem for the scholarship process!
3. Yes, it’s OK. I don’t think anyone is going to look back at that motivation statement. The more important connection is with what you have been studying since enrolling, but as long as you can explain the progression, then you should be fine.
4. You do not need to specify your researcher in the research plan that you submit to MEXT for the extension application, but it does have to be pretty specific about your research question and methods, similar in details to the Field of Study and Research Program Plan that new applicants for graduate level scholarships would submit (although the form is different). I think the requirements for level of detail in the MEXT research plan would make it impossible for you to apply with two different plans to the universities.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis,
It’s Justin. Thanks for all your help so far.
Just as a reminder, I am looking to extend from a bachelors to a masters program.
Now that the actual extension forms have been released, I have a couple of extra questions:
1) The research plan extension form states that we must write the research proposal within two or three pages. I was wondering if we were allowed to edit the document they have provided to save space, instead of writing it entirely in the box that they have given us. Also, are we perhaps allowed to delete the part that says
“For the research plan of your intended graduate school, create a “Research Plan or Research Status Sheet” either in Japanese or English. (進学先研究科での研究計画について、日本語又は英語で本「研究計画又は研究状況シート」に作成すること。)(図表を入れた場合も、A4で2~3枚程度とする。)”
in order to save space?
2) What are you recommended fonts to complete the research plan in English and Japanese, respectively? For example, is it a problem if we make the font “size 9” for Japanese?
3) I ended up applying to ICU for a program in English (with an English research plan), and Hokkaido University for a program in Japanese (with a Japanese research plan). I believe I can basically submit the exact same research proposal which I submited to either university as the MEXT research proposal form. But do you think MEXT has a preference for which language I write the proposal in?
I have listed Hokkaido University as my first choice, and ICU as my second. However, I believe that my English research proposal is a bit better due to my native language being English.
4) Who is supposed to write the “推薦調書(申請区分Ⅰ)” section of “06-2_申請書ファイルA” (the applicaiton form which isn’t the research plan)? The word 推薦調書 makes me think it should be filled in by a professor who recommends us. Though the information seems like it could only be filled in by myself.
5) Are we supposed to submit two different files (the aformentioned 申請書ファイルA) ? One for our supervisor, and the other for our 教務担当?If this is a confusing question, I will definitely reach out to my 教務担当 on Monday.
6) At this stage, if I am looking to switch faculties in the same university (Hokkaido University) as my first choice, and ICU as my second choice, do I need to explain to my supervisor and MEXT why I have decided to switch faculties? The research topic I am planning to pursue is not so different from my current field of study, but the faculties will be different.
Thank you for you help. I really appreciate it.
Justin
Hi Justin,
Since you are applying to extend from Bachelor’s to Master’s, your application would be “Category III” and you need to use the application form for 申請区分III, not I.
1. You need to fit it within the space given, without editing the form, deleting anything, or shrinking the text. Since the limit is 2-3 pages, that is actually MORE space than new applicants for the Embassy-Recommended MEXT Scholarship are given. The only thing I can say to you is: be more concise. I have never seen a MEXT Scholarship research proposal that needed to be more than 2 pages long to make its point! My article about how to write the Field of Study and Research Program Plan includes advice for what to include and how long each section should be.
2. I recommend Century and MS明朝 respectively, both at 10.5 size. Those seem to be standard for Japanese documents. (Incidentally, 10.5 Century is roughly the same size as 12 Times New Roman, so if you use a font other than Century, you would need to increase to 12.) 9 would be much to small.
3. Since Hokkaido and the program in Japanese is your first choice, I recommend filling in the form in Japanese.
4. You only fill out the 申請書 page (the one in English and Japanese). After you complete that, follow the instruction from your university for how to submit it so that they can complete the rest. In general, the administrative office should complete the 推薦調書 portion and your advisor should complete the 指導教員の意見書, but the university should take care of completing those protions.
As mentioned above, make sure that you use the form for 申請区分II、III、II-2、III-2、特別枠, not the one for 申請区分I
5. No. You should only submit one. The admin office would be the place to consult for any procedural question about how your university handles the paperwork.
6. Since you mentioned another university as your second choice, your advisor will have to give their opinion on that potential switch. As far as I know, it is not necessary for them to comment on your switching faculties within the same university.
