One of the most common kinds of questions I see from applicants is “What university should I choose for the MEXT Scholarship?”
There are other variants, too: “Is X the best university in Japan?” “What university is easiest to get the MEXT Scholarship?”
There is no single answer. Even for two applicants in the same research field, the “best” university might be different. But it is possible to find your personal best fit. Here are my steps to find the best university-with the best academic advisor-for your personal research.
How to Find Universities in Japan
There are over 700 universities in Japan, all with multiple fields of study, and many with degree programs in English. By the end of this article, you will know how to narrow down your list to the best universities for you.
The “best” university almost always means the university with the best research environment for you. The most important factor in that research environment is your academic advisor, so I will show you how to identify potential advisors below, too!
There are three primary ways I can recommend to search:
- Leverage connections
- Search by English-language programs
- Search by PGP programs (University-Recommended MEXT Scholarship)
- Search by research field
I will go through each method below, plus how to evaluate professors to determine whether they would be a good advisor for your research.
Let’s get started!
How to Leverage Your Connections to Find Your MEXT Scholarship University
The best way to find the best degree program for you in Japan is to go through your connections. When you go through a connection, you have access to someone with direct knowledge of the program.
You may also have an easier time making connections with the graduate school or advisor in Japan, if the connection is a personal one. Academia in general, and Japan in particular, is still heavily influenced by personal connections.
Ask Your Current Professor or Academic Advisor
Your first stop in searching for a university in Japan should almost always be your current academic advisor. Ask your advisor if he or she has ever worked with a scholar from Japan in the same field, or if he or she knows someone who has.
Accessing a personal connection here is ideal, but relatively unlikely. If your professor does have a connection, I would recommend following through on that link before you pursue any other search methods in this article.
Even if your advisor does not have any personal connections in Japan, he or she might be able to recommend specific scholars in your field from Japan that you could study with. If you get names of scholars here, go find out where they research or teach and then learn more about that university’s programs. (See the section on searching by research field below.)
Leveraging a University Partnership
If your advisor cannot help, your next stop should be your university’s international office.
Go to the international office to find out if your university has any links with universities in Japan. If you can get a list of universities in Japan that are affiliated with yours, then those are a great place to start your search.
This is especially important if you are applying for the University-Recommended MEXT Scholarship. Some Japanese universities will only accept applications from partner universities overseas!
Leveraging Your Extended Network
If you know anyone who has studied in Japan or is studying in Japan, you can ask them for recommendations about their university.
Even if you do not know anyone directly, put out a call through your friends in person or on social media to see if they know anyone in Japan that they can connect you with.
Even though this connection is weaker than an advisor or university partnership, it can still help you to narrow down your search!
Searching for Programs Taught in English
For most readers of this site, you are limited to programs that are taught in English. The program language determines the language of your courses and also the language of your thesis.
Even if you find a professor who speaks English in a Japanese-taught program, you would not be able to study there unless you can take all of your courses and write your thesis in Japanese.
Typically, if you want to study in a Japanese-taught program, you would need at least N2-level Japanese for STEM fields and N1-level Japanese for everything else. Each university sets its own requirements, so be sure to search the web page for your specific degree!
Lists of English-Taught Degree Programs
So, how do you find universities that teach your degree in English? Fortunately, there are a few sites that have them all listed, including some that list which individual degree programs are taught in English. Review the sites below to find our what programs are taught in English, then go to each individual university’s website to learn more about the actual curriculum.
- Study in Japan (Official Government Site): https://www.studyinjapan.go.jp/en/planning/learn-about-schools/
- Japan Study Support (Browse): http://www.jpss.jp/en/univ/english/
- Japan Study Support (Search): https://www.jpss.jp/en/search/
- Univ in Japan: http://univinjapan.com/
Of the links above, I recommend Study in Japan. You’re probably already familiar with this site as where the Japanese government posts official MEXT scholarship guidelines and other information. It is the most comprehensive, though the others may provide more information about the universities they list.
Once you have identified universities that offer the field of study and level that you are searching for, go to each university’s own website to learn more about the exact courses, focuses, and professors there. This will take time and patience, but hopefully, by combing through each website, you will find professors close enough to your field of study to approach as potential supervisors.
Can’t Find a Program in Your Field?
Maybe they use a different name for it in Japan, or your field is a department within a larger graduate school. (For example, if you want to study “robotics”, there might not be a graduate school with that name, but it could be a department withing the Graduate School of Science and Engineering” at some universities.
You can use the method I describe below to figure out alternative names for your research field.
Searching for PGP Programs (University-Recommended MEXT Scholarship)
If you are applying for the University-Recommended MEXT Scholarship, you should always keep PGP programs in mind. As I explain in my article about How to Apply for the University-Recommended MEXT Scholarship, you have a much higher chance of success if you apply to a PGP program that you are eligible for. (And, if you’re not from a Priority Country, you might only be able to apply for PGP programs.)
You can find the most recent lists of PGP programs in my article about the University-Recommended MEXT Scholarship. Be sure to check for programs in your field on those lists, first, and see if they fit your research!
Searching by Research Specialization
Especially if you are seeking a PhD, it becomes increasingly important to find a program and potential supervisor more closely aligned with your particular research interest.
Searching by English language programs, as explained above is still a valid way to do this, but another way to approach the search is by starting with the field of study first and considering the language later.
One advantage with this approach is that you can find opportunities that might not be apparent if you start with language.
For example, you may find a professor in your field of study who is not affiliated with an English-taught program, but works at a university that has an English program in a similar field.
For example, I worked at a university that had a graduate school of pharmaceutical sciences and a graduate school of life sciences. Pharma had no English program so students could not apply directly to that program unless they spoke Japanese. Life Sciences, however, did have an English-taught program. Many English-speaking students enrolled in the Life Sciences PhD, selected a primary advisor from that program, and still worked closely with the Pharma professors to accomplish their research.
Names from Previous Research
If you have come across the work of active Japanese university-affiliated researchers in your previous work, start by reviewing the universities where they teach. You already know they are active in research and publications and know enough of their body of work to start building a relationship.
How to Search for Professors by Field
Researchmap is Japan’s most prominent inter-university researcher database available in English and Japanese. If a professor does not at least have a researchmap profile, you can assume that they are not serious about research or international collaboration.
Click the “Advanced Search” button to show options like Affiliation (i.e. “university”), Research Interests, Field and Subfield, and Area. For search fields that are not dropdown lists, they should start to populate as you type.
If you weren’t able to find a program taught in English in your field using the method I described above for searching based on English-taught programs, this site can help. It might be that the program name is different from what you expect, or part of a larger field. You can use the “Field” and “Subfield” dropdowns here to figure out where your research might be “housed” in a Japanese university.
Identifying Potential Advisors for MEXT Scholarship
If you searched for programs, rather than specific professors, now it is time to select potential advisors from within those programs.
Even if you searched by professor, it is a good idea to research that professor in detail and make sure he or she is a good match. You should also look for a back-up advisor within the program, in case the professor you want to work with is about to retire, go on sabbatical, etc.
How to Search for Individual Professors
In most cases, you can find the names of professors either on the university’s website or in their graduate school pamphlets.
On the website, look for information about professors in:
- A general researcher’s database or faculty database
- The individual graduate school’s web page (lists of faculty members or department news)
- The online syllabus (look for the names of professors that teach courses related to your studies)
- Digital graduate school pamphlets
Usually, you will be able to find the names of professors from one of those sources. If a university does not have any of that information available, you might want to think about just how much that university cares about recruiting students (answer: not much).
Another place you should check is in the application guidelines for self-financed students. Those guidelines will tell you if the university wants applicants to get in touch with professors in advance or not, and how to go about it.
Stuck? Contact the University to Ask
If none of that information is available and you are determined to study at that university, you can try contacting the administrative office of the graduate school to ask where you can find information about their professors in a specific field. Tell them that you are interested in studying at their graduate school and want to learn more about the specific research being done.
I would not recommend that you tell them that you need a professor’s name to list in your MEXT scholarship application. Especially before you pass the primary screening, you are not likely to get a very enthusiastic response.
How to Screen Your Professors
Your relationship with your advisor will be the single-most important factor in determining how successful and enjoyable your next several years in Japan will be. Getting to know their research and character then getting in contact with them to start forming a relationship is important to guarantee your future success.
I am only going to cover how to research them, for now. Getting in contact is a subject for another post. (I also have a chapter on it in my book!)
The following advice comes from past successful MEXT applicants, in no particular order:
- Google your professor: Find out if they have a personal web page in English or Japanese and what their recent activities have been. (“G”)
- Make sure your professor speaks English if you do not speak Japanese! (“G”)
- Check the professor’s recent work and publications. Look for young, active professors who are dynamic and engaged, rather than the senior professors resting on their laurels. (Unknown Genius)
- Check the university’s Japanese webpage via translation or with a Japanese-reading friend. Usually, Japanese professors post more detailed information in Japanese. (Lars Martinson)
Other Considerations
Qualifications: You need to make sure that your professor has earned at least the same degree you are going for, or else they will not be able to supervise you.
Rank: This depends on the university. Some will only let full professors supervise. Other universities may let Associate or Assistant Professors supervise. If you do not have any full professors on you list, adding one as a back-up might be a good idea.
Own Lab (espescially in STEM): If your professor is in the STEM fields, he or she should have their own lab and not be a member of another professor’s lab. If your professor is not head of their own lab, he or she may not be able to advise students.
Good Luck with Your Research!
You should now know three methods to search for a degree program and advisor in Japan and be prepared to start your search. Good Luck!
This article is based on Chapters 2 and 3 of How to Find Your Best Degree Program and Advisor for the MEXT Scholarship. The book goes into much more detail and includes examples of searches as well as worksheets to help you with the process.
Want a step-by-step process to evaluate universities and professors in Japan to find which would be the best fit for you? In How to Find your best Degree Program and Advisor for the MEXT Scholarship, I cover what to look for in an advisor, where to find that information, and how to reach out to network with them in advance.
Questions?
Let me know in the comments below!
Thank You, Supporters!
Thank you to my supporters on Patreon, who help keep this site running through their generous contributions. Special thanks to everyone who has been supporting this site (and its predecessor, TranSenz) for months or years!
You can support this site on Patreon for as little as $1 (or your currency of choice) per month or make a one-time donation through that site. Patreon supporters get one-on-one answers to questions, early access to articles and updates, and discounts on my coaching services/books.
If you want to show your support but Patreon is out of reach for now, please come back again after this site helps you win the scholarship, to help keep it running for future applicants!
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Hey Travis
I wanted to apply for PhD under MEXT Scholarship. Now I’m working on the FSSRP. Should I send it to the respective professors that I chose now for their review or should I send it once I have passed the primary screening conducted by the embassy of my country ? Please help me!!
Hi Elsa,
Officially, you do not need to contact universities and professors until after you pass the Primary Screening at your embassy. (Up to that point, they are not under any obligation to reply to you.)
However, if you can network with a professor beforehand, that could play to your advantage. I certainly do not recommend sending them your FSRPP out of the blue and asking for a review, though. You have to build up a relationship with them, first, by expressing interest in their research and your desire to study with them. It may work and it may not, but since you have time before the Embassy deadline, it would be worth a shot!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you for the reply
I have a doubt that if i pass the screening done by the embassy, will i enter as a non regular student or regular degree- seeking student. I wish to apply for PhD in Japan, so as a non regular student, it is not applicable to receive PhD certificate. In this case what is the option for me?
Hi Elsa,
In the application form, you will specify whether you want to start as a non-degree student or a degree-seeking student. Then, when you apply to universities for the Letter of Provisional Acceptance, they will state in that letter whether they will accept you as a non-degree student or degree student.
However, even after that letter, they can “upgrade” you to degree-seeking student if you pass the entrance exam before you arrive in Japan. You can also start your scholarship as a non-degree student then take the entrance exam to matriculate to the degree program and apply for an extension of your MEXT Scholarship at the same time so that you can become a degree-seeking student.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
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Dear Travis
I would like to apply for PhD through MEXT Scholarship. I wanted to work on biofuel production from microalgae and I tried contacting professors but only the professor from Tokyo University gave me a reply and he explained about working on genetic engineering for biofuel production from microalgae. The other professors hadn’t given me any reply, but their research interests include biofuel and microalgae. Still I don’t know if their actively working on that field. So can I write my proposal based on what the professor advised? Can I send the same proposal to other professors also once I get selected by the embassy?Please help if you are able to
Hi Arya,
Yes, you can send the same proposal to other professors after you pass the Primary Screening. It’s fairly rare to have a response from a professor at all before you pass the Primary Screening anyway 🙂
You can write your proposal based on the feedback you got from the one professor who wrote back and still send it to the others.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you so much for the reply!!!
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Hello sir,
Sir i have my m.phi in chemistry from university of Pakistan. Now i want to apply for phd under mext university scholarship, but the problem is that i do not know which university offer mext scholarship, if there is any list of the university please share.
Hi Muhammad Usman,
Any university in Japan is allowed to nominate students for the MEXT Scholarship and most of the major universities, at least, will have an application process for that scholarship. (There may be some universities that will not nominate students to the MEXT Scholarship, but not many).
In the article above, there are links to a few websites you can use to search for universities in Japan that offer your degree program in English – I recommend the JASSO link. Once you find the name of a university there, you should check their website to see if they have opened the application for MEXT Scholarships.
One other place you might want to look is the list of PGP programs. These are programs that have been approved by MEXT to be able to nominate a certain number of MEXT Scholars each year. If you find a PGP program in your field, then the chances of getting nominated for the scholarship there are much higher.
In my article about How to Apply for the University-Recommended MEXT Scholarship, I include links to the lists of PGP programs approved over the past three years. Look at the links for the programs approved in 2020 and 2021 in the article linked above, since those are still valid. (2022 programs won’t be approved until December, but I will update the list then).
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
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Hi Travis,
From some university admission processes that i’ve seen, they require admission fees. So, if we paid for it, will it be refunded by the scholarship? Or does it count as some sort of necessary expense that everyone would eventually do?
Thanks
Hi Dimas,
If the admission process is specifically for MEXT Scholars, then usually there will not be an admission fee. But if you have to pay an admissions fee to apply for a “general” admissions process, then either MEXT (for the Embassy-Recommended MEXT Scholarship) or the university (for the University-Recommended MEXT Scholarship) will reimburse you later . . . but only if you are accepted and awarded the scholarship for that degree.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
May peace be upon you travis,
What is the direct placement method? For undergraduate students.
Is it necessary to submit English Proficiency before the first screening or after the first screening?
Hi Aiman,
My area of expertise is in the scholarship for graduate students, so I haven’t done any research about the Direct Placement method for undergrads. I recommend that you check the application guidelines and see if you can find someone else that has experience with that system.
You do not need to submit proof of English language proficiency to the Embassy for the Embassy-Recommended MEXT Scholarship, unless you already have it – in which case, you submit it with the application documents. If you do not have proof of proficiency, don’t worry. It isn’t mandatory. You will take a language proficiency test as part of the primary screening.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis!
