Japanese Government (MEXT) Undergraduate Scholarship 2020
The Japanese Government (The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology) is now accepting applications from international students (undergraduate) for its 2020 Scholarship Program. Deadline for MEXT scholarship varies per country.
The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology（MEXT）offers scholarships to international students who wish to study at Japanese universities as undergraduate students under the Japanese Government (MEXT) Scholarship Program for 2019.
Read Also: Japanese Government (MEXT) Postgraduate Scholarship 2020
Contents
JAPANESE GOVERNMENT (MEXT) UNDERGRADUATE SCHOLARSHIP ELIGIBILITY.
| Undergraduate university students | You must be at least 17 and under 22 years of age and have completed 12 years of school education or have completed courses in a school comparable to a high school (includes prospective graduates). |
|---|---|
| Japanese studies students | Applicants must be from 18 to 30 years old. Applicants must be enrolled as undergraduate students in faculties or schools which 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. |
| College of technology students | You must be at least 17 and under 22 years of age and have completed school education comparable to a high school (a minimum of 11 years beginning in primary school) education (includes prospective graduates). |
| Special training college students | You must be at least 17 and under 22 years of age and have completed 12 years of schooling or have completed school education comparable to a Japanese high school (includes prospective graduates). |
- Applicants must have the nationality of a country that has diplomatic relations with Japan. Applicants with no official nationality are also eligible to apply.
- Applicants must either have completed 12 years of regular school education or have graduated from a school equivalent to an upper secondary school in Japan.
- Applicants generally must have been born between April 2, 1997 and April 1, 2002.
- The scholarship period will last for five years from April 2019 to March 2024, including the one-year preparatory education in the Japanese language and other subjects due to be provided upon arrival in Japan.
JAPANESE GOVERNMENT (MEXT) UNDERGRADUATE SCHOLARSHIP BENEFITS.
- Allowance: 117,000 yen per month. The scholarship is cancelled in principle if the recipient is absent from the university or preparatory Japanese-teaching institution for an extended period. In case that the recipient research in a designated region, 2,000 or 3,000 yen per month will be added. The monetary amount each year may be subject to change due to budgetary reasons.
- The scholarship will be also cancelled in principle in the following situations. If the recipient has been receiving the scholarship despite his/her falling under any of the following situations, the recipient will be ordered to return the amount of scholarship that he/she received during the period wherein he/she was involved with any of the following situations
- The recipient is determined to have made a false statement on his/her application
- The recipient violates any article of his/her pledge to MEXT;
- The recipient violates any Japanese laws and is sentenced to imprisonment with or without work for life or for a period of exceeding 1 year;
- The recipient is subject to disciplinary action by the university, including expulsion (The scholarship payment may be stopped during the period up until punishment is decided by the university, etc.)
- It has been determined that it will be impossible for the recipient to complete the course within the standard course period because of poor academic grades or suspension or leave of absence;
- The recipient’s residence status has changed to one other than “College Student”;
- The recipient has received a scholarship from another institution (excluding those specified for research expenditures)
- The recipient has proceeded to a higher level of education without receiving approval for an extension of the period of the scholarship
- Tuition and Other Fees: Fees for the entrance examination, matriculation, and tuition at universities will be paid by MEXT.
- Traveling Costs: Transportation to Japan: In principle, MEXT stipulates the travel schedule and route, and provides an economy-class airline ticket for the flight from the international airport closest to the recipient’s residence (in principle, the country of nationality) to Narita International Airport or to any other international airport on the normal route to the accepting university.
JAPANESE GOVERNMENT UNDERGRADUATE SCHOLARSHIP TYPES.
As can be seen in the chart below, there are four types of Japanese government-sponsored scholarships (for undergraduate) available under the Japanese Government (Monbukagakusho) Scholarship program: those for undergraduate university students, Japanese studies students, college of technology students, special training students.
Those wishing to apply for a scholarship should meet one of the criteria listed below:
- Recommended by a Japanese embassy or consulate general (Embassy Recommendation).
- Recommended by the Japanese university which will accept you (University Recommendation).
- Selected by the Japanese university in which you are currently enrolled if you are a privately-financed student already studying in Japan (Domestic Selection).
| Undergraduate student | Japanese studies student | College of technology student | Special training college student | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level of studies | Undergraduate level | |||
| Eligibility requirement | Secondary school graduate or equivalent | University student (undergraduate level) | Graduates of secondary schools or equivalent | |
| Age limit (at time of granting) | At least 17 and under 22 | At least 18 and under 30 | At least 17 and under 22 | |
| Duration | 5 years including Japanese-language training (7 years for medicine, dentistry, pharmacy and veterinary science) | One academic year | 4 years including Japanese-language training(4 and a half years for merchant marines studies) | 3 years including Japanese-language training |
| Preliminary Japanese-language training | 1 year (Tokyo University of Foreign Studies and Osaka University) | None | 1 year (Independent Administrative Institution: Japan Student Services Organization, Tokyo Japanese Lanugage Education Center) | 1 year (Bunka Institute of Language, Independent Administrative Institution: Japan Student Services Organization, Osaka Japanese Lanugage Education Center) |
| Fields of study | Undergraduate education | Japanese language or special training related to Japan | Third year college of technology courses | Post secondary courses |
| Designated countries | Worldwide (100 countries and regions) | Worldwide (74 countries and regions) | Developing countries (40 countries and regions) | Developing countries, etc. (49 countries and regions) |
| Planned number of new scholarship recipients | 460 people | 190 people | 86 people | 90 people |
| Scholarship stipend | ¥117,000～120,000 per month | |||
| Tuition | Tuition for national universities and Institute of National College of Technology waived; tuition for public and private universities paid for by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology | |||
| Travel allowance | Roundtrip fare (air ticket) provided | |||
| Embassy recommendation | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| University recommendation (overseas application) | No | Yes | No | No |
| University recommendation (local acceptance) | Yes (For the final only) | No | No | No |
HOW TO APPLY FOR JAPANESE GOVERNMENT UNDERGRADUATE SCHOLARSHIP.
EMBASSY RECOMMENDATION:
In this type of scholarship, scholarship recipients are recruited and initially screened by a Japanese embassy (or consulate general, depending on the country). As the application process differs according to the country in which the Japanese embassy is located, please inquire at the Japanese embassy or consulate general in your country for details. List of Websites of Japanese Embassies, Consulates and Permanent Missions
Undergraduate student, College of technology student, and Special training college student: Recruitment for those arriving in Japan in next April is made between April and May. The initial screening (documentary examination, written test and interview) is made at the embassy between June and July. The embassy then recommends the selected candidates to the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs by late August.
UNIVERSITY RECOMMENDATION:
- Japanese studies students who will be studying in Japan as an exchange student based on inter-university student exchange agreements can be screened through the national, public or private Japanese university involved as a candidate for a Japanese Government Scholarship. The university directly recommends the selected candidates to the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT).
