Necessary Preparations for Those Coming to Japan as IGP Students(MEXT Scholarship)

Congratulations again on your admission to the Institute of Science Tokyo International Graduate Program. Those selected for the Japanese Government (MEXT) Scholarship based on the anticipated enrollment in AY 2024 should go through this page to obtain some essential pieces of information and to prepare the materials necessary before arriving in Japan.

In order to accept the scholarship offer, your consent to the Pledge is required. Please print and carefully read the attached document, complete and sign it, then upload a scanned copy here. The electronic copy of the Pledge must be received no later than the deadline designated by each program. (See 12. Submission Deadlines and Key Dates.) Failure to meet this deadline will result in the cancellation of your candidacy.

Note that Tokyo Tech will not acknowledge receipt of the pledge unless there is anything to be confirmed with the applicant.

If you do NOT wish to enroll in this program, you will be required to submit a completed Notice to Decline Admission Offer form to tokyotech.mext@jim.titech.ac.jp as an email attachment no later than the deadline.

Your enrollment and tuition fees will be automatically waived by Institute of Science Tokyo.

Only MEXT Scholarship Students living in their home countries may obtain a student visa under the expedited process where the Certificate of Eligibility is not required. Institute of Science Tokyo will announce further instructions and an updated schedule upon receiving information from MEXT. For the time being, please refrain from contacting the Japanese embassy/consulate about visa issuance.

* Note: If you are living in a third country (neither your home country nor Japan), you will need to apply for a Certificate of Eligibility (COE), which is required for student visa applications. Please contact the International Student Exchange Division.

*Further details will be announced later.

MEXT will provide you with a one-way economy class air ticket to Narita or Haneda Airport in Japan from the international airport closest to your residence in the country of your nationality. Please note that your ticket will be issued only for a route departing from an international airport which is close to your residence indicated in your application.

Institute of Science Tokyo or a travel agency designated by MEXT will contact you in the month before the month you will leave for Japan about the arrangements for your ticket, so please do not reserve flights by yourself. Once you decide on the details of your itinerary, such as departure/arrival dates, you will not be able to change them without the approval of MEXT and Institute of Science Tokyo.

Those who enter Institute of Science Tokyo in April must arrive in Japan between April 1 and April 7 for the airfare to be covered by MEXT.

Those who enter Institute of Science Tokyo in September or October must arrive in Japan between September 17 and October 15 for the airfare to be covered by MEXT. Dormitories will be available on or after September 26.

If you will be staying in a Institute of Science Tokyo dormitory, you will not be able to check in on Saturday, Sunday, or a national holiday.

As proof for MEXT of your arrival in Japan, you will be requested to submit boarding pass stubs to Institute of Science Tokyo's Student Support Division, so please keep them. You will be held responsible for the airfare if you do not submit them.

Please further note that your travel grant does not cover domestic transport in your home country or Japan, and applicable taxes and fees incurred en route (such as airport tax, local sales tax, etc.)

Institute of Science Tokyo offers off-campus dormitories to newly arrived international students. Although rooms cannot be guaranteed for all students, you are automatically in line as a candidate for dormitory accommodation. If you are selected, you will be notified by Institute of Science Tokyo's International Student Exchange Division in the month before the month you will leave for Japan via email. The maximum period of residence depends on each dormitory. If you are not selected, you will need to find accommodation by yourself.

If you are bringing your family to Japan, you need to arrange accommodation yourself. As it may take some time to secure family housing, it is recommended that you first come alone before inviting family members to join you.

If you have any urgent questions about housing, please contact the Student Support Division at dormitory@jim.titech.ac.jp. In the email, please include your name and the name of your intended program at Institute of Science Tokyo, and state that you are a MEXT Scholarship Student.

In general, you cannot check in to dormitories on weekends or national holidays, and each dormitory sets its own check-in desk schedule, often with limited hours. For your reference, monthly dormitory fees vary from approximately JPY 20,000 to JPY 65,000, and in most cases, dormitories do not calculate fees on a per-day basis.

For further information about dormitories and private apartments, please refer to the following pages.

Your first stipend from MEXT will be transferred to your Japan Post Bank account in 6 to 8 weeks after your arrival. Therefore, it is suggested that you bring cash corresponding to at least USD 2,000 to cover various expenses during your first 6 to 8 weeks in Japan.

Guidance on opening a bank account will be provided by the Student Support Division.

After the screening result is officially announced by MEXT (in July for those who will enroll in fall,) it requires recipients of its scholarship to sign a pledge.

Please download the form, read it carefully, sign it and upload a scanned copy in pdf format to a separately designated URL no later than the submission deadline (see section 12). You do not have to fill in the "No." (number) column in the upper-right corner of the form. You will not be officially certified as a MEXT Scholarship Student until you have completed this procedure. If you cannot submit it on time, please contact us by email.

Note that Tokyo Tech will not acknowledge receipt of the pledge unless there is anything to be confirmed with the student.

The online procedures will start one or two months before your enrollment date. You are required to complete the enrollment procedures by the designated deadline.

If you did not submit the following certificates (in English, original or certified copies) when you applied for the International Graduate Program, you are required to submit them as part of the enrollment procedures. It is highly recommended that you prepare these documents in advance.

To manage the risk of infectious diseases at the Institute, international students (including those from other domestic universities, technical colleges, and Japanese language schools) who have passed the entrance exam, are required to submit a health certificate signed by a physician during the three months before enrollment. Please refer to "Measures to help control infection for international students."

Information for MEXT Scholarship Students who will advance from master's to doctoral programs at Institute of Science Tokyo

Please bear in mind that the initial period of the MEXT scholarship will be two years of a master's degree program. Those who proceed to a doctoral program may apply for an extension of the scholarship period, 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. As a rule, those who cannot complete their master's study within the first two years are not eligible to apply for this extension.

The scholarship will be cancelled if you proceed to a more advanced level of education without receiving approval for the extension of the period of the scholarship.

You are also required to attain a grade point average of 2.30 or above each year, or your eligibility for the MEXT scholarship will be terminated.

The extension is not guaranteed, as it is granted to a limited number of students based on their academic achievements.

Please complete the submission of the documents listed in the table below by the deadline designated by each program.