Application for the 2023-2024 Japanese Government MEXT Scholarship for Undergraduate studies are currently being received. The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) of Japan offers scholarships to international students who wish to study at Japanese universities as Undergraduate Students under the Japanese Government (MEXT) Scholarships Program.

The MEXT (MONBUKAGAKUSHO) scholarship program is open for candidates enrolled in an undergraduate course at a university, or who are receiving preparatory education in the Japanese language and other subjects prior to placement at the university. This is a unique opportunity to get a quality education for free in Japan.

Winners of this Asia scholarship should be able to arrive in Japan between April 1, 2024, and April 7, 2024. 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.

Applicants wishing to apply for a Research, Master’s or PhD degree program should click on the following link: MEXT scholarship program for graduate studies.

Program Details

• Host institutions: Higher Educational Institutions in Japan.
• Fields of study: Please check list below.
• Number of awards: Many.
• Duration: The Scholarship period will last for five years from April 2024 to March 2029, including one-year preparatory education in the Japanese language and other subjects. For scholarship grantees majoring in medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine or a six-year course in pharmacy, the scholarship period will be seven years until March 2030.
• Eligible countries: Open to nationals of countries that have diplomatic relations with Japan.

Japanese Government MEXT Scholarship for Undergraduate Studies Benefits

Selected candidates for the MONBUKAGAKUSHO scholarship will enjoy the following benefits:

1. Allowance: 117,000 yen per month. A supplemental regional allowance of 2,000 yen or 3,000 yen per month will be added to the monthly scholarship amount for the grantees studying or conducting research in specially designated regions.
2. Education fees: Fees for the entrance examination, matriculation, and tuition at universities will be paid by MEXT.
3. Transportation: MEXT will provide round-trip economy-class flight tickets to and from Japan.

Fields of study

Candidates applying for undergraduate programs must choose a Field of Study (“Social Sciences and Humanities” or “Natural Sciences”), Course, and Major(s) from the following options. Applicants may enter a first, second, and third choice.

Japanese Government MEXT Scholarship for Undergraduate Studies Eligibility

To apply for the MEXT (MONBUKAGAKUSHO) scholarship, candidates must satisfy the following criteria:

1. Nationality: Applicants must have the nationality of a country that has diplomatic relations with Japan. 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 other country and renounce their Japanese nationality by the date of their arrival in Japan.
2. Age: Applicants, in principle, must have been born on or after April 2, 1999. Exceptions are limited to cases in which MEXT deems that the applicant could not apply within the eligible age limit due to the situation or circumstances of the applicant’s country (military service obligation, loss of educational opportunities due to disturbances of war, etc.)
3. Academic Background: Applicants must satisfy any one of the following conditions. However, applicants desiring direct placement must satisfy either the following ①, ③ or ④ condition.
   1. Applicants who have completed 12 years of schooling in countries other than Japan. (Applicants who will meet the above condition by March 2024 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 2024.)
   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 condition by March 2024 are eligible.)
   3. Applicants who have successfully passed an academic qualification examination that is equivalent to the completion of 12 years of schooling in countries other than Japan. (Applicants who will meet the above condition by March 2024 are eligible.)
   4. Other than the above ①, ②, and ③ 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 before and 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.

Similar Opportunities

1. Friedrich Naumann Foundation Scholarships for Master and PhD.
2. Government of Romania MEAT Scholarship;
3. MEXT Scholarship College of Technology Students Program.

How to Apply to the Japanese Government Scholarship for Undergraduate

Applicants willing to apply for this Asia scholarships for Undergraduate studies must submit required documents to the Japanese diplomatic mission in their country by the designated deadline. Please get in touch with the diplomatic mission in your country to get more details about the application requirements and submission period.

Required Documents

1. Application Form
2. Placement Preference Application (Only for applicants desiring direct placement).
3. Academic transcript for all academic years of university attended
4. Certification of graduation or degree certificate of the university attended (If the applicant has not yet graduated, submit a certificate of prospective graduation from the university)
5. Recommendation letter from either principal or teacher of last school attended
6. Medical certificate
7. Certificate of enrollment (Only for those currently enrolled in a university)
8. Certificate of university enrollment qualification examination (Only for those who passed the university enrollment qualification exams)
9. Certificate of language proficiency (Only in case the applicant has documents attesting to competency in Japanese or English; submit 2 copies)

Documents must be written in Japanese or English, or translations in either of these languages should be attached. Furthermore, applicants must submit two application packets: one is a complete set of original documents and the other is a complete set of their copies. Write the document number, from ① to ⑨ in the upper right-hand corner of the first page for all the documents.

The deadline to submit applications varies by Japanese diplomatic mission. For example, the deadline is June 2, 2023 at the Embassy of Japan in Australia and May 26, 2023 at the Embassy of Japan in Canada. Make sure to confirm the deadline at the website of the Japanese diplomatic mission in the country of your nationality or in some other ways.

Please find here Past Examination Questions. For more details on the Japanese Government MEXT Scholarship for Undergraduate students, please visit the official page. To be the first to see latest opportunities, please follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram.