Whether you apply for the Embassy-Recommended MEXT Scholarship or University-Recommended MEXT Scholarship, you will need to submit a Letter of Recommendation as part of your application. There are different requirements for the letter for each type of application, but in this article, I will explain each of those requirements and what the body of the letter should say. Here’s what the article will cover:
- How important is the Letter of Recommendation in the MEXT Scholarship Application?
- Who can sign* your Letter of Recommendation
- What are the requirements for the MEXT Scholarship Letter of Recommendation
- What should the MEXT Scholarship Letter of Recommendation say?
- Sample MEXT Scholarship Letter of Recommendation
If you have other question about the Letter of Recommendation, let me know in the comments and I’ll answer or add to the article as necessary!
How important is the Letter of Recommendation in the MEXT Scholarship Application?
The Letter of Recommendation is important to submit, since your application is incomplete without it. But for research students, the contents are less important than the position of the person who signs it.
For Research Students, the contents/quality of your Field of Study and Research Program Plan and your past GPA are going to me much more important factors. The Letter of Recommendation, if used well, can give you a small boost, but it isn’t likely to make or break your application compared to those other factors.
For Undergraduate Scholarship applicants, it could be more valuable–again, if you use it right–since you have fewer factors distinguishing you from your competition at the document screening phase.
What are the Reviewers Looking For?
Mostly, they will be looking for who signed it and whether or not it meets all of the requirements below, including recommending you for the scholarship.
Frankly speaking, almost everyone will submit a glowing letter of recommendation that makes it sound like the applicant is the best student in the world, so there is very little chance of standing out.
There are exceptions, though. I once received a “Letter of Recommendation” from a professor who said the applicant was lazy, difficult to work with, and obviously ignorant of their own shortcomings, as evidenced by the fact that they had asked that particular professor for a Letter of Recommendation when they should have know the professor had a low opinion of them.
. . . That student did not pass the document screening!
That said, there are some chances to make a positive impression with the contents of the Letter of Recommendation. I will cover those below.
Letters of Recommendation in the Japanese Context
It’s important to understand how Letters of Recommendation work in the Japanese application process. Most of the MEXT Scholarship application is based on what the normal expectations would be within the Japanese education system, with no consideration given for other countries’ systems, and the Letter of Recommendation is no different.
In a Japanese school or university, there is generally going to be a set threshold for who can receive a Letter of Recommendation from the President, Dean, or Principle. Applicants who meet a certain level of achievement can get one if they request it. Usually, there is a specific office at the high school or university that helps students apply for the next level of education and that office will help students get the letters. So, the assumption is that if your academic performance is good enough, you can get one of these letters. In Japan, at least, it doesn’t matter if the recommender knows you or not!
Example of Letter of Recommendation use in University Admissions
To give you an example, my university has a separate admission process only for students who have received a letter of recommendation from their high school principle. Students can apply for this admissions process if they meet one of the two sets of criteria below:
Criteria 1
- The students’ high school principal principal recommends them as having sufficient academic ability and passion to pursue studies at [university name]
- The student’s high school GPA is at least 4.0 (Note: Japanese high schools use a 5.0 GPA system)
- The student meets the university’s English language proficiency test score requirement
or
Criteria 2
- The students’ high school principal principal recommends them as having sufficient academic ability and passion to pursue studies at [university name]
- The student showed exceptional individual achievement in academics, sports, or cultural activities at national-level competition or was selected to compete in an international-level competition.
In the case of my school, a student who met the criteria, would be able to approach their guidance counselor to request a Letter of Recommendation from their high school principle. There would probably be an application process for it, including checking their grades and an interview. But if the student receives that letter from the principal, the university knows that the high school has already pre-screened them.
So, the thing to understand here is that, for a Japanese university, obtaining the Letter of Recommendation can be considered a “pre-screening” for your academic capacity. Of course, we all know, that’s not generally how it works in other countries, where Letters of Recommendation are much more personal.
Who Can Sign* Your Letter of Recommendation
Notice that I said “sign”, not “write”! This is an important distinction.
Many applicants have asked me over the years: “How do I get the Dean to write me a letter of recommendation when he doesn’t know me?”
The answer: You don’t get the Dean to write it, you get the Dean to sign it! Important difference.
But before we get into that, let’s look at the requirements for who can sign the letter.
University-Recommended MEXT Scholarship Letter of Recommendation: Who Can Sign?
The guidelines say, “所属大学等の研究科長レベル以上の推薦状（受入れ予定大学長あてのもの）”. That translates to “Recommendation letter from the Dean of the faculty or person of equivalent or higher position at the current or last university attended (addressed to the president of the university that is nominating the applicant).” For now, I am going to focus on the first part. We’ll cover the parenthetical requirement later.
Titles may be different in your country, so what is the “研究科長” (kenkyūkachō, Dean of the faculty)? This is the person with overall management, oversight, and responsibility for an academic unit that encompasses an entire field of study. For example, the “Dean of the Faculty of Science and Engineering” would be the one person at the top of the entire Science and Engineering Program and the “Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences” would be the person who overseas that entire Faculty, School, College, etc. Usually, they report directly to the Provost or the President.
Look at the administrative division of your university into schools/ faculties/ colleges/ etc. The person at the top of each of these units is the Dean.
Who does not count as a Dean?
The following titles are not equivalent to a Dean and a Recommendation letter from them would not be sufficient: Program Head, Program Director, Head of the Graduate Program, Vice Dean, Assistant Dean, Deputy Dean, Program Coordinator, Department Head, Department Chair, etc.
An “Acting Dean” would be allowed.
Embassy-Recommended MEXT Scholarship Letter of Recommendation: Who Can Sign
The guidelines say, “Recommendation letter from the president/dean or the academic advisor at the current or last university attended”. So, let’s break that down.
We already went through the role of a Dean in the section above, so I am going to focus on the others here.
The “president” is fairly obvious. It’s the person in charge of the whole university. The term in Japanese literally translates to “Chief of University”. Similar roles might be “Vice Chancellor”, “Rector”, or “Principal” in other countries.
(Note: In most situations I have seen, the “Chancellor” is a figurehead, like a member of royalty or other aristocratic figurehead, who has nothing to do with running the university. But if your Chancellor is actually in charge of university operations, they would be the equivalent of the “President”.)
Your Academic Advisor is the faculty member assigned to you as a supervisor of your studies. In Japan, this person helps you select your classes to make sure that you stay on track for graduation and they oversee your progress throughout your degree. I know that not all countries have a similar system. But the idea is that it should be someone who oversaw you throughout your degree program and is in a position to comment on your academic ability.
Another alternative for your “Academic Advisor” would be your graduation thesis advisor, if you had one.
Can your letter come from someone who no longer works at the university?
Yes. If your academic advisor from your time at the university has since retired or moved to a new university, they can still sign your Letter of Recommendation. They should just mention in the letter that they were your supervisor at the time. You could also request a former Dean to sign your Letter of Recommendation if, for example, you knew them and worked with them as a student, but they have since moved positions or returned to the faculty. As with the advisor, they would have to write that they were the Dean during your studies.
Of course, if it has been several years since your studies and the staff has changed at your university, you do not need to get a Letter of Recommendation from the former Dean. You can get one from the current Dean, too.
So, Who Writes the Letter of Recommendation?
I made a point earlier of emphasizing that writing and signing your Letter of Recommendation are two separate things. In the section above, we covered who should sign it. But who should write the letter?
You should!
Or, you should at least write a draft or outline. This is my advice, not only for the MEXT Scholarship, but for any Letter of Recommendation you ever request in your life. If you approach someone to ask them for a Letter of Recommendation, you should always prepare (in advance) and offer to provide the following three things:
- A draft of the letter for them to sign or edit as they see fit, and
- An outline of the points that you would like them to cover in the letter, should they choose to write it themselves from scratch.
- The portion of the scholarship guidelines that describes what characteristics the scholarship is looking for in applicants.
In the case of the outline, you should provide the recommender with a list of what the letter needs to cover (see the section below for information on what the MEXT Scholarship Letter of Recommendation should include) and specific, precise examples of your achievements. For example, the MEXT Scholarship letter template asks recommenders to “describe the applicant’s leadership skills”. So you should mention that bullet point and give examples of you exercising leadership, such as leading a student club/organization to a particular achievement, taking charge or a research or project team and what you accomplished, etc.
Remember, the person writing your Letter of Recommendation is busier than you. There is less personal value to them in writing it than there is to you. So, you need to make it as easy as possible for them to complete with a minimum of effort. (And, of course, give them plenty of time to finish it!)
How to Get the Dean to Sign Your Letter of Recommendation
Remember what I said above: You don’t need the Dean to write your letter of recommendation. You need him/her to sign it.
But the Dean is busy. What if the Dean doesn’t know you? What it the Dean refuses?
There are two ways you can go about this. In both cases, I recommend having the draft letter and outline of specific points/accomplishments prepared in advance. Remember, you want to make it as easy as possible for the Dean to say “yes” and to sign the letter.
- The direct approach: Request a meeting with the Dean. Bring your prepared letter and list, as well as your transcript. Explain the scholarship you are applying for, that the letter is a requirement, and how important it is to you. You can also mention how it could benefit the university to have a graduate earn this scholarship and how you plan to contribute to the university during/after your studies in Japan.
Show your academic performance in the program as proof that he/she should be comfortable recommending you. Show the draft letter, outline, and list of specific requirements that he/she can use to write the letter, but also suggest that since you don’t have a personal relationship, the letter could be a lot simpler, just showing your academic performance and indicating that the Dean recommends you. (In the worst case, that would be enough!)
Then politely request the letter.
- The indirect approach: Talk to your academic advisor or a trusted faculty member in the department, first. Explain the situation to them and ask them if they would be willing to talk to the Dean on your behalf (with or without you there, depending on their preference). You might also ask that professor if they would be willing to help you revise the Letter of Recommendation to make the format more appealing to the Dean.
- The double-team: You could put two signature lines in the Letter of Recommendation so that both your advisor and the Dean can sign. The Dean might be more willing if he/she sees that a professor has already signed off on it.
Letter of Recommendation from an Employer
If you are working full time at the time of application, they you will need a Letter of Recommendation from your employer in addition to your most recent university. In most cases, there are no particular requirements for the rank of the person that can write that letter, but it should be a direct supervisor or a second-level supervisor (your boss’ boss).
Yes, this letter is required. I know some applicants who did not want to submit it because they don’t want their boss to know that they’re thinking of leaving, in case the application is unsuccessful. But part of the reason MEXT requires it is to make sure that your employer knows about your application and that you will be able to leave your job to accept your scholarship if they select you. (I have seen a case where an applicant’s employer refused to allow them to quit in time to start the scholarship. That particular applicant was a government employee in a dictatorship.)
Requirements for the Employer Letter of Recommendation?
The only time I have seen a specific requirement for who can write the letter was for applicants who were trying to replace the Letter of Recommendation from their university with a Letter of Recommendation from their work. Usually, that isn’t possible, but I did see it approved in a few cases for the University-Recommended MEXT Scholarship, when applicants had more than 8 years of working experience after graduation. (8 is not a rule that exists in the MEXT Guidelines, it was a judgement call on the part of the university.)
If you have been out of university and a working professional for a long time, you might be able to explain your situation to the embassy or university and ask if a letter from your employer could be accepted. They don’t have to grant your request, though, so don’t put all of your hopes in it.
If you do submit a Letter of Recommendation from an employer instead of from your university, then the letter would have to come from someone with a similar rank in your company. For example the “Dean” would be the chief of your division. (i.e. the Vice-President for Marketing, the head of your branch/location, etc.) and an immediate supervisor would be the equivalent of your “advisor”. I think the “President” is obvious!
