Japanese Government MEXT Research Scholarships
Dear Students,
We are pleased to share that applications for MEXT Research Scholarship for 2023 are now open. The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) of Japan offers scholarships to international students who wish to study in graduate courses at Japanese universities as Research Students (either regular students or non-regular students) under the Japanese Government (MEXT) Scholarship Program.
DEFINITION OF “RESEARCH STUDENTS”:
Those who are enrolled in a master’s course, a doctoral course, or a professional graduate course at a graduate school, or who are conducting research in a specialized field at an undergraduate department, graduate school,institute attached to a university, etc. without the aim of completing the course, or who are receiving preparatoryeducation in the Japanese language and other subjects prior to placement at the university, etc. (Excluding YoungLeaders’ Program Students or Teacher Training Students.)
SCHOLARSHIP BENEFITS
(1) Allowance:
The amounts listed below shall be paid depending on the course enrolled in. 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 for an extended period, the scholarship shall be suspended for that period.
① Students receiving the preparatory education and non-regular students: 143,000 yen per month
② Regular students enrolled in master’s or professional degree courses: 144,000 yen per month
③ Regular students enrolled in doctoral courses: 145,000 yen per month.
(2) Education fees:
Fees for the entrance examination, matriculation, and tuition at universities will be paid byMEXT. The entrance examination fee, however, will be borne by the grantees if they cannot proceed to the master’s or doctoral course or cannot be admitted by the university.
(3) Traveling Expenses.
Recruitment for those arriving in Japan in April 2023 or September/October 2023 is made between April and May of the previous year. First screening is conducted between May and July by the Japanese Embassies or Consulates General. As the application process and specific schedule differ according to the country of your nationality, please inquire the Japanese Embassy or Consulate General in your country for details. Please do not send any application documents directly to MEXT (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology) in Japan.
Documents for Application - Embassy Recommendation
Applicants MUST read through the Application Guidelines attached to this email 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.
Last date to apply for the scholarship is 31st May 2022.
All pertinent information about the Scholarship is provided below.
Official Website:
https://www.pk.emb-japan.go.jp/itpr_en/MEXT_Research_Scholarship.html
FIELDS OF STUDY
Applicants should apply for the field of study they majored in at university or its related field. Moreover, the fields of study must be subjects which applicants will be able to study and research in graduate courses at Japaneseuniversities. The fields of study may be restricted to particular fields by the Japanese Embassy or Consulate (hereinafter referred to “Japanese diplomatic mission”) in the applicant’s country. Traditional entertainment arts such as Kabuki and classical Japanese dances, or subjects that require practical training in specific technologies or techniques at factories or companies are not included in the fields of study under this scholarship program.
A student who studies medicine, dentistry or welfare science will not be allowed to engage in clinical training such as medical care and operative surgery until he/she obtains a relevant license from the Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare under applicable Japanese laws.
QUALIFICATIONS AND CONDITIONS
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 acquisition of student status). 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 have been born on or after April 2, 1988. 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 for admission to either a master’s or doctoral course at a Japanese graduate school in which they wish to first enroll. (Applicants who will certainly satisfy any of the following conditions by the time of enrollment are eligible.)
(a) Master’s course / Doctoral course (first phase)
① Applicants who have completed 16 years of school education in countries other than Japan.
② Applicants who have completed a program with the standard study period of three years or more at universities or equivalent educational institutions in countries other than Japan and received a degree equivalent to a bachelor’s degree.
③ Other than the above ① and ② conditions, applicants who are eligible for enrollment in a master’s course /doctoral course (first phase) at a Japanese graduate school.
(b) Doctoral course (second phase)
① Applicants who have been awarded with an overseas degree equivalent to a master’s degree or professional degree.
② Applicants who have graduated from universities and have been involved in research study at universities or
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research centers (including overseas universities and research centers) for two years or more, and recognized as having academic competency equivalent to persons with a master’s degree by the graduate school.
③ Other than the above ① and ② conditions, applicants who are eligible for enrollment in a doctoral course (second phase) at a Japanese graduate school.
(c) Doctoral course (faculties of medicine, dentistry, veterinary sciences and certain parts in pharmaceutical fields)
① Applicants who have completed 18 years of school education in countries other than Japan.
② Applicants who have completed a program with the standard study period of five years or more at universities
or equivalent educational institutions in countries other than Japan and received a degree equivalent to a bachelor’s degree.
③ Applicants who have completed 16 years of school education in countries other than Japan and have been involved in research study at universities or research centers (including overseas universities and research centers) for two years or more, and recognized as having academic competency equivalent to university graduates in medicine, dentistry, veterinary sciences or certain parts in pharmaceutical fields by the graduate school.
④ Other than the above ①, ② and ③ conditions, applicants who are eligible for enrollment in a doctoral course (faculties of medicine, dentistry, veterinary sciences and certain parts in pharmaceutical fields) at a Japanese graduate school.
