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Undergraduate Scholarships in Japan – MEXT Scholarships

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Scholarship Overview

  • The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) in Japan offers undergraduate scholarships to international students who wish to study at Japanese universities.
  • MEXT Scholarships are granted to those individuals who are willing to contribute to mutual understanding between Japan and their home country through participation in activities at schools and communities during their study in Japan while contributing to the internationalization of Japan.
  • Other categories of scholarships include research scholarships, teacher training and Japanese studies.
  • The undergraduate scholarship is offered for 5 years, and includes one preparation year in which recipients study the Japanese language.

Host School(s)

  • Japanese Universities

Field(s) of Study

  • All undergraduate programs in the fields of Social Studies and Humanities, and Natural Sciences.

What does the scholarship cover?

Recipients of this scholarship receive:

  • All tuition fees
  • Return airfare
  • An allowance of ¥117,000 – ¥120,000 per month
  • Healthcare insurance

How many scholarships are given?

  • 460 scholarships will be given in 2019.

Which countries are targeted?

  • International students from countries that have diplomatic relations with Japan.

Am I Eligible to Apply?

All applicants for this fellowship must:

  • Be at least 17 and  under 25 years of age at the time of application
  • Have completed 12 years of schooling
  • Be a secondary school graduate or have a qualification similar to that in Japanese upper secondary schools
  • Must be from a partner country that accepts MEXT applicants (check the Japanese embassy website for your country to confirm this)
  • Take examinations in Mathematics, English, Science and Japanese. Those planning to do Natural Sciences must choose two subjects out of Physics, Chemistry and Biology.
  • Submit a health certificate in the prescribed format signed by a physician indicating that the applicant has no physical or mental conditions that will prevent them from pursuing their studies in Japan.

How Do I Apply – Next Steps

  • Applications should be sent to the Japanese embassy/consulate in the applicant’s home country.
  • These Japanese diplomatic missions conduct the First Screening of applicants, where submitted applications documents are examined, written academic examinations are administered, and interviews are conducted.
  • Applicants who pass the First Screening will be recommended to MEXT. MEXT then conducts the Second Screening of these applicants, and decide who receives the scholarships. Candidates are selected for each field of study.
  • The selection results are released by the end of January of the year of arrival in Japan to commence studies.

Required Documents

  • MEXT undergraduate application form
  • Academic transcripts for the previous school for all the years attended
  • A graduation certificate from the previous school
  • A recommendation letter from a teacher or the principal of the last school attended
  • A medical certificate

Note:

  • All these documents should be in Japanese or English. If they are in another language, a certified translation into either of the above languages should be attached.
  • Applicants must submit two sets of documents – one set of original documents, and the other of their copies, arranged in the order specified by MEXT.

Closing Date

  • The application deadline is 13 June 2019

How do I get more information?

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