What are the requirements for the MEXT Scholarship Letter of Recommendation
We have already covered who has to sign the Letter of Recommendation, but what other requirements are there? Fortunately, nothing too difficult.
- The letter must clearly state that the person “strongly recommends you for the MEXT Scholarship.”
- The letter must show the title of the person recommending you.
- The letter must be original (and should be on university letterhead, if you are not using the sample format for the Embassy)
While it is not a specific requirement, the letter should also be recent, within a few months of your application. If you submit a letter from a year or more earlier, that looks suspicious.
Finally, make sure that you check any specific requirements from the embassy or university that you are applying to. If the embassy/university has specific requirements, you must always follow those!
Aside from that, here are the requirements for each type of application:
University-Recommended MEXT Scholarship Recommendation Letter
It must be addressed “To the President of [University you are applying to]”. The address should follow this pattern exactly! Do not try to get clever and look up the name of the president of the university and write that instead. Address the letter by title, not by name. This is the common practice in Japan and is not rude.
The letter may not be addressed “To Whom It May Concern:” or in any other way that does not mention the addressee’s title.
Embassy-Recommended MEXT Scholarship Recommendation Letter
The only requirement for the Embassy is that you must submit one original and two copies of the letter.
It is not necessary to submit the Letter of Recommendation in a sealed envelope. (Unless your embassy tells you otherwise!) Many applicants get confused about this, because the sample template given for the Embassy-Recommended MEXT Scholarship says that it should be submitted in a sealed envelope. But the application guidelines do not have this requirement. It used to be mandatory to submit the letter in a sealed envelope back when that “template” was the required format, but that is no longer the case.
Sometimes, your recommender will give you the Letter of Recommendation in a sealed envelope. If it is sealed, and they have only included the original letter, not the copies, then ask your Embassy for instructions. Sometimes, they will tell you to submit only the sealed original, but in other cases, they will tell you to open it and make the required two copies before submitting. This is up to each embassy to decide.
If your recommender writes a freeform letter, instead of (or in addition to) the sample template offered by MEXT, then it should be on university letterhead.
What should the MEXT Scholarship Letter of Recommendation say?
OK, I think this is what you were most interested in, right?
At its most basic, the Letter of Recommendation should at least state that the person “strongly recommends you as a candidate for the MEXT Scholarship”. If you are seeking a Letter of Recommendation from the Dean or President who does not know you well and is not willing to go into detail, make sure this phrase, at least, is included.
But that’s only going to meet the minimum requirement. To help your application, your Letter of Recommendation should answer as many of the questions below as possible. If you can, use specific details to highlight each point!
The items below are from the Sample Letter of Recommendation Form provided by MEXT for the Embassy-Recommended MEXT Scholarship. If you apply for the Embassy-Recommended MEXT Scholarship, you can use the sample form directly, if you want. If you apply for the University-Recommended MEXT Scholarship, you cannot use the form, since there is no place to address it to the President, as required. But even in that case, this template still shows you what MEXT is looking for.
- During which period of time have you had the most frequent contact with the applicant?
- This goes with the following question. If writing in a sentence form, it makes sense to reverse the two. E.g. “I was her academic advisor from September 2018 to May 2022 and she was a student in my class in the Fall 2019, Spring 2020, and Spring 2022 semesters.”
- What was the nature of your relationship?
- See note above. In the case of a Dean or President, it is fine to say something like, “I am Dean of the Faculty of Humanities where she was a student from September 2018 to May 2022.”
- In what areas does the applicant need improvement or growth?
- If writing a free-form letter, it’s fine to skip this one. But if you do include it, think of it as an opportunity to show an area where you are actively trying to improve. For example, if you started off weak in your academic writing, you could describe the steps you are taking to get stronger.
- Please comment on the applicant’s interpersonal skills. How well does he or she work within a team?
- The ability to work harmoniously in a team is critical in the Japanese context. No professor wants to invite in a new student to his/her lab that is going to disrupt the balance.Using specific examples of how you took leadership of a team (combined with the point below) to coordinate the others’ efforts and bring them all together would be ideal. Other examples could be how you volunteered to take on tasks related to the professor’s research, or how you worked with another student in your lab to produce joint results.
- How would you describe the applicant’s leadership skills?
- As mentioned above, team leadership is a good example to use here. Another option could be using an example of how you took responsibility for a new member of your research lab or a new student and helped them get acclimated to the environment. Leadership of a student club or organization (with examples of your group’s accomplishments) or leading a presentation or competition team would also be good examples.
- Please comment on the applicant’s degree of self-confidence.
- Confident is good, but overconfident is not. A good example here could be describing how you develop and propose your own ideas, then take initiative to see them through. Or how you carry out assigned tasks with confidence and do not need constant supervision.It could be possible to combine this comment with the leadership or teamwork comments above
- Please comment on the applicant’s personal character.
- You probably do not need a specific example for this one. If your reviewer opens with a comment saying that you are “hard-working, reliable, and active in your classes and research” that should be sufficient. The teamwork and leadership examples should also show your character.
- Please indicate your overall evaluation of the applicant for a Japanese Government (MEXT) Scholarship.
- Strongly recommendRecommendRecommend with reservationTry to have this in the opening sentence. Something like “As the Dean of the Faculty of X at Y university, I strongly recommend [your name] for the MEXT Scholarship.” would be a good opener. It would also be good to close with an offer to answer any follow-up questions that the reviewers may have. (Nobody ever contacts the reviewers for more comments, unless the letter looks like a fake and they want to check its veracity–yes, I have seen fake letters in the past–so this is just a courtesy comment that strengthens the reference.)
- Please write whatever additional comments you would like to make about the applicant’s potential for graduate study in Japan and potential for becoming a responsible, effective person for your country.
