Japanese Government Scholarships for International Undergraduate Students

Brief description:

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 2018.

Host Institution(s):

Universities in Japan

Fields of study:

Those who wish to study in Japan as an undergraduate student must choose a field of major from two major fields: (1) Social Sciences and Humanities and (2) Natural Sciences.

Please refer to the official website for detailed list of eligible fields of study.

Number of Scholarships:

Not specified.

Target group:

Nationals of countries which has diplomatic relations with the Japanese government.

Scholarship Benefits/Durations:

The scholarship includes tuition and other fees, allowance of 117,000 yen per month, an additional monthly stipend of 2,000 or 3,000 yen may be provided to those undertaking study or research in specially designated regions, and travel costs to and from Japan. Please refer to the official website for full scholarship benefits.

The scholarship period will last for five years from April 2018 to March 2023, including the one-year preparatory education in the Japanese language and other subjects due to be provided upon arrival in Japan.

Eligibility:

(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 foreign country and give up their Japanese nationality by the date of their arrival in Japan. Applicant screening will be conducted at the Japanese diplomatic mission in the applicant’s country

(2) Age: Applicants, in principle, must have been born between April 2, 1996 and April 1, 2001.

(3) Academic Background: Applicants must meet one of the following conditions:

1. Must have completed 12 years of school education, or are expected to complete said education by March 2018. (However, for applicants wishing to enroll from the autumn term through direct placement, applicants must be expected to complete the 12 years of school education by August 2018.)
2. Must have completed an educational course at a school equivalent to a high school, or are expected to complete the course by 2018. (However, those desiring direct placement are excluded.)
3. Other than the qualifications in 1 and 2 above, must have qualifications deemed to be suitable for enrollment in a Japanese university at the time of application.

(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. In addition, in principle, applicants must be willing to carry out their academic studies in Japan in Japanese.

(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.

(7) Arrival in Japan: In principle, applicants must be able to arrive in Japan between the 1st and 7th of April 2018. If an applicant is to enroll in his/her university 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.

(7) Visa Requirement: The applicant shall receive a “Student” visa, as stipulated in Appended Table 1(4) of the Immigration Act, and enter Japan with the residence status of “Student.” In regards to the visa, it should, in principle, be issued at the Japanese diplomatic mission in the applicant’s country.

Please refer to the official website for complete eligibility criteria and conditions of the scholarship.

Application Instructions:

Applicants must submit the required documents to the Japanese diplomatic mission in the applicant’s country by the required deadline. Because the application process differs according to the country in which the Japanese embassy is located, please inquire at the Japanese embassy or consulate general in your country for details.  The deadline of the applications differ varies per country.

It is important to read to visit the official website (links found below) for detailed information on how to apply for this scholarship.

Website:

Official Scholarship Website: http://www.mext.go.jp/component/a_menu/education/detail/__icsFiles/afieldfile/2017/04/21/1384516_02.pdf