I am planning to get enrolled in MSc in Finance (which is under the business school). However, the professors that aligns more with my research interest does not teach any of the courses that are under MSc. But they are the instructors of courses (such as in Management, Entrepreneurship etc.) which are taught in MBA classes. So I was wondering if I can choose them as the professor that I want to do research since both MBA and MSc is under business school?
Thanks!
Hi Sub,
I can’t say for sure, as it’s going to be up to the organization of the particular university that you’re looking at. In some cases, graduate schools will have different departments, with faculty members assigned to each department. If the MSc and MBA are in different departments of the graduate school and faculty members belong to one or the other, then I think you would have to choose a faculty member from the department of finance, etc., that handles the MSc program.
The best way to find out for sure would be to consult with the university directly!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
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Hey Travis,
I am going to the university recommended Mext route and I wanted to ask if it’s ok to email more than 3 professors from the same university?. I have found about 4-5 professors that were close to my area of interest and I have emailed 3 of them but I have failed to get any replies. The first two professor’s emails that I sent was quite vague and introductory (as I didn’t exactly know what contents should have been added to a profs email) which was clearly an error on my part so I understand if they didn’t reply but to the second one, I made sure I was specific about their research, my interests, and my possible contributions to their lab but to no avail yet again. I’m afraid if I try emailing more professors I might come off as disrespectful hence I would like some of your advice if I should continue or move on from that university.
Hi Sakshi,
In general, I recommend that you should never be in touch with more than one professor at a single university. There should only be one professor that is closest to your research topic, if you have a clear enough research focus and a research plan prepared, so you should be focused on that professor.
If you contact multiple professors, particularly if they are in similar fields, you can assume they will talk to one another and if they discover that you have been in touch with several people, it will make you look less serious and focused so they will be less likely to consider you.
If you are not having luck with that university, then first, you should check whether or not the university requires you to contact professors as part of the University-Recommended MEXT Scholarship application process. If they do, you will have to keep trying to get a response (again, I recommend focusing on one professor), or move on to a different university. On the other hand, if the university does not require you to get in contact with a professor in advance, you can move forward with the application. Of course, that’s going to be less certain than having support from a professor would be, but at least it is an option.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis,
You really do a lot with this much students constantly asking for help. This application processes would most likely be impossible to complete without your articles, thank you for all that you do.
I want to apply for the embassy recommended, but by now I reckon I’d have to wait for next year’s right?
I’ve been reading up on a bunch of your write ups, but I’m having trouble on what exactly to do first since i have to wait for the next one. I found a supervisor, or I’ve seen one, but I don’t know how to contact him as his info is not exactly disclosed. How do I go about this and could you help out on what to do from there? Thank you!
Hi Alameen,
Thank you very much for your kind comments!
You’re right that the next opportunity to apply for the Embassy-Recommended MEXT Scholarship will be next year.
Before you start trying to contact professors in Japan, you should have a complete Field of Study and Research Program Plan that you would be able to discuss with them. I recommend that as your first step in the application process, though it is good that you have a potential professor in mind already so you’ll be able to tailor your plan to appeal to that professor.
Once you have your plan ready and it’s time to start contacting professors, I have a whole chapter on advice for finding professors’ contact information and how to contact them in my book about How to Find your Best Degree Program and Advisor for the MEXT Scholarship, so it’s too much to fit in a single comment here, but in general, the same tips that apply to searching for professors that I described in this email are a good way to look for their contact information, too. It might be buried and require a little more searching, but you can often find it by similar means.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis!
I’ve got a bit of a weird/unique question that is more of an opinion question as opposed to one that’s fact-based so while I understand it may not be answerable I’d still appreciate if you could give your opinion. I passed the embassy screening and asked for LOAs back in August from two universities. I still haven’t heard back from University 1 but have been in contact with a professor from University 2.
I prefer University 2 over University 1 for most things, however, University 1’s professor is more knowledgeable on my research area and speaks English. It sounds like the professor from University 2 is willing to accept me as a student but it has been a little difficult to communicate with them as they only speak in Japanese and tend to be very vague (I have around N3-N2 level Japanese so I can understand what they say and the program itself does not have a Japanese requirement but the professor’s style of communicating is very vague so it’s been difficult to communicate with them–and that’s just about application procedures much less actual research conversation). However, I like University 2’s program A LOT better than University 1 and it is in a better location to do my research. So my question for you is: how important is one’s supervisor? I mean I get that it depends on the individual and their needs but like in this situation would it be better (in your opinion) to go with University 1 or University 2 (assuming both schools said yes)?
Thank you,
Sarah
Hi Sarah,
I think your relationship with your advisor is essential, but saying that, the most important part of your relationship is your ability to work together and your professor’s support for your research. If you have language-related communication issues but you are both working to overcome that, I think that’s fine and an avenue worth pursuing, especially if all of the other factors point to university 2. On the other hand, I think it would be far worse to be working with an advisor who spoke fluent English but wasn’t supportive or as invested in your research.
It sounds like you haven’t been in touch with the professor from University 1, yet. But if you are in contact with the Professor from University 2 and you think this is someone that you can work with, then that seems like a good base to build on. If it was me, I would lean toward University 2 in that situation.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis!
Thanks so much for the reply! I will definitely keep the points you mentioned in mind as I go forward with this process.
If you don’t mind I had one more question: do you have any advice for writing a thank you note to professors that encourages dialogue after they’ve issued you an LOA? Any specific points to hit? It looks like I’d be arriving Oct. 2022 and while I would like to keep some sort of rapport going with these professors (or started in the case of 1 of them), it feels a bit daunting trying to establish a relationship via email when neither party has met in person and even more so when I think of trying to do that for a whole year. However, I definitely want to thank them and mention something along the lines of looking forward to working with them.
Thank you!
Hi Sarah,
That’s a good question. Personally, I’m terrible at keeping in touch, so it’s something I struggle with, too.
I think a simple “thank you” note now, including a brief report on what you’ll do next/when you expect to have news about your application process, and also a commitment to continue preparing for your research as you wait to come to Japan would be good. Then, as you make any progress in either one (the application process or discovering new ideas/reading new studies that impact your research proposal) you could write to your professors at each step. They might not respond, but it will keep you in their mind. Perhaps they might have ideas for further books you could read or other ways to prepare while you wait.
By around late Jan/Early Feb, you should know what university you will be assigned to, so at that point, you will be able to focus your communication on the one remaining professor (but tell the others about the assignment, thank them for their help, and say that you still hope to meet in Japan).
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
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Hi Travis,
I wanted to ask whether it will be ok to contact professors in August or not as it is their vacation period and would not check their emails. I’m afraid I wouldn’t be able to form some kind of interaction between me and the prof before the university recommended MEXT begins
Should I still continue to email them or should I expect to be ignored?
Hi Sakshi Amin,
I saw that you had posted the same question previously and already answered it here.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
Is there any problem with beginning contact with professors in August? I heard it is their vacation period so they would not look at their emails. I am afraid next month when the applications for Uni recommended Mext begins there will be no time for field related interactions between me and the professor. Should I still go ahead or I should be expecting no replies?
Hi Sakshi Amin,
It is not a problem to contact professors in August, though for the reasons you described, you might be less likely to get a response right away.
I should also warn you that this is the season when applicants for the Embassy-Recommended MEXT Scholarship will be contacting professors to ask for Letters of Acceptance for that process, so if you contact them in August, you’ll want to make your objectives clear in your message.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi! Travis, I hope you doing well
First Thank you so much For your informations, I just want to ask if I’m applying through the embassy and I’m searching on my potential supervisors
how do I know if they are accepting international students from mext scholarship?
And Thank you
Hi TFMW,
You should check to make sure that the program does not require Japanese language ability. If you can complete it in English, and if you can check that your potential supervisor can speak English (you should be able to research if they teach a class in English, have other international student advisees, or have published a paper in English), then they should be willing and able to accept international students via the MEXT Scholarship.
From that point, it is just a matter of applying for a Letter of Acceptance by following the university’s instructions.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
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Hi Travis,
I have a question about enquiring the supervision of potential supervisor. I recently sent an email to my potential supervisor about his interest on my research topic, but he replied me that though my research topic seems perfect to him, the lack of budget wouldn’t allow him to take me in. He asked if I have my own budget and when I would like to commence my studies. At this point, I am not sure whether I should mention about MEXT Scholarship, because I don’t know if the universities, or specifically the lab will receive funding for accepting a MEXT student. Or, I don’t know if he is trying to be polite and subtle to decline me.
Cheers,
Kelvin
Hi Kelvin,
The university/lab does not receive any funding to support MEXT scholars, so if the professor does not have the budget, you would need to pay your research expenses out-of-pocket (you could use part of your stipend, but that money also needs to cover your living expenses) or you would need to apply for a separate research grant.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
thanks for the guidelines.
I just wonder if MEXT Scholarship provides fundings to the universities or specifically to the lab? Because I am still in the process of scholarship application, and I am sending supervision enquiries to my potential supervisors. However, one of potential supervisor replied that though my research plan work perfectly for them, they simply do not have the budget to support my research, and he asked if I have my own budget. At this point, I am not sure how I should reply since I know Japanese are subtle and polite, so I don’t know if this is their way of polite rejection.
Hi Kelvin,
No, MEXT does not provide any funding to the universities or labs to cover the expenses of MEXT scholars.
I don’t know what your research is, but it sounds like the professor is asking whether or not you will be able to pay all expenses related to your research out of pocket (or if you have another research grant, etc.)
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis,
I just wanted to know if there is a certain time for applying for the university recommended scholarship?
Thanks in advance
Hi Hala,
Each university is going to have its own application timeline. The application process is generally in the fall, but can be anywhere from September to November, in my experience.
Once you decide on the university that you want to apply to, I recommend checking their site for the information from previous years if you can find it. That should give you an idea of this year’s schedule.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello,
Is there a certain time for this scholarship or should I apply to each university by it’s addmission time??
thanks in advance
Hi Hala,
There are two ways to apply for the scholarship, through the Japanese Embassy in your home country (which is over in most countries for this year) or through a university in Japan. In both cases, though, the embassy or the university will set its own application timeline, so you would have to apply according to their instructions and schedule. There is no one application time that applies to everyone.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
HI Travis?
I would like to inquire from you on how i can get a university that has masters program in procurement and logistics , supply chain and logistics management or any other related field in Japan?.
Waiting for your help, thanks for your time and consideration.
Best regards
ATAHO Stephen
Hi ATAHO Stephen,
This article is all about how to find programs in your major in Japan. Have you tried the search methods I described in the article above? If you have, you should have found programs in your field taught in English.
If you are applying for self-financed admission, then you should check the admissions requirements on those programs’ websites. If you are interested in applying for the MEXT Scholarship for funding during your studies, then check out my page about the MEXT Scholarship for a collection of all my guides about how to apply.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
Thank you for such comprehensive articles! I’ve been reading your blog non-stop and it really helped so much to clarify the vague rules and regulations in the application of MEXT.
Is there any way that I can contact you directly, please
Thank you
Hi Brit,
I prefer to keep all of my contact here on the blog through the comments. I do answer individual messages from Patrons and work one-on-one with coaching clients, but in general I do not contact anyone else one-on-one. (Frankly, if I did, I would never have time to get to everyone!)
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis,
Thank you for all you’ve been doing.
I want to ask that can I have my proposed advisors in different departments? I love the works of all my proposed supervisors, but due to the fact that my proposed research field is multidisciplinary, in most schools the professors are not in my preferred department, so I want to ask if I can still fill their names or I should just try and find supervisors in my department. Thank you
Hi Bori,
Your advisor must be from the department that you plan to enroll in, so you should either consider changing departments (look at the curriculum carefully to see where your research would best fit), or choose an advisor from the department where you want to enroll.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
Thank you once again for all you’ve been doing for us, your posts have been really helpful.
I just have some questions again.
The 3 professors I chose for my proposed field of study (and that I want to fill in my placement form) are in different departments. My proposed field of study on Piezoelectric materials is multidisciplinary, so it’s understandable that these professors do same thing or almost same thing but are in different departments in different schools.
For instance my 1st choice professor is in Electronics in his school, 2nd is in electrical engineering in his school but the 3rd is in Mechanical engineering in his school. All these professors are professors that I’d love to work with because their research interests is same with what I want to work on. However, I want to study in Electronics or electrical engineering department, ’cause this is closer to my undergraduate studies.
Is this ok to have my proposed supervisors in different departments or I should just try and make sure all my proposed supervisors are in the same department or more closely related departments?
Thank you for your anticipated response.
Hi Bori,
Are your three professors in different departments at the same university, or are they at different universities that name their departments differently? You cannot choose multiple potential advisors from one university at a time. But if they are at different universities and the universities use different names for their departments (but cover the same research), then that is not a problem at all. You do not need to worry about the department name, only about whether the professor and program there is appropriate for your research.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
who may help me, how I can search university and academic advisor and different pf Name of graduate school andName of university
Hi Yosef,
That is what this article is all about, so I recommend you read the section about how to search for programs in English again.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello,
I am interested in MEXT Scholarship, can you please provide me the list of best universities under Japanese MEXT Scholarship for MBA?
Hi Ali Raza,
This article is all about how to search for universities. The university that is going to be “best” for you depends on your individual circumstances and goals, so I recommend you research the universities here that offer MBAs to decide for yourself.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
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I am Mohammad wazir , I have been in the process of apply for the mext scholarship before the deadline for 2021-2022. in the requested documents which is mandatory for application is 2022 PLACEMENT PREFERENCE APPLICATION FORM FOR JAPANESE GOVERNMENT
(MEXT) SCHOLARSHIP (RESEARCH STUDENTS) , in this , it is asking for academic advisor , please instruct me how can the related advisor. Please give necessary attention to my question
Hi Mohammad Wazir,
This article is all about how to find the best university for your studies in Japan. Once you find that university, you should look up what the individual professors in the department specialize in and try to decide which would be the best advisor for your studies.
(I have a book about this process coming out soon, too.)
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Pingback: How to Apply for the Embassy Recommended MEXT Scholarship in 2021/2022 | TranSenz: MEXT Scholarship and Visa Information for Moving to Japan
Hi Travis,
Thank you for such comprehensive articles! I’ve been reading your blog non-stop and it really helped so much to clarify the vague rules and regulations in the application of MEXT.
I would first like to apologize for the incoming wall-of-text, I hope this isn’t too much of a bother to read/answer!
1. The first question concerns my GPA – afaik the UK has different awarding systems for undergraduate (5 awarding buckets) and postgraduate (4 awarding buckets) degrees. Based on your tutorial on how to calculate GPA, I have a GPA of 2.25 for my masters degree (which I am honestly horrified at seeing), and 2.85 for the last year of my undergraduate degree even though I achieved a distinction in my masters compared to the Upper Second class honours in my bachelors. If MEXT is only looking at the GPA for one degree program, would they still consider what the degree classifications actually mean in the awarding countries and if the degrees came from a “top” university (e.g. UCL)? Or would this mean that I have no chance at all for the application? (If so, please feel free to ignore the rest of my questions.)