- If using the template, this is where your reviewer can list any other specific accomplishments that didn’t fit into the section above. In a freeform letter, the “additional comments” would already be included throughout the body.
- Additional items to include, if not already mentioned, would be conference presentations, scholarships, academic or other awards, community volunteering/leadership, study abroad experience, intercultural experience, professional experience related to the field of study.
If you try to include examples for every single item above, the Letter of Recommendation will probably be too long, so try to keep it down to a few significant, representative examples that hit multiple criteria. (See the sample below for ideas).
Sample MEXT Scholarship Letter of Recommendation
This is an example of a Letter of Recommendation that could be signed by a Dean or even university President. As you can see, there are no references to a personal relationship. All of the critical points are supported by specific details from the applicant’s achievements.
Unless you have also destroyed the One Ring in the fires of Mount Doom, I do not recommend that you copy any section of this letter word-for-word!
Sample Outline
In addition to providing a complete sample letter like the one above, you should also prepare and offer to provide an list of your accomplishments that you would like the reviewer to highlight.
Dear Professor Smith,
I am applying for the MEXT Scholarship for graduate studies in Japan, and it is mandatory to submit a Letter of Recommendation from my Dean or person of higher authority at the university, so I would appreciate it very much if you would be willing to write a letter for me. Please see below for the formatting requirements from the scholarship guidelines and a list of my accomplishments as a student for reference in writing the letter. I have also attached an excerpt from the scholarship guidelines that shows what they are looking for in applicants for your reference.
Thank you in advance for your consideration,
[SIGNED]
Your name, degree, graduation year.
Formatting Requirements
- Written on university letterhead
- Addressed “To the President of [University Name]” (University-Recommended MEXT Scholarship)
- Must show your title and whether you “strongly recommend”, “recommend”, or “recommend with reservations”
- If provided in a sealed envelope, please include one original and two photocopies (Embassy-Recommended MEXT Scholarship)
Reference: My Achievements
- 3.90 GPA
- Dean’s list award in all 7 semesters of enrollment so far
- Awarded Honors Scholarship (half tuition waiver) for undergraduate degree
- Best Paper award at 2022 Student History Conference for “Title”
- “Title” selected for publication in journal
- One-semester language study abroad program in Japan, where I earned a perfect 4.0 GPA
- As section leader in marching band, won regional championship in 2021
- Treasurer for table tennis team
- Processed over fifty asylum applications as weekend volunteer at local refugee center
- As member of International Buddies Program, personally worked with over 50 exchange students, including 10 from Japan, to orient them to campus, answer questions about administrative processes, and show them around the city
Questions?
Let me know in the comments below!
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Hi Travis,
I have a few questions regarding the recommendation letter for MEXT university recommendation as follows:
1. Should I put my GPA into the letter although it is not outstanding (i.e: less than 3.5/4.00)?
2. I have sent email to request for Master opportunity to my prospective supervisor but haven’t heard anything from them yet. Should I wait until the MEXT application open or can I follow up the request directly? I have sent the email since Oct 10.
3. I haven’t took IELTS yet, does it became a selection criteria?
Looking forward to your answer. Thanks!
Hi Anila,
1. You will submit your transcript that shows your final GPA, so I do not see any need to include your GPA in the Letter of Recommendation just for the sake of including it. If your recommender is using it as evidence for a point they want to make, or mentioning it in some specific context, then that could be worthwhile, but otherwise, it’s just redundant. The reviewers will likely have seen your transcript first.
2. Does the university you’re applying to require you to contact your professor and get their permission in advance? If so, then follow-up. Otherwise, with the application period likely quite close, I don’t think it makes a significant difference. When you contact prospective professors, make sure that your email is professional and intriguing to the professor. Don’t just request them to accept you, explain why you want to study under them, in particular, and what research you want to conduct in a concise, easy-to-read (and to respond to) email.
3. You’ll want to check the application guidelines for the university you’re applying to directly to be sure, but you can find MEXT’s requirements for language proficiency in my article about the eligibility criteria for the University-Recommended MEXT Scholarship.
Good Luck!
– Travis S.
Hi Travis! Thanks for all the help. I have 2 questions about the recommandation letter from the university/ employer:
1. It is said that the letter should be put inside an envelope marked as “Confidential”. Does this mean I have to type this on the envelope? If not, what does it mean?
2. The letter should be put in a sealed enveloped. What about the 2 required copies of the letter?
Hi Amalia,
Where are the instructions that you are referring to? MEXT does not require that the letter be sealed in an envelope, but they offer a “sample” template on their website that includes similar instructions. That sample comes from a time when that template was mandatory and it was required to be sealed in an envelope, but that is no longer the case. So, if you’re only looking at the instructions on the sample form, you can safely ignore them.
However, if your local Japanese embassy has given separate instructions that the letter should be sealed, then you should certainly comply with those.
1. In that case, you would not need to type “Confidential”. Writing by hand would be fine.
2. If your recommender is going to seal the letter inside the envelope, then you should ask them to also make two copies and seal those inside, as well (unless otherwise directed by the local embassy).
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi! Yes, I was looking at the instructions from the “sample”. Thank you a lot for clarifying!
Hi Travis,
Just a quick question. I’m unable to physically reach my advisor who’s writing my recommendation at the moment so would he need to send me the physical letter by mail or would PDF format suffice? What is exactly a ‘original’ in this case?
Hi Lawrence,
An original is a letter with the original signature written in ink, so an emailed scan wouldn’t count. The embassy might be able to accept a pdf that uses signature technology (ensuring the author of the document, not just a digital scan of their signature), but that would be on a case-by-case basis.
