Are you one of the Filipino students who dream to pursue their studies abroad? Don’t hold back and work on that! Check out the Japanese Government MEXT Scholarship program below.
Dreaming of studying in Japan is now possible with the Japanese Government MEXT Scholarship through the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology which offers 7 types of scholarships to all international students all over the countries who wish to study in some Japanese Universities. The scholarship extends financial help and assistance to qualified students that will truly contribute towards the development of every deserving student.
Also Read: How to Apply ADB JSP Asian Development Bank Japan Scholarship Program
In this way, Japan will promote a friendly and strong relationship with other countries as well as help students develop and acquire worldwide competence through quality education. Aside from that, students who are eligible to be a scholar of the said Japanese scholarship program are entitled to receive a lot of benefits and privileges packages. They will also have the opportunity to acquire a training course and work in Japan.
What is the Japanese Government MEXT Scholarship?
The Japanese Government offers a Japanese scholarship to international students in all countries all over the world to study master, doctoral, undergraduate, or college courses and technical-vocational courses at any Japanese University under the supervision ties of this scholarship. This scholarship is also known as the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology or the Japanese Government MEXT Scholarship.
The goal of this scholarship is to help students who wish to study abroad especially in Japan with their study expenses including some living expenses while studying. The scholarship is sub-divided into different types according to the level of course program that the applicants want to apply including the following; the Research Student Scholarship or the scholarship offered under this program for those who want to enroll in a master’s or professional graduate course, undergraduate student scholarship or the scholarship offered for those incoming college student, specialized training college student or a three years scholarship for technical-vocational courses and the last is the Japanese studies scholarship or the scholarship for an exchange student who wants to study in a certain amount of time the go back in your home institution.
The deadline for application varies from the embassy where the applicants apply in.
Benefits
The qualified student applicants can enjoy the following opportunity and privileges if they are qualified for the said educational scholarship program. These are as follows:
- For undergraduate college students, they can receive per month a ¥120, 000 yen.
- Japanese Intensive Course and research students are entitled to receive ¥146, 000 yen per month.
- A ¥147, 000 yen per month for students that are taking their master’s degree or any master’s program and ;
- A ¥148, 000 yen per month for those students taking up their doctoral degree.
- Waived tuition fees of the Japanese University.
- Refundable or waived application fees for the chosen Japanese University.
- Waived admission fees.
- Opportunity to work in Japan after the scholar graduate.
Qualifications
The following is the list of qualification standards that the applicants must meet to be qualified for the said scholarship:
- Applicants must know how to speak English.
- Students in different countries all over the world are eligible to apply.
- Applicants must come from countries with which Japan has diplomatic ties.
- Must be willing to study abroad and eligible to apply.
- Advanced knowledge of Japanese culture is a great advantage but not required
For undergraduate Students who want to study college in Japan
- Must be between 17 and 22 years old.
- Must be a high school graduate and must have a high school diploma.
For specialized training college courses or Japanese technical or vocational course
- Between 17 and 22 years of age.
- Must be completed the 12 years of education or at least high school graduate and acquire a high school diploma.
- If you are not a high school graduate yet or if you are not graduated yet you need to wait until you are officially graduated.
For research students or those scholars who want to study master’s or doctoral courses
- Must be 35 years old or below.
- Must have a college diploma or a college graduate.
- If you are not graduated yet, apply for the said scholarship before the expected departure as a scholarship holder.
Requirements
This program is accepting walk-in and online applicants and the following is the list of the required documents that the applicants must submit to be qualified for the scholarship.
- Scanned passport (if it is only available at the time of application)
- Duly accomplished MEXT Application Form
- For incoming college student applicants, verified documents with official stamps of the acquired degree are required. (if it is not in English, a notarized English translation copy is required).
- For master’s applicants, a Bachelor’s degree Transcript is required (if it is not in English, a notarized English translation copy is required).
- For Ph.D. applicants, a Master’s degree Transcripts is required (if it is not in English, a notarized English translation copy is required).
- Two recommendation letters come from the applicant’s teachers and advisors who can justify your English proficiency performance.
- Scanned passport (only if it is available at the time of the application)
- For research students, a curriculum vitae (CV) is required.
- Statement of purpose or study plan (should be English written and the motivation of application should be included in the content)
- English Language Proficiency Documents (certificates or EPT results)
- For research students, an academic thesis dissertation is required or any relevant academic publications.
- Other reference documents (only if it is applicable)
How to Get MEXT Scholarship for Japan
The following are the step-by-step guide and instructions that you can use as your basis to apply for the Japanese Government MEXT Scholarship
Step 1: Find the Japanese Embassy or consulate country using the link https://www.mofa.go.jp/about/emb_cons/over/index.html
Step 2: Go to the website of your country’s Japanese Embassy and below, click the scholarship tab and find the MEXT Scholarship.
Step 3: Download the application form and fill it out completely.
Step 4: The applicants must submit the required documents to your country’s Japanese Embassy and consulate general listed below
Step 5: The Japanese Embassy will be the one that will be conducted the written test. You can click the link and find the sample written test https://www.studyinjapan.go.jp/en/planning/scholarship/application/examination/index.html
Step 6: There will be an initial preliminary interview that will be conducted after.
Step 7: The successful applicants will be informed through email or the website of the embassy.
Important Reminders
Attached hereof are some important points that aspiring applicants need to remember before applying.
- For more information and inquiries on the Japanese Scholarship program you can visit the following links:
- Embassy of Japan in the Philippines https://www.studyinjapan.go.jp
- Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology (MEXT-Japan) https://www.mext.go.jp/english/index.html
- Comprehensive Guide https://www.studyinjapan.go.jp/en/
- You can also reach out about your concerns to the Japanese Embassy in the Philippines using the address and contact information below.
- Embassy of Japan in the Philippines.
2627 Roxas Boulevard, Pasay City, Metro Manila, 1300, Philippines
Mailing Address: Embassy of Japan, P.O. Box No. 414, Pasay Central Post
Office, Pasay City, Metro Manila, 1300, Philippines
Telephone: (63-2) 85551-5710
- Consulate-General of Japan in Davao, 4th Floor, BI Zone Building, J.P. Laurel
Avenue, Bajada, Davao City
- Consulate-General of Japan in Cebu, 8th Floor, 2Quad Building, Cardinal Rosales Avenue, Cebu Business Park, Cebu City 6000, Philippines.
- All the required documents must be submitted on time.
- You can apply through the embassy or embassy recommendation. You only need to do is to visit their official website or you can also personally visit their office using the informational address stated above;
- You can also apply through university recommendation just contact the person in charge and the department affiliated with the said university.
- The applicants must pass all the assessments including the interviews and screenings.
- It is much better if you have strong background knowledge of Japanese culture and language because it is an advantage for you.
Video: Filipina Shares MEXT Scholarship and Moved from Philippines to Japan
Check out the video above as this video is very helpful and insightful. It will strengthen your knowledge about the said scholarship program. It will also give you an overview of what is the MEXT scholarship program all about. This video is also a great help to the applicants because it clarifies here all the basic requirements needed for the application. It also discusses the terms and conditions and how the scholarship is being adhered to the needs of the student applicants to study in Japanese Universities. So, therefore, it is suggested that it is better to watch this video to understand the scholarship program better.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. I am interested to apply for this scholarship program, how will we know the schedule of application for this scholarship?
If you plan to apply for this scholarship program you can visit the website of the Japanese
Embassy in your country using the link provided here – https://www.mofa.go.jp/about/emb_cons/over/index.html. Just click the specific country where you are residing and find the Japanese Embassy that your country has and it will automatically pop out all the contact information that you need including the schedule of application and the basic information that you need and if you are a Filipino citizen you may use the contact information stated in the article.
2. My and I sibling are planning to apply for this scholarship together and the selected major field of study is the same, is it possible for us to be included in the list of scholars and to attend the same university?
The possibility of this case will all depend on the terms and conditions of the scholarship rules and embassy regulations because the Japanese embassy in your home country will filter all your concerns including the qualified applicants that are why they are requiring various assessments including the screening and evaluation before they will send the applicants off to Japan so it is hereby suggested to contact the Japanese embassy in your country or the consulate offices. If you don’t have an idea regarding the contact information of the embassy and consulate offices, you can use the link provided above.