2. I am planning to apply for MEXT in another two years, and I am currently researching on potential universities and supervisors related to my desired field of research. I have a Psychology background (MSc Clinical Mental Health and BSc Psychology), but my research topic (hopefully) will be in neuropathology. My MEXT GPA scores are not looking fantastic but I am currently working as a research associate in a neuroscience lab and plan to work here for the next two years. As most departments of neuroscience in Japanese universities seem to be in schools of medicine, would you think that it is feasible for me to attempt to apply for a doctoral in medicine, specializing in neuroscience?
3. I also read in your other article that if we pass the entrance exams, we’ll be able to enroll as a PhD student instead of a research student. With my background I think they would want to conduct an eligibility review first (from what I found, U-Tokyo does) and my question is, IF I wish to be enrolled as a PhD student instead of a research student, when should I be approaching the university for an eligibility review? Should I do this only after I’ve passed the screening or would it be a good idea to contact the university first? Could you also share your insights on the probability of them approving the initial review for me to take the entrance exam?
4. I also have a question regarding language ability. For example, on U-Tokyo’s website, they state that the only available English program in the Graduate School of Medicine is Global Health Sciences which is in the Department of International Health. And I think, if I understand correctly, this is a doctoral degree program in health sciences. Whereas for doctoral degree programs in medical sciences, the coursework consists of programs in different departments that require varying levels of Japanese ability. Under the description of the Department of Neuroscience (the one I am currently hoping to apply to), they’ve stated that ‘no Japanese ability is required’, while for a few others, it is required that students can take part in research discussions using Japanese. Does this mean that I can apply to that department without having to write my thesis in Japanese? I’m currently at N2 for JLPT, but I worry that even if I get to N1 it will be difficult to complete a doctoral thesis purely in Japanese. Or, assuming I pass the screenings, would you advise that I apply for the Global Health Sciences programme instead? It has a Department of Developmental Medical Sciences that does some research in neuroscience, though the professor I would love to work with is in the Department of Neuroscience.
5. Regarding MEXT applications, will it reflect badly on me if I spent most of my higher education abroad rather than in my home country? Since the main aim of MEXT is to benefit both Japan and the home countries, would they question the level of commitment and dedication I have towards contributing to my home country?
6. Sorry if you’ve answered this elsewhere in the blog, but would you happen to know if there are fixed quotas for each area of study? e.g. 5 for Medicine, 5 for Humanities, etc. So if there are more people applying for medicine-related programmes, will this mean more competition?
I do realize that I’m getting ahead of myself, but I would really, really appreciate your insights and advice. And I’m really sorry for the long-winded questions.
Thank you in advance!
Hi Gigi,
I will try to address your questions, but there’s a lot there. If I have missed anything, please let me know.
1. My understanding is that they will look at how each grade would fit into the grade classifications, not at the overall classification. I do not have your specific grading scale at hand to refer to, but if the grades calculated out the way you say, and a “distinction” classification (I do not know where that sits in order of other classifications) is below the MEXT threshold, which should be in the “lower second” range, then it is possible that there is a different conversion element that I have not considered. I would not recommend that you give up yet.
As for the university reputation, I do not think it impacts the eligibility considerations, but it could certainly be a factor for comparing two eligible applicants.
2. I recommend that you look at the programs that you are interested in and see what their admissions requirements are for fee-paying students. Many medical programs require Japanese language proficiency if there is a clinical practice element, since you would have to be licensed by the government before any clinical practice, and that licensing test is in Japanese. However, if you find a program that does not require Japanese language ability and you meet all of the admissions requirements, I see nothing that should stop you from applying.
3. I’m afraid that I am not familiar with the requirements for eligibility reviews for specific universities, so I would recommend that you contact the university directly to ask. If you apply for the Embassy-Recommended MEXT Scholarship, you generally contact the university to ask for a Letter of Provisional Acceptance no later than August of the year prior to starting your studies. However, official acceptance to the university and the determination as to whether you will start as a research student or degree student would come later. I do not think that you would need the eligibility review before asking for the letter of Provisional Acceptance, but that is going to depend on the timeline at the university.
4. Your advisor must be from the department that you are enroll in. So, if you were to enroll in the Global Health Sciences program (Dept of International Health) you could not have an advisor from the Depr of Neuroscience, though you may be able to take coursework there, if the program allows and you have the required language ability for that course. You can consult with professors in other departments, but if you plan to take that approach, I think you should make sure there is an advisor in GHS that can supervise the research that you want to complete.
5. No. Studying in another country should not hurt your application.
6. MEXT does not fix quotas for different fields of study, but in some countries, there is a quota for Humanities/Social Sciences and for STEM. My understanding is that the Japanese embassy works with the local country government to determine its priorities and divide the slots accordingly. I have seen indications of this split in India and Thailand in the past (where the Embassy posts separate lists of passing students in the categories above), but it could certainly exist elsewhere and is subject to change.
If there are split quotas, then, yes, more applicants in a particular group would naturally increase how competitive that category is. But there is no way (I know of) to find this out in advance, so I do not think there is any point in worrying about it. Just focus on making your application as strong as possible!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
4.
Hi Travis,
Thanks for all your work as usual. I plan to apply for the MEXT 2022 scholarship this year. I have shortlisted professors, from the G30 schools.
My question is how to tell if the lab or professor teaches in English or Japanese, given their labs both have a Japanese and English version?
Appreciate your help as always.
Stay Safe,
Unimke
Hi Unimke,
All labs are going to teach in Japanese (unless that university’s programs are only in English), so it is normal that they would have a Japanese page. However, if they have an English page, too, that’s a great sign that they are probably able to accept students who speak English!
My recommendation is to check the standard admissions requirements for the program as a whole. If a fee-paying student can apply for the program without any knowledge of Japanese (i.e. there is no Japanese language requirement in the application guidelines), then you should have no problem.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi,
This may be slightly irrelevant to this article but even so, I wanted to understand how to contact a professor if I do not clear the primary screening? How does one continue with the application process regardless of the MEXT scholarship? From my understanding, I should write to the university/ professor and receive their acceptance once the primary screening is successful. Before this, some schools may not reply to emails. Please shed some light on how I must continue otherwise. Thanks a lot!
Hi Diya,
If you do not pass the primary screening and want to apply as a regular fee-paying student, you should follow the admissions/application guidelines on the university’s website.
In general, I recommend trying to get in touch with your prospective advisor long before you start the application process to build a relationship. However, if you haven’t done that, and you are contacting the university/professor specifically to ask for a letter of acceptance, then you would have to wait until after you have the Passing Certificate of the Primary Screening. You should be able to find instructions on the university’s website about how to contact them to request Letters of Acceptance for the Embassy Recommended MEXT Scholarship.
I have another article all about that process that should help, although at this point the deadline to request Letters of Acceptance for this year has already passed, so I hope you have been able to find a solution in the meantime.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi,
Thank you for the wonderful answers you’ve written here. I have a question for you. I am presently in the sixth semester/third year of my B.tech and wish to take up masters in Japan in mechanical Engineering. I have done my research on the labs and shortlisted certain professors I’d like to work under. When do you suggest is a good time to reach out to them? I do plan to apply for the MEXT but even apart from that would it be a good idea to drop an email and establish that I’d like to work with them in the future? It would be great if you could give me a general idea of what I should mention when I get in touch for the first time.
Hi Diya,
Thank you for your kind words.
Hi Diya, I am just starting to work on my book about contacting professors, and that is one of the questions I am addressing, so your question is very timely!
Now that you have a short list, my recommendation is that you write the first draft of your Field of Study and Research Program Plan, targeted at one of your top choice professors. As soon as you have that, I would recommend reaching out to initiate contact. I think that you should have a clear idea of what you want to research and how before you start contacting professors (of course, be willing to make changes based on their recommendations) so that you can establish a conversation based on mutual research interest.
That initial contact should focus on why you want to conduct your research under that particular professor’s guidance. I also recommend that it be short, easy to read, and that it invite a reply.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
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Hello, Travis,
This is Cici, unfortunately, I did not pass the interview of the embassy MEXT scholarship. However, I want to apply for the university recommended scholarship. Since the university recommended scholarship only allows me to apply to only one university, 1. should I first contact a university that’s not competitive as Tokyo to make sure I can definitely get in? 2. Or should I email my research plan I used for the embassy recommended MEXR to all the professors in Japan and ask them to be a supervisor for my research for the university recommended MEXT scholarship? Can I apply to something I did not do in my undergraduate degree? My Japanese is not good, so I can only study in a English taught program? Thank you
Hi Cici,
I am sorry to hear that you did not pass the embassy’s Primary Screening, but I am happy to hear that you plan to continue your application and go for the University Recommended MEXT Scholarship!
I recommend that you try to find the university and professor in Japan that is most closely related to your research. Don’t choose a university just because of its name – even if the University of Tokyo is the most famous in Japan, that does not automatically make it the best for everything. If you find one professor at one university that you think would be a good fit, I recommend that you then create a strong case to appeal to that professor directly. You can approach them by showing how well your research fits in to their interest and what you would be able to offer as their supervisee.
The University Recommended MEXT Scholarship is going to be very competitive no matter where you apply, so I do not think that dividing your efforts between multiple universities or contacting multiple professors is a productive approach. Putting all of your effort in to passing at one particular university with a target professor is likely to be more effective.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you, Travis. If university recommended scholarship is more competitive than embassy recommended, do I still have a chance? You said, ‘’You can approach them by showing how well your research fits in to their interest and what you would be able to offer as their supervisee’’. I tried to email the professor at Osaka university before but he never responded, how would I contact him then, should I email him along with my RESEARCH PLAN I USED IN THE EMBASSY recommended MEXT scholarship? Probably should I email a professor at a less well-known university that is NOT AS COMPETITIVE AS TOKYO OR KYOTO UNIVERSITY? Thank you. Really appreciate
In addition, can I apply to two universities? Thank you
Hi Cici,
No. You can only apply to one university under the University Recommended MEXT Scholarship in any given year.
However, you can approach multiple universities/professors in advance, particularly if you aren’t getting responses, so long as you only submit the formal application to one.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Cici,
I haven’t seen your application, so I really can’t say anything about your chances.
There are two steps to approaching professors here that you need to consider. The first it the formal application, once the application guidelines are released at the university that you want to attend. The second is trying to approach professors in advance to build a relationship, which is what it sounds like you’re doing now.
When you’re approaching professors outside of a formal application setting, you never know if they’re going to reply or not. It depends on the professor, their personality, and their schedule. They are not under any obligation to respond to you, so it’s up to you to try to interest them and get them to respond. But if a professor hasn’t responded, I would not recommend following up by sending them more information, instead, I would recommend a polite follow-up message to ask if they had time to read and consider your previous email. If that still doesn’t get a response, then consider moving on and approaching someone else. After all, do you really want to work with an advisor during your degree who ignores your emails?
It also isn’t going to be a guarantee that a professor at a less-well-known university might be more responsive. It’s more about the individual professor than it is about the university. Trying to build a relationship outside of the formal application process is always going to be uncertain, you just have to be willing to keep trying.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you so much, Travis. I will work hard. Do you recommend me send my research plan in the email when I approach the professors? Thank you.
Hi Cici,
If you are approaching the professors for the purpose of building a relationship, no, certainly not in the first email. That comes across as demanding. Introduce yourself first and then, after you get a reply, move on naturally to sending your research plan later if the conversation goes in that direction.
If you are contacting them as part of the official application process, then do whatever the application instructions say.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
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hi dear>
i am from pakistan but i graduated from china and now i wanted to start my ms fro japan through schoarship program.
my question is,do i need to do ielts,thou i studied my full education in english medium.
secondly the deadline of admission through pakistan embassy is already over so i wanted to find any professor so that i can discuss with him and he can accept me as his student.
kindly guide me
regards
Hi Israr Javed,
If you have missed the embassy-recommended MEXT Scholarship deadline for this year, your next opportunity is going to be the University Recommended MEXT Scholarship. The application period for that is different for each university, so my best advice to you is to identify a few possible professors who would be best to supervise your research, by following the methods recommended in this article, and then continue to check their respective universities’ websites for information about the MEXT Scholarship while trying to build a relationship with the professors.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hey Travis! Thanks for the guides, they are really helpful.
I graduated in Japanese studies this year and I am planning to apply for Master in International Cooperation studies. I found a university whose course I like and I am trying to select an advisor to approach for now. I wanted to know if is it going to be a problem for the professors to accept me since my undergrad degree is on different subject. I have read the prospectus and it doesn’t state that the prospective student has to be of a certain background of studies.
Thanks again for your help.
Hi Aria,
Thank you for your kind comments!
I would worry less about your degree name and more about the subjects that you studied and research that you conducted, and how that would be related to your studies in Japan. It is a requirement that you apply in the same field you majored in previously or a related field, but your fields should be close enough to make that justification easily, especially if you plan to study Japan’s international cooperation.
I do not anticipate that you would have any problem.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
おはよう！ thank you very much for your article, I’ll look for the office in my university to see if they have ties to japanese universities. Nice advise.
So far I’ve narrowed my choices to 8 universities (all of them public/national) and I’ve seen some do offer a master’s program in pharmaceutical sciences which is good. However my problem arrives when I search for research and research centers. Some websites in English are really outdated and have info up to 2016 (some are even outdated in japanese). So should I consider that into selecting a program, is a program more likely to accept me if they show more info in their website or have they just gone bored of updating it?
ありがとうごzくぃます！
Hi Andres Mazariegos,
Personally, I would certainly consider an old, out of date website to be a red flag and reconsider whether I want to apply for that university.
At the very least, they should be continually updating the admission information every year.
If you’re talking about the professors’ research centers’ websites being out of date. . . those are most likely updated by grad student assistants rather than the professor, so they probably just haven’t asked their RA to update it lately. I would at least look to see if you can find any recent publications or presentations by the faculty members in that lab, to make sure they are still active. If they are still producing research, then just have an out-of-date website isn’t such a bad thing. But a research center with an up-to-date website would be better, in most cases!
One issue with Phramaceutical Sciences programs is that many universities offer them only in Japanese. That might be a reason why English websites have not been updates lately, too. In that case, you might look to see if there is a related program, like Life Sciences, taught in English. You can often do some similar research in that program, and even confer with faculty in Pharma.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello,
I am currently applying for the MEXT scholarship for year 2021 for graduate studies in computer science.. Now the main Application form is pretty straight forward, but when I noticed the other forum where I should enter 3 universities to be considered, I started searching for universities and now I am lost. does anyone know if I just submit the Application and if I am accepted everything is going to be sorted out or should I first Apply for the desired Universities and then submit the Application?
