Good evening , I’m an Australian student about to enter the 11th grade. I am interested in studying animation in Japan and already have been practicing and studying in my own time. I will be able to provide a good portfolio for the MEXT but will it matter? For some more context, I’m in a selective school with 80s and 90s across most subjects currently with a few awards. I will be applying when I’m in the 12th grade, and by then I’ll have at least n4 level Japanese, most likely around n3. I may also have my maths hse because I am doing it one year ahead. Currently the electives I’ve taken are visual arts, biology, earth and environmental sciences, and PDH (it’s like a glorified health sciences class). What are my chances if I have a great portfolio? Thanks for your time in advance 🗿

Hello,I have received this email from my supervisor. Does that mean I got accepted although I did not yet receive any official email from the university?

Email:
Dear ###,

Good news! You are ranked as the top of the three candidates, and will
be choosen as scholarthip student. Congrats!

Hello guys I will be applying for the mext ug program this year I'm currently doing finals of 11th grade I wish to apply for japanese language as my major but I'm not fluent in japanese neither do I have a certificate yet I will be applying for jlpt july exam but the application period will be over by then so I just need to ask if I stand a chance since I heard getting this major for ug is very hard?? If not this what else can I apply to I plan and aspire to become an interpreter

Hello, everyone! I'm a senior in high school from Brazil planning to apply for STC this year. I was wondering if anyone has had the experience of applying with a not so good high school average since I am very worried about that.
I currently have an N4 japanese certificate and a C2 cambridge certificate for english, as well as many extracurriculars (model UN, extra classes, etc), but due to ADHD my grades from 9th to 11th grade have been consistently terrible, averaging 50-65 out of 100. Has anyone in a similar situation passed?
My embassy doesn't state a minimum GPA, only that they expect a good average in HS.

Regarding the interview, on the event that I reach that point, I've been medicated for my ADHD since the second semester of 11th grade and my grades have bumped to 80-95 since, I wonder if I should mention that or if talking about the ADHD might decrease my chances.

I still have this semester to recover but I believe my average will stay at around 70 in the end, which is unfortunate.

Thank you in advance.

Aspiring research applicant for MEXT here. Is it required to submit English and Japanese proficiency exam scores (ex. TOIEC, JPLT, etc.) in applying for MEXT? I'm just confused if it is an optional thing or if it is actually required. Based from what I understood on the website, a certificate of English as the medium of instruction can stand as an alternative for the English proficiency exam, but I am quite unsure if Japanese proficiency exam scores like JPLT are needed. I am applying for a master's course program with English as the medium of instruction btw : )

So im a college student and I'll be having end semester exams(finals) in june probably and I was just thinking maybe i should apply for UG this year since i don't mind starting over if I get selected but here's the problem if i had a good enough chance to get selected i would choose mext any day but UG being as competitive as it is and me not having jlpt and having no preparation for the maths exam and just average grades makes me feel like it isn't worth it to skip my uni exams for mext exam, so what do y'all think?

Hi everyone,

I'm planning to apply for the MEXT scholarships and was wondering if it's possible to apply for the Specialized Training College (STC), College of Technology (COT), and Undergraduate (UG) programs in the same year. My idea is to have one as a backup in case I don't get selected for the others. Is this allowed, or is it considered illegal?

Hey everyone,

I’m currently preparing for the MEXT UG exam, and while the academic pressure is intense, what’s hitting me even harder is mental stress and family issues.

Balancing study, emotions, and personal life feels overwhelming at times, and I’m struggling to stay completely focused. Sometimes, family expectations and conflicts make things even tougher.

How do you all deal with stress while preparing for MEXT? Have you faced family issues that impacted your studies? Any advice on how to stay mentally strong and focused?

Would love to hear from others going through the same journey. Thanks!

Hi,
Can anyone guide me whether should I now email professors for university recommendation through MEXT?

I just came to know about the MEXT scholarship and searched for 5 professors but is it still accepting applications for university recommendation? Is there any possible way?

Actually, I can’t answer to that right now since everything is not official yet. But it seems that there is several ones choosing the same place I wish (I know due to the fact that they have the same alma mater as mine) The question is that is it essential to know them while staying there as I think that the purpose of studying abroad is to get out of your comfort zone and meet new people from new places, not sticking with the familiar one.

Fr, why doesn’t MEXT let Indian students do MBBS in Japan? Japan’s healthcare is top-tier, and a lot of us would love to study there. So what’s stopping them?

Is it the language? Licensing issues? Or do they just not want foreign med students?

I have been reading the guidelines for the MEXT scholarship, in my case I have a bachelors degree equivalent so my next step would be a Masters. I'm a bit confused about the research part and how it leads into a Masters course. I was hoping for some clarification.

Perhaps my main confusion comes from how stuff is handled in my country, over here after your regular degree there's usually these specialized programs for a more specific area within the main field of study, so students hoping to pursue that specific topic will take these programs. Having that degree gives you an edge on the topic in question which can help with specific job seeking I guess.

Now please correct me if I'm wrong, I read a few threads around here and from the main guideline, this is my current understanding:
When applying for the Masters "level" of the scholarship, one first (mostly) starts as a non-regular student, during the non-regular student period, the main focus is 1) Japanese language studies (as needed), and 2) Preparing for the entrance exams that would actually get you on the regular student path and then you proceed with an actual Masters program. It is at this point where the MEXT scholarship can be "extended" allowing one to complete the course. I understand you have the 2 years listed on the scholarship to accomplish this. During this time I suppose one would be doing a research as well on a proposed topic.

Is this understanding correct? I feel as the actual guideline doesn't explain it in full so I've had to complement my understanding with what I've gathered from other threads. The research part is probably my biggest issue as it doesn't compare as much to my local situation.

Just as an FYI I'm a Software Engineer and would be pursuing something on that field. I'd appreciate the answers to hope to understand the program better and prepare appropriately for applying.

Hey everyone,

I'm currently preparing for the MEXT exam while also balancing school, practical exams, and extracurricular activities. On top of that, I have to complete both my 11th and 12th-grade syllabus within a year, which is making things even more intense.

I know MEXT is super competitive, and many of us are working hard to make our applications stand out. But I wanted to ask—how do you guys handle the pressure? Do you have any specific techniques or habits that help you stay focused and avoid burnout?

Would love to hear how others are managing their time, staying motivated, and dealing with the mental load. Any advice would be really helpful!

Thanks in advance!

Hello, I am currently in my first year of a CS/IT 専門学校 and have been thinking about working in another country for personal reasons. I’ve read that 専門士 are not recognized anywhere else but was wondering if anyone has had any experience with this or knows anyone that had to work abroad after graduating from a 専門学校. If so, how to go about it?

I am interested in the MEXT scholarship program but have a background and interest in continuing work within bio archaeology/archaeology in general (I have an anthropology degree)

Are there any masters programs in Japan for Archaeology/bio archaeology? That I could use the MEXT scholarship towards?

Hello everybody! My question is rather simple. Can you apply for PG MEXT with the plan of getting into a PhD program without a Master's degree? A friend of mine is keen on doing that this year because he said that getting into a PhD program is "easier" and you "don't lose time". I wasn't sure myself so I emailed several universities and they said that you can, in fact, apply, but first they have to "pre-review" your documents before the application period. Have any of you heard of someone getting into a Japanese PhD program without a Masters and getting the MEXT Scholarship in the process? (He is interested in Medical Sciences btw and doesn't really care which Uni as long as it's in Japan). Thank you so much for your help.

Hello everybody, I never thought about applying before or even studying abroad but I saw so many videos and even my life circumstances that I do want to study and it would be a big blessing to study abroad as well…however, nobody around me is studying abroad and I’d be basically doing this alone because I don’t go to college. I graduated high school in 2023, and I’m currently 19. Is it too late for me? My GPA average was 2.0, so I don’t know if I’d be eligible for MEXT or to have a scholarship that covers most of the tuition costs/housing. This is the more important for me.

Please give advice, and please share your stories. I really want to go for it, but it all seems overwhelming.

Hi guys, I’m currently studying my master’s degree in STEM from a European country but originally from SEA. Im was considering applying for a PhD in Japan through MEXT scholarship via university recommendation route. I read some articles and information on the procedure to get the scholarship but have been feeling lost in how should I prepare myself before application is opened.

I aim to enroll in 2026 Autumn semester. It means I have to apply for the PhD around September this year for getting a scholarship. I now have around 8 months to prepare and get a Prof. contact and get to know them.

Could anyone here give me advice how to approach and make a good impression via sending an email?

How to get to know Prof regrading work life balance in their lab and other financial supports?

I would like to get the first hand experience from the last year applicants or the alumni. It would be appreciated if you can give me both what I should do or must do and what I need to avoid doing it.

—— Studying a PhD in Japan is my plan B since I’m also planning on applying to an institute in Europe.

The University (Kyushu) that I am applying to has 3 cycles for applications according to their website for the LLM Programme, but only the first application cycle form had the option for MEXT. I have 2 questions:

1. Do you know if that means they won’t give the scholarships to students who apply in the second cycle?

2. I know that sometimes the university may not offer all scholarships. For example, the LLM programme gives out 7 scholarships a year, but in the previous cycle it was less. If that happens, does that mean that applications in other cycles could be considered and recommended? Or is the MEXT scholarship timing fixed?

Appreciate any comments or advice!

so i am interested in the language studies and i gone thru the effort to do my health examination, i only have a 6 months of japanese under my belt(studying everyday). I want to know if you can go thru the application and screening while learning japanese so if i do accepted i will have a year prior to studying abroad. Is there anyone who gone through the process and made it pass the 1st screening with ~1 of japanese? how strict are they about that?, (i’m applying thru the embassy of japan of US)

I’m currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning and plan to continue my studies at the graduate level. I’m working on a research proposal to submit to a graduate school, but I’m a bit confused about how to decide on a specific research title or topic.

For those of you who’ve gone through this process, how did you identify your research topic for your master’s program? Any advice or insights would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Are graduate schools in Japan easier to get into compared to undergraduate programs? I came across a resource stating that some universities have a 100% admission rate for international students in various programs. Is this accurate, and does it apply broadly to graduate studies? Any insights would be appreciated! I am talking about privately financed students and also is the fall admissions easier than spring one (https://www.ritsumei.ac.jp/file.jsp?id=633334) this is for ritsumeiken. Have avg gpa so i am even worried to just apply for grad school bcoz of that but am financially capable in paying fee would love your views on this.

How to apply for application with this Field (Animation)?
what are the reasons for the people to go to Japan for studying Animation?

I am trying to participate in the MEXT Japanese studies scholarship of 2025. Although I don't know yet if I will win the scholarship it is already requested in the documents to choose preferences for universities. I wanted to know if anyone who has already participated or anyone who knows the universities has any advice for me. I would like to get into a university in Tokyo that offers the kind of course dedicated only to the study of the Japanese language, and being at an N2 level I would not have to start from the basics, in fact, I would like to improve as much as possible during my time there. So I would like to know if, for example, in some universities there are few spot available and it is difficult to get in or, for example, what the quality of the courses is like. Any advice is welcome since I don't know any universities in Tokyo. Thank you very much!

looking for a friend

I know you have to sign for the scholarship every month apparently but beyond that how much time would i have in a year to travel? That is both to go back home and see my family and friends once in a while but also just go visit Japan a bit since I would be there already

Currently I am a 1st year student, I gave next for ug but was rejected in interview so I was wondering how much should I prepare for masters

It's that time of the year where results are beginning to roll out from MEXT embassies around the world. To reduce subreddit clutter, a master post has been created for everyone to discuss the results and ask questions. Last year's thread had live chat enabled, but this feature has since been removed from Reddit. To compensate, this post is set to automatically filter by the newest comment first, so please use it like a live chat and discuss with your fellow applicants as much as you please.

WARNING: Any posts about application results will be deleted and rerouted to this thread.

FAQ

Q. When are results released?

A. Results are usually released around late January for undergraduates and early February for postgraduates. Timelines may differ based on your embassy.

Q. How will I get my results?

A. Results are usually delivered through email. Some consulates may offer it through other means, but check your emails.

Q. I applied through my university, when will I get my results?

A. University admissions are different than embassy admissions. You would need to contact the university you applied to.

Q. I didn't get the scholarship, now what?

A. If you didn't get the scholarship, don't worry. There's many other avenues and paths to higher education in Japan. The MEXT scholarship, in particular, has the University recommended route. This method of applying is completely different from the Embassy recommendation and specific to each school. Search up MEXT Scholarship + School's Name to find out how and where to apply. Of course, you may apply any number of times to the MEXT scholarship as long as you are eligible.

JASSO, the Japan Student Services Organization, also offers a range of scholarships for foreign students. Refer to the Study in Japan website for other scholarship opportunities. Many large companies and banks have scholarship opportunities as well for specific fields, especially in STEM.

Hi, I am a foreigner who is planning to apply for a masters program at TIT specifically for a full scholarship offered by the university. I have some questions

1. The first step is to get a consent of one of the faculty members of the department (I’m applying to life sciences program) any idea how to choose a professor or can someone studied or studying there contact me? Also I am a little confused about the plan (400-level, 500-level) I couldn’t understand it all.
2. I’m wondering if the program is fully taught in English or not, as they require a language proficiency test.
3. I noticed that there are internships part of the studying plan and some of them are abroad like China.. is this also in English or not?
4. How competitive is the university? For international students with a GPA of 3/4 (I have Bsc Biotechnology) for a MSc degree.

Im a sophmore in high school, and im thinking of studying medicine in Japan as my undergraduate. Are there any universities that have bachelors in medicine that are taught in English, and also covered by scholarships, like the MEXT scholarships? Should i be applying for the Natural Sciences-C: Medicine, and Dentistry when applying for MEXT? Additionally, are there any tips you have for studying medicine in Japan?