※ For (c) above, you must confirm necessary academic background details on the websites of the universities in which you wish to enroll since the academic background needed for admission may vary according to university. [For example, (c)-① stipulates that applicants must graduate from an undergraduate program in medicine, dentistry, veterinary or pharmaceutical sciences.]
(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 after arriving in Japan. Applicants must also have the ability to do research and adapt to living in Japan.
(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.
(6) Arrival in Japan:Applicants must choose and fill in the Application Form either of the following arrival periods ① or ②. In principle, a change in the arrival period is not permitted after the submission of the Application Form.
① April term: In principle, applicants must be able to arrive in Japan between April 1, 2023, and April 7, 2023. Departure from the home residence should be on or after April 1, 2023.
② October term: In principle, applicants must be able to arrive in Japan during the period specified by the accepting university within two weeks before and after the starting date of the university’s relevant academic term (September or October) for that year.
Excluding cases in which MEXT deems as unavoidable circumstances, the applicant must withdraw from this scholarship program if the applicant cannot arrive in Japan by the end of the specified period above which decided by MEXT or the accepting university.
(7) Visa Requirement: An applicant shall, in principle, newly obtain a “Student” visa at the Japanese diplomatic mission located in the applicant’s country of nationality, and enter Japan with the residence status of “Student.” Accordingly, even if the applicant already has other residence status (“Permanent resident,” “Long-term resident,” etc.), the applicant must change it to the “Student” status and re-enter Japan. Moreover, the applicant should be aware that after expiration of the status as a MEXT Scholarship student and even if the student again applies for their original resident status of “Permanent resident” or “Long-term resident,” such resident statuses might not be necessarily granted. The applicant should also be aware that the scholarship will be cancelled if he/she arrived in Japan without a newly obtained “Student” visa.
(8) Non-eligibility: Those who meet any one of the following conditions are ineligible. If identified ineligible after being selected as a scholarship student, he/she must withdraw from the scholarship.
① Those who are military personnel or military civilian employees at the time of their arrival in Japan or during the period of the payment of the scholarship;
② Those who cannot arrive in Japan by the last date of the period specified by MEXT or the accepting university;
③ Those who are previous grantees of Japanese Government (MEXT) scholarship programs (including those who withdraw from the scholarship program after the arrival in Japan). This does not apply to: those who have educational or work experience exceeding more than three years from the following month of the period of the previous scholarship to the estimated first month of the payment of this scholarship; and the past grantees of Japanese Studies Students program who have graduated or are going to graduate from universities in their home countries, Japan-Korea Joint Government Scholarship Program for the Students in Science and Engineering Departments and Young Leaders’ Program. The Monbukagakusho Honors Scholarship for Privately-Financed International Students is not included in the Japanese Government (MEXT) Scholarship
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Programs;
④ Those who are currently also applying to another program under the Japanese Government (MEXT) Scholarship system. This includes the programs for which scholarship payments will begin in FY2022, although their final selection results have not been decided yet, and the programs for which scholarship payments will begin in FY2023; ⑤ Those who are already enrolled in a Japanese university or other institution with a residence status of “Student,” or who are going to be enrolled, or plan to enroll, in a Japanese university or other institution as a privately-financed international student from the time of application to the MEXT scholarship program in the applicant’s country until the commencement of the period for payment of the MEXT scholarship. However, this stipulation does not apply to privately-financed international students who, even though they are enrolled, or are planning to enroll, in a Japanese university or other institution, verifiably complete their studies before the start of the scholarship payment period, return to their home country at the time of the scholarship application, and newly acquire the “Student” residence status and come to Japan;
⑥ Those who are planning to receive scholarship money from an organization other than MEXT (including a government organization of the applicant’s country) on top of the scholarship money provided by MEXT after the start of the scholarship payment period;
⑦ Those who are expected to graduate at the time of application and cannot satisfy the condition of academic background by the deadline given;
⑧ Holders of dual nationality at the time of application who cannot verify that they will give up Japanese nationality by the time of the arrival in Japan (the acquisition of student status);
⑨ Those who change their residence status to that of other than “Student” after their arrival in Japan;
⑩ Those who plan to, from the time of application for the MEXT scholarship program, engage in long-term research (such as fieldwork or internship) outside Japan or plan to take a long-term leave of absence from the university;
⑪ Those who have completed a doctoral course and have no intention to obtain a degree.
(9) Others: MEXT Scholarship will be granted those who are willing to contribute to mutual understanding between Japan and their home country by participating in activities at schools and communities during their study in Japan while contributing to the internationalization of Japan. They shall also make efforts to promote relations between the home country and Japan by maintaining close relations with the university attended after graduation, cooperating with the conducting of surveys and questionnaires, and cooperating with relevant projects and
events conducted by the Japanese diplomatic mission after they return to their home countries.