Hi Samir,
You do not need to contact the three universities and get their approval/acceptance before submitting the Placement Preference Form, but you do at least need to do your research to choose which universities and professors you want to study under. After you pass the Primary Screening, you will then contact those universities to apply for a Letter of Provisional Acceptance.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello travis
I can’t find an English course of Fine arts anywhere :(((((
Hi Aynax,
I’m afraid that I don’t know of any fine arts programs in Japan taught in English off the top of my head, either. It’s not a common field to be internationalized.
If the lists I linked to here don’t have any options, then I’m afraid I don’t know what to tell you.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis , your articles have been really useful , thanks a lot. My question is related to the university. I am going to apply as a research student so should I look for universities that have research programs available , because I only see masters and doctoral courses , they usually not mention if they have a research program for me to apply . I am a bit confused in this part if you could help me that would be wonderful 🙂
thanks in advance.
Hi Genesis,
Thank you for your kind feedback.
Are you applying as a Master’s Level research student or a Doctoral level research student? Being a research student isn’t a “program” and it’s not normally something that universities recruit for, so you likely aren’t going to find anything if you just search for that. Instead, search for a degree program at the level you want to work at.
Can I ask why you are only applying as a research/non-degree student? If you want to start as a research student and then progress to a degree, you should be looking for that degree program. The only other case I see for research students is usually if you are enrolled in a degree program in your home country and only want to come to Japan for a year to do research for your thesis before returning to your home university to finish your degree. That is a particularly rare case and, if that is the case, I would recommend that you look for universities that have a partnership with your home university.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
I wanted to know that after submitting the application of mext scholarships, am I supposed to find an undergraduate university for myself or would mext do that for me?
HI Fahad Qureshi,
For the undergraduate scholarship, my understanding is that MEXT assigns you to a university after you complete your first year of preparatory education, so you should not need to worry about that quite yet.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
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Hi Travis!
I have been extremely upset and crying about this whole situation for a while but your blogs made me feel a tad bit better. So I am currently a final year student (I just started my final year) of law school in Kolkata, India. I have been going through all the details of a lot of universities for my LLM, and most of them say that I must submit my ‘original documents’ through air mail. But if I do so, how do I even apply to other universities? Should I contact Japan Foundation India or the Embassy so I am provided a guide for my applications? The whole situation with MEXT is also making it difficult for me to understand how the application process will even work. Please help me out. Literally in tears here as Japan has been a childhood dream.
Thank you,
Ratula
Hi Ratula,
Are you applying for the MEXT Scholarship, or just applying to universities for admission as a fee-paying student? If you are applying for the MEXT Scholarship, the application guidelines and procedures should be available from the nearest Japanese embassy or consulate.
If you are applying for the Embassy Recommended MEXT Scholarships, you should not need to mail any documents to any universities. You would submit your application to the Japanese embassy or consulate that serves your area (including your “original” documents.)
For the purposes of the MEXT Scholarship or admission to any Japanese university, a certified copy is considered the same as an original. Never submit your only copy of your original, because you will not get it back.
For documents that were issued by your university, such as your certificate of graduation or your transcript of grades, if an official at the university certifies the copy as being accurate, that is perfectly acceptable.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Dear Travis,
thank you so much for all the usefull informations! I have 2 Questions.
1.) Currently I’m on a one year exchange for my master’s degree at the Waseda Univ. I’m pretty sure, I could get a Rec letter from my RS here. I was thinking about adding that letter to the letter of my home universities RS when I apply for the embassy MEXT. You think that’s a good idea, or could it backlash?
2.) Is it better to state a national/public university rather than a private? I already targeted down my prospective study pretty precisely and found the Waseda perfect for it (perfect program and Prof for it, best conditions for the survey e. g.) But now I read somewhere that they prefer national/private universities (what kind of makes sense to me). Is that true? Should I rather state a private/national univ., when I go into the primary screening?
Thank you again!
Hi Carlos,
1) I don’t think the letter from Waseda would hurt you, but keep in mind that it is the letter from your home university that “counts” for the requirement in the application.
2) In your situation, since you have experience studying at Waseda and have determined that it is ideal for your research, there is no harm in putting it at the top of your list. In general, there is no problem with placing private universities on your list. When MEXT says that they “prefer national universities”, that does not mean that they are going to disadvantage applicants who have selected private universities as their preference. It means that even if a private university is at the top of your list, they may attempt to place you at a lower priority national university, first. (It’s all budgetary. In the case of a private or public university, MEXT has to pay your tuition to the university, but that is not the case for a national university, so it costs less to send students to national universities.)
Go with the university that you think is the best one for your research!
Good luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
I’m new here! How can i get scholarshipin japan! ? After the form fill up how to send it?
Hi Wasia Rashid Elmi,
If you’re new to the MEXT Scholarship, I would recommend that you take some time to read the other articles on this site, like my articles introducing the scholarship basics and how you apply. You can find an index of all of my MEXT articles here.
You’ll also want to check the website of the Japanese Embassy in your country for the specific application instructions and forms there!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Dear TranSenz,
I really appreciate all the hard work you’ve been putting in to this blog and your books. I would have loved to read your planned 3rd book, so I definitely think you have an audience for it.
I have a question about planning a research proposal around my three targeted professors. Essentially it boils down to how closely aligned should my research proposal be with their research in terms of passing the initial embassy screen?
I found several potential professors, and generally their overarching aims are a perfect match for my proposal, however the specific methods they use are somewhat different to my current ideas. What makes it trickier is that each group that I’m interested in is obviously using different methods to each other in their research.
By trying to align my proposal more closely with their methods, I feel it may start to become less like a unique original concept, which I assume would be a bad thing!
Any thoughts you had would be really appreciated
Hi Harrison,
Thank you very much for your feedback. I’m afraid that this COVID-19 situation has put my writing into a bit of a pause as the day job has kept me overwhelmed lately. I hope to get back out of constant crisis mode soon and be able to focus on other things, though!
For your research proposal, I would suggest that you stick to what you really want to do at this stage, but note that you understand that your specific methods and approach might change based on the advice of your advisor after acceptance. Your goal at this point of the application is to show that you can write a complete and competent research plan that serves your goals. This is not your final plan by any means and nobody expects it to be. (If you could write a research plan before enrolling in your degree that needed no amendment or revision, there wouldn’t be much for the university and advisor to do!)
I’m not sure what field you are in, and how close you need to be to your potential advisors will depend on that, but in general, I would suggest that you align your research goals to be close to/supportive of your first choice professor. You do not necessarily need to use the exact same methods (unless there is a specific equipment limitation involved).
I hope that helps. In a nutshell: Make sure your research goals are similar to/supportive of your professors’ research theme, be willing to change your precise methods later to follow your advisor’s guidance, and create a plan for now that demonstrates your understanding of the field and methods as well as your ability to create a research plan in the first place.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis!
Your articles are amazing. I am currently reading book 2 of your series, and I was wondering when the next books will be completed or published. I am really looking forward to reading them since I am currently preparing my application for this years MEXT scholarship.
Thank you for all the information you’re giving out.
Hi Kevin,
Thank you very much for your message and following up. I think you’re actually the first person to ask me about that next book!
Unfortunately, for the short term, I have gotten side-tracked with another writing project and that one has gotten a bit stuck, so I haven’t yet started Book 3 and it will not be out in time for this year’s application.
If I do see more interest, though, I might put aside the other project and get back to this a little sooner.
