The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) offers scholarships to international students who wish to study at Japanese universities as undergraduate students under the Japanese Government (MEXT) Scholarship Program for 2015.
Study Subjects and Level:
Those who wish to study in Japan as an undergraduate student must choose a field of major from (1) or (2) below. Applicants may enter a first, second, and third choice.
(1) Social Sciences and Humanities:
- Social Sciences and Humanities-A: Laws, Politics, Pedagogy, Sociology, Literature, History, Japanese language, and others.
- Social Sciences and Humanities-B: Economics and Business Administration.
Note 1: Applicants who wish to major in the fields categorized as “others” may have difficulties in finding universities that can accept them.
Note 2: Major field content related to “Economics” and “Business Administration” of Humanities B is not included in “others.”
(2) Natural Sciences:
- Natural Sciences-A: Science (Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry), Electrical and Electronic Studies (Electronics, Electrical Engineering, Information Engineering), Mechanical Studies (Mechanical Engineering, Naval Architecture), Civil Engineering and Architecture (Civil Engineering, Architecture, Environmental Engineering), Chemical Studies (Applied Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Industrial Chemistry, Textile Engineering), and other fields (Metallurgical Engineering, Mining Engineering, Maritime Engineering, Biotechnology).
- Natural Sciences-B: Agricultural studies (Agriculture, Agricultural Chemistry, Agricultural Engineering, Animal Science, Veterinary Medicine, Forestry, Food Science, Fisheries), Hygienic studies (Pharmacy, Hygienics, Nursing), and Science (Biology).
- Natural Sciences-C: Medicine, and Dentistry.
Note: A student who intends to major in Natural Sciences and would like to choose more than one major is required to choose and select first-,second-, and third-choice subjects from the subjects in brackets from within the same course (i.e. Natural Sciences A, B or C). However, a student who selects Course C as his/her first choice may choose his/her second-choice subjects from Course B or C and third-choice subject from Course B because Course C offers only two subjects.
Eligibility:
- Nationality: Applicants must have the nationality of a country which has diplomatic relations with the Japanese government. Stateless persons can be applicants, too. Applicants who have Japanese nationality at the time of application are not eligible. However, applicants of dual nationality who reside outside of Japan is eligible only if they will expatriate from Japan by the time of ariival in Japan. Applicants screening will be made at the Japanese Embassy/Consulate General (hereinafter, referred to as “Japanese diplomatic mission”) in the country of applicants’ nationality.
- Age: Applicants generally must have been born between April 2, 1993 and April 1, 1998.
- Academic Background: Applicants must either have completed a 12-year regular course of school education or have graduated from a school equivalent to an upper secondary school in Japan. (Applicants who will meet the above qualifications by March, 2015 are included.)
Note: Applicants who satisfy entrance eligibility for a Japanese university are also included.
- Japanese Language: Applicants must be willing to learn the Japanese language and deepen their understanding on Japan. In addition, in general, applicants must be willing to receive college education in Japanese.
- Health: Applicants must be physically and mentally healthy enough to pursue study at a university in Japan.
- Arrival in Japan: In principle, applicants must be able to arrive in Japan between the 1st and 7th of April 2015. In case where an applicant starts from the fall semester through direct placement, he or she must be able to leave for and arrive in Japan by the date specified by the accepting university.
- Visa Requirement: Selected applicants must acquire “College Student” （ryugaku,留学） visas before entering Japan. The visas should be issued at the Japanese diplomatic mission, located in the country of applicants, nationality.
Note: Applicants who change their resident status to any status other than “College Student” after their arrival in Japan will immediately lose their status as Japanese government scholarship student.
- Applicants who meet any or all of the following conditions are not eligible. If identified after acceptance of the scholarship grantees, the applicants will be required to withdraw from the scholarship:
- If applicant is a service member or a civilian employee registered on the active military list at the time of his/her arrival in Japan;
- Those who cannot arrive in Japan during the period designated by MEXT or the accepting university;
- If an applicant is a previous recipient of a Japanese government scholarship. Unless more than three years have passed since the first day of the month following the final payment of the previous scholarship, as of April 1, 2015 (In case where the student starts from the fall semester, the month of entrance.);
- If Applicant is, in principle, currently enrolled in a Japanese university with the resident status of “College Student,” or will be enrolled in a Japanese university as another source or self-financed international student between the time of application for this scholarship in his/her country and the time the scholarship period is due to begin. This does not apply to current self-financed international students at Japanese universities who will complete their courses of study and return to their countries before the end of the current year;
- If an applicant is a grantee of a scholarship from any organization(including any governmental organization of his/her own country) other than the Japanese government (MEXT) (Prospective beneficiaries are included);
- Applicants who are expected to graduate at the time of application and, cannot satisfy the qualifications and the conditions of academic background by the deadline given; or
- Applicants of dual nationality who cannot prove their expatriation of the Japanese nationality by the time of arrival.
