Japanese Government (MEXT) Scholarship for Graduates (University Recommendation (Priority/General))

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.

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.

Applicants, in principle, must be 34 years old or younger as of April 1 of the first year of the MEXT Scholarship period.

Applicants must be a graduate of a Japanese university or have academic ability equal or superior to that of a Japanese university graduate.

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.

Applicants must possess proficiency in the English language and satisfy one of the following conditions:

(1) Have obtained an English language proficiency test score that is equivalent to CEFR level B2 or higher

(2) 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

(3) 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)

Applicants must be determined by Science Tokyo to be physically and mentally able to pursue their course of studies 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.

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.

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:

(1) 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

(2) Those who are not able to arrive in Japan by the last date of the period specified by MEXT or Science Tokyo

(3) 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.)

(4) 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.

(5) 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.)

(6) 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

(7) 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

(8) 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

(9) Those who have no intention of obtaining a degree

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.