APPLY: 2022 Japanese Government MEXT Scholarship Program For foreign students

March 6, 2022March 6, 2022 Chila Andrew Aondofa 785 Views MEXT Scholarship min read

Share with friends

The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology (MEXT) of Japan offers scholarships to international students who wish to study at Japanese universities as Undergraduate Students under the Japanese Government MEXT Scholarship Program as follows.

Those who are enrolled in an undergraduate course at a university, or who are receiving preparatory education in the Japanese language and other subjects before placement at the university.

Those who apply for an undergraduate student must choose a “Field of Study (“Social Sciences and Humanities” or “Natural Sciences”), “Course”, and “Major(s)” from the below table. Applicants may enter a first, second, and third choice.

MEXT Scholarship Summary

Host Country: Japan
Category: Undergraduate Scholarships
Eligible Countries: All Countries
Reward: Full Scholarship with 117,000 yen Monthly Stipend
Deadline: Varies by Countries

Scholarship Details

Each grantee will be enrolled at a preparatory educational institution (Tokyo University of Foreign Studies for the grantees who choose the above

The preparatory course is a one-year intensive course in the Japanese language and other subjects necessary for preparation for proceeding to university.

Its curriculum mainly consists of education in the Japanese language, and includes other subjects such as Japanese affairs, mathematics, English, and social studies for those majoring in Social Science and Humanities, and physics, chemistry and biology for those majoring in Natural Sciences.

A grantee who has completed the preparatory education will go on to a university designated by MEXT upon passing its entrance examination undertaken by the university. If a grantee is determined to be incapable of completing the preparatory course, his/her scholarship will be canceled and he/she will be required to return to his/her home country.

If a grantee cannot enter the university even though he/she has completed the preparatory education, his/her scholarship will be cancelled, and he/she will be required to return to his/her home country.

The university which a grantee will enter will be decided by MEXT in consultation with the university and the preparatory educational institution and in comprehensive consideration of the results of the academic examinations in the First Screening conducted at the Japanese Embassy or consulate (hereinafter referred to as “Japanese diplomatic mission”) in the country of applicant’s nationality, academic achievement at the preparatory educational institution, the grantee’s proposed major subject, and the receiving capacity or region of the university.

No objection by the grantee against the decision will be allowed. In principle, the academic year begins on April 1 each year and ends on March 31 the following year. All classes will be given in the Japanese language (except where a grantee is directly placed at a university which requires no Japanese language ability).

If a grantee attends the designated university for the prescribed number of years and earns the required number of credits as determined by the university, he/she will be awarded a Bachelor’s Degree.

Change of Field of Study, Transfer to Another University and Subjects to be Studied

A grantee will not be permitted to change his/her course (Social Sciences and Humanities A and B, and Natural Sciences A, B, and C). A grantee will not be permitted to transfer to another university during the period of the preparatory education course or the undergraduate course.

A grantee must study compulsory subjects as determined by the preparatory educational institution and the university even if he/she has already studied them at a university outside Japan.

MEXT Scholarship Requirements

MEXT accepts applications from international students for study in Japan who satisfy the following qualifications and conditions.

Its aim is to foster human resources who will become bridges of friendship between the grantee’s country and Japan through study in Japan and who will contribute to the development of both countries and the wider world.

(1) Nationality: Applicants must have the nationality of a country that has diplomatic relations with Japan. An applicant who has Japanese nationality at the time of application is not eligible. However, persons with dual nationality who hold Japanese nationality and whose place of residence at the time of application is outside of Japan are eligible to apply as long as they choose the nationality of the other country and renounce their Japanese nationality by the date of their arrival in Japan. The First Screening must be conducted at the Japanese diplomatic mission in the country of which the applicant chooses the nationality.

(2) Age: Applicants, in principle, must be born on or after April 2, 1997. However, applicants who satisfy the conditions for Academic Background stipulated in ③ below must be 18 years of age or older at the time of admission to a university in Japan. Exceptions are limited to cases in which MEXT deems that the applicant could not apply within the eligible age limit due to the situation or circumstances of the applicant’s country (military service obligation, loss of educational opportunities due to disturbances of war, etc.). Personal circumstances (financial situation, family circumstances, state of health, circumstances related to applicant’s university or place of employment, etc.) will not be considered for exceptions.

(3) Academic Background: Applicants must satisfy any one of the following conditions. However, applicants desiring direct placement must satisfy either the following ①, ③ or ④ condition. ① Applicants who have completed 12 years of schooling in countries other than Japan. (Applicants who will meet the above condition by March 2022 are eligible. However, applicants wishing to enroll from the autumn term through direct placement must be expected to complete 12 years of schooling by August 2022.) ② Applicants who have completed their studies at a school equivalent to a Japanese upper secondary school in countries other than Japan. (Applicants who will meet the above condition by March 2022 are eligible.) ③ Applicants who have successfully passed an academic qualification examination that is equivalent to the completion of 12 years of schooling in countries other than Japan. (Applicants who will meet the above condition by March 2022 are eligible.) ④ Other than the above ①, ② and ③ conditions, applicants who are eligible for enrollment in a Japanese university at the time of application.