Scholarship Open for:
Asia-Pacific: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Kiribati, Republic of Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nauru, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Samoa, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Vietnam. North America: Canada and United States of America. Latin America and the Caribbean: Antigua and Barbuda, Argentine, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Commonwealth of Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Saint Christopher and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay and Venezuela. Europe: Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyz Republic, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Republic of Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Uzbekistan and Vatican. Middle East: Afghanistan, Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Yemen and Palestinian Authority. Africa: Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Cape Verde, Chad, Comoros, Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabonese Republic, Gambia, Ghana, Republic of Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Zambia, Uganda and Zimbabwe
Scholarship Duration:
- Scholarship awards will be tenable for five years from April 2015 to March 2020, 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 term of scholarship will be seven years until March 2022.
- The preparatory education requirement can be waived for grantees who have sufficient knowledge of the Japanese language to pursue their study or who wish to enter a university which demands no Japanese language ability (via direct placement). In this case, the awards will be tenable for four years (or for six years for those majoring in medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine or in a six-year course in pharmacy). If a grantee graduates earlier or withdraws from his/her undergraduate course for early college entrance, the awards will be tenable until his/her graduation or withdrawal.
- In regard to six-year majors in Pharmacy, the grantees must undergo the common examinations (CBT= Computer-based Testing, OSCE= Objective Structured Clinical Examination) implemented prior to practical training. In cases when it is impossible for the grantees to fulfill the set standards necessary for practical training, the scholarship may be cancelled.
- If a grantee graduates from an undergraduate course and is admitted to a master’s course at a graduate school during the term of his/her scholarship, he/she may have the term extended upon successful examination by MEXT provided that he/she has outstanding academic achievement that meets certain criteria. The scholarship will be discontinued if approval is not granted.
Scholarship Value:
- School Fees: Fees for the entrance examination, matriculation and tuition at universities will be paid by the Japanese Government.
- Allowance: Each grantee will be provided monthly with 117,000 yen. An additional monthly stipend of 2,000 or 3,000 yen may be provided to those undertaking study or research in specially designated regions. However, the amount of allowance will be subject to change, however depending upon the annual budget for each year. The scholarship will not be paid to a grantee who takes a leave of absence or is long absent from the assigned university or the preparatory Japanese-teaching institution.
- Traveling Costs:
- Transportation to Japan: Each grantee will be supplied generally, according to his/her itinerary and route as designated by MEXT, with an economy-class airplane ticket from the international airport nearest to his/her place of residence* to the New Tokyo International Airport or any other international airport that the assigned university usually uses. Expenses such as inland transportation from his/her home address to the international airport, airport tax, airport usage fees, special taxes on travel, or inland transportation within Japan will NOT be supplied. (*The address in the country of the recipient’s nationality stated in the application form is in principle regarded as the recipient’s “home address”). Note: Those who cannot arrive on the day that is described in “2. QUALIFICATIONS (6) Arrival in Japan” shall not be paid the travel expenses coming to Japan.
- Transportation from Japan: The grantee who returns to his/her home country within the fixed period after the expiration of his/her scholarship will be supplied generally, upon application, with an economy-class airplane ticket for the travel from the New Tokyo International Airport (or any other international airport that the appointed university uses as a normal route) to the international airport nearest to his/her home address.
Selection Criteria:
- In cooperation with the governments of the applicants’ countries the Japanese diplomatic mission will conduct primary screening of applicants by means of submitted application documents, interviews and academic examinations.
For applicants for a major in Social Sciences and Humanities:All applicants must sit for mathematics, English, and Japanese (3 subjects in all).
For applicants for a major in Natural Sciences:All applicants must sit for mathematics, English, two subjects selected from among physics, chemistry and biology, and Japanese (5 subjects in all). For selecting two from physics, chemistry and biology, applicants must choose physics and chemistry when applying for Natural Sciences A; and chemistry and biology when applying for Natural Sciences B or C.
- Results of primary screening will be notified to each applicant on the date designated by the Japanese diplomatic mission.
- Applicants who have been selected by this primary screening will be recommended to MEXT.
- MEXT will conduct final selection of the recommended applicants and decide scholarship grantees. MEXT may select candidates from each field of study.
Notification:
Results of primary screening will be notified to each applicant on the date designated by the Japanese diplomatic mission. Applicants who have been selected by this primary screening will be recommended to MEXT. MEXT will conduct final selection of the recommended applicants and decide scholarship grantees. MEXT may select candidates from each field of study.
How to Apply?
Applicants must submit the following documents to the Japanese diplomatic mission by the required date.
The submitted documents will not be returned.
- Application Form (by the prescribed forms)
- Placement Preference Form (prescribed form for applicants for direct placement only)
- Photographs (4.5 cm x 3.5 cm, Upper body, Full-faced, Uncapped) taken within the past 6 months (name and nationality should be written on the reverse photo to be pasted onto the application documents. Digital photographs also acceptable)
- Academic transcript for the past 3 years
- Recommendation from the principal or the adviser of the last school attended
- Graduation certificate of the last school attended (or certificate of expected graduation for an applicant due to graduate)
- Certificate of passage of university entrance qualification examination (if applicable)
- Certificate of enrollment (for an applicant currently enrolled in a university)
- Medical certificate (on the prescribed form)
Application Deadline:
The deadline of the applications differs according to the country. Please contact with Japanese embassy or consulate general in your country.
For further information: http://www.mext.go.jp/a_menu/koutou/ryugaku/boshu/1346539.htm
