For International Students

The Japanese Government (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, or “Monbukagakusho”) scholarship programs you can apply for before arriving in Japan are (1) Research Student, (2) Teacher Training Student, and (3) Undergraduate Student. They are called the “Japanese Government scholarship students” collectively. Application for these programs must be made through embassy or university recommendations.

[Qualifications for the Japanese Government scholarship applicants]

In principle, applicants must meet the following conditions.

1. Research students

Applicant must be a university graduate or prospective university graduate under 35 years of age. Applicants wishing to enroll in a master’s course at a graduate school must be university graduates who have completed 16 years of school education, or those who have completed 15 years of school education and are recognized by a Japanese graduate school as an equivalent to the former.

2. Teacher training students

Applicant must be a graduate from a university or teacher training college under 35 years of age, an incumbent elementary or secondary school teacher, or a person with a minimum of 5 years teaching experience at a teacher training college (excluding incumbent university professors).

3. Undergraduate students

Applicants must be 17 years old or above and under 22 years old, and have completed, or will be completing, 12 years of school education.

However, those who have previously studied as Japanese Government scholarship students must have several years of educational or research experience in their home country after returning from Japan. Please note that application methods and applicable countries differ depending on each program.

Applications from the following persons will be void:

• Incumbent military personnel or persons with civilian military personnel status
• Those who have a spouse who has been granted the Japanese Government scholarship (If a married couple makes an application, only one of them will be considered)
• Prospective grantee of a scholarship or grant from organizations other than the Japanese Government (Monbukagakusho), including the government of their own country

1. Embassy recommendation

This is a category where applications are made through the Japanese Embassy or Consular Office outside Japan.

1. Application for Japanese Government scholarships through embassy recommendations In general, applications for the scholarship for the following year are accepted through March to May at the Japanese Embassy or Consular Office (this may depend on the Embassy or Consular Office). Preliminary screening will be conducted by the Embassy or Consular Office in cooperation with the host country’s government, based on the application documents, written examinations and interviews. For details, please contact the Japanese Embassy or Consular Office concerned.

[Link to Japanese embassies and Consular Offices (Ministry of Foreign Affairs website)]
http://www.mofa.go.jp/mofaj/annai/zaigai/list/index.html

Important!

Previously, applicants were required to contact a faculty of the university they wished to enroll in, obtain an informal consent of acceptance and apply directly with the Embassy or Consular Office concerned. Please note that from the 2006 application, only applicants who have passed the preliminary screening at the Embassy or Consular Office need to obtain an informal consent of acceptance or a certificate of admission.

2. Applicants who wish to enroll in The University of Tokyo

Applicants who have passed the preliminary examination conducted by the Japanese Embassy or Consular Office and wish to enroll in The University of Tokyo are required to contact the graduate school concerned, confirm the conditions and documentation needed to obtain an informal consent of acceptance or a certificate of admission, and follow their instructions (conditions vary depending on the graduate school). [links to contact information of each graduate school]

2. University recommendation

In this category, universities recommend research students directly to Monbukagakusho (the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology) as candidates for the Japanese government scholarship. The majority of applicants will be international students on the interuniversity student exchange agreement, and the scholarship term starts in October. With this system, universities on the interuniversity student exchange agreement keep in close contact with each other and make recommendations based on the assessment of the student’s academic pursuits and career path, and the accepting university undertakes the task of teaching and directing the student. Transfer to another university after arriving in Japan is not permitted.