PERIOD OF SCHOLARSHIP
(1) Non-regular students:
① Grantees who arrived in Japan during the April term: The scholarship period will last from April 2023 until the end of March 2025.
② Grantees who arrived in Japan during the October term: The scholarship period will last from September or October 2023 until the end of March 2025. In either case, the first 6-month period of scholarship will be a term of preparatory education of Japanese language (hereinafter referred to “the preparatory education”) for those who require such education. In cases of arrival in Japan in other months than those specified above, MEXT will decide the period of scholarship
separately.
(Note 1) In ② above, scholarship payments will begin in September 2023 only if the start date of the accepting university’s autumn term is September 1, 2023. The scholarship payments will begin in October 2023 if the university’s autumn term start date falls between September 2, 2023, and September 30, 2023.
(2) Regular students enrolled in master’s, doctoral, or professional graduate courses:
Regardless of the date of arrival, the scholarship period shall be the necessary period for the completion of the respective regular course (hereinafter referred to “the standard period of study”. See “13. ACADEMIC PATHWAY FOR RESEARCH STUDENTS” for the standard period of study at each course). For those
requiring preparatory education, a 6-month preparatory education period will be separately added prior to the regular degree course.
EXTENSION OF PERIOD OF SCHOLARSHIP
Non-regular students wishing to advance to a regular degree course in a graduate school as a regular student, or regular students in a master’s or professional graduate course wishing to proceed to a doctoral course, with outstanding academic achievement that meets certain criteria may apply for extension of the scholarship period for advanced study and may have the scholarship period extended upon a successful examination by MEXT. Followings are some points to note:
① The extension of the scholarship period will be permitted only if the successful student has passed an entrance examination for a regular degree course at a graduate school in which they wish to enroll and expresses
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his/her intention to enroll in the course.
② Non-regular students cannot extend the scholarship period as they stay in non-regular courses.
③ Students who are admitted to advanced courses without receiving approval for the extension of the scholarship period for advanced study cannot be granted the extension of the scholarship period. (In such cases, it is possible for the students to be enrolled in advanced courses as a privately-financed student.)
The following documents (in given order) should be submitted before the deadline:
Mark Sheet Form
Application Form (1 original)
Research Plan (1 original,)
Attested copies of transcripts for all universities attended. (1 with original attestation)
(Attestation by University, Gazetted Officer or a Professor. HEC attestation is mandatory, if selected).
Applicants must submit the following documents according to his/her academic background:
(a) Applicants who have already graduated from a university’s undergraduate program: an academic transcript of the program;
(b) Applicants who have already completed a degree program at a graduate school: academic transcripts of both the undergraduate and the graduate programs;
(c) Applicants who are pursuing an undergraduate degree: an academic transcript that covers from the year of enrollment to the term for which grades have been determined at the time of application for the scholarship;
(d) Applicants who are pursuing a graduate school degree: an academic transcript of the undergraduate program and an academic transcript of the degree program at the graduate school that covers from the year of enrollment to the term for which grades have been determined at the time of application for the scholarship.
Attested copy of certification of graduation or degree certificate of university attended. (1 with original attestation)
Applicants must submit the following documents according to his/her academic background:
(a) Applicants who have already graduated from a university’s undergraduate program: a certificate of graduation from the undergraduate program;
(b) Applicants who have already completed a graduate school degree: certificates of graduation from both the undergraduate and graduate programs;
(c) Applicants who are pursuing an undergraduate degree: a certificate of prospective graduation from the undergraduate program;
(d) Applicants who are pursuing a graduate degree: a certificate of graduation from the undergraduate program and a certificate of prospective graduation from the degree program at the graduate school.
Recommendation Letter from the president/dean or the academic advisor at the current or last university attended. (1 original)
Abstract of theses (if applicable) (1 original)
Recommendation letter from the present employer (if applicable) (1 original)
Applicants who wish to appear for test & interview in Islamabad (if shortlisted), should send application at the following address:
Please write this outside the envelope carrying your application:
MEXT Research Scholarship Application
Public Affairs Section
Embassy of Japan
53-70, Ramna 5/4
Diplomatic Enclave 1
Islamabad 44000
For queries regarding the application:
Tel : +92 (51) 9072500
Fax : +92 (51) 9072-357
E.mail : culture@ib.mofa.go.jp
Applicants (from Karachi, Baluchistan and Quetta) who will appear for test & interview in Karachi (if shortlisted), should send application at the following address
Please write this outside the envelope carrying your application:
MEXT Research Scholarship Application
Consulate General of Japan
6/2 Civil Lines
Abdullah Haroon Road
Karachi, Pakistan For queries regarding the application:
Tel : +92 (21) 3522-0800
Fax : +92 (21) 3522-0815