Selecting your university in Japan by the beauty of the landscape is not necessarily the best approach, but here you’ll find several solid methods to find the best university for your MEXT scholarship-funded graduate studies in Japan.
Want to learn more about how to choose the best university and best advisor for your studies? Check out How to Find Your Best Degree Program and Advisor for the MEXT Scholarship for a step-by-step walkthrough or the search process!
I can’t tell you, but I can help you find the answer.
How to Search for Universities in Japan
There are over 700 universities in Japan, all with multiple fields of study, and many with degree programs in English. By the end of this article, you will know how to narrow down your list to the best universities for you.
Once we’ve narrowed down the universities, I will help you search for specific professors there that you can list as your desired adviser.
There are three primary ways I can recommend to search:
I will go through each method below, plus how to evaluate professors to determine whether they would be a good adviser for your research.
Let’s get started!
How to Leverage Your Connections to Find Universities in Japan
The best way to find the best degree program for you in Japan is to go through your connections. When you go through a connection, you will have access to someone with direct knowledge of the program.
You may also have an easier time making connections with the graduate school or adviser in Japan, if the connection is a personal one. Academia in general, and Japan in particular, is still heavily influenced by personal connections.
Leveraging a Current Professor or Academic Adviser
Your first stop in searching for a university in Japan should almost always be your current academic adviser. Ask your adviser if he or she has ever worked with a scholar from Japan in the same field, or if he or she knows someone who has.
Accessing a personal connection here is ideal, but relatively unlikely. If your professor does have a connection, I would recommend following through on that link before you pursue any other search methods in this article.
Even if your adviser does not have any personal connections in Japan, he or she might be able to recommend specific scholars in your field from Japan that you could study with. If you get names of scholars here, it’s time to go find out where they research or teach and then learn more about that university’s programs. (See the section on searching by research field below.)
Leveraging a University Partnership
If your adviser cannot help, your next stop should be your university’s international office.
Go to the international office to find out if your university has any links with universities in Japan. If you can get a list of universities in Japan that are affiliated with yours, then those are a great place to start your search.
This is especially important if you are applying for the University Recommendation MEXT Scholarship. Some Japanese universities will only accept applications from partner universities overseas!
Leveraging Your Extended Network
If you know anyone who has studied in Japan or is studying in Japan, you can ask them for recommendations about their university.
Even if you do not know anyone directly, put out a call through your friends in person or on social media to see if they know anyone in Japan that they can connect you with.
Even though this connection is weaker than an adviser or university partnership, it can still help you to narrow down your search!
Searching for Programs Taught in English
For most readers of this site, you are limited to programs that are taught in English. The program language determines the language of your courses and also the language of your thesis.
Even if you find a professor who speaks English in a Japanese-taught program, you would not be able to study there unless you can take all of your courses and write your thesis in English.
Typically, if you want to study in a Japanese-taught program, you would need at least N2-level Japanese for STEM fields and N1-level Japanese for everything else. Each university sets its own requirements, so be sure to search the web page for your specific degree!
So, how do you find universities that teach your degree in English? Fortunately, there are a few sites that have them all listed, including some that list which individual degree programs are taught in English. Review the sites below to find our what programs are taught in English, then go to each individual university’s website to learn more about the actual curriculum.
- Japan Study Support (Browse): http://www.jpss.jp/en/univ/english/
- Japan Study Support (Search): https://www.jpss.jp/en/search/
- Japan Student Services Organization (JASSO): http://www.jasso.go.jp/en/study_j/search/daigakukensaku.html
- Univ in Japan: http://univinjapan.com/
Once you have identified universities that offer the field of study and level that you are searching for, go to each university’s own website to learn more about the exact courses, focuses, and professors there. Hopefully, by combing through each website, you will find professors close enough to your field of study to approach as potential supervisors.
Searching by Research Specialization
Especially if you are seeking a PhD, it becomes increasingly important to find a program and potential supervisor more closely aligned with your particular research interest.
