MEXT (Japanese Government) Research Scholarships

Scholarship Overview

The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) in Japan offers scholarships to international students who want to pursue graduate studies at Japanese Universities as research students under the MEXT Scholarship Program.
The research scholarships are offered for two years, including 6 months of preparatory study of Japanese.

Host School(s)

Field(s) of Study

Applicants should select the field of study that is identical to what they majored in at university, or any related field.
These fields of study must be subjects that the applicant will be able to study and research at graduate level in Japanese universities.

What does the scholarship cover?

Recipients of this scholarship receive:

How many scholarships are given?

Which countries are targeted?

Am I Eligible to Apply?

All applicants for this fellowship must:

Be a national of a country that has diplomatic relations with Japan
Have been born on or after April 2, 1984
Satisfy the qualification requirements for admission to a master’s degree course or a doctoral degree course at a Japanese graduate school
Be prepared to take a Japanese language course or show proof of proficiency
Submit a health certificate in the prescribed format signed by a physician
Obtain a student visa at the Japanese diplomatic mission located in the applicant’s country of nationality.
Be willing to contribute to mutual understanding between Japan and their home country by taking part in activities at schools and communities during their stay in Japan, and contributing to the internationalization of Japan

How Do I Apply – Next Steps

Applications should be sent to Japanese diplomatic missions by the deadline.
The application should include:
- Application form
- Placement Preference Form
- Field of Study and Research Plan
- Certified grade transcripts for every year at the last university attended
- certified degree certificate
- recommendation letter from the president, dean or advisor of the current university or the last university attended
- Medical certificate in the prescribed format
- Certificate of language proficiency
- Recommendation letter from the present employer
- A 4.5 by 3.5 cm photo of the applicant attached to the application form
All examinations and interviews will be conducted at the Japanese diplomatic missions in the applicant’s home country.
The Japanese diplomatic missions conduct the First Screening of applicants – 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.

Closing Date

How do I get more information?