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Published: 13 Sep 2024 1,417 views
The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) of Japan offers scholarships to international students who wish to study at Japanese universities under the Japanese Government (MEXT) Scholarship Program.
Science Tokyo recommends the scholarship candidates from among the applicants for International Graduate Program (A) (IGP(A)) to MEXT. Applicants who wish to receive the scholarship must apply for it with the application for IGP(A). There are two schemes for recommendation: Priority and General. There are a few differences between the two in terms of eligibility conditions and qualifications for extension of the scholarship period. Applicants are not able to choose the recommendation scheme as the available schemes differ by program. The recommendation scheme of each program is shown in "The allocation of MEXT Scholarships for International Graduate Program (A) commencing in fall 2025
."
Japanese government scholarship supports foreign students who study in higher education institutions, selected on the recommendation of Japanese Embassy/Consulate General, University, or Authority.
| Application Deadline | Not Specified |
| Country to study | Japan |
| School to study | Tokyo Institute of Technology |
| Type | Postgraduate |
| Course to study | View courses |
| Sponsor | Japanese Government |
| Gender | Men and Women |
Stipend: JPY 147,000 for master's students; JPY 148,000 for doctoral students
Education fees: Enrollment fee and tuition will be waived by Science Tokyo. The entrance examination (application) fee will be reimbursed if the applicant is allocated to Science Tokyo by MEXT.
Travel expenses: Air tickets to/from Japan will be provided by MEXT under certain conditions.
Eligibility: Applicants must have demonstrated excellent academic achievement with a grade point average of 2.30 (out of 3.00) or above in the last-attended degree program and meet certain criteria.
Nationality: Applicants must have the nationality of a country that has diplomatic relations with Japan. In principle, individuals who have Japanese nationality at the time of application are not eligible. However, persons with dual nationality who hold Japanese nationality and whose place of residence at the time of application is outside Japan are eligible to apply as long as they choose the nationality of the other country and renounce Japanese nationality before the date of their arrival in Japan. For academic year 2024, only those with a nationality of the countries designated by MEXT were eligible to be recommended under the General scheme.
Age: Applicants, in principle, must be 34 years old or younger as of April 1 of the first year of the MEXT Scholarship period.
Academic Background: Applicants must be a graduate of a Japanese university or have academic ability equal or superior to that of a Japanese university graduate.
Field of Study: The field must be the one in which the applicant majored at university, or a related field, and be one in which the applicant will be able to do research at Science Tokyo.
Language Proficiency: Applicants must possess proficiency in the English language and satisfy one of the following conditions:
Have obtained an English language proficiency test score that is equivalent to CEFR level B2 or higher
Have completed or expect to complete the required curriculum at an institution where all instruction was in English and which satisfies the qualifications for enrollment in a master's or doctoral program at Science Tokyo
Have been determined by Science Tokyo to possess a level of proficiency in English that is equivalent to or exceeds the level indicated in (1)
Health: Applicants must be determined by Science Tokyo to be physically and mentally able to pursue their course of studies in Japan.
Arrival in Japan: Applicants must be able to leave for and arrive in Japan within two weeks of the start date of the third quarter, which is late September or early October, of the academic year. Some IGP(A) programs with recommendation slots under Priority scheme may accept applications for the scholarship from residents in Japan (see "The allocation of MEXT Scholarships for International Graduate Program (A)" in "General Prospectus" above.) Such students will not be required to return to their country of nationality before their enrollment.
Visa: Applicants shall, in principle, newly obtain a "Student" visa from the Japanese diplomatic mission located in their country of nationality, and enter Japan with the resident status of "Student." If an applicant already has another resident status in Japan (i.e., "Permanent resident," "Long-term resident," etc.), they must change their status and newly enter Japan under "Student" status. Moreover, applicants should be aware that after expiration of their status as a MEXT Scholarship Student, if they again apply for their original resident status of "Permanent resident" or "Long-term resident," such resident status might not be granted. The applicant should also be aware that provision of scholarship benefits will be stopped if they arrive in Japan without a newly obtained "Student" visa. Some IGP(A) programs with recommendation slots under Priority scheme may accept applications for the scholarship from residents in Japan (see "The allocation of MEXT Scholarships for International Graduate Program (A)" in "General Prospectus" above.) Such students will not be required to return to their country of nationality to obtain a "Student" visa. However, if they do not have a resident status of "Student", they must change their resident status to "Student" before their enrollment.