(4) Japanese Language: Applicants must be willing to learn Japanese. Applicants must be interested in Japan and be willing to deepen their understanding of Japan before and after arriving in Japan. In addition, in principle, applicants must be willing to carry out their academic studies in Japan in Japanese. (5) Health: Applicants must submit a health certificate in the prescribed format signed by a physician attesting that the applicant has no physical or mental conditions hindering the applicant’s study in Japan.

Scholarship Duration

A grantee who studies at a preparatory educational institution prior to enroll in a university: The scholarship period will last for five years from April 2022 to March 2027, including one-year preparatory education in the Japanese language and other subjects due to be provided upon arrival in Japan. For scholarship grantees majoring in medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine or a six-year course in pharmacy, the scholarship period will be seven years until March 2029.

A grantee who enroll in a university through direct placement: The scholarship period will last for four years (or for six years for those majoring in medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine or in a six-year course in pharmacy). The scholarship period will start from the time of enrollment in the university which the university designates.

(Note 1) In (2) above, the period of enrollment may be April 2022, September 2022, or October 2022 depending on the university’s academic calendar. (Note 2) If a grantee graduate earlier or withdraws from his/her undergraduate course for early entrance to graduate school, the scholarship will be provided until his/her graduation or withdrawal. (Note 3) The grantees majoring in a six-year course in pharmacy must undergo the “Pharmaceutical Common Achievement Tests” implemented before practical training. In cases when it is impossible for the grantees to fulfill the fixed standards necessary for practical training, the scholarship may be canceled.

Scholarship Benefit

Allowance: 117,000 yen per month. A supplemental regional allowance of 2,000 yen or 3,000 yen per month will be added to the monthly scholarship amount for the grantees studying or conducting research in specially designated regions. Due to the situation of the Japanese Government’s budget, the amount of payment may be subject to change each fiscal year. If a grantee is absent from the university or the preparatory educational institution for an extended period, the scholarship shall be suspended for that period.

Education Fees: Fees for the entrance examination, matriculation, and tuition at universities will be paid by MEXT.

Traveling Expenses ① Transportation to Japan: MEXT will stipulate the travel schedule and route, and provide an airline ticket to grantees who will arrive in Japan during the specified period stated in “5. Arrival in Japan”.

The airline ticket will be an economy-class ticket for the flight from the international airport closest to the grantee’s residence (in principle, the country of nationality) to an international airport in Japan used on the normal route to the accepting university. The grantee shall bear at his/her own expense all costs related to domestic travel from the grantee’s residence to the nearest international airport, airport taxes, airport usage fees, special taxes necessary for travel, travel expenses within Japan (including airline transit costs), travel insurance expenses, carry-on luggage or unaccompanied baggage expenses, etc.

The grantee shall also bear at his/her own expense travel and lodging costs incurred in a third country if the grantee must travel to a third country before coming to Japan for visa purposes because there are no Japanese diplomatic missions in his/her country, or if there are no direct flights from the grantee’s country of residence to Japan. MEXT will provide an economy-class airline ticket from the – 6 – grantee’s country of residence to the said third country, and from the third country to an international airport in Japan used on the normal route to the accepting university. In principle, the address given in the space for “Your address before departure forJapan” on the application form shall be recognized asthe “residence,” and the airline ticket will be arranged for a flight from the international airport nearest to that address. Except for cases when the grantee must travel to a third country to obtain a visa, MEXT will not provide an airline ticket for cases of travel to Japan from a country other than the grantee’s country of residence due to the grantee’s personal circumstances. If a grantee will arrive in Japan before or after the specified period stated in “5.

Arrival in Japan”, travel expenses will not be paid. ② Transportation from Japan: Based on the application by the grantee, MEXT will provide an airline ticket to grantees who shall graduate the accepting university and return to the home country by the end of the final month of the period of scholarship (See “6. PERIOD OF SCHOLARSHIP”) designated by MEXT. MEXT shall provide an economy-class airline ticket from the international airport in Japan used for the normal route to and from the accepting university to the international airport (in principle, in the country of nationality) nearest to the returning recipient’s residence. The grantee shall bear at his/her own expense all costs related to travel from the grantee’s residence in Japan to the nearest international airport, airport taxes, airport usage fees, special taxes necessary for travel, travel expenses within the country of nationality (including airline transit costs), travel insurance expenses, carry-on luggage or unaccompanied baggage expenses, etc. If a grantee returns to the home country before the end of period of scholarship due to personal circumstances, or reasons stated in “8. SUSPENSION OF PAYMENT OF SCHOLARSHIP”, MEXT will not pay for the returning travel expenses. If a grantee continues to stay in Japan after the scholarship period has ended in cases such as proceeding to further education or being employed in Japan, travel expenses for a temporary return will also not be paid.

Method of Application

Applicants MUST read through the Application Guidelines below and follow the instructions. Application Forms along with Certificate of Health, and Recommendation Letter should be submitted to the Japanese embassy or consulate general in your country.

These documents can be printed out and filled in by hand-written, typed out, or filled in with software applications and printed out.