3. I have personal issues and concerns regarding my application to whom should I contact and inquire regarding my concerns?
If you have questions or concerns regarding the application process, you can consult the person in charge of the Japanese embassy where you are residing or you can also personally visit their embassy offices or you can send an email to them.
4. I already sent my application for the said scholarship via email. Unfortunately, I did not receive any notification or confirmation regarding the status of my application, is it possible to receive confirmation from them?
The representative will notify you regarding your scholarship application but if you will encounter this situation it is suggested to send another e-mail to verify your application status better yet if you apply through the Japanese embassy in your country or Japanese recommendation, you visit the scholarship office of the Japanese embassy in your home country and if ever you apply through university recommendation, please ask for assistance to the related department of the Japanese university that you wish to enter.
5. Aside from the application procedure stated above, are there any possible processes that the applicants of the said scholarship program must undergo?
Aside from the processes or procedures mentioned above, applicants are expected to undergo various evaluations and assessments before proceeding to the next phase of the application. This is a part of your application process because the Japanese embassy will make sure that you are mentally and physically ready before sending the applicants to Japan to study to avoid culture shock and other problems.
6. I would like to know the list of possible universities where I can enroll, where can I find it?
The list of possible Japanese universities is strictly prohibited in public but don’t worry if you apply through the embassy recommendation, they will assess you to that and they will let you decide if you want to enroll in the Japanese universities that are affiliated with the scholarship program.
7. Is the MEXT Scholarship open for 2023 applications? Also, what level of Japanese do I need for the MEXT?
Interested applicants should keep in mind that a grantee who studies at a preparatory educational institution before enrolling in a university: The scholarship period will last for five years from April 2023 to March 2028, including one-year preparatory education in the Japanese language and other subjects due to be provided upon arrival in Japan. Hence, stay updated for the latest updates about the opening of applications for the academic year 2023. The application date will be posted and announced when the next academic year is nearly approaching.
For student applicants of the MEXT research scholarship students (graduate program), learning the Japanese language is not required or necessary, especially if you intend to study in the English language. However, you still need to handle mundane tasks in Japanese. Hence, before applying for the MEXT scholarship, you should aim for levels N4-N3 before you take the MEXT test.
8. Is it hard to get the Japan Government MEXT scholarship?
The Japan Government MEXT scholarship is highly competitive. There are only limited slots allotted for scholars every year. Hence, if you plan to apply for the said scholarship program take time to prepare yourself to be better than all of the other applicants to succeed. Additionally, the best way to strengthen your application and make it stand out among others is to create a rock-solid application strategy and base your application around it. Preparedness is the key to successful application alongside a strong application portfolio.
9. Is there a maintaining grade point average (GPA) for the MEXT Scholarship?
To qualify and apply for the MEXT scholarship, applicants must keep in mind the required grade point average (GPA). The required GPA is at least a minimum GPA of 2.30/3.0 or higher to be able to be eligible for the MEXT application. Hence, if you are unable to meet the minimum requirement for the GPA, try to look for other similar scholarship programs to that you are qualified and eligible to apply.
10. Are the exams for the MEXT Scholarship hard to pass? How many students get accepted to MEXT?
Most of the applicants for the MEXT Scholarship have found the MEXT Math Exam extremely hard to pass and a few months of practice is not enough to prepare. Additionally, they often described some of the exercises as very complicated, and sometimes, even the requirement is difficult to understand. However, exams are hard most of the time as they will evaluate your knowledge in all areas of study. Hence, preparation is the key to overcoming this hardship. You have to prepare mentally and physically.
Approximately 50 students every year receive the MEXT scholarship. This explains why the examination for the MEXT scholarship is viewed as hard to pass by previous student applicants.
Summary
Hence, this is the process of applying for the Japan Government MEXT Scholarship program. Just keep in mind all the important things mentioned in the article as well as complete all the documentary requirements before applying if you intend to apply for the said scholarship program.
Additionally, knowing that the MEXT scholarship is hard to pass, should not hinder you from applying. Study and prepare for the examination mentally and physically. Do not let the opportunity slip if you are qualified and eligible to apply for the said scholarship program. Good luck with your application.