MEXT Undergraduate Scholarship

Scholarship Grant:

MEXT Undergraduate Scholarship

Scholarship Sponsor:

Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) of Japan

Fields of Study

Those who wish to study in Japan as an undergraduate exchange student must choose a field of major from (1) or (2) below.

(1) Social Sciences and Humanities-A

• Laws
• Politics
• Pedagogy
• Sociology
• Literature
• History
• Japanese language
• Others

Social Sciences and Humanities-B

• Economics
• Business Administration

Note 1: Applicants who wish to major in the fields categorized as “others” may have difficulties in finding universities that can accept them.

Note 2: Major field content related to “Economics” and “Business Administration” of Humanities B is not included in “others.”

(2) Natural Sciences-A:

• Science (Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry)
• Electric and Electronic Studies (Electronics, Electrical Engineering, Information Engineering)
• Mechanical Studies (Mechanical Engineering, Naval Architecture)
• Civil Engineering and Architecture (Civil Engineering, Architecture, Environmental Engineering)
• Chemical Studies (Applied Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Industrial Chemistry, Textile Engineering)
• Other fields (Metallurgical Engineering, Mining Engineering, Maritime Engineering, Biotechnology)

Natural Sciences-B

• Agricultural studies (Agriculture, Agricultural Chemistry, Agricultural Engineering, Animal Science, Veterinary Medicine, Forestry, Food Science, Fisheries)
• Hygienic studies (Pharmacy, Hygienics, Nursing)
• Science (Biology)

Natural Sciences-C

• Medicine
• Dentistry

Note: An international student who intends to major in Natural Sciences is required to choose and enter first-, second-, and third-choice subjects from the same course (from Science Course A, B or C). (A student who wants to study Course C may choose his/her third-choice subject from Course B because Course C offers only two subjects.)

Qualifications

• Applicant must have the nationality of a country which has diplomatic relations with the Japanese government. This applies at such times to stateless persons,too. Applicant who has Japanese nationality at the time of application will not be eligible. Applicant screening will be made at the Japanese Embassy/Consulate General (hereinafter, referred to as “Japanese legation”) in the country of Applicant’s nationality (except where two or more countries are attended by the same Japanese legation ).
• Applicant must meet the age requirement. (Please contact JICC for more information)
• Applicant must either have completed a 12-year regular course of school education or have graduated from a school equivalent to an upper secondary school in Japan. (Included is any Applicant who will satisfy the above qualifications by the date set by MEXT.)

Note: Also included is any Applicant who otherwise satisfies entrance eligibility for a Japanese university.

• Applicant must be willing to learn the Japanese language and receive university education in it.
• Applicant must be physically and mentally healthy enough to pursue study at a university in Japan.
• In principle, the selected Applicant must be able to leave for and arrive in Japan between the dates that will be set by MEXT. Travel expenses will not be provided if the Applicant is unable to travel to Japan during this set period.
• Selected Applicants must obtain a College Student (ryuugaku ..) visa prior to his arrival in Japan. Applicants who are already in Japan under a visa other than College Student are required to change it to College Student by the end of the month preceding the start of the scholarship. Applicants who change their resident status to any status other than “College Student” after their arrival in Japan will immediately lose their status as a Japanese government scholarship student.

Disqualified Applicants

• Service members or civilian employees registered on the active military list
• Grantees of a scholarship from an organization(including a governmental organization of his/her own country) other than the Japanese government (MONBUKAGAKUSHO:MEXT);
• Grantees of a Japanese government scholarship in the past, provided, however, that less than three years shall have passed as of the date that will be set by MEXT counted from the first day of the month that followed the last-payment month of such scholarship
• Those who are currently enrolled in a Japanese university with the resident status of “College Student,” or will be enrolled in a Japanese university as an other source or self financed international student between the time of application for this scholarship in his/her country and the time the scholarship period is due to begin.

Requirements:

Applicants must submit the following documents to the Japanese legation by the required date. The submitted documents will not be returned.

• 2 Original copies of application (by the prescribed forms)
• 1 Original copy of application (Attachment) (prescribed form for applicants for direct placement)
• 3 Original copies of photographs (4.5 x 3.5 cm, Upper body, Full-faced, Uncapped) taken within the past 6 months(name and nationality should be written on the back side; photo to be pasted on the applications and Attachment)
• 1 Original copy and 1 photocopy of academic transcript for the past 3 years
• 1 Original copy and 1 photocopy of recommendation from the principal or the adviser of the last school attended
• 1 Original copy and 1 photocopy of  graduation certificate of the last school attended (or certificate of expected graduation for an applicant due to graduate)
• 1 Original copy and 1 photocopy of certificate of passage of university entrance qualification examination (if applicable)
• 1 Original copy and 1 photocopy of certificate of enrollment (for an applicant currently enrolled in a university)
• 1 Original copy and 1 photocopy of  medical certificate(on the prescribed form)

Note 1: These documents must be written in Japanese or English. A document written in any other language must be attached with an English or Japanese translation.

Note 2: A photocopy of the graduation certificate and/or the qualification certificate will do, provided that the copy is attested by the relevant school or examining organization.

Note 3: An application will not be examined unless all the documents mentioned above are fully and correctly completed.

Contact Information:

Japan Information and Culture Center (JICC)

Embassy of Japan

2627 Roxas Boulevard, 1300 Pasay City, Philippines

Phone: 551-5710 Ext. 2314/2316 Fax: 551-5784

E-mail: press@ma.mofa.go.jp

*Note: The MEXT scholarship is offered annually. The information provided above were taken from the requirements/qualifications/guidelines for the 2012 Undergraduate Scholarship selection process which recently ended. Some of these information may or may not have changed. For best results, please contact JICC to verify if the same requirements/qualifications/guidelines would still apply for the Undergraduate Scholarship for 2013.

Last Modified: May 16, 2012