Searching by English language programs, as explained above is still a valid way to do this, but another way to approach the search is by starting with the field of study first and considering the language later.
One advantage with this approach is that you can find opportunities that might not be apparent if you start with language.
For example, you may find a professor in your field of study who is not affiliated with an English-taught program, but works at a university that has an English program in a similar field.
For example, I worked at a university that had a graduate school of pharmaceutical sciences and a graduate school of life sciences. Pharma had no English program so students could not apply directly to that program unless they spoke Japanese. Life Sciences, however, did have an English-taught program. Many English-speaking students enrolled in the Life Sciences PhD, selected a primary adviser from that program, and still worked closely with the Pharma professors to accomplish their research.
Names from Previous Research
If you have come across the work of active Japanese university-affiliated researchers in your previous work, start by reviewing the universities where they teach. You already know they are active in research and publications and know enough of their body of work to start building a relationship.
How to Search for Professors by Field
The website below has a search tool that will allow you to find professors by name, field, institution type, region, keyword, and other criteria:
https://researchmap.jp/search/
Selecting a “Research Area” will give you a general list of professors and their affiliated universities. That will give you an idea what universities offer your field of study so that you can search their websites in more detail.
Identifying Potential Advisers for MEXT Scholarship
If you searched for programs, rather than specific professors, now it is time to select potential advisers from within those programs.
Even if you searched by professor, it is a good idea to research that professor in detail and make sure he or she is a good match. You should also look for a back-up adviser within the program, in case the professor you want to work with is about to retire, go on sabbatical, etc.
How to Search for Individual Professors
In most cases, you can find the names of professors either on the university’s website or in their graduate school pamphlets.
On the website, look for information about professors in:
- A general researcher’s database or faculty database
- The individual graduate school’s web page (lists of faculty members or department news)
- The online syllabus (look for the names of professors that teach courses related to your studies)
- Digital graduate school pamphlets
Usually, you will be able to find the names of professors from one of those sources. If a university does not have any of that information available, you might want to think about just how much that university cares about recruiting students (not much).
Another place you might want to look is in the application guidelines for self-financed students. Those guidelines will tell you if the university wants applicants to get in touch with professors in advance or not, and how to go about it.
If none of that information is available and you are determined to study at that university, you can try contacting the administrative office of the graduate school to ask where you might be able to find information about their professors related to a specific field. Tell them that you are interested in studying at their graduate school and want to learn more about the specific research being done.
I would not recommend that you tell them that you need a professor’s name to list in your MEXT scholarship application. Especially before you pass the primary screening, you are not likely to get a very enthusiastic response.
How to Screen Your Professors
Your relationship with your adviser is going to be the single-most important factor in determining how successful and enjoyable your next several years in Japan will be. Getting to know their research and character then getting in contact with them to start forming a relationship is important to guarantee your future success.
I am only going to cover how to research them, for now. Getting in contact is a subject for another post.
The following advice comes from past successful MEXT applicants, in no particular order:
- Google your professor: Find out if they have a personal web page in English or Japanese and what their recent activities have been. (“G”)
- Make sure your professor speaks English if you do not speak Japanese! (“G”)
- Check the professor’s recent work and publications. Look for young, active professors who are dynamic and engaged, rather than the senior professors resting on their laurels. (Unknown Genius)
- Check the university’s Japanese webpage via translation or with a Japanese-reading friend. Usually, Japanese professors post more detailed information in Japanese. (Lars Martinson)
Other Considerations
Qualifications: You need to make sure that your professor has earned at least the same degree you are going for, or else they will not be able to supervise you.
Rank: This depends on the university. Some will only let full professors supervise. Other universities may let Associate or Assistant Professors supervise. If you do not have any full professors on you list, adding one as a back-up might be a good idea.
Own Lab (esp STEM): If your professor is in the STEM fields, he or she should have their own lab and not be a member of another professor’s lab. If your professor is not head of their own lab, the chances are good that he or she cannot advise students.
