Japanese Government Scholarships for International Undergraduate Students

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 2020.

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 2020 to March 2025, including 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, 1995 and April 1, 2003.

(3) Academic Background: Applicants must meet one of the following conditions. However, applicants desiring direct placement must satisfy either the following ① or ③ condition.

1. Applicants who have completed 12 years of schooling in countries other than Japan. (Applicants who will meet the above qualifications by March 2020 are eligible. However, applicants wishing to enroll from the autumn term through direct placement must be expected to complete 12 years of schooling by August 2020.)
2. Applicants who have completed their studies at a school equivalent to a Japanese upper secondary school in countries other than Japan. (Applicants who will meet the above qualifications by March 2020 are eligible.)
3. Other than the above 1 and 2 conditions, applicants who are eligible 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 2020. If an applicant is to enroll in his/her university from the fall semester through direct placement, he/she must be able to arrive in Japan during the period specified by the accepting university within two weeks before and after the starting date of the university’s relevant academic term for that year.

(7) Visa Requirement: An applicant shall, in principle, obtain a “Student” visa at the Japanese diplomatic mission located in the applicant’s country of nationality, and enter Japan with the residence status of “Student.”

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: https://www.jasso.go.jp/en/study_j/scholarships/__icsFiles/afieldfile/2019/04/17/scholarships_2019_e.pdf