Japanese Government (MEXT) Scholarship

Tuition is waived, round-trip airfare is paid, and you get a monthly allowance (¥143,000–145,000 for research/graduate students and ¥117,000 for undergraduates, at current rates).

• You must have the nationality of a country with diplomatic relations with Japan. Japanese citizens can't apply, and dual nationals must give up Japanese nationality by the time they arrive.
• Age limits by track: research students under 35 (born on or after 2 April 1992 for 2027), undergraduates under 25, Japanese studies students 18 to 29.
• Research students need 16 years of schooling or a bachelor's-level degree from a programme of at least three years (or must meet this by enrolment); some doctoral courses need a master's.
• Japanese isn't required for research students, but you must be willing to learn it.
• You must submit a health certificate on the official form, signed by a doctor.
• You can't apply if you'll be military personnel when you arrive, or (with some exceptions) if you've had a MEXT scholarship before.

Age limits depend on the track, for example under 35 for research (graduate) students and under 25 for undergraduates. You apply either through the Japanese embassy in your country (embassy recommendation, with exams and an interview) or through a Japanese university that has a MEXT quota (university recommendation).

1. 1

   Step 1: Choose your route

   You can apply through the Japanese embassy or consulate in your country (embassy recommendation) or through a MEXT-approved Japanese university, usually via an exchange agreement (university recommendation). The steps below are for the embassy route for research students.

2. 2

   Step 2: Watch your embassy's announcement

   Calls open around mid-April, and each embassy sets its own deadline. Use that year's forms, and send them to the embassy, never directly to MEXT.

3. 3

   Step 3: Pass the first screening

   The embassy reviews your documents and sets written tests in Japanese and English and an interview, usually between May and July.

4. 4

   Step 4: Get provisional acceptance

   If you pass, contact up to two universities at a time to request a letter of provisional acceptance, by 1 September. Then list up to three universities on the Placement Preference Application Form.

5. 5

   Step 5: Await MEXT's final decision

   MEXT runs the second screening and university placement from November. The embassy tells you the result between January and March, and you arrive in April or September/October.

• Application Form (current year's version)
• Placement Preference Application Form
• Field of Study and Research Plan
• Academic transcripts for all university years
• Graduation or degree certificate (or certificate of expected graduation)
• Recommendation letter from your university's president, dean or academic adviser
• Medical certificate on the MEXT form
• Language certificate and thesis abstracts (if you have them)

Deadline

For research students starting in 2027 (embassy route), calls opened around mid-April 2026, with deadlines set by each embassy (for example 24 May 2026 in Malta). Applicants who passed the first screening had to contact universities by 1 September 2026, and final results come between January and March 2027.

Dates are set by the Japanese embassy in your country (embassy route) or by the Japanese university (university route), so check your local embassy's announcement. University-route scholars usually arrive in Japan in September or October, and some in April.