Good Luck with Your Research!
This article is based on Chapters 2 and 3 of How to Find Your Best Degree Program and Advisor for the MEXT Scholarship. The book goes into much more detail and includes examples of searches as well as worksheets to help you with the process.
Questions?
Let me know in the comments below!
Special Thanks
Special thanks to the TranSenz supporters on Patreon. You can show your support for TranSenz on Patreon for as little as $2 per month (or less than 0.15% of the monthly MEXT stipend). Patreon supporters are instrumental in helping to cover the costs of maintaining this site and get priority responses to any questions as well as advance access to news and offers.
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Hello sir,
Sir i have my m.phi in chemistry from university of Pakistan. Now i want to apply for phd under mext university scholarship, but the problem is that i do not know which university offer mext scholarship, if there is any list of the university please share.
Hi Muhammad Usman,
Any university in Japan is allowed to nominate students for the MEXT Scholarship and most of the major universities, at least, will have an application process for that scholarship. (There may be some universities that will not nominate students to the MEXT Scholarship, but not many).
In the article above, there are links to a few websites you can use to search for universities in Japan that offer your degree program in English – I recommend the JASSO link. Once you find the name of a university there, you should check their website to see if they have opened the application for MEXT Scholarships.
One other place you might want to look is the list of PGP programs. These are programs that have been approved by MEXT to be able to nominate a certain number of MEXT Scholars each year. If you find a PGP program in your field, then the chances of getting nominated for the scholarship there are much higher.
In my article about How to Apply for the University-Recommended MEXT Scholarship, I include links to the lists of PGP programs approved over the past three years. Look at the links for the programs approved in 2020 and 2021 in the article linked above, since those are still valid. (2022 programs won’t be approved until December, but I will update the list then).
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
From some university admission processes that i’ve seen, they require admission fees. So, if we paid for it, will it be refunded by the scholarship? Or does it count as some sort of necessary expense that everyone would eventually do?
Thanks
Hi Dimas,
If the admission process is specifically for MEXT Scholars, then usually there will not be an admission fee. But if you have to pay an admissions fee to apply for a “general” admissions process, then either MEXT (for the Embassy-Recommended MEXT Scholarship) or the university (for the University-Recommended MEXT Scholarship) will reimburse you later . . . but only if you are accepted and awarded the scholarship for that degree.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
May peace be upon you travis,
What is the direct placement method? For undergraduate students.
Is it necessary to submit English Proficiency before the first screening or after the first screening?
Hi Aiman,
My area of expertise is in the scholarship for graduate students, so I haven’t done any research about the Direct Placement method for undergrads. I recommend that you check the application guidelines and see if you can find someone else that has experience with that system.
You do not need to submit proof of English language proficiency to the Embassy for the Embassy-Recommended MEXT Scholarship, unless you already have it – in which case, you submit it with the application documents. If you do not have proof of proficiency, don’t worry. It isn’t mandatory. You will take a language proficiency test as part of the primary screening.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis!
I am planning to get enrolled in MSc in Finance (which is under the business school). However, the professors that aligns more with my research interest does not teach any of the courses that are under MSc. But they are the instructors of courses (such as in Management, Entrepreneurship etc.) which are taught in MBA classes. So I was wondering if I can choose them as the professor that I want to do research since both MBA and MSc is under business school?
Thanks!
Hi Sub,
I can’t say for sure, as it’s going to be up to the organization of the particular university that you’re looking at. In some cases, graduate schools will have different departments, with faculty members assigned to each department. If the MSc and MBA are in different departments of the graduate school and faculty members belong to one or the other, then I think you would have to choose a faculty member from the department of finance, etc., that handles the MSc program.
The best way to find out for sure would be to consult with the university directly!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hey Travis,
I am going to the university recommended Mext route and I wanted to ask if it’s ok to email more than 3 professors from the same university?. I have found about 4-5 professors that were close to my area of interest and I have emailed 3 of them but I have failed to get any replies. The first two professor’s emails that I sent was quite vague and introductory (as I didn’t exactly know what contents should have been added to a profs email) which was clearly an error on my part so I understand if they didn’t reply but to the second one, I made sure I was specific about their research, my interests, and my possible contributions to their lab but to no avail yet again. I’m afraid if I try emailing more professors I might come off as disrespectful hence I would like some of your advice if I should continue or move on from that university.
Hi Sakshi,
In general, I recommend that you should never be in touch with more than one professor at a single university. There should only be one professor that is closest to your research topic, if you have a clear enough research focus and a research plan prepared, so you should be focused on that professor.
If you contact multiple professors, particularly if they are in similar fields, you can assume they will talk to one another and if they discover that you have been in touch with several people, it will make you look less serious and focused so they will be less likely to consider you.
If you are not having luck with that university, then first, you should check whether or not the university requires you to contact professors as part of the University-Recommended MEXT Scholarship application process. If they do, you will have to keep trying to get a response (again, I recommend focusing on one professor), or move on to a different university. On the other hand, if the university does not require you to get in contact with a professor in advance, you can move forward with the application. Of course, that’s going to be less certain than having support from a professor would be, but at least it is an option.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis,
You really do a lot with this much students constantly asking for help. This application processes would most likely be impossible to complete without your articles, thank you for all that you do.
I want to apply for the embassy recommended, but by now I reckon I’d have to wait for next year’s right?
I’ve been reading up on a bunch of your write ups, but I’m having trouble on what exactly to do first since i have to wait for the next one. I found a supervisor, or I’ve seen one, but I don’t know how to contact him as his info is not exactly disclosed. How do I go about this and could you help out on what to do from there? Thank you!
Hi Alameen,
Thank you very much for your kind comments!
You’re right that the next opportunity to apply for the Embassy-Recommended MEXT Scholarship will be next year.
Before you start trying to contact professors in Japan, you should have a complete Field of Study and Research Program Plan that you would be able to discuss with them. I recommend that as your first step in the application process, though it is good that you have a potential professor in mind already so you’ll be able to tailor your plan to appeal to that professor.
Once you have your plan ready and it’s time to start contacting professors, I have a whole chapter on advice for finding professors’ contact information and how to contact them in my book about How to Find your Best Degree Program and Advisor for the MEXT Scholarship, so it’s too much to fit in a single comment here, but in general, the same tips that apply to searching for professors that I described in this email are a good way to look for their contact information, too. It might be buried and require a little more searching, but you can often find it by similar means.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis!
I’ve got a bit of a weird/unique question that is more of an opinion question as opposed to one that’s fact-based so while I understand it may not be answerable I’d still appreciate if you could give your opinion. I passed the embassy screening and asked for LOAs back in August from two universities. I still haven’t heard back from University 1 but have been in contact with a professor from University 2.
I prefer University 2 over University 1 for most things, however, University 1’s professor is more knowledgeable on my research area and speaks English. It sounds like the professor from University 2 is willing to accept me as a student but it has been a little difficult to communicate with them as they only speak in Japanese and tend to be very vague (I have around N3-N2 level Japanese so I can understand what they say and the program itself does not have a Japanese requirement but the professor’s style of communicating is very vague so it’s been difficult to communicate with them–and that’s just about application procedures much less actual research conversation). However, I like University 2’s program A LOT better than University 1 and it is in a better location to do my research. So my question for you is: how important is one’s supervisor? I mean I get that it depends on the individual and their needs but like in this situation would it be better (in your opinion) to go with University 1 or University 2 (assuming both schools said yes)?
Thank you,
Sarah
Hi Sarah,
I think your relationship with your advisor is essential, but saying that, the most important part of your relationship is your ability to work together and your professor’s support for your research. If you have language-related communication issues but you are both working to overcome that, I think that’s fine and an avenue worth pursuing, especially if all of the other factors point to university 2. On the other hand, I think it would be far worse to be working with an advisor who spoke fluent English but wasn’t supportive or as invested in your research.
It sounds like you haven’t been in touch with the professor from University 1, yet. But if you are in contact with the Professor from University 2 and you think this is someone that you can work with, then that seems like a good base to build on. If it was me, I would lean toward University 2 in that situation.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis!
Thanks so much for the reply! I will definitely keep the points you mentioned in mind as I go forward with this process.
If you don’t mind I had one more question: do you have any advice for writing a thank you note to professors that encourages dialogue after they’ve issued you an LOA? Any specific points to hit? It looks like I’d be arriving Oct. 2022 and while I would like to keep some sort of rapport going with these professors (or started in the case of 1 of them), it feels a bit daunting trying to establish a relationship via email when neither party has met in person and even more so when I think of trying to do that for a whole year. However, I definitely want to thank them and mention something along the lines of looking forward to working with them.
Thank you!
Hi Sarah,
That’s a good question. Personally, I’m terrible at keeping in touch, so it’s something I struggle with, too.
I think a simple “thank you” note now, including a brief report on what you’ll do next/when you expect to have news about your application process, and also a commitment to continue preparing for your research as you wait to come to Japan would be good. Then, as you make any progress in either one (the application process or discovering new ideas/reading new studies that impact your research proposal) you could write to your professors at each step. They might not respond, but it will keep you in their mind. Perhaps they might have ideas for further books you could read or other ways to prepare while you wait.
By around late Jan/Early Feb, you should know what university you will be assigned to, so at that point, you will be able to focus your communication on the one remaining professor (but tell the others about the assignment, thank them for their help, and say that you still hope to meet in Japan).
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
I wanted to ask whether it will be ok to contact professors in August or not as it is their vacation period and would not check their emails. I’m afraid I wouldn’t be able to form some kind of interaction between me and the prof before the university recommended MEXT begins
Should I still continue to email them or should I expect to be ignored?
Hi Sakshi Amin,
I saw that you had posted the same question previously and already answered it here.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
Is there any problem with beginning contact with professors in August? I heard it is their vacation period so they would not look at their emails. I am afraid next month when the applications for Uni recommended Mext begins there will be no time for field related interactions between me and the professor. Should I still go ahead or I should be expecting no replies?
Hi Sakshi Amin,
It is not a problem to contact professors in August, though for the reasons you described, you might be less likely to get a response right away.
I should also warn you that this is the season when applicants for the Embassy-Recommended MEXT Scholarship will be contacting professors to ask for Letters of Acceptance for that process, so if you contact them in August, you’ll want to make your objectives clear in your message.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi! Travis, I hope you doing well
First Thank you so much For your informations, I just want to ask if I’m applying through the embassy and I’m searching on my potential supervisors
how do I know if they are accepting international students from mext scholarship?
And Thank you
Hi TFMW,
You should check to make sure that the program does not require Japanese language ability. If you can complete it in English, and if you can check that your potential supervisor can speak English (you should be able to research if they teach a class in English, have other international student advisees, or have published a paper in English), then they should be willing and able to accept international students via the MEXT Scholarship.
From that point, it is just a matter of applying for a Letter of Acceptance by following the university’s instructions.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
I have a question about enquiring the supervision of potential supervisor. I recently sent an email to my potential supervisor about his interest on my research topic, but he replied me that though my research topic seems perfect to him, the lack of budget wouldn’t allow him to take me in. He asked if I have my own budget and when I would like to commence my studies. At this point, I am not sure whether I should mention about MEXT Scholarship, because I don’t know if the universities, or specifically the lab will receive funding for accepting a MEXT student. Or, I don’t know if he is trying to be polite and subtle to decline me.
Cheers,
Kelvin
Hi Kelvin,
The university/lab does not receive any funding to support MEXT scholars, so if the professor does not have the budget, you would need to pay your research expenses out-of-pocket (you could use part of your stipend, but that money also needs to cover your living expenses) or you would need to apply for a separate research grant.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
thanks for the guidelines.
I just wonder if MEXT Scholarship provides fundings to the universities or specifically to the lab? Because I am still in the process of scholarship application, and I am sending supervision enquiries to my potential supervisors. However, one of potential supervisor replied that though my research plan work perfectly for them, they simply do not have the budget to support my research, and he asked if I have my own budget. At this point, I am not sure how I should reply since I know Japanese are subtle and polite, so I don’t know if this is their way of polite rejection.
Hi Kelvin,
No, MEXT does not provide any funding to the universities or labs to cover the expenses of MEXT scholars.
I don’t know what your research is, but it sounds like the professor is asking whether or not you will be able to pay all expenses related to your research out of pocket (or if you have another research grant, etc.)
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis,
I just wanted to know if there is a certain time for applying for the university recommended scholarship?
Thanks in advance
Hi Hala,
Each university is going to have its own application timeline. The application process is generally in the fall, but can be anywhere from September to November, in my experience.
Once you decide on the university that you want to apply to, I recommend checking their site for the information from previous years if you can find it. That should give you an idea of this year’s schedule.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello,
Is there a certain time for this scholarship or should I apply to each university by it’s addmission time??
thanks in advance
Hi Hala,
There are two ways to apply for the scholarship, through the Japanese Embassy in your home country (which is over in most countries for this year) or through a university in Japan. In both cases, though, the embassy or the university will set its own application timeline, so you would have to apply according to their instructions and schedule. There is no one application time that applies to everyone.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
HI Travis?
I would like to inquire from you on how i can get a university that has masters program in procurement and logistics , supply chain and logistics management or any other related field in Japan?.
Waiting for your help, thanks for your time and consideration.
Best regards
ATAHO Stephen
Hi ATAHO Stephen,
This article is all about how to find programs in your major in Japan. Have you tried the search methods I described in the article above? If you have, you should have found programs in your field taught in English.
If you are applying for self-financed admission, then you should check the admissions requirements on those programs’ websites. If you are interested in applying for the MEXT Scholarship for funding during your studies, then check out my page about the MEXT Scholarship for a collection of all my guides about how to apply.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
Thank you for such comprehensive articles! I’ve been reading your blog non-stop and it really helped so much to clarify the vague rules and regulations in the application of MEXT.
Is there any way that I can contact you directly, please
Thank you
Hi Brit,
I prefer to keep all of my contact here on the blog through the comments. I do answer individual messages from Patrons and work one-on-one with coaching clients, but in general I do not contact anyone else one-on-one. (Frankly, if I did, I would never have time to get to everyone!)
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis,
Thank you for all you’ve been doing.
I want to ask that can I have my proposed advisors in different departments? I love the works of all my proposed supervisors, but due to the fact that my proposed research field is multidisciplinary, in most schools the professors are not in my preferred department, so I want to ask if I can still fill their names or I should just try and find supervisors in my department. Thank you
Hi Bori,
Your advisor must be from the department that you plan to enroll in, so you should either consider changing departments (look at the curriculum carefully to see where your research would best fit), or choose an advisor from the department where you want to enroll.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
Thank you once again for all you’ve been doing for us, your posts have been really helpful.
I just have some questions again.
The 3 professors I chose for my proposed field of study (and that I want to fill in my placement form) are in different departments. My proposed field of study on Piezoelectric materials is multidisciplinary, so it’s understandable that these professors do same thing or almost same thing but are in different departments in different schools.
For instance my 1st choice professor is in Electronics in his school, 2nd is in electrical engineering in his school but the 3rd is in Mechanical engineering in his school. All these professors are professors that I’d love to work with because their research interests is same with what I want to work on. However, I want to study in Electronics or electrical engineering department, ’cause this is closer to my undergraduate studies.
Is this ok to have my proposed supervisors in different departments or I should just try and make sure all my proposed supervisors are in the same department or more closely related departments?
Thank you for your anticipated response.
Hi Bori,
Are your three professors in different departments at the same university, or are they at different universities that name their departments differently? You cannot choose multiple potential advisors from one university at a time. But if they are at different universities and the universities use different names for their departments (but cover the same research), then that is not a problem at all. You do not need to worry about the department name, only about whether the professor and program there is appropriate for your research.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
who may help me, how I can search university and academic advisor and different pf Name of graduate school andName of university
Hi Yosef,
That is what this article is all about, so I recommend you read the section about how to search for programs in English again.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello,
I am interested in MEXT Scholarship, can you please provide me the list of best universities under Japanese MEXT Scholarship for MBA?
Hi Ali Raza,
This article is all about how to search for universities. The university that is going to be “best” for you depends on your individual circumstances and goals, so I recommend you research the universities here that offer MBAs to decide for yourself.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
I am Mohammad wazir , I have been in the process of apply for the mext scholarship before the deadline for 2021-2022. in the requested documents which is mandatory for application is 2022 PLACEMENT PREFERENCE APPLICATION FORM FOR JAPANESE GOVERNMENT
(MEXT) SCHOLARSHIP (RESEARCH STUDENTS) , in this , it is asking for academic advisor , please instruct me how can the related advisor. Please give necessary attention to my question
Hi Mohammad Wazir,
This article is all about how to find the best university for your studies in Japan. Once you find that university, you should look up what the individual professors in the department specialize in and try to decide which would be the best advisor for your studies.
(I have a book about this process coming out soon, too.)
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
Thank you for such comprehensive articles! I’ve been reading your blog non-stop and it really helped so much to clarify the vague rules and regulations in the application of MEXT.
I would first like to apologize for the incoming wall-of-text, I hope this isn’t too much of a bother to read/answer!
1. The first question concerns my GPA – afaik the UK has different awarding systems for undergraduate (5 awarding buckets) and postgraduate (4 awarding buckets) degrees. Based on your tutorial on how to calculate GPA, I have a GPA of 2.25 for my masters degree (which I am honestly horrified at seeing), and 2.85 for the last year of my undergraduate degree even though I achieved a distinction in my masters compared to the Upper Second class honours in my bachelors. If MEXT is only looking at the GPA for one degree program, would they still consider what the degree classifications actually mean in the awarding countries and if the degrees came from a “top” university (e.g. UCL)? Or would this mean that I have no chance at all for the application? (If so, please feel free to ignore the rest of my questions.)
2. I am planning to apply for MEXT in another two years, and I am currently researching on potential universities and supervisors related to my desired field of research. I have a Psychology background (MSc Clinical Mental Health and BSc Psychology), but my research topic (hopefully) will be in neuropathology. My MEXT GPA scores are not looking fantastic but I am currently working as a research associate in a neuroscience lab and plan to work here for the next two years. As most departments of neuroscience in Japanese universities seem to be in schools of medicine, would you think that it is feasible for me to attempt to apply for a doctoral in medicine, specializing in neuroscience?
3. I also read in your other article that if we pass the entrance exams, we’ll be able to enroll as a PhD student instead of a research student. With my background I think they would want to conduct an eligibility review first (from what I found, U-Tokyo does) and my question is, IF I wish to be enrolled as a PhD student instead of a research student, when should I be approaching the university for an eligibility review? Should I do this only after I’ve passed the screening or would it be a good idea to contact the university first? Could you also share your insights on the probability of them approving the initial review for me to take the entrance exam?
