The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology (MEXT) offers scholarships to international students who wish to study in graduate courses at Japanese universities either as (non-degree) student or regular student for a degree under the Japanese Government (MEXT) Scholarship Program for 2015 as follows.
Study Subjects and Level:
Applicants should apply in the field to learn they majored in at university or its related field. And fields of study must be subjects which applicants will be able to study and research in graduate courses at Japanese universities.
(The fields of study may be restricted to particular fields by the Japanese Embassy/Consulate General (hereinafter referred to as the “Japanese diplomatic mission”). A student who majors in 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 permit from the Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare under applicable Japanese laws. Majors in traditional entertainment such as Kabuki and classical Japanese dances, or in subjects that seek practical training in specific technologies or techniques at factories or companies are excluded.)
The Scholarships are obtainable to learn and research at graduate level courses at Japanese universities.
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 are eligible only if they will expatriate from Japan by the time of arrival in Japan. Screening of applicants will be made at the Japanese diplomatic mission in the country of applicants’ nationality.
Age: Applicants must have been born on or after April 2, 1980.
Academic Background: Applicants must be a graduate from a Japanese university or have academic ability equal or superior to that of a Japanese university graduate. A person will be deemed to have academic ability equal or superior to that of a university graduate, if he/she
- has completed or will complete a 16-year school curriculum in a foreign country (or an 18-year school curriculum if he/she desires to enroll in a doctoral course in the field of medicine, dentistry or veterinary science, or pharmacy which is founded on a 6-year department or faculty); or
- is or will be aged 22 or older and has taken an individual entrance qualification examination and has been judged by a Japanese graduate school as being equal or superior in academic ability to a university graduate (or 24 or older if he/she desires to enroll in a doctoral course in the field of medicine, dentistry or veterinary science, or pharmacy which is founded on a 6-year department or faculty).
Japanese Language: Applicants must be willing to learn the Japanese language, interested in Japan and enthusiastic about deepening their understanding of Japan after arriving, and capable of engaging in study and research while adapting themselves to life in Japan.
Health: Applicants must be physically and mentally healthy enough to take graduate studies at universities in Japan.
Arrival in Japan: In principle, applicants must be able to arrive in Japan between the 1st and 7th of April 2015, or within two weeks of the date set by the receiving university for the beginning of the semester (in principle, in September or October).
Visa Requirement: In principle, selected applicants must acquire “College Student” visas before entering Japan. The visas should be issued at the Japanese legation, located in the country of applicants’ nationality. 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 an 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, and, does not have educational research experience more than three years from the first day of the month following the final payment of the previous scholarship to the beginning of the payment of this scholarship, as of April 1, 2015. This does not apply to the past recipient of scholarships who have graduated or are to graduate their universities in their countries and the past students under the Yang Leaders Program;
- If an applicant is, in principle, currently enrolled in a Japanese university or other type of school with the resident status of “College Student,” or will be enrolled in a Japanese university, etc. 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 fiscal year;
- If an applicant is a grantee of a scholarship from other organization(including any governmental organization of his/her own country) 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;
- Applicants of dual nationality who cannot prove their expatriation of the Japanese nationality by the time of arrival; or
- Applicants who wish, from the time of application, to conduct fieldwork or internship outside of Japan, since this scholarship program is intended for overseas students who wish to enroll in a Japanese university and do graduate research in Japan.
Scholarship Open for:
Students who have the nationality of a country which has diplomatic relations with the Japanese government (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) can apply for these MEXT Research Scholarships.
Scholarship Duration:
The term of MEXT Research Scholarships will differ as follows depending on the types of students as accepted in Japanese universities.