Obviously, you would want to let your advisor know about the switches in advance, before they get this form from the admin office to fill out. You don’t want that information to come as a surprise! (I’m sure you’ve already taken care of this, but I mention it for the reference of future readers, too.)
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
Thank you again for your insight! It’s Justin.
Hope you are having a good time as we get near the end-of-the-year.
Here are some things I would like to hear your opinion about based on your response:
1) I have decided to write the research proposal in Japanese as you recommended. For a Japanese research plan, would you recommend the same subtitles in the same order specified in your “Embassy-Recommended MEXT Scholarship Field of Study and Research Program Plan” article? If so, how would those subtitles be best translated and/or ordered for a Japanese research plan?
For reference, I used the following subtiltes (which are somewhat different from those you recommend in the article) in the research plan I submitted to Hokkaido University:
1.はじめに
2.研究の背景と先行研究
3.研究の目的
4.研究内容と方法
5.研究の意義
I apologize if this is a difficult question…
2) I noticed that you mentioned in another comment that “it isnt particularly “normal” to have extensions denied for General Category scholars or Embassy Scholars. I have not heard any stories of it happening. For “Good Grades” your GPA needs to be 2.50/3.00 or higher on the MEXT Scale, so that is the one clear, objective criteria.”
As an embassy scholar who has about a 3.6/4.0 GPA (not sure how that compares to a 3.0 GPA scale), am I right in thinking that having a perfect research proposal is not all that important to receive the extension in my case? Given that you have not heard any stories about embassy scholars having their extension denied (please correct me if im misinterpreting), would I better use my time on studying for entrance exams/interviews for the universites which I applied to rather than worrying about improving my research plan submitted to MEXT? I have very little time until the deadline for both, so I am thinking how I can best use my time.
3) Would you recommended attaching our research timeline (研究予定表?) and selected references (参考文献) as attachments for the extension research proposal as well? If so, how would I go about doing so, given that I have to fill out my research plan within the document provided? Perhaps making a seperate word document labeled 追加書類 and submitting it alongside the research plan I will submit to my 教務担当 would be best?
I appreciate your help in this matter once again.
Justin
Hi Justin,
One important thing to consider is that your research proposal is primarily for the university’s review–and only the university that you are applying to for nomination. MEXT doesn’t necessarily have people with expertise in your field and they are not going to be reviewing it competitively for content. They leave that judgement to the university. So, if your current advisor (or the one you want to work with after extension) thinks that it’s good enough, you do not have to keep polishing it.
1. Since the university reviewing the proposal is the one that awarded you your bachelor’s you can leave out the “Past and Present Field of Study”. That would mostly be to introduce yourself to a cold audience. Focus on the second question.
I don’t think はじめに is necessary. I don’t know what you would put there, but you should jump right into the content. I recommend starting with 研究テーマ which would be your title and introduction paragraph. 目的 should come before 背景, but the rest seems fine.
2. I have an article about how to convert your GPA to the 3.0 scale that you can use for your reference. You shouldn’t have a problem with your GPA, but you can not convert overall averages. It won’t necessarily be accurate.
The research plan doesn’t have to be perfect (see note above about who reviews it), but it does need to be competent and thorough.
3. You only need to attach the research timeline if it’s necessary. Does it add value and understanding to the proposal? Often, it is only really necessary when you have a complex research plan with multiple data collection and assessment steps and you want to show that you’ve worked out how to make it all fit in the time allotted.
As for the references, I would recommend including at least a few. Since the form mentioned up to three pages, that should be plenty of space to fit them!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis,
Thank you for always being available for the endless questions. They have helped me so much and continue to do so during my academic and scholarship related problems in Japan. So, I am currently a masters student (graduating Sep next year) and I am struggling a lot, and I don’t know if I want to do Ph.D. anymore. However, my options are tight considering I don’t want to stay in Japan anymore or look for jobs here(it has been way too stressful for me here). So, I might go back to my country after Masters, however, my option after masters is a if thing(back in my country), which makes Ph.D. my back up option through MEXT. If I extend my scholarship, go to Ph.D. and decide to drop out (and go back to my country) what will be the consequences? Will I have to repay the money, or face some really bad consequences like being banned from entering Japan ever?
Hi Haru,
Thank you for your kind feedback. I am sorry to hear that you have struggled so much with your studies here. Japan can be quite stressful!
If you were to drop out of the PhD, I do not think that you would have to pay back the scholarship money that you received. But you would have to give them a reason for withdrawing. As long as you don’t fail out with bad grades or get kicked out for a crime or violating university rules, there should not be any lasting consequences, like a ban on entering Japan. It is likely that you wouldn’t have a chance to apply for a MEXT Scholarship again or return to that university, but it doesn’t sound like that would be high on your list of things to do, anyway!
If you drop out of the MEXT Scholarship, they would not pay for your travel back to your home country, and you would lose your stipend as soon as you decide to withdraw (and have to leave the country within 2 weeks, in general), so you would have to be prepared for the financial costs and for a quick move.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis, I am a regular master student enrolled in 2022 fall and I am going to be graduated in fall 2024. I wanna extend my scholarship to PhD. I have two questions.
1. My university has two entrance examination period April and September. Can I enter to spring examination of 2024 (before my graduation from master) or should I wait until September?
2. MEXT extension application process starts around October 2023, are extension results announced before entrance examination? If so, when we pass entrance examination of the university then will it be reported to the MEXT for enrollment and start of payment of scholarship?
Thank you! (I also gained MEXT master scholarship thanks to your publications)
Hi Can,
Thank you for your feedback! I am glad to hear that the resources here helped you in the past!
1. You should take the entrance exam corresponding to the semester that you want to start the PhD program. Typically, each entrance exam cycle is only for a specific start date, so if you pass the entrance for April 2024 start, that would not qualify you to start in September 2024.
2. As far as I know, the extension application process usually begins around December. If you’ve heard that it’s going to be early this year, though, please let me know! (Unlike the entrance exams, there is one extension application that applies to both Spring and Fall 2024)
The results of the MEXT Extension may not come out before the entrance exam. They are entirely separate processes. Once you pass the MEXT Extension, you should be given more information about the follow-up procedures, including how to report to them which university you will enroll in and submit proof of acceptance to that university.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis, I wanted to ask you, if my research student status is for a year and then I apply to join a two year masters course, when do I have to apply for an extension? And will the extension cover the entire of my two years of masters?
Hi Arundhati,
Typically the call for the extension application comes in December of each year and is for applicants who plan to apply for an extension to cover the next level of degree starting in either April or Sept/Oct of the next year.
So, if you were planning to start your Master’s course in Fall semester 2025, for example, you would apply for the extension around December 2024. You would also have to apply separately for admission to the master’s degree program. Once you pass the extension application and the admissions exam to the Master’s program your extended scholarship would start at the same time as your Master’s degree and would cover the two years necessary for that degree.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis,
Thank you so so much for all the detailed information, Your guidelines are extremely helpful!
I want to extend my scholarship from a master’s to a Ph.D. program but at a different university.
The issue is that I was enrolled in my current master’s program in September and I will graduate in September ’24. However, most of the universities I have in mind, only have enrollment periods in April.
Therefore, in this case, how can I extend the scholarship (if possible) taking into consideration that MEXT doesn’t support a gap period when extending from one program to another?
Thank you so much for your time and consideration!
I hope you have a nice day and I’m sending you kind regards,
Ivanka
Hi Ivanka,
Thank you for your feedback.
I double-checked the guidelines, including a directive MEXT issues in 2019 about changes to the handling of “gap periods” when extending your scholarship, but unfortunately, it looks like your only option is to find another program that accepts students in the fall semester, if you want to keep the MEXT Scholarship.
MEXT’s change to the handling of “gap periods” only covers minor differences in the Academic calendar within the same semester. For example, if you graduate from a Master’s at University A on Aug 31 and want to proceed to a PhD at university B that starts on Oct 1, that would be allowed (though you would not receive a scholarship stipend during the gap month of September). But they explicitly state that this condition does not apply to students who have to wait for a whole semester to start their next degree.
So it looks like there is no way to extend to an April-start program if you graduate in the fall.
I am sorry that I do not have better news for you.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis!
Thank you so much for everything on this blog, it’s life-saving. I got informed last week of my passing the primary screening.
It actually didn’t occur to me before the difference between non-regular and degree students. However, since I unexpectedly passed, I panicked about too many things and am looking for info I may have missed before applying, and now I need to understand the difference, is it right to say that if I got enrolled as a non-degree student, I will have to finish its 2 years program, before applying for an extension?
Hi Miracle,
Congratulations on passing the primary screening!
If you start as a research student, you do not need to complete a full two years in that status. In fact, it is most common (and almost expected) that you will be a research student for one semester, only. During that time, you will take the entrance exam and apply for your scholarship extension so that you can move into the degree program.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
I’m doing some early planning but if you apply for the mext scholarship at 33 would you still be able to extend your scholarship even though you’d be 35 at that point? I know the intial cutoff is 35 but the extension doesn’t mention age. I’m currently 30 I have two years left of my bachelor’s degree and I was wondering if I could take a break after graduating before applying.
Hi MA,
There is no age requirement for the MEXT Scholarship extension, so you can extend if if you are older than the cut off date.
I would caution you about taking “a break” after your bachelor’s, though. It’s one thing if you are taking a break from education to gain working experience in the field that you want to study in Japan, but if you do something unrelated or aren’t engaged in anything in particular, that could hurt your eventual application chances. MEXT is going to want to see a consistent history of dedication to work and studies in your field as prove that you are dedicated and the kind or person who can make a difference as a leader in your field after your studies.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis.
Thank you so much for all the information and guides you have provided. I´ve been consulting your blog since I first applied to the MEXT scholarship and has been really helpful ever since. I’ve recently started as a non-degree research student (Embassy Recommended) and I plan on extending my scholarship to Masters (if everything goes right). Thing is, since I arrived I´m having some trouble with the university I´m currently enrolled in. Not with the advisor in particular (she´s very nice), but with the Japanese level used in classes (even though I have N2 I’m struggling a lot) and this has been detrimental to both my emotional and my time dedicated to research. Also, since I arrived my research took a bit of a turn and I’m starting to think that a university with a more international and multidisciplinar approach (with a English program) would be better both for my research and for my sanity. But I´m concerned that that’s not a solid reason for MEXT to approve me changing universities. In addition, the university I’m currently enrolled in is a national one, and I plan on applying for a private uni. Do you think I can fail the extension application if I’m applying to change from a national to a private university? Thank you!
Hi Chloe,
Thank you for your kind feedback and congratulations on winning the MEXT Scholarship!
I am sorry to hear about your struggles with the program you’re in now and I certainly understand your concerns.
As an Embassy-Recommended MEXT Scholar, you can choose up to two universities that you would like to apply to during the scholarship extension (note that you have to apply for admission to the universities separately). So, you could list your current university and the private one then (unlike the initial application) you get to choose which one to go to, assuming the extension is approved and you are admitted to both. So, in that case, I do not think that the extension would be denied because you are applying to a private university.
One thing to note is that if you are considering changing universities, your current academic advisor must give their opinion on why the change would be beneficial to you in the application form, so please make sure that you have discussed your plans in advance with your advisor!
I think that the evolution of your research topic would make a more compelling reason for the switch than the language difficulties. If you can explain how your research has taken a different direction and why that makes the other university more appropriate, that seems like a reason that MEXT should accept.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi!
Thank you for your insightful writings, for some of us it means a lot.
However, I am currently a Master’s degree student in my second year(Embassy recommended). I have recently reached out to the Academic Affairs office to ask as to when the extension period will begin for us who want to extend our scholarship for April 2024. Unfortunately, they seem very unware, do you have any information as to when the extension period will begin?
Hi Jack,
Thank you for your kind feedback!
The extension application guidelines usually come out in December for anyone who wants to extend in April or September of the following year. Once they come out, you won’t have much time to complete the application, just a week or two, if I remember correctly.
You’ll also need to apply for admission to the degree program(s) that you want to extend to, separately. You can list up to two programs on your MEXT extension application, but you need to be accepted into at least one of those programs and pass the MEXT application, so make sure that you know the start dates for any of the Ph.D. programs’ application processes as well.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thanks Travis,
Usually, when is the result usually released after applying in December?
Hi Jack,
Last year, universities had to submit their nominations for the extension by Jan 26, 2023, and according to the guidelines, results were due to be released in early March. That’s been a fairly consistent timeline in past years, too, as far as I can remember.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
I hope you are well.
Thank you for your support…
Please, if a student starts as a “non-regular student”, won’t that affect their research plan?
How do we deal with?
Thank you
Hi Martial,
In general, starting as a research student would meant that you have one extra semester to complete your research. Assuming that you intend to start as a research student, you should still write one research proposal that covers both the research student term and your degree, then mention that you will adjust the timeline as necessary if you start directly into the degree program.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz