Every year, hundreds of applicants spends time and money applying for the MEXT Scholarship without ever realizing that they are not even eligible.
The problem is that there are two sets of eligibility criteria. The eligibility criteria that most universities list on their MEXT scholarship application guidelines are not the full set- they’re missing the criterion that knocks out more students than any other. Fortunately, I have it translated below, along with everything else you need to know to make sure your application is going to be valid.
Why Have 2 Sets of Eligibility Criteria?
It has to do with administrative processing of your application. If you’re ineligible then your application is not accepted and that means the university has to:- Explain why you’re ineligible
- Return your application documents to you (at your expense)
If you’re application is accepted but not successful, then the university doesn’t have to explain or return a thing. Which, given how many ineligible applicants there are each year, saves universities quite a bit of trouble.
Frankly, the eligibility criteria that catches most students – grades – is so difficult to explain universally that even if it was made public, there would be a ton of ineligible applicants anyway. I’m still going to try, so bear with me.
MEXT Scholarship Eligibility: Stage 1
These are the eligibility criteria that you will find on Monbukagakusho’s “application guidelines” web page as well as university websites. They’re not always clear, so I’ll explain the tricker ones below.
Target:
Excellent* applicants who newly arrive from overseas for the purpose of graduate-level studies.
Let’s break this into two pieces:
- Excellent*: The asterisk goes to a footnote explaining: *Applicants who have a 2.3 GPA over the past two years of studies and are assumed to be able to maintain the same performance throughout the scholarship.
The problem is that this is 2.3 out of 3.0 on MEXT’s converted scale, so we can’t take this at face value. Because this is the single most significant obstacle, I have included a whole section on it farther down the article, so keep reading!
- Newly arrive from overseas for the purpose of graduate study: This means that you must not be residing in Japan immediately prior to the scholarship period and you must arrive on a Student Visa. Again, there are a lot of ways to interpret this, and MEXT has hammered out most of the loopholes, so I will explain it in detail below.
Nationality:
Must have the nationality of a country that has relations with Japan. In principle, applicants with Japanese nationality are not eligible. However, a person who lives overseas and holds Japanese nationality as a dual national who then gives up his or her Japanese nationality prior to the start of the scholarship will be eligible.
I used to get a lot of applicants who were worried about whether their country had relations with Japan. In most cases, the answer is yes. The most notable country that does not meet this criteria is Taiwan. Otherwise, if you’re from a country that isn’t universally recognized as a country (e.g. Republic of Abkhazia, State of Palestine), you probably know it.
Age:
Must have been born no earlier than April 2, 1981 (for the 2016 scholarship). This condition does not apply to previous Young Leaders Program scholars who are applying for admission to a PhD program.
Basically, you must be younger than 35 as of April 1 in the year that you start your scholarship. Japan considers you an investment and wants applicants that have more years to contribute to the country.
Academic Background:
A person who has graduated from a Japanese university or who is judged to have an equal or higher level of education to a graduate of a Japanese university, as follows:
- A person who has completed 16 years of study (18 in the case of medical, dental, or pharmaceutical studies which have a 6-year undergraduate program and who wish to proceed to a doctoral degree). Applicants whose degree is in progress and will be completed prior to the start of the scholarship are eligible.
- A person aged 22 or older (24 in the case of medical, dental, and pharmaceutical applicants as listed above), who has passed an individual review of qualifications by the graduate school to which they applied and has been determined to have equal education to a Japanese university graduate. Applicants who are in the process of acquiring this status and who will acquire it prior to the start of the scholarship are eligible.
*Applicants who have completed a PhD program and are applying for an additional degree are unable to apply in principle.
A note about calculating your age: MEXT figures your age as of April 2 in the year you plan to start the scholarship (since that is when the Japanese school year begins), so if you’re trying to meet criteria 2 above and you turn 22 on April 3, then you’re not eligible this year.
OK, this one throws a lot of people, too. There used to be a long list of alternate qualifications that were considered equal to a Japanese university degree, but most of them were frankly irrelevant. In my time, I saw two common exceptions to the 16 years of education, and almost all were approved, as long as they contacted the university in advance.
- Students who came from a country with a 15-year program of education that included a 3-year bachelor’s degree. This used to be a specific exception, though I don’t see it listed in the 2015 guidelines, so it may have been lumped in with the next category.
- Students from countries with less than a 16-year program of education that included a 4-year bachelor’s degree, or less than 15 years.
In both cases above, we would have students submit their transcripts, proof of degree awarded, passport (to check their age), and an explanation of the academic systems of their home countries, preferably countersigned by an academic advisor.
Skipped a grade? The length of your education program is judged by the length prescribed by your national education ministry, not by how long you took to complete it. If you skipped grades, you’re still considered to have completed the full 16 years, or whatever it is. (There will be space to explain this on the application form later).
If you have any questions about whether you would be eligible because of your academic background, you should contact the university as soon as they release their application guidelines!
Field of Study
Must be the field you studied in university previously or a related field. Must be available for study at the university you are applying to.
I did see applicants every year who wanted to study a different field from what they had done previously. If this is you, then you must make it very clear in your “Field of Study and Study Plan” document how your graduate studies will be related to what you’ve done before.
Japanese Language Ability
Applicants in fields that require high levels of Japanese language ability (e.g. Japanese Linguistics, Japanese Literature, Japanese History, Japanese Law, etc.) will not be awarded the scholarship if their language ability is insufficient.
I did actually see the occasional student try to apply for Japanese linguistics with an N2 JLPT. Not going to happen. Any field that would conceivably require most research to be done in Japanese is going to require an N1.
Health
Must have no physical or mental health conditions that would interfere with graduate-level studies.
The biggest concern here, in my experience, was the tuberculosis chest x-ray. You need to have the date the x-ray was taken as well as the x-ray film reference number. In Japan, each x-ray has a reference label so that the doctor can look it up again. They expect other countries to work the same way. This confused a lot of applicants so I’m going to clarify: do not send the actual x-ray film. Just the reference (even if it’s just your last name and the date) will do.
Time of Arrival in Japan
In principle, students must be able to leave their home countries and arrive in Japan on the date specified by the university, up to two week before the semester starts. (Should be September or October, in general, excepting students who start in the April semester.)
The purpose of this criteria is to ensure that you have no legal restrictions preventing you from leaving your home country (e.g. you’re not in jail or hospitalized) and nothing preventing you from arriving in Japan (e.g. you have not been deported from Japan in the past).
Visa Acquisition
In principle, applicants must acquire a Student Visa before arriving in Japan and arrive in the country with a Student Residence Status. Students who change to any other residence status during their time in Japan will immediately lose their eligibility to continue receiving the scholarship.
MEXT is going to help you apply for the visa after you’re accepted, so don’t worry about that. The thing to note here is to arrive on a “Student” visa – not a “Tourist” or anything else – and to keep that status throughout your time in Japan.
In Japan, a “visa” is the document that you use to enter the country. Once you’re in Japan, you no longer have a “visa,” you have a “residence status,” which is what permits you to stay in the country.
Disqualification Criteria
Meeting any of the criteria below will disqualify you from the application process. Further, if it is discovered after the fact that you were ineligible, your scholarship will be withdrawn as if you voluntarily canceled the scholarship.
Military Affiliation
Anyone who is a member of the military or a military-status civilian at the time of arriving in Japan is ineligible.
Arrival Date
Anyone unable to arrive on the university-designated arrival date is ineligible
Previous MEXT Scholarship Receipt
Anyone who has received a Japanese government (Monbukagakusho / MEXT) Scholarship in the past is not eligible to receive the scholarship again until they have completed three years of education or research after the end of the previous scholarship award. This condition does not apply to previous short-term scholarship recipients under the following categories who graduated from their home institutions after scholarship receipt: Japanese Language and Culture Scholarship, Japan-Korea Joint Science and Engineering Scholarship, Young Leaders Program.
By “education or research,” this criteria essentially means that you must have completed a full three years of enrollment in a university after your last scholarship ended and before the next one begins. It might also be possible if you have been employed by a university as a researcher for that amount of time.
They are very strict about this, so 2 years and 11 months is not going to be enough!
Simultaneous Application to Multiple Universities
If you apply to multiple universities under the University-recommended MEXT scholarship and/or JASSO scholarship in the same year, or if you are currently receiving a MEXT or JASSO scholarship and will continue to receive it as of the month that your University-recommended MEXT scholarship is to begin.
Furthermore, if you apply to two universities and both recommend you for the scholarship, MEXT will not only cancel your scholarship, but may also rule all nominees from both universities ineligible! It is OK to apply to other universities as a fee-paying student, or under another scholarship scheme, just as the ADB or Joint Japan-World Bank Graduate Scholarship, but don’t try to mess with MEXT.
Failure to Acquire Required Prerequisite Degree
Anyone who fails to acquire an expected degree or qualification that was a prerequisite to scholarship selection will have their scholarship revoked.
As mentioned above, you can apply to MEXT before graduating from your previous degree, as long as your graduation is anticipated to occur before you start your MEXT scholarship. For example, you can apply for a Master’s scholarship beginning in Oct 2016 if you are currently enrolled in a Bachelor’s degree program and will graduate before your Master’s program starts. In this case, you will have to present proof of graduation after arriving in Japan.
Japanese Dual-Nationals Who Fail to Relinquish Japanese Citizenship
If you applied as a dual national (Japan plus something else), you are required to relinquish your Japanese citizenship before starting the scholarship. If you are a dual-national (or more) and none of your nationalities is Japanese, then don’t worry – this doesn’t apply to you.
Persons Who Intend to Study Outside Japan
As this is a scholarship for research at a Japanese university, anyone who desires to conduct fieldwork or an internship outside of Japan during the scholarship period will not be awarded the scholarship.
Do not apply for the MEXT scholarship if you don’t intend to study in Japan! In fact, being outside the country for an entire calendar month at any time during the scholarship will result in your losing the scholarship stipend for that month. Three consecutive months of missing your stipend will result in the scholarship being canceled. If you apply for the MEXT scholarship, be prepared to stay in Japan throughout the award period.
MEXT Scholarship Eligibility: Stage 2
There are two eligibility criteria above that are not explained in detail in the application guidelines: the non-residence criteria and the GPA calculation. Additionally, a third eligibility criteria that relates to your field of study appears nowhere in the call for applications.
Since each of these three criteria require that the university accept your application and begin reviewing it, they are not considered application eligibility criteria. They are recommendation eligibility requirements. This means that the university accepts your application (they don’t need to return it to you), but ultimately denies your application (they don’t need to explain why).
Neat, if you’re the university. Not so good if you’re one of the hundred applicants who never knew they didn’t have a chance. Well, now you’ll know exactly what the university is looking for:
Residence in Japan
The phrase used in the eligibility criteria is often translated as “newly arrive in Japan for the purpose of study.” This is more confusing than helpful. Here is what it really means:
- You must be living outside Japan prior to the start of your scholarship. Universities will prefer for you to be outside of Japan for at least the 6 months before beginning your scholarship/studies.
- You must apply for a student visa from your home country and use that visa to come to Japan. There is a special student visa application process for MEXT scholars. You cannot change residence status in Japan. This has to be an entirely new arrival.
That’s it. Don’t worry if you don’t know what I mean by “residence status.” If you don’t understand it, then you’re probably not residing in Japan, and none of this applies to you!
Frequently Asked Questions About “Newly Arrived”
You are eligible for the scholarship if:
- You visited Japan in the past as a tourist
- You studied in Japan before and have since gone home.
- You lived in Japan in the past on any other residence status and have since gone home.
- You are studying in Japan at the time of application but will finish your degree in March, go home, then return anew in September or October to start your scholarship.
- You are living in Japan at the time of application for any other reason, but you have already and irrevocably planned to return to your home country no later than 6 months before starting the scholarship.
If you are living in Japan and plan to leave the country if you receive the scholarship and only to meet the eligibility criteria of the scholarship, then you are not eligible. That is why universities will want to see an explanation or proof that you will return to your home country regardless of the application process outcome.
A Side Note: You Are Not a Special Case
If your situation is in the gray area in any way, expect Japanese universities to blow you off. If you want special treatment or an exception, it’s not worth their while to accommodate you, they will just shift their attention to a less troublesome applicant.
You may, in fact, be brilliant and promising, but if you cannot follow directions or rules, than universities – and especially the admin staff that handle applications – will want nothing to do with you.
Of course, if you’ve read this far down this article, chances are pretty good, that’s not a problem for you! Let’s move on.
Grades – The Silent Killer of Dreams
Probably half the applicants I saw were never eligible for the scholarship because their grades were too low. But they never knew it.
Applicants would contact me every year to ask if there was a minimum grade to apply, but I could never answer them. So here it is:
Yes, there is a minimum. No, I can’t tell you if you meet it. But you can figure it out yourself.
The minimum GPA is 2.3 on a scale of 3.0. What university uses a 3.0 scale? None that I know of, even in Japan. On the university side, we had to convert every single applicants grades or marks from their home country scale to MEXT’s 3.0 scale, manually, using the system below.
Rules for the GPA Calculation
The University is going to do the calculation for you, but if you are at all concerned about your grades, then you can do it on your own, first, to see if you have a chance. Note, however, that if your calculation does not match the university’s, they are going to stick with their numbers. They have a lot more practice doing this (hundred of times each year) and as I mentioned above, there is no special treatment.
- GPA should be determined based on the last 2 years of grades earned.
- Grades such as “pass” and “approved” are not considered toward the calculation. (However, “Fail” in a pass/fail situation would be considered, as universities consider that equal to a fail in a graded course).
- When calculating grades, consider only grades acquired in degree-seeking programs. Grades earned as a non-degree seeking student, at a Japanese language school, or in other non-degree programs do not count toward the calculation.
- Grades should be calculated per academic year and in-progress years should not be counted. However, if grades are awarded on a semester basis and grades for the first semester of a year are available, then that semester should be included and that semester counts toward the two full years.
- In the event that a student changed programs within the past two years (e.g. proceeded from a bachelor’s to master’s degree program) and the most recent program is graded in semesters, with an odd number of semesters’ grades available, and the preceding program was graded in full years, then 2.5 years of grades should be calculated to meet the minimum of 2 years.
- In the event that a student transferred to a new program at the same level (e.g. transfer admission, dual degree program), then only grades earned after the transfer will be considered. However, grades earned before the transfer must be calculated and entered in the notes section of the recommendation.
- In the event that a grade calculation is not possible, then the university must explain what objective evidence it used to determine that the applicant’s academic performance was equal to or greater than a 2.3/3.0 GPA. Concrete evidence is required. An explanation such as “the applicant conducted outstanding research” will not be accepted. (Editorializing: Forms of concrete evidence could include a statement of order of merit within the student’s class. Proof of peer-reviewed academic publications during the past two years, or significant academic/research based awards earned in the past two years.)
The Grade Conversion Chart
To get your GPA on a 3.0 scale, you have to convert each individual course according to the chart below. Even if your university considers only your overall average marks, or a similar system, that does not matter here. Japan does not care about your system.
To determine how many distinct grading levels, or “grading buckets” your system has, you will need an “explanation of the grading system” (or marking system) from your university. In many cases, this is printed right on the transcript. If not, you will need to get one – it’s going to be required for your application, anyway.
If you don’t know what I mean by an explanation of the grading system, search wikipedia for “[your country name] grading system.” Yeah, wikipedia. It does a pretty good and accurate job of explaining this, in general.
System | Grades | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
4-Level System | Excellent | Good | Average | Fail | |
4-Level System | A | B | C | F | |
4-Level System | 100 – 80 | 79 – 70 | 69 – 60 | 59 – 0 | |
All other grading systems with 4 distinct grading buckets will use this system | |||||
5-Level System | S | A | B | C | F |
5-Level System | A | B | C | D | F |
5-Level System | 100 – 90 | 89 – 80 | 79 – 70 | 69 – 60 | 59 – 0 |
All other grading systems with 5 distinct grading buckets will use this system | |||||
MEXT System Grade | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
Subgrades: Pluses and minuses do not matter. If you have a system that goes A, A/B, B, BC, etc., assume that the university is going to calculate an “A/B” as a “B” and do your math that way, just to be safe.
Average Marks System: Even if your university uses the system of determining your overall grade by adding your total earned marks and dividing by the total available marks, as is common for the “First Class,” “Upper Second Class,” etc. System, you still need to convert each individual course by its individual percentage. This can make a significant difference in your grade, so be careful with the math!
Also, in this system, a course with 200 available marks would be considered 2 credits for the next step, while a course with 100 available marks would be considered 1 credit.
OK, use the chart to convert each grade for each course for the past two years (four semesters). Now, if your university uses a credit system (e.g. some courses are worth 1 credit, some are worth 3, etc.), then multiply each converted grade by the number of credits. If your university does not use credits, then you can skip this step. Less math!
Add all of the totals together then divide by the total number of credits. Drop everything after the second decimal place. Do not round. A 2.299 is a 2.29 (ineligible), not a 2.30 (eligible).
As a final note, I should caution that while a 2.30 is eligible, it is hardly competitive. So, if you’re closer to 2.30 than you are to 3.00, it’s going to be very, very important to have an amazing Field of Study and Study Plan to balance that out and earn the scholarship.
Field of Study
Any applicant whose field of study could be related to military applications (i.e. dual-use technology), such as weapons production or military technology development cannot be recommended for the scholarship. This prohibition extends to applicants who are or have been affiliated with military technology development in the past, as well.
That’s It!
If you’ve followed along this far then, as we say in Japan, Otsukaresama desu! I sincerely hope that you still find yourself eligible for the scholarship.
Want to know more?
My new ebook, How to Apply for the MEXT Scholarship describes the scholarship in detail, including the the eligibility criteria, purpose and coverage, how to develop a successful applicant mindset, and how to craft your application strategy for the greatest chance of success!
Questions?
Before asking any questions in the comments below, please read through the MEXT Scholarship Application FAQ top page and specific FAQ pages to see what I’ve answered already and to find tips about how to get your questions answered faster.
You can ask your questions in the comments here, on the FAQ page, or by email and I will answer them by updating the FAQ and letting you know when the answers are available.
I’d also recommend signing up for my mailing list to get notified whenever I have updates to any of the FAQs or new articles about the MEXT scholarship!
I got 8.67 out of 10.00 in indian system .its a relative grading system.However,Now ,i would like to know that What will be my CGPA in regarding MEXT?
Hi Mamun,
Have you read that article about calculating your GPA that I linked you to yesterday?
If you did, you would know that you cannot simply convert a CGPA from one system to the other, and you would also know exactly how to calculate the GPA conversion yourself for your case. If you haven’t read it, please go do that now!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi i have completed my Master degree from India with 8.67 out of 10 as well as my grading system was based on relative marking.However,now how can a university will convert my grading system into MEXT grading?If they do ,what will be the my grading in case ?Plz clarify.
Hi Mamun,
I have another article that is all about calculating your GPA for the MEXT Scholarship, so I recommend that you read through that post for more information!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi! First of all, thank you very much for your information. Furthermore, I would like to ask something about the GPA calculation.
I took the integrated bachelor-master program in my university. With this program, I only took 1 year for my master’s degree. If i would like to apply for the doctoral degree with MEXT, how will they calculate my GPA? (Since you said they counts 2 academic years’ GPA)
Thank you in advance for your information
Hi Aswin,
In that case, they would count the two semesters of your Master’s degree (provided that your grades for both are available at the time of application) as well as your grades from the final year of your bachelor’s degree. (You would have to submit both transcripts).
I have a separate article about calculating grades for MEXT’s system that you may find useful, as well as an updated article about eligibility, in general, based on this year’s requirements.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello, first of thank you very much for spending your time to write so detailed information, Most useful article out of all I have seen so far!
I am planning to apply for MEXT 2020, but I have 2 main concerns, and I hope you can help me to clarify some information.
1. Home country. I work and live abroad for the past 6 years. Can I apply for MEXT through the embassy that not in my home country? (I am from Kazakhstan, currently live and work in Cambodia)
2. I graduated in 2012, am I still eligible to apply? Can I use my work experience as a reason (and reference) for my research plan in addition to my Bachelor degree?
PS I have a few non-degree certificates (online) should I attach them to my application?
Hi Maria,
Thank you for your kind words.
1. If you plan to apply for the Embassy-recommended scholarship, you would have to apply from Kazakhstan. The Embassy in Cambodia will only accept applications from Cambodian nationals. However, if you apply for the University-recommended scholarship (*applications may still be open for 2019), then you can apply from anywhere in the world.
2. As long as you meet the age requirements, you can apply. There is no requirement about years since graduation. Your application will still need to be based on your undergraduate degree (e.g. your Letter of Recommendation and other documents would have to come from that university and your field of study in Japan would need to be related to your undergraduate major), but you could also reference the work you have done since.
Regarding your other certificates, if they are relevant to your application and field of study, then sure!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi,
I’m from Pakistan, and currently in my final year of Bachelor degree. I will be graduating in June 2019. I want to know can i apply for University recommendation MEXT Scholarship? and second what is the deadline for applying?
Hi Saad,
If you will graduate by June 2019, then you would be eligible to apply for the ongoing University Recommended MEXT Scholarship application cycle for scholarships to start in 2019.
The application period varies by university, but I wrote an article that should help you find out the deadline for the university you want to study at. You can find that article at:
http://www.transenzjapan.com/blog/how-to-apply-for-the-mext-scholarship-university-recommendation/
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Transenz,
I cannot explain in words how helpful and detailed your posts are for students who plan to apply for MEXT scholarships and I really appreciate you answering to all our queries and problems. Thank you!!
I am planning on applying for the MEXT 2020 so I have a lot to prepare for especially with the research papers. (which I am pretty sure is going to be tough) but your other posts on research guidelines were a blessing, so I hopefully will be able to come up with something good.
Will definitely be back if i hit a wall or something during the application process next year >_<.
Thanks a lot for all your hard work so far.
Hi Anisha,
Thank you for your kind words!
I’m working on Book 2 in my Mastering the MEXT Scholarship series now, which is all about the Field of Study and Research Program Plan. That is certainly the toughest part of the application. In addition to the book, I will be writing new articles for the site based on my research, as well, to cover some of the same topics, so I hope that as you move forward with the application, those will be helpful for you!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thanks for your valuable suggestions.
There’s one thing I need to ask about CGPA conversion. There are pluses and minuses are involved in my grading system. My grading system is as follows:
A+ = 4.00
A = 4.00
A- = 3.70
B+ = 3.30
B = 3.00
B- = 2.70
C+ = 2.30
C = 2.00
C- = 1.70
and so on. Now I need your help to fit these grades into MEXT system. Thank you in advance!
Hi Nabeel Shaukat,
I have an updated article specifically about calculating your GPA for the MEXT Scholarship that might be of interest to you.
In general, you would ignore pluses and minuses, though there are special cases if, for example, the back you your transcript mentions descriptions of each grade range. So, im most cases, there would be no difference between an A+ and an A- for the purposes of conversion.
I would have to see the whole grading scale to be able to suggest a conversion – the “and so on” in your comment indicates that there is more there.
By the way, you would need to convert the grades for each individual class over the past two years. Simply calculating the conversion for your CGPA would not be accurate.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you for your useful information, I have a question if you answer it will be your kindness.
I will graduate in March 2019 and I want to apply for September by the university recommendation but during these 6 months I will have a dependent visa because my wife is also studying for her apartment keeping but I will not be in Japan and I will go back to my country. can I apply in this case?
Hi Baak,
If you are not going to be living in Japan during the 6 months between graduating in March and starting your studies again in September, you wouldn’t need a visa.
Being in your home country during that time would be important to meeting the eligibility criteria, but holding a dependent visa could be a problem. You would need to surrender that visa before applying for your MEXT student visa after your acceptance and the only way to surrender it would be to do so at the emigration booth when leaving Japan.
If you are not planning to live in Japan between March and September at all, I would recommend that you consider giving up the Dependent Visa during that time to avoid any complications with your scholarship eligibility. (You could still visit Japan on a temporary visitor visa in the meantime!)
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi TranSenz
Thank you for your information
Excuse me How can I find a sample of recommendation letter for my professor?
Hi Baak,
I know Ritsumeikan University has one on their website, because I created it for them a long time ago.
You can find the direct pdf download here.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Dear Travis:
Thank you for your help. I need to have all necessary documents include the application form for university recommendation procedure for 2019 so where can I download them? and also I have another question if you answer it and give a solution it will be your kindness.
I am studying my master degree in Miyazaki university and I will graduate in March 2019 now I don’t have a valuable English certificate score but I have studied all my master course in English so can university grantee me for language ability? or is there any other solution?
Hi Baak,
You need to get the documents from the university that you intend to apply to. They may also have additional documents or requirements that I do not know about, so that is why I deliberately do not provide direct links to the documents here – I do not want to give you information that would not be accurate for your individual situation.
The proof of English language proficiency requirement is up to each university to interpret. Most will want to see scores from an internationally recognized test, and I suspect that MEXT may begin requiring those test scores this year, since last year they said that test scores should be submitted if at all possible.
You should still have time to register for a TOEFL iBT test, take it, and get your scores in time for the deadline if you act now.
Other than that, all exceptions to the rule would be up to the individual university to determine. I recommend taking an official test, but if that is absolutely impossible, then you would have to contact the university to ask if they would accept alternatives.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi!
Thanks for such a comprehensive post. I just want to confirm the age limit, so you are saying that people who graduated from university, have all the requirements available, but will only be 21 by the start of the program will not be allowed? Where is this stated in the guidelines from MEXT? When the age eligibility given was only one date and “those born after that” guideline?
Hi Chicha,
I think I explained myself poorly – that was not what I was trying to say.
I think you are referring to the “Academic Background” section, where I listed two separate sets of criteria. That section was supposed to indicate that you must meet one or the other, not both. If you have graduated from a 16-year program of education, then the age would not have been a factor.
In any case, the eligibility criteria for Academic Background was updated last year for the University Recommended MEXT scholarship. There is now no minimum age limit imposed by MEXT, but it is left up to each university’s discretion.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
Thank you so much for all the useful information you share continuously. it really helped me during the process! And I came often to review some information 🙂
I would really appreciate if you can share any experience you may have with this issue: what about if you receive the scholarship, you are around under 35 yo at the moment of application, but when you want to apply for the extension a few years later (master or phd), you already are over the application age? Can you receive the successive extensions? What I mean it is if the age limit is only applicable for the “initial” process of the application.
Thanks again, and sorry for bothering you!
Best,
Chris
Hi Chris,
Thank you for your kind words. It’s not a bother at all!
The age requirement is only applicable to the initial application. In the extension application process (which I really need to write about on here at some point soon), there is no age-based eligibility requirement. Once you have your foot in the door, you can keep applying for extensions!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi, thanks for your nice blog, I have question. Last year I applied for MEXT scholarship but did not qualified during university screening that means did not selected in faculty meeting. The faculty adviced me to apply again this year. But I want to apply this year from another university. In this case should I mention in the application form that I applied last year for the MEXT. In the form there is a question ( did you apply for the MEXT in the Past)
Hi Parvej,
I would only suggest mentioning your past application if they ask you directly.
There is no question in the official MEXT form that asks if you applied in the past, so if you saw that question, it may be a university-specific form. The MEXT form asks if you were awarded the scholarship in the past or if you have another application ongoing and the answer to both of those would be no.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Great guide! Thank you so much… I am a Masters student in Tohoku University graduating in September, and starting my PhD in October with the MEXT scholarship. But I have a situation. I am pregnant and my baby is due in January. My professor is OK to give me a one month break and return back after the delivery. I plan to get my MUM to watch over the baby. But I need to know if there is any kind of possibility to discontinue the scholarship for 3 months and continue back, since the baby would be at least 3 months by then . I know it might not be a fair request but hope I can get a small break to look after the baby.. Hope you can help. Thank you so much for having such a helpful blog for international students.
Therese,
Thank you for your kind words and congratulations!
Unfortunately, for the scholarship, if you do not sign every month to show that you are on campus and working on your research, then you would not be able to get your scholarship stipend for that month. If you miss signing for three months in a row, you would lose the scholarship altogether. (You would be considered to have voluntarily withdrawn). There is no exception for pregnancy and birth as far as I am aware.
You may be able to work something out to only be studying part time during that time, but keep in mind that the end date of your scholarship cannot be extended, so you need to be sure you can catch back up without losing any time.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Dear TransenzJapan,
Thank you for very detailed information. The thing is the way GPA calculated by my Uni is a bit different…and my GPA seems average. Actually, I have plans to try MEXT scholarship in near future( after I finished working for two years)….Is it still possible to get scholarship related to business and management majors like Finance and Economics? Because, what I have heard in my home country (Myanmar) is, other subjects like chemical engineering or science related majors are very easy to get scholarships…
Hi Sophie,
You might want to check out my more recent article on how to calculate your GPA, where I talk a little more about conversion methods.
Yes, it is still possible to get the MEXT scholarship in business and management majors if you have a strong application. For the Embassy Recommended MEXT scholarship, your country’s government may have some say in favoring one major over another, but if you apply for the University Recommended MEXT Scholarship, every major has an equal chance.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
What happens if you become ill during your time as a MEXT scholar and need to take a leave of absence from university? I assume it’s simply not possible, and if you don’t graduate within the designated time period because of illness you lose your scholarship?
Hi Thomas,
Actually, there is an exception to missing your designated time because of circumstances beyond your control such as hospitalization.
The requirement to finish your degree in time states that you would lose the scholarship immediately if it becomes apparent that you cannot finish your degree on time due to poor academic performance, etc.
That said, it would have to be pretty serious for a medical issue to affect your graduation time. I never saw it happen in my years of working with MEXT scholars, even when one of them was hospitalized for two weeks.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
I have obtained a GPA of 2.246 out of 3 and have choosen information engineering as my field of study . I would kindly want to know if I am eligible for MEXT 2018 if I have a strong topic of why I want to study my 1st choice and a strong view of what I want to do in future.
Sorry I forgot to mention that I have already written them in the application form for undergraduate .Sorry for the late delayed message and my submission last date is tommorow . Hope, u would help me to clarify my unsorted thought .
Thank u
And I also want to know how the written Examinations are taken as reference.
Once again Thank u for ur help.
Hi Suarav,
I know your exam scores are important in determining who wins the scholarship, but I do not know of any particular breakdown in how each test/document is weighted (or if they are even given specific weights). The best advice I can give you is not to worry about that and just focus on studying to do your best on the exams!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Sorry for the late Response .
Thank u For ur kind reply .
I would also like to understand that which paper should I give in mathematics. Should I give Mathematics is A or Mathematics B . I have applied in only Information engineering That is in NATURAL SCIENCE (A)
Hi Suarav,
I’m sorry, but I do not have any expertise in the undergraduate scholarship, so I cannot give you a recommendation. Perhaps someone with experience in that scholarship can post a comment here to help!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Suarav,
Unfortunately, the undergraduate scholarship is not my area of expertise, and I am not familiar with the eligibility criteria, so I do not know how GPA is considered in that application process. I have written a new, updated article on how to calculate your GPA, though, that you may find helpful.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you for the guide, it clears up a lot of things about the application process. However, I have a question about the grade conversion.
Here, the grades go from 5 to 10, with 5 being the only failing grade (and no grades reserved for gods 😀 ). It’s like 95 is 10, and there are also some pass/fail exams. The ECTS credits are also used.
But, the thing is, you have to pass ALL the exams to graduate, and can retake them as many times as you wish, until you’re satisfied, so you can’t really have a failing grade in any class…
so, I’m not quite sure how I should calculate the grade conversion.
Also, you wrote that only the last 2 years, or 4 (finished) semesters are taken into account. Would that mean every exam taken in that period, no matter which semester it is from, or only the passed exams from those semesters? Or maybe the exams not taken by then count as fails (and they don’t have to be taken at any specific semester)?
I hope I explained everything clearly…
Thank you,
Katarina
Hi Katarina,
I’m afraid that I can’t give you a definite answer. If you are applying for the Embassy Recommendation MEXT scholarship, the Japanese embassy in your country should be familiar with your grading system and have a way to interpret and convert grades. If you are applying for the University Recommendation, however, they may struggle more.
Is your transcript divided by semesters or by subject areas? I have seen transcripts from systems like yours where the courses were divided by subject areas instead of chronologically and the only scores were from exams. In those cases, we converted all of the test scores that fell within the most recent two years, including retakes. (I’m not saying that was the right way or how everyone would do it, just how we did.)
I hope that helps!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi. I’m from India and have passed class 12 board exam with 72 in physics and 75 in math in 2015 but for some circumstances I couldn’t apply for 3 years. Am I eligible to apply for mext in undergraduate level in 2018 for physics honours?? Please reply ASAP
Hi Arnab Das,
My expertise is in the graduate scholarship, not the undergraduate scholarship, so I am not as familiar with all of the eligibility requirements for that.
I recommend that you refer to MEXT’s application guidelines, directly.
This article is about the University Recommended MEXT scholarship, which is only available at the graduate level. To apply for the undergraduate scholarship, you would have to apply via the embassy.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi!
thank you for writing such a wonderful blog. It is so informative and provides very detailed info about the process of the application.
My problem is that my GPA is not competitive, so I want to know what if is there a supervisor at a Japanese university who is willing to accept me in his research group? is getting a recommendation from him would enhance my chances to get the MEXT scholarship?
Sorry but I forgot to mention that I am considering applying to embassy recommendation MEXT scholarship for a master degree
Hi Wala,
Thank you for your kind words!
You cannot get a recommendation from a Japanese professor for the application process. Your recommendation has to come from your adviser, dean, or president of your most recent university.
If you are in touch with a professor in Japan and that professor has agreed to supervise you if you are accepted, then that would certainly be a helpful thing to mention in your interview!
In the meantime, the best thing you can do to strengthen your application is to write an excellent Field of Study and Research Program Plan.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
HELLO
Thank you so much for the useful information you give
i want to ask if the calculation you mention it above the embassy do it also ?
Hi Susan,
Yes, the same calculation method would apply.
But in some cases, the Embassy will also impose a minimum cumulative GPA requirement in your country’s system, as well. In that case, you would have to follow both.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
thank so much for your kindness and fast replay
My University system learning are Blended learning witch is an education program (formal or non-formal) that combines online digital media with traditional classroom methods
Is it acceptable for master scholarship?
My major is E-commerce – college of administrative and financial sciences.
Thank so much Travis
Hi Susan,
If your program awarded a bachelor’s degree or equivalent, then that should be enough to be able to apply for a Master’s degree.
If your program was not equivalent to a bachelor’s degree, then you would need to complete that degree, first.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
thank you so much travis i am really grateful for your effort,,,,,
yes i complete bachelor’s degree in E-commerce at public University….
as for the research they want it
can i send them an marketing plan because this is what i have done during studying……..
thank you so much again…….
Hi Susan,
If you’re talking about the Field of Study and Research Program Plan that you have to submit with the application, I have written about that form in detail in this article.
I hope that helps!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
i mean
one of the required document are
thesis from the last education level
can i send them a marketing plan ???
Hi Susan,
I see what you mean!
The requirement is to submit an abstract of your graduation thesis. If you wrote a culminating thesis for your degree, you should send an abstract of that paper. If you don’t have a graduation thesis but have presented any papers, then you can submit an abstract of one of those.
If you have no thesis or presented papers, I would recommend that you check with the university or embassy for their guidance on how to move forward, since it will be up to their discretion.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
thank you so much for your kindness Travis ,,,,
Hi Travis! I previously participated in a 1 month scholarship to Japan as an exchange student. Would that make me ineligible to receive a MEXT scholarship? Thank you!
Hi Lukas,
If you received a MEXT Japanese Studies Scholarship (or JASSO scholarship) as an exchange student but then returned to your home university afterward and graduated, then that would not affect your eligibility. You are still able to apply!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi
I want to participate in master degree
but I do not have so much article.
I am a textile designer
last year I was nominated but I could not pass the other steps.
is lack of article could it be one of their reason?
Hi Sara,
Lack of published articles isn’t likely to be a significant factor. Grades in your last degree program and the quality of your Field of Study and Research Program Plan are usually the biggest factors.
Did you apply for the University Recommendation scholarship or Embassy? How far did you make it in the application process? That might give me a hint as to what could have been the issue.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Wow, what an incredible post!! Thank you for sharing all this info!
I wonder… Does a 2.3 gpa out of 3.0 equals a 76 out of 100? 🤔
Anyway. Do you personally know people who got the MEXT Scholarship? Were they all exceptional students with excellent grades?
Hi Maria,
You can’t simply convert an overall average from one system to the next. You can actually get very different results depending on how you arrived at the average. For example, if you had a lot of nearly perfect grades and a few bad ones that brought down your average, you would have a different converted score than if all of your grades were about average.
You have to convert it on a course-by-course basis, and the exact conversion method depends on your country’s grading system.
I know several scholarship winners personally and also was responsible for converting grades and reporting them to MEXT at the university level. For the university recommendation, most applicants that won the scholarship had outstanding grades. (Through some applicants with lower grades got the PGP category scholarship). They also had well thought-out research proposals.
While I never directly converted grades for the Embassy Recommendation, I would assume that a high average would be helpful to be competitive there. Depending on your country’s system, a 76 might be competitive or it might not. I’d recommend that you take a shot at converting your grades to MEXT’s system and see what they are.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
In India all the universities consider marks of mainly 10th and 12th grade’s and our grades fall down terribly in 11th grade due to the extra pressure and total change in the topics studied. In my transcript if I submit only 10 and 12th marks is it okay?
Hi A.K.,
For the MEXT application, you are required to submit the transcript for all years at the last school you attended, so it would not be OK if you left out the years that you did poorly. Your application would be considered incomplete and would not be reviewed. I don’t know if the Embassy counts all the years or makes accommodations for the situation that you described. I only know that you have to submit all years.
Since it sounds from your comment like this is something everyone in India goes through, it should not be too big of a concern for you – all of your competition will also be students from India, so they should be in the same situation!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
I want an information:
If due to some unforeseen reason a research student wants to cancel the scholarship himself/herself,how many days before he /she should inform the department or the international office.
Hi S Das,
In the event that a student wishes to cancel, he or she should contact the university as quickly as possible!
Depending on where you are in the application process, canceling early may still give the university time to recommend an alternate scholar in your place. If you wait too long, though, it would be too late and someone else would lose a chance at the scholarship.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello! Thank you for creating such a comprehensive guide to the scholarship application process! It is tremendously helpful and puts me more at ease about the whole ordeal!
I am currently working on the application for the embassy recommended scholarship in the US. I just have one question about the gpa calculation.
I spent my last two semesters (spring and summer) at a Japanese language school in Tokyo. The credits I received during my time there were accredited by my university and were counted toward my major as transfer credits (they appear on my transcript as transfer credits from a “Univ in Foreign Country” with the name of the language school).
I’m a little unclear if these semesters will count toward the gpa calculation. Although they were credits earned at a Japanese language school, my university counted them as normal study abroad credits to be used for my “degree-seeking program.”
If you could clear this up for me I would be extremely grateful! Thanks again for all the great information!!
Hi Andrew,
I’m assuming that your home university did not count the grades you earned during study abroad, right? Some universities transfer both GPA and credits. Others only credits.
I would recommend that you calculate your GPA three ways, to be safe. I can’t be certain how the Embassy will do it.
– Calculate only the most recent two years of grades from your home university, counting the language credits as pass/fail (e.g. don’t factor them in) – I think this is most likely
– Calculate the last two years from your home university, but use the grade you earned at the language school to count for those credits
– Calculate the last two full years-worth of semesters spent at your home university.
I think the first is the most likely. If your GPA didn’t transfer from the language school, then it should be treated like transfer credits for a student who transferred partway through the degree. In that case, only GPA earned at the school of record counts for the calculation, but your pre-transfer GPA is still calculated as a reference.
You’re also going to have to include both transcripts.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thanks for the speedy reply!
My home university counted both the credits and the GPA from the language school and factored them into my overall GPA at my home university. My transcript from my home university shows the language school credits, grades, and the corresponding GPA.
Therefore, the transcript from my home university shows a Transfer GPA (the language school GPA), the GPA from my home university, and an overall combined GPA (I don’t have a transcript from the language school as everything was consolidated on my home university transcript and thereby accredited).
I studied at this language school several times as an undergraduate student (although only my last spring and summer semesters would fall into the “last two years” period) and my home university considered the courses I took there as a kind of dual program to be counted toward my main degree program (an “Individually Designed Major” in Japanese Language and Culture).
Since the courses I took at the language school were essential to my main degree and were part of my main study plan at my home university, I would hope that the credits and GPA would be calculated into the MEXT GPA calculation and wouldn’t be considered as part of a “pre-transfer” program.
Just to be safe, I will calculate the MEXT GPA from courses at my home university only. However, do you think the embassy (consulate where I’m applying) is likely to calculate the MEXT GPA including all the semester grades (GPA) given that they all appear on my home university transcript and given that they are all counted as part of my main degree plan?
I hope that I was clear enough in my explanation! Thanks again for being such a great resource for everyone!
Hi Andrew,
In the situation you described – the credits and GPA are reflected in your transcript – MEXT should count those toward your GPA. In general, grades on that transcript will all count. It’s only when universities transfer credits only but not grades that things get complicated.
You might have to submit an extra explanation that the language school grades were considered home university grades and that no transcript or certificate of grades was issued by the language school, but that’s about it.
Of course, I can’t be 100% sure, but based on my experience, that’s my best assessment.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi
Thank you for posting your blogs about MEXT, they have been really useful.
I passed the primary screening for the MEXT scholarship as a research student but I have a question about the eligibility criteria.
I have a pre-existing medical condition which is a blood clotting disorder. I receive medication from the local hospital in my country and I have spoken to them about possibly doing the scholarship and they said there is a policy stipulating the government cannot send it to me while I am living overseas for more than 12 months because it is too expensive and not economical if I do not live here and pay taxes etc.
Of course the condition doesn’t affect my ability to study but obviously I need the medication to live. The doctor indeed put the condition down on my certificate of health so the Embassy would have seen it when I submitted my papers and I passed the first screening but no one mentioned it and I sure wasn’t going to start flagging it.
Now after some consultation with Japanese people, online digging and phone calls to Japan, it would appear I can get the medication over in Japan as a student if I apply and have a valid visa and such.
Now that’s all well and good, but my question is, moving onto the second and final screening for the scholarship, I wonder if MEXT eliminate people with fairly serious and costly pre-existing medical conditions such as mine, knowing there’s a good chance I will be applying for medication over there and they may regard it as less economical and simply a burden? Do they look into detail at your pre-existing and eliminate you on that basis, despite the fact they probably don’t know whether I can receive the medication from my country or not and how much it really costs considering they aren’t a health bureau?
What do you think? Will MEXT consider me a liability? Or is it nothing to worry about?
Thanks
Ben
Hi Ben,
One of the eligibility criteria of the MEXT scholarship is that applicants “must have no physical or mental health conditions hindering the applicant’s study in Japan.”
There should have been a checkbox in the medical form where the doctor was asked to say “Yes” or “No” to you being in sufficient health to go to Japan. If the Doctor checked yes, then that’s all MEXT needs. They generally are not medical experts, so they rely on that form.
Since you said that you can obtain your medication in Japan (Note: bring any documentation of your condition you can, including a letter from your current doctor, since that will help your re-diagnosis and new prescription in Japan), you should have no trouble with the screening. They are not going to discriminate against you just because you need medication.
I would say at this point, you have nothing to worry about.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi! Just a quick question.
I took summer school after my 3rd year and after my 4th year right before I graduated. Then does my gpa from start of 3rd year+3year summer+4th year+4th year summer all get accounted?
Hi Joseph,
Your summer school sessions should count. In my experience, we took the last 2 years – defined as four semesters, when a semester breakdown was available – and included all the short sessions that fell within that time, as well. A summer or winter session never replaced a regular semester, though, even if a student had multiple summer terms that added up to the same number of credits as a full semester.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thanks for the fast reply. Just one more question.
Our school grading system is A=80~100, B=70~79, C=60~69, D=50~59, F=0~49
Both percentage grade and letter grade seems to show up in our transcript. I know the 5 level system will be used to assess this, but I am curious whether MEXT will consider the letter or percentage grade since the value will be different depending on which one they decide to consider.
Hi Joseph,
I’m not sure I understand what you mean. If an A is 80-100 then converting an “A” to the 3.0 scale will give you the same result as converting an 81.
You do the conversion on a course-by-course basis, not an average, so if the same letter always corresponds to the same percentage, you will get identical results no matter which system you use.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
I was worried in the fact that our school reports both letter grade and percentage grade in the transcript. For example, if i got a 75 on a subject, the transcript would show both the score 75 and B. In this case if i consider the 75 it would have a value of 2 according to the 3.0 conversion. If i consider the letter grade it would be a 3. So i was curious which one I should do my conversion with.
Hi Joseph,
It should never be the case that the letter and number grade give different results in the conversion.
If you’re looking at the tables on this page, understand that the tables assume a situation where 80-89% = B, as it does in Japan.
If you’re from a country where 70-79% = B, and it is indicated as such on your transcript, then you would have to modify the table so that the equivalent grades and percentages lined up. In the system you described, you would convert as follows:
80-100 = A = 3
70-79 = B = 3
60-69 = C = 2
50-59 = D = 1
0-49 = F = 0
I hope that helps!
Good Luck,
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi transenz thanks for your kindness
I do bachelor machanical engineering and Im from Pakistan. I want to take admition in master degree in machanicl feild .my cgpa is 3.1/4 can I apply for mext scholarship?
Hi Tayyab,
This entire post is designed to help you figure out whether or not your are eligible for the scholarship on your own. I’d recommend rereading and double-checking all of the eligibility criteria for yourself!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Dear first I apply to japan university then mext scholarship??
Hi Tayyab,
Not quite. I’ve written articles on how to get started applying for the Embassy-recommended MEXT scholarship or the University-recommended MEXT scholarship. I recommend you check out those for more on how to get started!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi, thank you very much for your great guide. currently i’m doing master’s in architecture at kyushu University and all the eligibility criteria you talked about works for me but i’ve one problem. after my graduation in April i was planning to do internship in Tokyo for 4 month ” till the beginning of August or the end of July” originally the internship period was 6 month but i can shorten it after i explained to the company. i’m sure if i still qualify ? do i need to give up the internship even though it’s a very good opportunity in a very big corporation with possibilities of hiring me too. i’m very confused but when i asked at the university they didn’t mention there is a problem but i’m not sure if they are hiding that reality from me. i don’t want to lose my ability to apply for the scholarship.
Best regards
Ahmed
Hi Ahmed Shahin,
Thank you for your kind words!
In general, if you are staying in Japan for a specific reason (internship) that has a specific end date (like yours does), then that is not a problem for MEXT. It should not affect your eligibility in any way.
You will have to return to your home country to go through your MEXT visa application procedures, since you cannot change your status inside Japan, but that’s the only thing you’d really need to be concerned about.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi, Travis. First off, thank you for this guide!
I would like to ask a few questions:
1) I only have 15 years of education. Am I still eligible? Because in my country, it’s like primary school 6 years, secondary school 5 years, matriculation 1 year (if you take A-levels its 1.5 – 2 years depending) and university 3 years. But the requirements say minimum 16 years of education so I’m kinda worried.
2) The syllabus in my country is in English but our first language is not English. Do I have to sit for IELTS, TOEFL etc even though I got an A for English in the national exam back in high school?
3) In my country’s embassy scholarship requirements, it says we have to get minimum 3.4 CGPA for the research student scholarship. So I just have to follow based on that right? Does this mean I still have to convert on a 3.0 scale?
4) I study in a private university and my degree is affiliated with a UK university. Meaning my grades are based on the UK Grading scale and that I get 2 certs (one from the private uni and one from said UK university). Means if I convert my grade to 3.0 I follow the UK grading system, right?
Thanks for answering.
Hi Lisa,
This article is about the University-recommended scholarship, so I assume you’re asking about that.
1. Typically, if your country has a 3-year bachelor’s degree and you only have 15 years of education, that will be accepted. Some universities will direct you to contact them in advance for a preliminary screening to determine your eligibility, so you should read through their application guidelines carefully (when they are released) to find out how to do that.
2. This will be up to each individual university. But in general, yes.
3. Ultimately, you don’t have to convert the grades yourself, the university will do that. But in your case, you would have to meet the official 2.3 out of 3.0 criteria, not the 3.4 reference that your embassy gave you. (Don’t expect the universities to understand your grading system from your country as well as the embassy will).
4. They will use whatever your transcript uses as your grading system for each individual class. Make sure your transcript includes a method to understand the value of each grade!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
I’m actually applying for the research student scholarship, but do all these still apply? Thank you!
Hi Lisa!
Yes, everything here applies to research students.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
Thank you very much for putting together this site and giving advice to all Japan/MEXT related queries. It’s super, super helpful; thanks for all your discerning advice. I just wish I had come across your site before my recent MEXT embassy application.
My question is related to grading systems; specifically, a University that traversed two grading systems during my UG degree. In this sense, I might be a unique case in terms of GPA calculations.
Background:
My university changed its whole system to the GPA (American System) from the First Class Honours system (British System) during my University year abroad. So effectively, when I returned my whole degree was assessed only on my final year grade. Before I left for my year abroad, I was aware that the system was changing and that the few 100 or so year abroad students would be marked on their final year only upon their return.
With this knowledge (and somewhat lazily), I took it easy in my second year. In the full knowledge that the work I did would not go to my final graduating grade or degree. So in essence my results for my Joint Major Degree were as follows:
– Final Year – GPA 3.27 (on the new system) or 2H1 (on the old system)
– Year Abroad – (in Japan)
– Second Year – 53% (or 2H2) / 40% (or Pass/P) on the old system
I’ve just been rejected from the MEXT by embassy application (first round) and I now fear it might be to do with my grades, as I’ve just discovered (and thanks to your website) that they calculate your final two years. I just presumed that like any postgrad application they take into account your final grade, your actual final mark.
My application / research topic was deemed strong by (and vetted by) two friends who both got MEXT places by embassy recommendation in previous years. So I now fear that my grades or a combination of grades and/or age went against me.
I’m now considering applying for MEXT by University recommendation but I’m confused about calculating my two different grading systems to match the MEXT grading system. For example, in my second year I do not have a course by course breakdown in my transcript (only a final second year overall result breakdown) 53% and 40% for my joint major. In any case, at first glance it does not look to be enough for the MEXT GPA 2.3 minimum.
Questions:
1 – My question is do MEXT make exceptions in grading circumstances? As you mentioned to user Ivan and others, that are sometimes exceptions like a program transfer. Do you think I can use my year abroad’s grades instead? Although my transcript/degree does not take into account my year abroad’s grades (but neither does it take into account my first two year’s grades).
In this sense, the MEXT grading approach seems quite draconian and inflexible given the multitude of global grading systems and changing individual circumstances.
2 – And as an aside, do you know why they use two years for calculations and not just the standard graduating result or final year grade/mark (like the majority of University applications) for calculations?
Thank you in advance.
Hi Stu,
As you think about your GPA, it’s important to remember that the MEXT scholarship is a zero-sum game. There are only a certain number of slots per embassy or per university. So, it’s not just about meeting the minimum qualification, it’s about beating out all the other applicants. Let’s say for example that your embassy had 10 slots and you had a converted GPA of 2.5. Well, if there were 100 applicants with higher GPAs than yours and 50 applicants with a 2.9 or higher, there’s a pretty good chance you wouldn’t get called for an interview.
1) Transferring is the only exception to the GPA calculation methodology. Your grades from your year abroad might get included as a footnote, but unless your home university included them in your final GPA, they wouldn’t matter for MEXT’s calculation.
It might seem draconian, but embassies/universities simply do not have the time to give every application personal attention. Given the relatively small number of places compared to the number of applicants, it only makes sense for them to whittle it down to the best few as efficiently as possible. In Japan, (absent an entrance exam) GPA is still considered the best measure of how good a student you were.
2) If I had to guess, it’s because they want to see how you do in your specialized field. In most university systems, the final two years are when you take the most high-level courses related to your major. MEXT does not want to punish (or reward) you for your grades in introductory level courses or core courses outside your major.
You can, of course, take a shot at the University-Recommended scholarship, but if you’re concerned about your GPA being under 2.3, then I’d make sure to calculate that first. I have never seen a transcript that did not give some kind of individual marks for each class. Even when students told me that they were only graded for the full year, not individual classes (e.g. India, marks system), their transcript still showed the number of marks possible and number of marks earned in each individual course. For the MEXT calculation, they would look at each of those courses and evaluate the earned/possible percentage against the percents you would need for 1H, 2H1, etc.
If your GPA is under 2.3 or not much higher, then realistically, your best chance might be to enroll in a Master’s program in your own country and hold off on MEXT until your PhD. If you apply during the second year of your Masters, then your GPA would be based on year 4 of undergrad and year 1 of your masters.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
What is average marks required to qualify written exams for mext college of technology.
( please don’t answer that it depends upon applicants appearing)
( you can also answer that how much you guys brought to qualify the above exam.)
Hi Ankur,
I’m afraid I don’t have any information about the Colleges of Technology scholarship. But it would depend on the other applicants. Earning the scholarship is not a matter of getting a certain score, it is a matter of doing better than every other applicant.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
Thank you very much for putting together this site and giving advice to all Japan/MEXT related queries. It’s super, super helpful; thanks for all your discerning advice. I just wish I had come across your site before my recent MEXT by embassy application.
My question is related to grading systems; specifically, a University that traversed two grading systems during my UG degree. In this sense, I might be a unique case in terms of GPA calculations.
Background
My Irish University changed its whole system to the GPA (American System) from the First Class Honours system (British System) during my University year abroad. So effectively, when I returned my whole degree was assessed only on my final year grade. Before I left for my year abroad, I was aware that the system was changing and that the 500 or so year abroad students would be marked on their final year only upon their return.
With this knowledge (and somewhat lazily), I took it easy in my second year. In the full knowledge that the work I did would not go to my final graduating grade or degree. So in essence my results for my Joint Major Degree were as follows:
– Final Year – GPA 3.27 (on the new system) or 2H1 (on the old system)
– Year Abroad – (in Japan)
– Second Year – 53% (or 2H2) / 40% (or Pass/P) on the old system
– First Year
I’ve just been rejected from the MEXT by embassy application (first round) and I now fear it might be to do with my grades, as I’ve just discovered (and thanks to your website) that they calculate your final two years. I just presumed that like any postgrad application they take into account your final grade, your actual final mark.
My application / research topic was deemed strong by (and vetted by) two friends who both got MEXT places by embassy recommendation in previous years. So I now fear that my grades or a combination of grades and/or age went against me.
I’m now considering applying for MEXT by University recommendation but I’m confused about calculating my two different grading systems to match the MEXT grading system. For example, in my second year I do not have a course by course breakdown in my transcript (only a final second year overall result breakdown) 53% and 40% for my joint major. In any case, at first glance it does not look to be enough for the MEXT GPA 2.3 minimum.
Questions
1 – My question is do MEXT make exceptions in grading circumstances? As you mentioned to user Ivan and others, that are sometimes exceptions like a program transfer. Do you think I can use my year abroad’s grades instead? Although my transcript/degree does not take into account my year abroad’s grades (but neither does it take into account my first two year’s grades).
In this sense, the MEXT grading approach seems quite draconian and inflexible given the multitude of global grading systems and changing individual circumstances.
2 – And as an aside, do you know why they use two years for calculations and not just the standard graduating result or final year grade/mark (like the majority of University applications) for calculations?
Thank you in advance.
Hi Elias,
I’m sorry to hear about your challenges. My suspicion is that you’re right about the grades being at least part of problem, though it’s impossible to say that was the whole issue without knowing more. It’s possible, too, that even if your grades met the minimum eligibility criteria, that they only took a certain number of applicants with the top grades and best research plans. In that case, competition, not eligibility, would be the problem, and that can change from year to year.
1. No, MEXT never makes any exceptions to any eligibility criteria. The transfer situation I described before is written in their rules, it is not an exception, either.
You cannot use your grades from your year abroad unless they were transferred back to your home university and counted on the transcript.
I would disagree about the MEXT system being draconian. As long as you perform well in the system you’re in, then your grades will come out well in the conversion.
2. I can’t say for sure, but it probably has to do with those grades being a better predictor of graduate school performance. Typically, your final two years are the years where you take the most classes related to your major. At least, that’s the case in Japan. MEXT isn’t really interested in how you performed in English 101, for example, as that is hardly an indicator of how you will do in graduate school.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Travis, thanks for the great article. So I wanted to ask,
1. when applying for a research/PHD scholarship, do they consider my Masters grades only, or do they also factor in the undergrad results in determining my eligibility?
2. Also, can I apply for another Masters degree when I already have one, or am I limited to just the PHD route?
3. Finally, and I’m sorry, I know this is a tad bit tedious, but in my country, your last 2yrs of undergrad, the 3rd year you do not take any courses, you do a year-long internship, and given a grade for that, then go back to school for the 4th year and finish your regular courses. My question is, does MEXT look at the final 2 yrs in my case, or year 2, that is 3rd and 4th year, or 2nd and 4th year, skipping the 3rd year since there are no classes in that year, even though you get an overall year mark?
Hi Tatenda,
1. They consider your last two years of grades. If you have two years of grades from your Master’s then that is all they would consider. If your master’s was only one year, for example, then they would consider your Master’s grades as well as the final year of your undergraduate results.
2. You can, but you would probably be less likely to get the scholarship. You also would not be able to start as a research student if applying for the same level degree as the one you already hold, so that might complicate your application.
3. If you have a grade for the year-three internship, they would look at that grade plus your fourth year results to come up with two years of grades. (At least, that’s how we did it at my university).
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello TranSenz,
I passed the written examination for the Embassy recommended scholarship and currently waiting for the interview. What struck me is that my grades were given in percentage and not in credits system. And do I need to have the average GPA score for Embassy recommended scholarship as well? My grades weren’t that good >.< and that keeps me worrying!
Hi Mika,
If you’ve passed the document screening and written exam, then you’ve already cleared the grades examination and don’t need to worry!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
My school uses a 6 bucket grading system; A B C D, E and F. Where A= 100-70, B= 69-60, C=59-50, D=45-49, E=40-44, F=>40. How is MEXT going to compute my GPA and what points would be given to the different grades A, B, C, D, E, F on my transcript?
Thank you for the great job you’re doing
Hi Chuka,
If more than one of those grades are not a passing grade (e.g. you would not get credit for graduation), then group all non-passing grades, for example E and F, together as “F” (or 0) on the conversion scale and use it like a 5-bucket system.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello,
Thank you for taking your time to inform the public on how and how not to apply for MEXT. I am over 35 and am wondering if you might be aware of any funded PhD in Japan for older timers like me..?
Thanks !
TG
Hi TG,
I’m sorry to hear that you are out of the eligibility age range for MEXT.
Unfortunately, I do not know of any similar scholarship program available across Japan. PhD tuition here is generally pretty inexpensive, but you’d have to cover your cost of living.
Many of the domestic scholarships are offered by companies that are looking to hire the scholarship winners after graduation, so they are targeted at young, Japanese-speaking undergraduate students.
Sorry I don’t have better information for you.
– Travis from TranSenz
your website is extremely helpful!!! OMG! Thank you so much for all of your hardwork!
—back to me— (wow that sounds selfish but I have a quick question)
I am from the states and I am graduating with a 3.8 GPA. So a 3.8 would be about 2.7~2.8 on a 3.0 scale right? Is there an app for this? LOL
Hi Latifa,
You can’t simply convert an overall GPA from one system to another, you have to convert on a course-by-course basis. Depending on the circumstances, a 3.8 US GPA could end up being a 3.0 MEXT GPA (e.g. if your lower grades were A-).
I’m not aware of an app to convert GPAs to MEXT’s system, although that might be something developing in the future. For now, I still do it by hand.
Good Luck,
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi. I have graduated in architecture design with gpa of 3.4/4. I would like to apply in japanese language through mext scholarship. Can i do that? Change my major?
Hi Fatima,
I’ve put together an FAQ about the Field of Study and Research Program that I hope will answer your question.
Check out the link above!
Good Luck,
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello! Thank you very much for all these information. Your guide has been really helpful to me. I just have one question which is not specified here.
I want to apply for the scholarship to begin my master studies in October 2018. I am already doing another master and I will finish until June 2018. So I was thinking that my timing was perfect (finish my current master, have 2 months of vacation and then go to Japan). The problem is that I asked my embassy and they told me that in case of being selected, I would have to arrive to Japan 6 months earlier for the “preliminary language course”. So if my semester starts in October 2018, I would need to arrive to Japan in April 2018 for the Japanese language course (which of course, it’s impossible for me because I will still be finishing my master).
I already have a JLPT level 4 and 3 so I already know a little bit of Japanese. I’ve read on the guidelines of the scholarship that if you prove you have a good level of Japanese, you can avoid taking the language course, however they do not state which level is a “good level”, so my question is:
1) If I have a JPLT level 3 and 4, do I still have to take the preliminary japanese language course ?
2) And if it is indeed mandatory, when will the language course take place if I plan to start in October 2018 ?
I would really appreciate your help with this question because depending on your answer I would decide to apply or not. Thank you in advanced !
Hi Katherine,
Sorry for taking so long to get back to you.
Typically, it is the university that decides whether or not you will have to take the Japanese language preparatory course. Based on my experience, I think that if you have passed the JLPT N3, then your ability should be high enough that the course would not help you much, so you should be able to skip it. I would recommend that you submit your JLPT scores along with your application documents when you apply to universities for the LoA, even if it isn’t required, so they can see that and hopefully don’t sign you up for the Japanese language.
Even if you do end up in the language program, it doesn’t work quite the way the Embassy explained. The date you submit to the embassy is the date you plan to go to Japan, not necessarily the date that you plan to start your degree.
So, you would still be able to arrive in Japan in Sept or Oct 2018. You would then spend 6 months in the language program, delaying your entry to the university degree program. Depending on your degree program, you might start in the following April (2019) or, if they only accept new students in the fall, then you would likely spend the spring 2019 semester as a non-degree (research) student then start your degree in Oct 2019.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you so much for the guide but i was wondering what language the program is being offered with (English or Japanese) for Masters program and what are the comparative percentage of receiving the scholarship if you applied either through the embassy or through university recommendation.
I want to apply for 2018
PS: GOOD Job really, you literally made everything easy
Hi Michael,
Thank you for your kind words!
There are programs in Japan in either Japanese or English. (Obviously, there are more in Japanese). It depends on your field of study and the university you choose.
I’ve included some links to help you find programs taught in English in my most recent article about getting started with the Embassy recommendation application process.
As for your chances, that’s tricky to answer, but in general, I think most applicants have a better chance if they go through the Embassy, at least in terms of the number of slots you would be competing for. How competitive it is varies with your specific country (or, for the university recommendation, with the university you want to apply to).
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
I have a question:
I have 3 semesters well over 2.3, but one falls short by 1 point and is 2.266667… And the four semesters average slightly above 2.4.
Is this disqualifying?
Hi JIL,
I combined your comment and correction into one.
To convert your GPA, you have to convert your grades in each course, one-by-one, then average the whole thing based on the relative weight of each course. Your semester GPAs do not matter (and there is no reason to have to calculate them). As long as your overall average meets the minimum eligibility criteria, you are eligible!
Good Luck,
Travis from TranSenz
Thanks for merging it (and merging it appropriately.)!
I meant the average gpa of one of my semester is below 2.3, but the average of my average gpa is above 2.4.
Hi JIL,
The average GPA of your semesters does not matter, so that would not be a concern. Only the overall average (after converting on a course-by-course basis) is important.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
I got my bachelor degree last year and apart from the graduation cetificate, my other transcripts including marks are not obtainable yet. The process is simply long in my country, Am I eliglible to apply for MEXT if I dun have transcripts yet? I want to apply for a master degree in public health.
Hi Zin,
Are you saying that none of your grades from your entire bachelors’ degree are available? If you have at least some available, then you may be able to apply with those, even if they don’t include the most recent ones.
We often had applicants who didn’t have their final year grades available yet when they applied and that wasn’t a problem then.
If the process is the same throughout your country, then the Japanese embassy there should understand that and have a workaround for you. I’d recommend contacting them to see if they have any advice. How do people go on to grad school in your country if the universities take over a year to release grades? Whatever your classmates would do to apply for graduate school inside your country should give you a hint as to what you can do to apply for MEXT.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello and thank you for your guide to the MEXT scholarship.
I am a Swedish citizen and I am planning to apply for the MEXT scholarship this year, I was wondering if it is possible for me to apply for another university but without any involvement with this or any other scholarship. To clarify, I want to apply for both MEXT and another university, for the other university I will not apply for any financial aid scholarship like MEXT, is this ok?
I was thinking it should be okay since it would be strange if a scholarship stopped me from applying anywhere else, like I would just apply for this thing and then hope for the best without any other plan? To me that sounds pretty bad.
Hi Ida,
The timing could be tricky. The MEXT eligibility rules (for both Embassy and University recommendation) say that you are ineligible to apply for the scholarship if you are currently enrolled at a Japanese university with a student residence status at the time of application (Unless you will graduate before the scholarship payment period starts) or you will become enrolled at a Japanese university prior to the start of the scholarship payment period.
So, if you get your acceptance decision from the non-MEXT university before you get your MEXT results, you would have to choose at that point whether to accept the offer from the non-MEXT university and cancel your application or to turn down that acceptance and stick with MEXT.
If the non-MEXT university’s results come out after you learn whether or not the MEXT university has recommended you for the scholarship, then it would be no problem.
Sorry for the complicated answer, but it’s all a matter of timing.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hey Travis,
Thank you so much for this blog, it really gives someone confidence when applying for the MEXT scholarship.
I am applying for the Embassy recommendation MEXT scholarship. Please I have some questions I would like to ask.
1) Universities in my country use the 6 level educational system in which A = 5.0, B = 4.0, C = 3.0, D = 2.0, E = 1.0, F = 0.0. Please I want to calculate my GPA using the 3.0 grading scale to know if i’m eligible. So if A = 3.0, what are the scores for B, C, D, E and F?
2) What is the pass mark for TOEFL that MEXT will accept?
3) This is about my medical certificate. The physician that I saw filled my form awkwardly. In the Past illness/disorder section, instead of just checking none he wrote none in all the “Date of recovery/under treatment” columns. He also left the y-GTP space in the LFT lab test section blank saying that they don’t do it in the hospital. Is it okay to submit it to the Embassy like that?
Hope for a quick response
Thank you and God bless.
Sorry Travis, one more question
I will soon write the TOEFL exam but the time the result comes out it would already be past the deadline. Will it be ok to put my GCE “O” level result in the application form just for now? I got a C in English.
Hi Joseph,
You can list them in your application, yes. For the Embassy-recommended application process, you are not necessarily required to submit proof of English language proficiency. You will take a language proficiency test at the embassy during the application.
Best Regards,
Travis
Hi Joseph,
Sorry it wasn’t a quick response. I’ve been getting more questions than I can keep up with.
1) If there are multiple failing grades (e.g. “E” and “F”), then group those together as one level. All failing grades convert to “0”. In most cases, that should solve the problem!
2) There is no official minimum TOEFL. Your score has to be high enough for universities to be comfortable accepting you as a student, so it’s going to vary by university.
I recommend looking up the specific university’s website and looking for their application guidelines for fee-paying students at your level. They may list specific requirements there.
3) That should not be a problem. But if you want to be sure, take the document back to him and ask him or his staff to check the overall “none” as well.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
First of all thanks alot for the informative blogs, the platform is allowing me to understand the selection policies of MEXT at a high pace.
The question i want to ask is, i am a Telecommunication Engineer with GPA 1.6/3.0.Now, as you know my chances of selection are not that much , in this situation can i apply in any university,ignoring english course universities on the fact that i will be able to attain Japanese course once i got shortlisted. Can i apply for a university that has masters available in Telecommunication engineering (that is only one university) or shall i apply for other universities too which are offering electronics and information system degrees. What do you think shall i be selected on the basis that very few students apply for masters in telecommunication engineering ?
Your precious reply will be warmly welcomed .Thanks in advance
Regards Nabeel from Pakistan
Hi Nabeel,
You’re welcome.
If your GPA is 1.6 on the Japanese 3.0 scale, I’m afraid you are not eligible to receive the MEXT scholarship. There is no exception possible if you don’t meet the GPA requirement.
Also, if you aren’t already reasonably fluent in Japanese (at least N2 level), then you would have to apply for an English-taught program. There is no way to learn Japanese to a sufficient level to be able to study for a degree in such a short time.
If you are selected through the Embassy-recommended scholarship, you may get placed in a 1-semester Japanese language course, but that is only designed to teach very basic Japanese so that you can shop for food, talk to your landlord, etc. It will not teach you enough to study for a degree.
When you apply for the scholarship, you are completing with all other applicants, not just applicants in your field, so being in a rare field does not necessarily help you, I’m afraid.
Good Luck
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi!
Quick question regarding the credit system in regards to UK university grading. In the UK, anything over 70% is considered an A, and grades above 80% is incredibly rare (90%+ is unheard of). Are things like this factored in at all?
Many thanks for writing this blog!
G
Hi again, my bad I see you’ve answered this question below! So to reiterate, First and Second class grades are 3, Third is a 2 and a pass is a 1?
Hi Gmcmillan,
The determination is ultimately going to be made based on the explanation of the marking system on your transcript and, to some extent, the university’s discretion, particularly in the case of a 6-level system.
If your transcript of marks lists the marks for First, Second Upper, Second Lower, Third, and Pass, then it could be as you said with First and both Seconds being 3, Third being 2, and Pass being 1, but that’s not a guarantee. Alternatively First and Second-Upper could be 3, Second-Lower 2, and Third/Pass a 1.
I’ve also seen UK transcripts that didn’t list a “Third” score, so the only options were First, Second Upper, Second Lower, and Pass. In that case, First and Second Upper would be threes, Second Lower a 2 and Pass a 1.
Unfortunately, there’s no fixed way of calculating this in the MEXT guidelines, but those are my best guesses. If you’re going through the Embassy application, they are going to be a lot more familiar with your grading system than I am and should have a set way of determining the equivalency. If you’re going through the University, though, it all comes down to the explanations written on your transcript itself.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
A quick question regarding eligibility particularly to this point >>> “Those wishing to engage in fieldwork or an internship in a country other than Japan after submission of their application.”
I am UK citizen who currently resides in the USA as my spouse is American. I have been working in UK but returned to the States to be with my spouse. I am currently looking for work here until and expect to be employed shortly. My goal is to work here until hopefully going to Japan on MEXT next year. Does this in anyway make me ineligible? I should think not as I am not in education and I have to work to support myself even though I am in a different country.
Best,
Dan
Hi DanP,
That line item is badly worded in English. To match the Japanese meaning, it should say something like “Those who, at the time of application, wish to engage in fieldwork or an internship in a country other than Japan during their studies.”
There is no problem with working in another country while you wait on the results of the application process. You would only become ineligible if your research topic required fieldwork or an internship outside of Japan during your studies.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thanks for the blog!! It is really helpful . I am doing my 3rd year graduate program in computer science. I would like to do my masters in Japan. As I noted the application for MEXT scholarship is already open for 2018. I have the following queries related to it.
1) I will be graduated only by July 2018 and I probably will get the certificate of graduation by September. Is it advisable to apply for 2018 October batch or should I wait and apply for MEXT 2019 as my graduation certificate can take delay and we need to specify it in application.
2) I am from a country where the native language is not English but all our studies are done in English language. Should I write a English test like IELTS to prove my language?
3) I am confused about whether to apply for 2018 as it is too early for me before graduation and I don’t want to mess it up or should I wait and do Japanese study for JLPT mean while and apply for 2019 ?
4) I have already been to Japan twice as a part of student exchange program . Will it be useful for my application?
5) should we need to concern about the professor under whom I do masters prior to the application or is it needed only after I get selected?
Thank-you!!
Hi Ashly,
Thank you for your kind words!
1) You can apply for the October 2018 admission. You would need to provide a “certificate of expected graduation” when you apply to show that you are scheduled to graduate before the scholarship starts and would then have to produce the final certificate of graduation when you arrive. The Certificate of Graduation does not need to be your formal diploma. It can be a letter from the registrar stating that you have met all the criteria and are considered graduated, just awaiting the diploma issuance.
2) I would recommend that you do. Some universities might waive the requirement for you, but others will not. (Where I worked, we would have required you to submit test scores).
3) You should have no problem with 2018. There are a lot of applicants who apply before they have graduated and start their MEXT studies right after graduation, the way you are planning to do.
4) It’s nice to have that on your application, but it isn’t necessarily going to be a significant help for you unless you’re applying to a university where you studied abroad and the professors remember you (or can look you up).
5) I would recommend choosing a professor in advance. As I wrote in the article about the Field of Study and Research Program Plan, you want to write that plan as if you’re talking directly to one specific professor. Make sure your research is connected to his/hers and try to get him/her interested in supervising you.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi ,
I have a doubt with the application, i am doing 6 th semester in computer science engineering. In the brief info we need to specify the CGPA and only my 4 semester results are out. Should I write the CGPA based on the marks I got till now?
Hi Ashly,
In your case, you would use the most recent 4 semesters available. You’ll need to submit the most up-to-date version of your transcripts that you can.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
I was about to calculate my CGPA and saw that 0-59 considered as F but in my certificate only grades are specified and even though it comes between 0-59 my grade is C. Should I go with point 0 or 2?
Hi Ashly,
That example is for the Japanese grading system. Your grades will be evaluated against your country’s grading system, which will be different. (You will have to provide an explanation of the grading system as part of your application).
There are some systems where 70-100 is an A, 60 is a B, 50 is a C, etc. In those cases, the conversion should be based on the scores actually used in that country. Map them to a 4- or 5-level grading system, as appropriate.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi!!! Thank you so much for the information but I was wondering if this scholarship is also applicable for those who have a long-term resident status there in Japan? Also, do foreign students have to take Japanese language test first for the entrance examination for the scholarship?
Hi Zel,
No, you would have to leave Japan and give up your long-term residence to become eligible. All scholarship recipients must be on a student residence status. (That’s why I never applied for it myself!)
You would only need to take a Japanese language test if you were applying for a program taught in Japanese that required it. It’s not a requirement for the scholarship.
Good Luck,
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi my question is how many i time’s i apply for MEXT via embassy recommendation for example i fail this year (in 2017) for some reason like my qualification not equal to Japanese education .Can i apply in 2018 or this is one time game ?
for record i have 3-years Associate Engineering diploma and 2-years B-tech pass undergraduate degree so i have total 15 years education plus 6+ years professional work experience in my study related field Electrical/Electronic ,. i am applying for research student or master degree
Hi Sam,
You can keep applying until you are too old to qualify for the scholarship. On the University-recommended application, I saw the same applicant apply three years in a row, once.
However, if you are rejected by the Embassy-recommendation process because your educational background is not deemed equal to a Japanese university graduate, then you would need to meet the eligibility requirements (e.g. get an honors degree, etc.) before you apply again, or else you would face the same result.
Since the system varies from country to country, I can’t say for sure whether your background would qualify, but the Japanese embassy in your country is going to know your education system much better than I do, so they’ll be able to make that decision.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
thanks for your reply it is very help full . i want ask one more question , i thinking about apply in 2017 for 2018 year as Non-degree student. i am currently enroll as student in MSc Computer science program in my home country university and i graduate in December 2017 So if i don’t mention my current degree in my Mext scholarship application form and i select this year for non-degree student . What kind of problem i face In future ? i don’t want mention because on my home country Japanese embassy web site say’s in requirements student graduate in June 2017 eligible to apply and if i mention may be they reject my application.
Hi Sam,
The requirement for MEXT is that you have to finish your current degree before you arrive in Japan (e.g. by March 2018), but that only applies if you’re applying for the next higher level degree in Japan. (e.g. In your case, if you were applying to be a PhD-level non-degree student).
If you are applying to be a PhD-level non-degree student, then you would need to list your MSc, because you wouldn’t be qualified without it.
If you’re applying to be a Master’s-level non-degree student, then completing your Bachelor’s degree is the only requirement to qualify, so it doesn’t matter when you finish your MSc. You still have to list it in the form though, since not listing it would be lying and lying can get you disqualified.
You might also want to double-check with your embassy about the date. They may have listed the wrong year my mistake. It makes sense for the 2017 scholarship that you would have to finish your degree by June 2017 to qualify, but for 2018, you should have more time.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis thanks for attention. After reading your reply i decide mention my MSc in my MEXT application form but i still scare of rejection because my home country embassy clearly say’s(“Students whose final result is expected in June 2017 are eligible to apply.”) I mention Embassy website link for you ( http://www.pk.emb-japan.go.jp/itpr_en/MEXT_Research_Scholarship.html )
May be i misunderstood .
One more thing i ask from you, your Blog section about Research Plan & Field of study not give the enough information . I bit confuse can you suggest me some other web links.
Once Again Thanks for your reply your blogs Big help for people like me.
Hi Sam,
MEXT’s eligibility criteria say “before arriving in Japan”, but it’s possible that your Embassy has additional requirements. I’d recommend contacting them directly for a clarification.
While I plan to work on updating the article on the Field of Study in the future, it probably won’t be in time for your needs. I would recommend that you talk to one of your current professors or academic advisor for guidance on how to write one. I do not have any other resources at this time.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz