A beginner’s guide to MEXT Scholarship

Growing up, I always had a fascination with studying and living abroad. But studying abroad also meant spending a lot of money. It all changed when I got the MEXT Scholarship in 2021 to study in Japan for free! The best part is you can do it too.

Hi there!

I am Shripriya, a graduate student at Tohoku University. This is my effort to write a beginner’s guide to MEXT Scholarship and help you with the application process. Today, we’ll talk about the following:

I have also shared some useful links in the end to help you get started. Let’s dive in!

1. What does the Scholarship cover?

The scholarship provides the following benefits:

1. 100% tuition fee waiver
2. No admission or application fees
3. Monthly stipend based on your degree and location.

• Undergraduate: ~ ¥120,000/month
• Postgraduate (or higher): ~¥145,000/month

4. Roundtrip economy ticket from home country to Japan

Note that you might get ¥1000 — ¥2000 extra if you are living in a relatively expensive city. The monthly stipend is more than enough to cover your daily living expenses and your monthly rent.

You can save up this money too for travelling, shopping and even a Taylor Swift concert!

(At least that’s what I am doing)

Okay, now you know what MEXT Scholarship is, the next question is — are you eligible to apply?

2. Who can apply?

1. Bachelor’s degree: Under 24 years with a minimum of 65% score in high school.
2. Master’s degree (or higher): Under 35 years with a minimum score of 70% in your most recent degree.

Other than that, there are no restrictions, so feel free to give it a chance. Now, let’s look at different ways of applying for the scholarship.

3. Different ways to apply.

There are 2 ways to apply:

1. Embassy Recommendation: screening is done by the Embassy of Japan in your home country.
2. University Recommendation: screening is done by the targeted university directly.

Therefore, the application process looks a bit different for both. We’ll talk more about it in later blogs. But first, let’s talk about when to start the application process.

4. When to start applying?

Well, it depends on how you’re applying.

1. Embassy Recommendation: The application starts more than a year before. For instance, I came to Japan in Fall 2021 for which I applied in the summer of 2020.
2. University Recommendation: The applications start 9–10 months before the joining semester. Usually, for Fall admissions, the application will start around December or January.

Embassy Recommendation vs. University Recommendation

I am adding some useful links below to help you get started. For future updates, follow this blog or head to my YouTube channel mentioned above.

Good luck!

5. Useful links

1. Information about MEXT Scholarship by categories
2. MEXT(Embassy Recommendation) — India
3. Follow me on Instagram!