4. I also have a question regarding language ability. For example, on U-Tokyo’s website, they state that the only available English program in the Graduate School of Medicine is Global Health Sciences which is in the Department of International Health. And I think, if I understand correctly, this is a doctoral degree program in health sciences. Whereas for doctoral degree programs in medical sciences, the coursework consists of programs in different departments that require varying levels of Japanese ability. Under the description of the Department of Neuroscience (the one I am currently hoping to apply to), they’ve stated that ‘no Japanese ability is required’, while for a few others, it is required that students can take part in research discussions using Japanese. Does this mean that I can apply to that department without having to write my thesis in Japanese? I’m currently at N2 for JLPT, but I worry that even if I get to N1 it will be difficult to complete a doctoral thesis purely in Japanese. Or, assuming I pass the screenings, would you advise that I apply for the Global Health Sciences programme instead? It has a Department of Developmental Medical Sciences that does some research in neuroscience, though the professor I would love to work with is in the Department of Neuroscience.
5. Regarding MEXT applications, will it reflect badly on me if I spent most of my higher education abroad rather than in my home country? Since the main aim of MEXT is to benefit both Japan and the home countries, would they question the level of commitment and dedication I have towards contributing to my home country?
6. Sorry if you’ve answered this elsewhere in the blog, but would you happen to know if there are fixed quotas for each area of study? e.g. 5 for Medicine, 5 for Humanities, etc. So if there are more people applying for medicine-related programmes, will this mean more competition?
I do realize that I’m getting ahead of myself, but I would really, really appreciate your insights and advice. And I’m really sorry for the long-winded questions.
Thank you in advance!
Hi Gigi,
I will try to address your questions, but there’s a lot there. If I have missed anything, please let me know.
1. My understanding is that they will look at how each grade would fit into the grade classifications, not at the overall classification. I do not have your specific grading scale at hand to refer to, but if the grades calculated out the way you say, and a “distinction” classification (I do not know where that sits in order of other classifications) is below the MEXT threshold, which should be in the “lower second” range, then it is possible that there is a different conversion element that I have not considered. I would not recommend that you give up yet.
As for the university reputation, I do not think it impacts the eligibility considerations, but it could certainly be a factor for comparing two eligible applicants.
2. I recommend that you look at the programs that you are interested in and see what their admissions requirements are for fee-paying students. Many medical programs require Japanese language proficiency if there is a clinical practice element, since you would have to be licensed by the government before any clinical practice, and that licensing test is in Japanese. However, if you find a program that does not require Japanese language ability and you meet all of the admissions requirements, I see nothing that should stop you from applying.
3. I’m afraid that I am not familiar with the requirements for eligibility reviews for specific universities, so I would recommend that you contact the university directly to ask. If you apply for the Embassy-Recommended MEXT Scholarship, you generally contact the university to ask for a Letter of Provisional Acceptance no later than August of the year prior to starting your studies. However, official acceptance to the university and the determination as to whether you will start as a research student or degree student would come later. I do not think that you would need the eligibility review before asking for the letter of Provisional Acceptance, but that is going to depend on the timeline at the university.
4. Your advisor must be from the department that you are enroll in. So, if you were to enroll in the Global Health Sciences program (Dept of International Health) you could not have an advisor from the Depr of Neuroscience, though you may be able to take coursework there, if the program allows and you have the required language ability for that course. You can consult with professors in other departments, but if you plan to take that approach, I think you should make sure there is an advisor in GHS that can supervise the research that you want to complete.
5. No. Studying in another country should not hurt your application.
6. MEXT does not fix quotas for different fields of study, but in some countries, there is a quota for Humanities/Social Sciences and for STEM. My understanding is that the Japanese embassy works with the local country government to determine its priorities and divide the slots accordingly. I have seen indications of this split in India and Thailand in the past (where the Embassy posts separate lists of passing students in the categories above), but it could certainly exist elsewhere and is subject to change.
If there are split quotas, then, yes, more applicants in a particular group would naturally increase how competitive that category is. But there is no way (I know of) to find this out in advance, so I do not think there is any point in worrying about it. Just focus on making your application as strong as possible!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
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