So, it sounds like you would need to ask your advisor to send you the letter by post.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Bro i want to ask few question that
1- should the health certificate be written or type if typed then how to download that form as there is no option available to typed something on it
2-instead of transcript does the result/ marksheet of high school works or not
3- how does 3 lor form maths, physics, and chemistry teacher will it be good or bad
4-in the application form what to write in the section name the diplomatic office where you will issue your visa. what does it mean does it mean that i have to issue my visa my own or they will send my visa to that office after selection
5-should the lor given by embassy be typed or written
6- i do not have any certificate of public event so what should i do should i make a fake or let it be as it is
7- i have 3 teacher to recommend me so wiil it good idea to have all 3 of them to recommend me or not .
8- i have 2 health certificate 1 is given from goverment medical college and other is mext one so can i submit both of them or the mext one
9-i have qualified jee mains, cuet, comedk, have decent marks in 12th, 11th, and 10th, i can speak japanese, spanish and know the basic of python . i have 3 recommendation letter from pcm teacher , i reach national level in skating in 5th grade and have 2 health certificate one is from goverment and second is mext
so what do you think do i have edge over other or not
Hi Abishek,
Some of these questions are repeated from your previous comment, so please see my reply to that one for details. I will answer the new ones below.
2. The name of the document is not that important. It must be the document that shows your performance in all of your classes.
3. You are only allowed to submit one letter of recommendation.
5. Typed is better, if possible (i.e. a freeform letter). But if your recommender is using the template, they may have no choice but to write by hand.
6. I don’t know what a “certificate of public event” is, but it is not one of the required MEXT application materials, so I don’t think you have to worry about it.
7. No. MEXT requires 1 Letter of Recommendation, so you should follow their instructions.
8. I recommend that you submit the MEXT one, only. The only time you would submit a second one would be if your doctor left some parts of the MEXT one blank and you needed a supplementary form to show those answers.
9. I do not think any of the things you mentioned are relevant or give you an advantage. Top class grades, strong answers to the essay questions, and top performance on the tests during the primary screening will be more important.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis, thanks again for your incledibly insightful and helpful articles.
My concerns with the letter of recommendation is that im not a very outstanding student, nor do i have academic or extracurricular achievments to show off, but also I’m not a bad student (I’d like to think). I’m just an average student acedemically, with average grades, the only thing I participated in during a year in my undergrad was the IEEE Student Branch of my department (Electrical Engineering), but I don’t think one might consider that something to highlight. So I don’t have to much that the dean could write about in the recommendation letter, so I wonder if I should even try to ask for one.
I had a conversation with the vice dean where he told me to email him some information about the scholarship, and specifically the letter of recommendation, to see if, in fact, the dean should be the one providing me with it, or if an academic advisor was better suited for that (in case the letter needed to mention more personal things). The problem is I also don’t have an academic advisor o a professor that I’m close with, since I haven’t done any research yet, so that would be a dead end I think. And in my country we don’t have tha kind of academic advisor you mentiones they usually have in Japan.
So my question would be: What should and should not mention in this email to the vice dean, so they don’t tell me to ask a professor or advisor (because i don’t have one), but also if the dean decides to provide the letter, how do I approach it the best so they are able to put the necesary stuff in the letter.
Sorry if this was a long question, and I look forward to your answer.
Hi Rodrigo,
That is a tricky question. It might be worth mentioning to the Vice Dean that you do not have an academic advisor that you can turn to as an alternate.
Without outstanding academic achievement or extracurricular achievements, I’m not sure what to highlight in the letter. DO you have any international/intercultural experience or leadership experience in group projects or other university activities? That might be worth mentioning.
Other than that, there would be your potential for achievement in the future based on your intended research in Japan.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis 👋
I hope you are doing well, and thank you for you efforts and fantastically helpful articles and sample forms.
I writing to you regarding the LOR of employee, I work in governmental establishment, and the polyclinic I work in, has a chef who is responsible for it, and then there is the director of all polyclinics in my city, and then the director of all health centers (hospitals and polyclinics) of the city, which one of them should I request a LOR?
Thank you.
Roz from Algeria 🇩🇿.
Hi Roz,
I think it would be acceptable to get a letter from the Chief of the polyclinic where you work, but if you were able to get one from someone higher up the line, that could have a stronger impact. I don’t think it’s going to make a particularly significant difference, though, so it probably isn’t worth pouring a lot of time and effort into. Other areas, like your Field of Study and Research Program Plan are more important places to spend your time.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
本当にありがとうございます🙏
Hi Travis,
I read the article quite late, so I had my former research supervisor write me a letter rather than just signing it. Unfortunately, the letter he wrote was quite negative, highlighting some shortcomings in crucial aspects necessary for disseminating the research results in relation to my language capacity. I’m concerned about my chances of being selected for this scholarship because I’ve sent his unfavorable and uninvited recommendation along with my documents to the embassy.
Hi Clementie,
Well, I don’t think the negative letter is going to help, but even if you had written a draft letter for him, he would have been able to rewrite it as he wanted. The draft is just an offer to make things easier on your reviewer.
Only time can tell how it will affect your results, but if this is also the professor that you mentioned putting in your Placement Preference Form, that could be a bit damaging. Before the interview stage, you might want to consider researching alternates so that you could tell them that you only put him on the list out of obligation since he was your last professor, but that you are more interested in working with someone else.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
This was Beautiful beyond and am very thankful to you alot. I’m planning to apply for 2025 embassy mext scholarship and I am actually done with my research plan but now am a little confused about something. So since the field of study comes with ones page can i use MS word to type out the second page and the I want to inquire about the font which you said is to be in TNR (10/12) but won’t my first page was in callibri (10) the font that the pdf could be edited in I think and am wondering if I could stick to that even on the second page and forego the TNR and also stick to 10 even though it’s small for uniformity. And also for the LoR what address am I to use or I can just use a title (letter of recommendation) and begin and also about getting my supervisor/ professor to sign it before forwarding it, that means I draft a letter as the Vice chancellor or dean and get my professor to just sign down and then forward it to the VC for signing as well?? Then also for the application bit there’s where they inquire or told to rate your Japanese language expertise, is it advisable for me to rate myself poor and put a 0 or will it put me at a disadvantage? And once thank you so much for the information coz it was tremendous in helping and enabling come up with a research plan and the entire application process. Thank you so very much.
Hi Martina,
Thank you for your kind feedback.
In my article about the Field of Study and Research Program Plan and in the article about How to Apply for the 2024/2025 Embassy-Recommended MEXT Scholarship, I include links to where you can download the word version of the FSRPP. That would allow you to choose the font for both pages.
But it you use the pdf for one page and word for the second page, then yes, you should match the font on both.
10 is the most common font size I see, so I don’t think it is a problem.
For the LoR, you can just use the title or you could address it “To Whom it May Concern:”.
As for getting the signature, that is one way to do it. You do not necessarily need to get your supervisor to sign it before passing it up, but sometimes that will help convince the VC to sign, it all depends on the situation, so you’ll want to do what makes sense for your situation and university.
For the language ability, evaluate yourself honestly! If that means filling in “0” for Japanese language, then that’s what you should fill in. It won’t necessarily “hurt” you, since Japanese language ability is not a requirement. (Others who have Japanese language ability could be at an advantage, but there’s nothing you can do about that.)
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Do I have to send the copies of LOR in sealed envelope too or just the original one?
Hi Hania,
You do not need to submit the original or the copies in sealed envelopes. That was a requirement several years ago, but it isn’t necessary anymore.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi. How can my HOD fill the pdf of LOR on website of MEXT as it is uneditable and space is less. How can he type the answers next to the question?
Hi Humna,
The template is optional and I don’t recommend using it it you can avoid it. Your recommender can write a freeform letter on university letterhead, as long as it covers the topics in the template.
A Head of Department is not an eligible person to write your letter of recommendation. The letter must be written by your Academic Advisor or the President/Dean of your university (whichever is the title of the top official there).
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Sir
What if Dean has never interacted with me? Then what should I write about our relation in the LOR?
Hi Humna,
I answer that very question in the article, so please re-read it.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi!
I am again here
I need to know that should I have to get my LOR signed from Vice Chancellor or Dean of Natural Science Faculty would be eligible person too?
An academic advisor can be your supervisor?
Hi Humna,
It would be best to have it signed by your Vice Chancellor. The Dean should be acceptable, too, though.
An “Academic Advisor” is the same thing as a “Supervisor” (assuming that you mean someone who supervises your research/studies, not a supervisor from a job.)
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thanks a lot for your reply.
Sir, sorry to disturb you. Should I get LOR from a single person or can be from many. Plus my HOD was my Professor too. So, what would be best to get it from HOD, Dean (I have never interacted) or Supervisor of Final year Project? Or from all 3 of them? Also, it’s written in my Country Guidelines that it must be sealed, then the copies should be sealed too?
Hi Hania,
In general in Japan, the higher the rank of the recommender the better. It doesn’t matter if you have never met. You should only submit one LoR.
The head of department is no eligible to write your LoR, even if they taught you in class, unless that person was also your academic supervisor/supervisor of Final Year Project.
If it is written in your country guidelines that the letter must be in a sealed envelope, then that should apply to all copies (they could all be in the same envelope). But since this is a local requirement, not a MEXT one, it would be best to check with the local embassy that created it for their decision.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thanks a lot Sir!
Hello Travis!
Can I place LOR in C5 envelop and then place it in C4( big one in which rest of documents are you be placed)?
Also, should I make set of original docs separately and copied ones separately, or place them in this manner, like one original and it’s copies, then second document and it’s copies joined by paper clips?
Also, they say in my guidelines, write numbering on each document on top right corner, should I write number on transcript and LOR too. And also, should I print my documents after writing number on them?
Also, in this case if LOR has no. 6 in sequence should I place the envelop of LOR on 6 position between documents? To make sure the correct sequence.
Also, sir, the pdf of research plan has one page, how can I carry my work to next page or should I complete it on MS Word and then attach separately. It is not written in guidelines , how many pages are allowed. Could it be 3?
Please share the link, through which I can send you my plan for review.
Thanks alot for helping and looking for your reply
Hi Hania,
MEXT does not require the LoR to be sealed in an envelope. I think you said that your embassy does, but since this is a local requirement, you would have to check with them for detailed instructions.
I would recommend that you submit each document in order joined by paperclips for each copy: Application Form Original-copy-copy, Placement Preference Form Original-copy-copy etc., unless your embassy says otherwise. Put them all in the same envelope.
Yes, number all documents. If the LoR is in an envelope, I guess you could put the number on the envelope. It should be in the right place in order in any case.
Please read my article about the Field of Study and Research Program Plan for information about the page length and where to get the MS Word version of the form. If you would like to request a paid review for your completed Field of Study and Research Plan, check the “Coaching” link at the top of the page for my fees and the submission form.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi! Thank you for posting this!
I have a question: The embassy in my country opens MEXT scholarship finishing April, but my letter of recommendation it is dated April 1. It is a problem with the written date before the application opens?
Hi Miriam,
That should not be a problem. There is no harm in preparing ahead of time!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis,
I would like to ask whether its possible to include more than a single page for the letter of recommendation. My Vice-Dean just wrote me an awesome recommendation, but it is two pages long and I am worried that this might cause trouble at the embassy.
Thank you in advance,
Dave
Hi Dave,
There is no specified length limit for the Letter of Recommendation. But according to the application guidelines, the letter must be written by the President/Dean (whichever is the top at your university) or by your academic advisor. A Vice Dean is not an eligible recommender unless that person is also your academic advisor, so that may cause an issue. I recommend also getting a letter from your academic advisor, in case they reject the letter from your Vice Dean.
(Alternatively, if you could get the President/Dean to also sign the letter from the Vice, that could work.)
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Transenz.
About the translation of academic transcript, is it a must to have the institution which has issues it, to certify them as a verified copies?
How to handle this if the institution refuse to provide them as following their instruction, they only provide documents in language of instruction used in the university.
( my medium of instruction was in french)
Hi Fulvio,
The issuing institution should certify any copies of the original document, but a “translation” is not a “copy”. A copy is literally that, an exact copy of the document.
For translations, a professional translator who does the translation for you should be able to certify it as accurate. You would need to submit both the original transcript (or a certified copy) in the original language and the certified translation.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Transenz
Is it mandatory for my employer to sign and stamp a LOr or just stamp it would be either fine?
Thanks so much for yours answers
Hi Fulvio,
If your employer regularly has a stamp/seal that they use for official documents, they should use that, but if a stamp is normally part of their document, then it is OK to not have it. Just a signature would be fine.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis
What to do in case my university issues a letter of recommendation in french format? I tried to do a translation copy and refer to them to get it as a verified copy but failed. Their instruction was the issuance of documents are specific and only in french. They can’t help .
Hi Fulvio,
You would have to submit the original letter of recommendation and a certified translation of it. The translation should be certified accurate by the translator. It does not need to be certified by the university.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Transenz
It’s me again..
Submitting 3 LOR would be acceptable or optional?
I mean, 1 from my Dean, 1 from my academic advisor during my internship at a national structure ( I mentionned it in my FSRPP so i thought it was a must) and 1 from my employer.
Hi Fulvio,
You should only submit up to two LoRs: One from the university and one from your current employer, if you are working full-time.
There is no need to include an LoR from an internship. Since it is not a required document, it likely wouldn’t be considered at best and would cause confusion (or make them think you didn’t read the instructions) at worst.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
How many letter of recommendation can I provide.
I secured 3 ( 1 from my Dean, 1 from my employer and 1 from my academic advisor during an internship at a national structure. This Last one gets obvious to me for two reasons : firstly i mentioned of it my FSRPP and secondly tender to the specialty slightly différent from my previous study but coherent to the present study i want to study.
To picture it, i chose the topic of international law but my FSRPP theme speaks about contractual approaches in legal techniques of environmental management in coopération projects between Japan and my country with the case of the waste industry.
So, my academic advisor is geograph in regional planning so i thought to use it as a link to my Research theme.
In other side, i mentioned in my FSRPP that im currently employed so that’s why i was deciding to submit 3.
In that case, what do you recommends me. Have already secured 2 letters. The one missing is the letter of my employer.
Hi Fulvio,
You need to submit one academic letter of reference from your academic advisor or dean/president at your university and one from your employer if you are currently employed. That is all that is required and you should not submit additional documents that aren’t on the list. (So that means, I suggest you do not submit the internship letter.)
I don’t think that the contents of Letters of Recommendation are particularly important to your application. They are certainly less important than the FSRPP, so you should focus any additional effort and every there.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis,
Can you please tell me, for embassy recommended MEXT scholarship, is there a MEXT scholarship recommendation form which should be filled by the person (professor) writing the letter of recommendation for me?
If yes, will it be advisable to request for the letter of recommendation when the MEXT scholarship recommendation form is being released in the ministry’s website as both could be done in one shot rather than disturbing the same person (professor) twice.
Also, will there be a letter of recommendation format that will be released by the ministry which the professor is expected to follow. (apologizing for asking too many questions in one comment).
Hi Alexius,
MEXT offers a template form for the Embassy-Recommended MEXT Scholarship, if you want to use it, but they accept free-form letters.
The template used to be mandatory, several years ago, so you may find references to it being required, but that is no longer the case. The template itself has not changed since the time when it was required and I have no expectation that it will change in the future, so you can use the version available on the official Study in Japan website.
Note that while the sample template says that it must be submitted sealed in an envelope, that is also no longer a requirement (again, the template form simply has not been updated.)
A free-form letter of recommendation that covers the kinds of questions asked in the template would be fine!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi , I passed first screening from India (COT) and a doubt is bugging around me from many days
the thing is that I completed my 12th grade in 2022, So when I applied for MEXT(Embassy Recommendation) in 2023, I found out that the principal was retired and new principal was allotted to my school.
As of no choice I did my document attestation from him and also the LOR (as he was my teacher)
so, will it cause any trouble in document evaluation ?
Thank You.
Manoj
Hi Manoj,
Congratulations on passing the Primary Screening!
The document screening would have been the first step after you submitted your application to the Embassy, so if there was any problem with your documents, you would not have made it this far in the application.
Besides, the document you submitted sounds like it met the requirements perfectly. It doesn’t matter that the principal changed since your graduation, as long as the current principal is willing to recommend you, that would be enough for MEXT to consider that you are one of the top students from your class.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Travis, How are you doing today? it’s me again, I have two major questions to ask please.
1. I recently finished my final exams on 2 oct last month and my statement of result is ready for collection by my university… I’m applying for the Mext university recommended tier. My question is, can I submit my statement of result that states that I’ve successful completely my program and graduated with a second class upper with the date it was awarded….even if in Grips guidelines it is instructed that “□ Official transcripts of academic record and graduation/degree certificates Official graduation/degree certificates
Official certificates should state the name of your degree and the date the degree was awarded. Provisional or
temporary graduation/degree certificates are not acceptable. DO NOT send your original diploma, as documents
will not be returned”…..my original certificate won’t even be ready till next year 2024 ending can the statement of result serve as the certificate?
2. In your book, in chapter 3(progress check) that the selected research topic should be on a broad field, you cited an example of a topic that contains case studies from china or Japan…will it be okay if mine was East Asia as a whole?.. I’m an undergrad applying for a 5yr PhD program ..the idea is to have a broad research proposal
Hi Bunmi,
It’s good to hear from you again!
1. If your statement of results is an official document, not a temporary one, it should be acceptable, as long as it meets all of GRIPS other requirements, such as being sealed in an envelope, etc. If you are concerned, then you can ask your registrar to also include a letter in the envelope stating when your official certificate will be issued. My understanding of the GRIPS requirement is that they will not accept a provisional certificate under the assumption that you have the official one. But if the official one hasn’t been issued yet, they should accept the temporary one as they would from someone who hadn’t graduated yet.
2. The progress check you referred to is at a very early stage of developing your research question. Ultimately, it is far too general and you need to continue your research through the literature review I describe in that chapter and further steps in order to develop your ultimate research question and the steps you will take to answer it. By the time you write your research proposal, you should have specific examples. You should not submit a broad research proposal. Make sure it is specific.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you so much Travis, you are a life saver.
Sorry to bug Transenz, but in a case where my statement of result is valid for one year and my official certificate won’t be ready by the application deadline how do I go about it please..
Hi Bunmi,
Since that’s the only certificate you have, then it should be accepted as I mentioned in my previous comment. But you may want to include an explanation about it with your application.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
I am very grateful to you for your help. I find really relevant information. I have read several articles on research design, but I have encountered a problem in my research.
I’m finishing my last year of a bachelor’s degree in economics, accounting, and I’m still thinking about choosing a topic for my thesis, but I want to connect it with research and therefore I have to choose a topic now.
I plan to apply for the Research student program next year. How good would it be if I wanted to connect the research plan, for example, with the prospects for developing or improving auditing activities or improving accounting programs using the example of any small or medium-sized business in Japan. Consider how the Japanese government regulates auditing activities. Or something related? Are these too global topics? Even understanding all the requirements for the job, I can’t come to one topic. I’m constantly trying to think what can be studied and improved in this direction in Japan, but since I’ve never been there and the data on the Internet is not sufficient, I don’t understand at what level the accounting department in general is there.
And the second question. Is it okay if I try to contact one professor in December of this year by sending him my research plan with a request that I will apply for a scholarship in the summer?
Thank you.
Hi Aidana,
I think you’re overthinking the research topic. There is no way that a Master’s level research project is going to have a major impact on the state of auditing in Japan as a whole.
I think you would be better off focusing on a case study or research project that will create a data point that can be used in a larger discussion. But you are going to need to find something more specific. I am not an expert in your field and cannot help you develop a specific research topic for economics, but I would suggest that you ask a professor at your current university for help! They will know the state of the field better and be able to tell you want is an appropriate level of research topic for a Master’s thesis.
As for the contents, you would have to know the state of the field in Japan better to propose a research topic focused solely on Japan, but if you know the state of auditing, etc., in your home country and research on the subject, then you could propose a comparative research or a research project based on a Japanese case study similar to a situation in your home country in order to apply the results there.
Based on what you have said in your comment, it sounds like you will still need quite a bit of time and research into the current state of the field to develop your research question and write a research proposal, so December might be too early. Generally, I recommend contacting professors in Japan only after you have a well-developed Field of Study and Research Program Plan that you would be willing to submit as your final version. Once you have that, though, contact a professor to start building a relationship would be a good idea, whether that is in December or a little later into next year, whenever you’re ready.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi! Thank you for all the awesome info and assistance you give it really helps a ton!!
I wanted to know if you have any experience/advice regarding Waseda Business School specifically when it comes to requesting a letter of acceptance as I have applied during the 4th of August this year but have not received any feedback from them till today. Is this normal? Should I email them and ask if they need anything further from me? I’m quite anxious😣
Thanks again!
Hi Amy,
In my limited experience, with Waseda, in particular (though not specific to the business school), a lack of response is not that uncommon. Back when everything used to be sent by post, I remember hearing about applicants who submitted applications to Waseda and heard nothing back at all until one day the LoPA arrived in the mail.
Although a month has passed since your application, August is summer vacation at Japanese universities, so things really slow down and universities shut down entirely for about a week or more in the middle of the month, too. As long as you submitted your application according to the instructions on their website, you should have nothing to worry about and this could be normal processing time. (Generally, they are not going to contact you in the middle of the processing, only when the final results are released, so things could be moving on their side even though you are not getting any communication.)
If your embassy has given you a deadline to submit Letters of Provisional Acceptance, it would be fine to email them a couple of weeks before that deadline to politely inform them of it and ask if the LoPA decision will be made by then.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Wooow… this is an absolutely, fantastic, extremely helpful article. Travis, thank you so much for putting it together…I appreciate it a lot.
And I would like to find out, where can I access any previous years university recommendation application guidelines? Or 2022-2023 would be great. I searched the web but couldn’t find any…only embassy recommendation guidelines were coming up.
Thank you
Sarah
Hi Sarah,
Thank you for your feedback!
For the University-Recommended MEXT Scholarship application guidelines, MEXT only releases them in Japanese. Universities then create their own guidelines, considering their admissions requirements and situation, in English based on the MEXT document. So, it’s going to be different for each university. If you can find the guidelines on the website of the university that you want to apply to, that would be best.
If you want to access old MEXT application guidelines in Japanese then run them through a translation program (I find the Google translate app on your phone that allows you to use the camera to translate text works pretty well), you can find the 2022-2023 guidelines pdf on MEXT’s site.
My most recent article about how to apply for the University-Recommended MEXT Scholarship is also based on the 2022-2023 guidelines.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Oh, I see…I totally understand. Thank you so much for the feedback.
Okay great, let me go through the article and document..
And one more question…the term “expected to graduate in September 2023”, does it mean one will finish their studies in September 2023, or that September 2023 is for the graduation ceremony?
Thank you,
Sarah
Hi Sarah,
“Expected to graduate in September 2023” means that you would have completed all of the requirements for the degree (all classes, exams, etc.) and the university would need to be able to submit a certificate saying that you had done so.
In some countries, I am aware that the graduation ceremony itself happens several months later. In that case, it is not the ceremony that matters, but when the university can certify that you have met the requirements to graduate.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
Thank you so much for the clarity and detailed response, I appreciate it.
Sarah