Are looking to study in Japan for free with a fully-funded scholarship? You are at the right place because, in this post, we will explain what is MEXT scholarship, its benefits, and step by step application procedure.
Is college free for international students in Japan?
Higher education in Japan is not free for international students. However, you can find cheap or low tuition colleges in Japan for international students and apply for scholarships as well. In fact, you may get a fully-funded scholarship that will cover the entire cost of your tuition and allow you to study for free in Japan, one of which is the MEXT scholarship which covers the full cost of tuition, so that international students can study in Japan for free.
Does the University of Tokyo give full scholarships?
MEXT University Recommendation Scholarship at the University of Tokyo in Japan is a Fully Funded Scholarship for international students & will cover most of the expenses of the Student. Full Tuition and Entrance Fee Exemption.
What is MEXT Scholarship?
MEXT Scholarship which stands for Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology (MEXT) and is also known as “Monbukagakusho.” is one of the fully funded scholarships in Japan for international students. This program is available for undergraduate, Masters, Ph.D., and training studies. As a fully-funded scholarship, the MEXT scholarship covers tuition fees, accommodation and even gives monthly living allowances and also handles airfare travel expenses from your country to Japan.
Essentially, the MEXT Scholarship is a student exchange program for students who want to be part of a Japanese university.
Who sponsors MEXT Scholarship?
The Japanese Government sponsors these scholarship programs through the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology (MEXT). The scholarship is offered to international students who wish to study at Japanese colleges as undergraduate or research (Masters / Ph.D.) students under the Japanese Government (MEXT) Scholarships Program.
For your interest: Check out the 14 best colleges in Japan for international students.
How hard is it to get MEXT scholarship?
MEXT scholarship tests are quite challenging. They are also long, and you need to be able to focus for a few hours in a row, especially for the undergraduate MEXT scholarship. All tests have multiple-choice questions, except for the math tests and some parts from the Japanese tests in other to be eligible to qualify for the scholarship.
Types of MEXT Scholarships
There are multiple types of MEXT Scholarships one could look into, and each of them has unique requirements that must be met. In addition to meeting the following requirements, you’ll also need to pass one or a few examinations in order to receive a recommendation from an embassy.
Check out this list of MEXT Scholarships
- Research Student Scholarship | (Masters / Ph.D.)
- Undergraduate Student Scholarship
- Specialized Training College Student Scholarship
- Japanese Studies Scholarship
Value of the MEXT Scholarship
If you successfully qualify for the MEXT Scholarship, you’ll receive:
- ¥120,000 yen per month for undergraduate students.
- ¥146,000 yen per month for Japanese Intensive Course students and research students.
- ¥147,000 yen per month for master’s program students.
- ¥148,000 yen per month for doctoral program students.
- An economy class air ticket to Narita or Haneda International Airport in Japan. (Currently, the MEXT Scholarship doesn’t cover additional travel costs from the airport.)
- Waived or refunded application fees for the university.
- Waived admission fees for the university.
- Waived tuition fees for the university.
Roughly, you’ll receive around a minimum of $1,000 USD for monthly expenses, with your tuition costs covered.
Eligibility and Requirements for MEXT scholarship 2022-2023
To qualify for MEXT Scholarship 2022, the candidate must fulfill all of the following requirements below:
Required Language: English
Eligible Countries: All world countries
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.
For Undergraduate Students:
This type of scholarship is for fresh high school graduates who want to start college in Japan. You must be at least 17 and under 25 years of age and have completed 12 years of school education or have completed courses in a school comparable to a high school (including prospective graduates)
For Masters / Ph.D. Students:
This scholarship is for those who are enrolled or want to be enrolled in a master’s, doctoral or professional graduate course and want to conduct research in a particular field in Japan. Typically, these students are linguistic or cultural studies majors. You must be under 35 years of age and a college graduate (includes prospective graduates). Or you must have completed 16 years / 18 years of education.
For Teacher training students:
This scholarship is for foreign students who wish to spend up to three years at a Japanese technical or vocational college. You must be under 35 years of age and a graduate of a college or teacher training college. You must have at least five years of active experience as a teacher in a primary, secondary, or teacher training college in your country.
For Japanese Study Students:
This is essentially the “exchange student” scholarship. You’ll go to Japan for a certain amount of time to study, then return to your home institution. Applicants must be from 18 to 30 years old. Applicants must be enrolled as undergraduate students in faculties or schools that major in Japanese language or Japanese culture in a university outside Japan at the time when they come to Japan and must be enrolled in the home institution at the time when they return to their home countries.
For your interest, Check out the Top 10 high school student exchange programs in Japan
How Do I Apply for the MEXT Scholarship 2022?
Just like any typical scholarship, you must possess certain documents and be eligible; the MEXT scholarship is not an exception. Here’s a simple 10-step plan to follow in order to apply for the scholarship, which takes into account the requirements and other aspects of the application process:
- Have or acquire a passport. Depending on your home country, there are many different ways to go about this.
- Acquire a Japanese student visa.
- Be between 17 and 35 years of age, depending on which scholarship you decide to apply for.
- Be a citizen of the country you reside in and be sure that the country has diplomatic relations with Japan.
- A written test will be conducted by the Japanese Embassy. Find Sample Written Test with Answers here.
- Be aware of important dates related to applying.
- Select a university in Japan that you want to attend and submit an application to that school ahead of time. It’d be wise to apply to multiple schools of interest.
- Study past examination questions to improve your chances of getting the scholarship.
- Fill out an application online by the designated deadline.
- Submit all application materials to an Embassy or Consulate General of Japan near your area.
Have at least an elementary level of Japanese before applying—you will need to pass a Japanese exam in most cases to receive an embassy recommendation.
What to Do if You Don’t Receive the MEXT Scholarship
But what if you are afraid of applying for the scholarship and failing or maybe you’ve received a letter telling you that you, unfortunately, don’t qualify, don’t let it get to you, students apply for scholarships of all sorts and don’t qualify for them on a daily basis, sometimes it isn’t meant to be and you should look into other scholarships in Japan for international students opportunities or you can learn and you can always apply for the MEXT Scholarship next year.
Maybe you’ll score this scholarship next year. Who knows? It doesn’t hurt to try and apply!
CONCLUSION
This brings an end to the post on MEXT Scholarships 2022-2023 and how to apply for it. This is a fully-funded scholarship for international students in Japan sponsored by the Japanese Government through the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology.
Finally, you can apply to as many scholarships as possible and ensure to send in your applications early.
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