Japanese Government’s MEXT Scholarship – Tips and Guideline

Who does not want to experience studying and living in the country of anime, manga, sushi, and ramen?

Learn with us through this article about the Japanese government’s MEXT scholarship for research master’s and doctoral studies.

This is a competitive scholarship and a golden opportunity for international students to study at Japan’s distinguished universities and learn about the culture of this ancient country.

 

Scholarship identification card

1. Provider: Japanese Ministry of Education, Sports, Culture, Science and Technology MEXT.
2. Academic level: Masters and Ph.D.
3. Participating universities: All Japanese universities.
4. Available majors: All specialties except for clinical medical specialties, such as human medicine and dentistry, need a license to practice the profession from the Japanese government in case you want to study a clinical master.

Except that medical students can apply to any other specialization that does not require surgical or clinical practice (Public health, administration..).

Duration: Two years for the master’s degree in addition to six months of the preparatory Japanese language.

The scholarship is for all nationalities.

Scholarship type: Full scholarship.
Study language: English/Japanese.
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Who can get the scholarship?

1. The applicant must be under 35 years old at the time of joining the scholarship.
2. To be a graduate and hold a bachelor’s degree with a grade point average of not less than 70%.
3. Be fluent in English or Japanese.
4. All nationalities are eligible to apply, including Syrians and Palestinian-Syrians (see the website of the Japanese Embassy in your country for more information on other eligibility criteria that may be required at this website. ).

The required paperwork

1. Application Form, fields are to be filled in either typed or handwritten. Form download link here.

2. Placement Preference Form The applicant is entitled to a maximum of three study desires at three universities. The fields are also to be filled in either print or handwritten. Download link here.

3. Field of study and research plan.

4. A medical certificate, download it from here. To be filled by a doctor exclusively. (Can be submitted after the language exam).

5. Recommendation letter from the dean, university president, or department head.

To download the required recommendation letter form here.

6. Recommendation letter from your business manager. (In case you are working).
7. Undergraduate transcript (Bachelor/Master) translated and certified.8. Undergraduate certificate translated and attested.
9. Japanese or English language proficiency certificate. (if available).

10. Dissertation summary if possible (for master’s students who intend to study for a doctorate).

11. Identity proof document (for example, a registry entry or any official document that proves your nationality and personal information, a passport copy may be sufficient, check the requirements before applying because they differ a little bit from one country to another depending on the embassy).

12. Your portfolio (photos) or an audio track, only required for applicants to the Master of Arts and Music.
13. Check sheet requirements, download it here.

 

Scholarship Features

1. The scholarship covers 6 months of a preparatory Japanese language course.
2. The traveling cost.
3. University fees.
4. A monthly salary of 144,000 Japanese yen, equivalent to $1,300.
5. Applications open in April of each year, and the date varies slightly for each country, depending on the dates of its Japanese embassy.
6. Submissions are also closed on different dates, this year the deadline for submissions is May 24. Check the embassy’s website to make sure of the exact dates.
7. Applications are reviewed and applicants are informed of initial acceptance and the date of the written language exam in July.
8. Applications to Japanese universities for provisional admission continue until August 27. The applicant who receives an initial response from the scholarship must expedite contacting the required universities and obtain university admission at an early date.
9. The applicant must submit the final wishes file at the end of September.
10. The second review of applications and university registration procedures for applicants is conducted by the scholarship committee until October/October.
11. For applicants who have passed the second review and obtained university admission, the final result will be sent to them by the Japanese Embassy during November and February of the following year.

 

How to apply

Applications and papers are submitted to the Japanese embassy in your country via e-mail. You can find out detailed information about the embassy of your country through the link.

All papers must be in PDF format and sent by one email only, the size of one file must not exceed 9 MB.

Resend the mail if you do not receive a response confirming receipt of your application from the Embassy within three working days after sending.

The applicant shall undergo a written examination at the Japanese Embassy in addition to an oral interview.

If he passes the examination and interview, the applicant must send hard copies of the files by mail, and they will not be returned to the applicant after receiving them.

For Syrian students, the Japanese embassy in Damascus has been suspended since 2012, so you can submit the papers to one of the Japanese embassies in neighboring countries, get to know them through the link.

See also the website of the Embassy of Japan in Syria.

Syrian students who intend to take the written exam at the Beirut embassy must send their applications and papers to the e-mail: jpembassy.syria@gmail.com .

Syrian students who intend to take the written exam at the Ankara Embassy should send their applications and papers to the e-mail: culture@an.mofa.go.jp .

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We advise all applicants to read the scholarship guide very carefully, many details cannot be answered in one article, such as visa details, the required university level, and many other things.

But they are mentioned extensively in the guide through the link. And more information through the official website.

The scholarship does not require a letter of motivation or a letter of intent, but within the application form, there are several questions to replace, such as why do you want to study this major? Why Japan?

And many other questions that can be answered in the same way as a motivation letter.

Start preparing your papers early, as the requirements are many, followed by the process of applying to universities, which in turn takes time.

The written exam at the embassy is an English and Japanese language exam, to determine your level in both languages, everyone must take it regardless of their level (the guide did not mention anything about TOEFL or IELTS certificate).

Prepare well for the exam by studying the previous questions via the link to their official site.

Good luck!.