How to Win the MEXT Scholarship: Study Abroad in Japan for Free

What Is the MEXT Scholarship?

The MEXT Scholarship is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity. 

MEXT is an agency of the Japanese federal government. It stands for the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. With a little imagination, put it all together and MECSST kinda sounds like MEXT. In Japanese it is called the Monbukagakusho.

The MEXT scholarship is a full-ride, all-expenses-paid opportunity to receive training, study, and conduct research in Japan. They pay for your visa, flight to Japan, flight home at the end, any tuition costs, and a living stipend. 

The best part? It is entirely customizable according to your interests. 

YOU get to select the type of scholarship, your location, your school, and your field of study. 

All this comes with a catch. You have to stand out among thousands of applicants using your past accomplishments and current skills. Luckily there are tips and tricks I learned along the way that helps increase the chances of a successful application. I was lucky enough to find resources and pieces of advice on my journey, so now I’d like to pass them along to future applicants.

What We Know About the MEXT Scholarship

The scholarship is relatively prestigious. However, MEXT is notoriously tight-lipped about the number of people accepted at each stage of the scholarship. For that reason, a lot of the information about numbers available rely on rumors and anecdotes. As regulars to my site know, I don’t make a habit of using rumors to make claims. So I will make sure to point out any time I report an unofficial statistic. 

MEXT By the Numbers

The most recent year they released admission numbers was 2015. That year there were 9,223 MEXT scholars studying in Japan. From 1954 to 2015 roughly 102,000 students from 160 countries had received it.

In the US, roughly 25 applicants are selected every year. This seems to support the rumor that around 1-2 scholars are selected from each consulate or embassy in the country. 

Types of Scholarships Available

There are four types of scholarships available through the Japanese embassy or consulate. Each one comes with its own perks and restrictions:

1. Japanese Studies – for a 1-year study abroad, undergraduate students between 18 and 30 years old
2. Specialized Training – for a 2-year vocational training, under 25 years old
3. Undergraduate – for an undergraduate degree, under 25 years old
4. Graduate/Research – for a graduate degree or non-degree research, under 35 years old

My Experience

In my case, I was awarded the graduate/research scholarship. I chose this one because I already have a professional doctoral degree. Since this is the type of scholarship I had success with, it will be the focus of this article. 

My goal here is to provide some direction to aspiring scientists and fellow professionals who are looking to shake things up and give back to the world. I tried to put together the article that I dreamed of finding when I applied. 

Applying for the MEXT Scholarship

No matter which MEXT scholarship you try for, the application is a long process. For graduate researchers, the whole thing takes about one year to complete. The entire adventure can seem a little daunting but taking things step-by-step will smooth out the bumps. 

There are two rounds of the application process. The first screening is conducted by your local embassy or consulate. After they recommend you, the second screening is conducted by Monbukagakusho (MEXT) in Japan. 

Where to Start

For starters, check out your embassy to find out which scholarship is right for you. In the US and Canada, each consulate has different procedures and timelines.

Not sure which consulate you belong to? The Japanese Embassy has a table just for that.

Next determine which scholarship you’re shooting for. In the case of the research scholarship, most of the application materials can be found on the Study in Japan website.

MEXT Application Pro-Tips

I won’t go over every aspect of the application in detail here because other sites like the application guidelines and the Transenz guides do an amazing job of that. However, there were a few things that came up during my application that I found tough to navigate.

Certificate of Health

One of the more subtle aspects of the giant application is the certificate of health form. It is a required component for all applicants. But if you are applying in the US, it’s something to prepare for. 

A lot of the information on the form requires medical procedures, like x-ray and blood work. They can quickly become a large out-of-pocket expense. Keep this and the time it takes to schedule appointments in mind when preparing your application strategy.

Some consulates (like Atlanta and San Francisco) will allow you to wait until the results of the first screening before requiring a medical form. Check with your consulate or embassy to see if they offer a similar exception. 

Finding the Right Japanese University and Professor

Finding the right university to apply to is difficult under normal circumstances. Now imagine figuring that out from thousands of miles away in a country with a language barrier. 

The good news is that the Japanese government provides a list of universities that offer degree programs in English. However my pro-tip here is to keep an open mind. In some cases the right program isn’t in English. Moreover, sometimes universities are willing to admit foreign students to Japanese language programs. This can be incredibly useful if you find a professor or researcher you really admire.

Whatever you do, just be sure to be upfront with the person you contact about your intentions and Japanese skill level. Honesty goes a long way in establishing trust and setting expectations. 

My Experience

No matter how you slice it, it takes hours of poking around to find institutions that are a good fit. I tried to select schools based on my interest in their research program and faculty rather than any other factors. The places that I originally planned to apply changed over time. This was due to the conversations I had with universities and professors in a later stage of the application process. It is not unusual for this to happen.  

The MEXT Scholarship Research Proposal

The biggest component to the application is the research proposal. This two page document goes a long way in determining your success in moving to the interview stage. 

Everyone must come up with an original research topic that captures the attention of the folks screening your application. A big pro-tips for this part is to make sure you understand the mission of MEXT: it aims to establish ties between Japan and the applicant’s home country. 

So in your proposal, identify how your research is relevant to your field of study. On top of that, be ready to explain why this research must be done in Japan. Finally, include information about how the research can be used to build a bridge between your home country and Japan.

Key Resources

Everyone’s research will be different. More importantly, so is what we can each contribute to a research project. Only you know how to write your own research proposal. But I can share the resources that really helped me organize my thoughts. I had never written a proposal before so some outside assistance came in quite handy.

My Experience

For those curious about what I’m up to in Japan, in another article I detailed my research about medicinal plants. 

The MEXT Scholarship Interview

Some weeks after you submit your application, you will be notified whether or not you have earned an interview. If you’ve made it here, congratulations! This is a big next step. My guess is that if you got to the interview stage, you’re 50% of the way there. 

The interview is usually conducted at the embassy or consulate along with an English and Japanese exam. Due to infection control measures, interviews for 2021-2023 departures were held online.

The interview panel consists of several people. These can include: 

• Representatives from the embassy or consulate
• Japanese native speakers
• Outside academics (usually from local area universities)

It sounds crazy to say, but try to have fun with it. The folks in the interview want you to be at your best so they can hear about your interesting research. Nobody wants you to panic or stumble. However, rumor has it that sometimes someone might play the “bad cop” to see how you handle a little extra pressure.

My Experience

They ask us not to share the contents of the interview, so I will keep that promise. But I will say that I really enjoyed being heard. At the end of the day, it was a source of great validation just feeling like I had earned the time to be listened to. I felt fortunate that my interviewers were such lovely people. Doesn’t hurt to send a thank you email afterwards either.

MEXT Scholarship First Screening Results

The next few weeks can be a nervous waiting game. The consulate or embassy will evaluate all of your application materials and interview performance. The competition? Anyone who applied for the same scholarship category from your region.

But once you’ve passed the first screening, well done. By my estimation you are now 80% of the way there. The confirmation email will instruct you to begin applying to the schools listed on your application.

My Experience

I did my best to put the waiting out of my mind. I clearly remember thinking to myself, “I was just happy to be heard and feel like I’m on the right path for my career no matter what”. Then finally, late one Friday night, the email from the consulate arrived. 

Contacting a Japanese University and Professor

Some people would have informally contacted professors before passing the first screening. According to the letter of the law, applicants are supposed to wait until passing the first screening before reaching out. Whatever you do, it’s up to you to make a good impression. These professors likely have multiple people and projects that vie for their attention. 

Find a way to stand out through common interests and demonstrate what you can do for them. This is a two way street. They mentor you and provide a platform for your research. In exchange, you add to their legacy and clout. It should be a win-win proposition.

My Experience

I found this part more difficult than I thought it would be. Although I had identified schools to apply to, I was unlucky. Two professors I reached out to were retiring during my application year.

I was only able to make contact with one professor. Here is where my luck turned around. This professor happened to be the one that I cited the most in my research proposal. Although he couldn’t supervise my research, he referred me to the person who ultimately became my supervisor. In the end I received a letter of provisional acceptance to only one school and it was my first choice university.

The Long Wait: MEXT Scholarship Second Screening Results

Once you submit your letter(s) of provisional acceptance, that’s all. For now your work is done. All the application materials are sent to Japan for the second, and final, screening. The hardest part of the whole process is coming up…the long wait.

From about September until the results are released in January or February there is complete and deafening silence. No one contacts you for months. Adding to the waiting pain is when the undergraduate results come out. They are typically released a month or so earlier than graduate/research results. Stay strong, your time is coming. 

Asking the embassy for results early does not help because they don’t know any more than you do. Sometimes, for some people, your accepting university will reach out before the final results regarding housing assignments or other administrative tasks. This is usually a sign that things are moving in a positive direction. It is rumored that by now your chances of acceptance are more than 99%.

My Experience

For me this was the single hardest part of the whole application experience. By now, hours were poured into the application process and school search. Hard earned money was spent to have pictures taken and the medical form completed. I had trouble sleeping and checking my email became a compulsive habit many times a day. A friend jokingly referred to me as an email addict, walking around, eyes glazed over, asking “anybody got any of them emails?” 

But I got through it and so will you. The reward on the other side is well worth the wait. 

In fact, on the exact morning of my birthday I received the email I had been waiting a year for.

Final Thoughts

That’s it! That’s my story. And that’s what it takes to win the MEXT scholarship. Hopefully this gives some insight into the process. More importantly, I hope the tips and tricks in here ease your burden while applying and writing a research proposal. 

I have to give an enormous thank you to everyone who gave me a hand. Whether it was application advice, reading my research proposal (again and again), or steadfast words of courage. I’m just so grateful. You know who you are, you know what you did, and you know how much you mean to me. I wouldn’t be anywhere without you. Any success I find as a result of this adventure belongs as much to you as it does to me.

Feel free to comment or contact us if there is any information you would like to see added to this article. 

And to everyone getting ready to take on this challenge, good luck!