In a case where a grantee will enroll as a research student, part-time non-degree student, or auditor, etc. (hereinafter referred to as “Research Student (no-regular student”) after coming to Japan:
- If a grantee comes to Japan in April 2015, his/her scholarship will be payable for 24 months from April 2015 through March 2017;
- If a grantee comes to Japan in October 2015, his/her scholarship will be payable for 18 months from October 2015 through March 2017. (In either case, the above-mentioned term of scholarship includes a 6-month Japanese language training period for grantees who require such training)
- If a grantee enrolls as regular student in a master’s course, doctoral course, or professional graduate course for a degree after coming to Japan, regardless of the time of his/her arrival in Japan the scholarship will be payable for a period necessary for him/her to complete his/her regular course (standard course term). (Plus a 6-month Japanese language training period for the grantees who need such training.)
The extension of scholarship period: If a grantee desires to proceed to a regular graduate course for a degree from a Research Student (non-degree) course, or to a doctoral course from a master’s course or a professional graduate course, he/she may have the term of his/her scholarship extended upon successful examination by MEXT provided that he/she has outstanding academic achievement that meets certain criteria.
Scholarship Value:
Allowance: Each grantee will be provided monthly with 143,000 yen (Research Students(non-regular students),144,000yen (regular students in Master’s courses or professional graduate courses), or 145,000yen(regular students in doctoral courses). 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 depending upon the annual budget of the Japanese government for each fiscal 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 in general, 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 home address to the New Tokyo International Airport or any other international airport that the assigned university usually uses. Expenses such as domestic 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.
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, in general, upon application, with an economy-class airplane ticket for the travel from the New Tokyo International Airport (or any other international airport that the assigned university uses as a normal route) to the international airport nearest to his/her home address.
- Note 1: If a grantee returns home without an extension though having applied for extension of scholarship period, he/she will not be paid travel expenses to return home in general.
- Note 2: Insurance premiums for travel to/from Japan shall be borne by the grantee.
- Note 3: If a grantee continues to stay in Japan after the scholarship period has ended, he/she will not be paid travel expenses to return home as the temporary return.
School Fees: Fees for matriculation, tuition and entrance examinations at a university will be paid by the Japanese government. If the grantee moves on to higher education as a non-degree student or fails the entrance examinations, he/she will pay for entrance examinations.
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, written examinations (language) and interviews. The following policy will apply to each screening:
- Application documents: Must show that the applicant obtained academic achievement higher than a certain level at the university he/she last graduated from, and state the applicant’s desired research program in a detailed and concrete manner.
- Written examination: Must show that the applicant obtained scores better than a certain level either in Japanese or English.
- Interview: Must reveal that the applicant has a clear sense of purpose relating to his/her study in Japan and has gathered information about Japanese universities. Interview must also reveal that the applicant has sufficient Japanese or English language ability to communicate with his/her adviser in Japan. If the applicant desires to study a subject that requires higher Japanese language proficiency, interview must reveal that the applicant has a considerable degree of Japanese language proficiency.
Notification:
Results of the primary screening will be notified on the date separately designated by the Japanese diplomatic mission. Each person who has passed this primary screening is required to contact directly the Japanese university of his/her choice in order to obtain admission as regular student for a degree or Research Student(non-regular student)in graduate courses, or a letter of provisional acceptance as a research student (hereinafter referred to as “Admission”) by the 29th of August. In order to obtain Admission, candidates can gain information on contact office for international students of each university, websites to search universities and researchers, etc. from the Japanese diplomatic mission. Candidates are not allowed to contact Japanese universities after the 30th of August. Each candidate must submit to the university of his/her choice a set of the documents that are submitted to and returned by the Japanese diplomatic mission (application, academic transcript of the university attended, research program plan, etc.) all with a confirmation seal of the Japanese diplomatic mission affixed, and a certificate of the primary selection issued by the Japanese diplomatic mission. Additional documents may have to be submitted upon request of the university. MEXT will conduct a secondary screening based on the results of the primary screening conducted by the Japanese diplomatic mission, and select applicants as MEXT scholarship grantees whose placement of universities was made.
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 deadlines of the application differ 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/1346643.htm