Non-eligibility: The following persons are not eligible for the scholarship, and if non-eligibility is identified after they are selected, the individual must withdraw from the scholarship:
Those who are military personnel or military civilian employees at the time of their arrival in Japan or during the period they receive the scholarship
Those who are not able to arrive in Japan by the last date of the period specified by MEXT or Science Tokyo
Those who have previously received the MEXT Scholarship (including those who withdrew from the scholarship after they entered Japan). However, this does not apply to the following past recipients of the scholarship: those with academic or work experience of 3 years or longer during the period starting from the month following the end of their last scholarship to the starting month of the new scholarship; those whose last MEXT Scholarship was received in the category of Japanese Studies Students (limited to those who graduated or are expected to graduate from their home university after returning to their home country), Preparatory Course for the "Japan-Korea Joint Government Scholarship Program for the Students in Science and Engineering," or the Young Leaders Program; those who have obtained or are expected to obtain a degree as undergraduate students of the MEXT Scholarship programs (University Recommendation (Priority)). (Note that as the MEXT Honors Scholarship is not considered a "MEXT Scholarship," recipients of MEXT Honors Scholarship are eligible.)
Those who are concurrently applying for this scholarship through other universities or applying to another program under the Japanese Government (MEXT) Scholarship system. This includes programs for which scholarship disbursements will begin in the same academic year as that for this scholarship, even if final selection results have not yet been decided.
Those who, at the time of application, are already enrolled at a Japanese university, etc. with the resident status of "Student," and those who are already enrolled at or plan to enroll at a Japanese university, etc. as a privately funded international student, in the period from application submission until the start of the scholarship period. However, this does not apply to an applicant who, at the time of application, is a current privately funded international student enrolled at or scheduled to enroll at a Japanese university and is certain to complete their program, return to their home country upon completion, and then re-enter Japan under newly acquired "Student" status. This provision is not applicable to those who apply for an IGP(A) program which accepts applications for the scholarship from residents in Japan (see "The allocation of MEXT Scholarships for International Graduate Program (A)" in "General Prospectus" above.)
Those who, at the time of application, are expected to graduate from their current school or university, but who are not able to satisfy the academic background qualifications or conditions by the date required by their program
Those who held dual nationality at the time of application and whose renunciation of Japanese nationality before the date of their arrival in Japan cannot be verified
Those who, at or after the time of application, plan to engage in long-term research (such as fieldwork or an internship) outside Japan or plan to take a long-term leave of absence from Science Tokyo
Those who have no intention of obtaining a degree
Other: The MEXT Scholarship will be granted to those who are willing to contribute to mutual understanding between Japan and their home country by participating in activities at schools and in communities during their studies in Japan while contributing to the internationalization of Japan. After their graduation, (past) recipients are expected to make efforts to promote relations between their home country and Japan by maintaining close relations with the university they attended, by cooperating with surveys and questionnaires, and, after returning to their home country, by cooperating with relevant projects and events conducted by the Japanese diplomatic mission, etc. located there.
Some IGP(A) programs have recommendation slots under the Priority scheme. Anybody who meets the qualifications and conditions stated below has a chance to be recommended, but 75 % or more of the nominees would be chosen from among those with a nationality of the countries designated by MEXT (see appendix).
It may be possible that some IGP(A) programs have applied to MEXT to obtain Priority slots, but the result of the assessment is not planned to be determined until after the application deadline for IGP(A) admission. Should they fail to obtain Priority slots, applicants for the program would undergo the selection process for recommendation under the General scheme.
Applicants for IGP(A) programs without recommendation slots under the Priority scheme may be recommended to MEXT under the General scheme. For academic year 2024, only those with a nationality of the countries designated by MEXT were eligible to be recommended under this scheme (see appendix).
The initial scholarship period is for two years of the master's program. Those who are accepted to integrated doctoral education programs may apply for an extension of the scholarship when proceeding to a doctoral program, provided that they had a grade point average of 2.50 or above out of 3.00 in the master's program and satisfy certain criteria.
The scholarship will be cancelled if a student proceeds to a more advanced level of education without receiving approval for extension of the scholarship period.
Priority scheme: Scholarship recipients recommended under this scheme are also required to attain a grade point average of 2.30 or above each year, or their eligibility for the MEXT Scholarship will be terminated.
General scheme:The extension is not guaranteed as it is granted to a limited number of students based on their academic achievements.
Schedule:
Applicants must follow the application guidelines for IGP(A) and submit the following additional materials during the application procedures.
The application form is tentative until MEXT publishes the format for this year which will be after the application deadline for IGP(A). Applicants have to apply using the tentative format below and will be requested to make the application again using the new format as necessary.
Note: As MEXT has announced that MEXT Scholarship recipients will be allowed to receive other scholarships from April 2025, applicants do not have to tick the latter part of the question 10: "If 'YES', do you understand you must cancel other scholarships after selected for MEXT Scholarship Student since it is not allowed to receive other scholarships together with the MEXT Scholarship?". This question should be removed in the new format.
For more details visit: Tokyo Institute of Technology website.