In the meantime, if you have questions about the process, please do leave them here and I’ll try to get back to you as soon as possible.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Fair enough! For now, I am still reading the first two books, but I already have one general question, which I am sure will also help lots of other applicants. In book 1 you talked about being in contact with prospective advisers already in the early stages of the application process. However, how can I search for prospective advisers, and, more importantly, how do I contact them and create a relationship with them?
Thank you for your time and consideration,
Hi Kevin,
This article is all about how to search for professors. Once you have identified the professors you might want to work under, then finding their contact information is the next step. In most cases, I have found that many can be found though the university’s website, or through their own lab websites if they have one. Sometimes, you can find them in the syllabus. Otherwise, a little googling can (the professor’s name plus the email domain of the university they work at) can turn up contact information from other sites, like conference bios, etc.
When you have their contact info, it’s just a matter of professional networking and relationship building. You can find lots of advice on that process, particularly for entrepreneurs, on other sites, and you would just need to adapt those practices to academia. (The book I plan to write will go into that in more detail, of course). Being genuinely interested in their research and able to talk intelligibly about it is essential. You should also think about what you can offer them as a future advisee, such as how your research might support their overall research interest and goals.
I hope that helps for a start. There’s only so much detail I can offer in a comment here – that’s why I had a book planned to talk about the process!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
hi Travis,
I want to ask if I can put only one university in the form for embassy recommendation as I can not find the same program in other universities.
Hi Mohamed Zayed,
You can put fewer than three universities, but if your reason is “I couldn’t find this program” at other universities and the review committee does know of other universities where a similar program is offered, it’s going to look like you didn’t do your research properly and that could hurt your evaluation.
I would recommend that you make absolutely sure that the same or a similar program is not available anywhere else. You still have plenty of time now to do that research.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi,
I’m interested in economy or business administration but I’m a little worried about one aspect. How much do high school grades influence whether I’ll get the scholarship or not ?
My grades are better than average(except math which is mediocre) , for example my average score combined in all 4 years of high school is 9.12/10 but I thought it’s still not enough.
Hi Alex,
It sounds like you might be applying for the MEXT Scholarship for undergraduates. My expertise is in the scholarship for graduate students, so I do not know enough about the undergrad scholarship to answer your question. I assume your high school grades would be be critically important and that, like the graduate scholarship, you cannot simply convert your overall GPA – you must convert your grades class-by-class. But, again, that is not my area of specialization, so I hope someone else with more experience can chime in with more information.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
I tried contacting some 20 professors telling them that i was very interested in their research.
But I did not get any reply. But this was before applying for MEXT during May.
Now I am not sure what to do ? What if I contacted them again and no one replied ?
Tell me what I have to include in my mail .
Hi Guru,
That’s a lot of professors to contact and, from the sheer number you described, I suspect that your emails weren’t nearly customized enough and weren’t specific to each professor.
If you write an email that could obviously have been sent to any of dozens of professors, most people will ignore it. You need to make sure that your email is specific to the person that you are writing to. Remember, professors are people, first and foremost. (Think of it this way: Do you respond to every piece of spam mail or every advertising pamphlet that comes your way? No, because they’re not specific to you and they haven’t given you a reason to care). Show each professor that you contact that you are genuinely interested in their work and indicate how your research complements theirs.
Many professors will not give you the time of day if you mention the MEXT scholarship but it is before the primary screening. Once you have passed the primary screening and have written your target professors a focused email that engages their interests, you should have a much higher chance of getting a reply.
If you do not get a reply right away, then I suggest a follow-up after a week then, if that does not work, contact the administrative office at the graduate school where the professor works to ask for their help in reaching out.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you very much for your guidance.
With all your suggestions I had appeared for the MEXT scholarship embassy recommendation on 30th june for September 2020. Till date i haven’t received any message from the embassy.
So the next alternative is via university recommendation.
Kindly guide me for university professor recommended MEXT scholarship.
I am doing my electrical and electronics engineering and i am in the final year of my undergraduate course.
Hi Guru,
I am sorry to hear that your application for the Embassy Recommended MEXT scholarship was not successful.
The University Recommended MEXT Scholarship application process should begin soon, but the application process and exact timing is going to be different depending on the university you want to apply to. So, the most important advice that I can give you is to choose your university, first (it would be better if it was a university that has a partnership with your current uni), then research their scholarship application procedures on their website so that you know what you have to do and when.
You should also take a look at polishing your Field of Study and Research Program Plan to make sure that it is focused now on that one university.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi guru i m also applying for same course can you tell me which kinda of questions they asked you in pen paper exam of maths and chem and phy
Hi Hitesh Tanwani,
You can find old tests on the official Study in Japan website to see what kinds of questions were asked in the past.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
how can u contact them?
would u mind tell me plz?
Hi Tania,
This article is all about how to identify the professors that you might want to contact. Then, your next step is to find their contact information. I’ve found in my own attempts that it can be quite easy, especially if the professor has their own lab and a webpage for it. Otherwise, a little googling can help you find their email address.
Once you have, reaching out to them is a matter of professional networking. You don’t want to come at them with a series of demands and requests, only. Show interest in their work and the commonalities between your interests and theirs, and use that to build up a relationship. Try to think about what benefit you can offer them as their advisee.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello,
I have a quick question. I found a professor whose researches are matched with my interests. But I am having trouble in finding the professor’s email address. Can you help me how to do this?
Hi Nay Linn,
In almost every case where I have tried searching for professor’s contact information, I have been able to find it with some intense googling and creative approaches.
However, if that doesn’t work for you, than the best alternative would be to contact the administrative office of the graduate school where the professor works, explain why you want to get in contact with him/her and ask them to help connect you.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis, I hope you’re doing good. I want to apply for the university recommendation this year, but I have some problems. I’m in my final year of bachelor’s in Petroleum Technology and I want to conduct my future research on using machine learning for geothermal energy (My current thesis is also on geothermal energy). My problem is that to carry out such a research I need to properly study Computer Science and not just one or two courses, but mext only allows field change between closely related subjects. How do I approach professors in the CS department to supervise me? I found one professor from the university of Aizu who has a background in geology and geophysics, but I don’t know what to write in my email or how to convince me that I need to study computer science instead of geology. Thanks!
Hi Maryam,
I’m not familiar enough with your specific topics to be able to comment on the academic similarity between the two, but I would assume that you would be expected to have some background in computer science or data analytics to go into a graduate program in that field. Maybe you can get some of that by applying first as a research student (non-degree) and taking those courses to catch yourself up before matriculating to the degree.
In any case, approaching the professor would not be terribly different for you than it would be for anyone else. I would recommend that you reach out to the professor explain what kind of research you want to do and that you would like to work with them, but mention from the outset that you are coming from a different field and know that you will have to do some catch up work on the technical side.
Keep the first email relatively short and go into more detail, such as sharing your research proposal or CV once you have obtained at least one reply from the professor and started to build a relationship.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis.
Thanks for all your help.
I plan to apply for MEXT scholarship next year (2020). When do you think would be best to start contacting some of my target advisers/professors (for networking and refining my research topic)? I understand that the 2019 applicants would also be contacting the advisers soon, and since they would be coming in sooner, should I wait for their timeline to end first?
Thanks!
Hi Ralph,
If you are planning to apply in 2020 for the scholarship starting in 2021, then I would recommend that you wait until the fall semester begins – perhaps around October or November. That way, you will avoid becoming accidentally lumped in with the applicants who will be seeking letters of provisional acceptance for 2020 over the next month or so. Plus, Oct/Nov, in the middle of the semester, should be a better time for getting a response. July is final exam month and August is summer vacation, so those can be challenging times for professors to have free time to reply.
Contacting them in Oct/Nov should still give you plenty of time to refine your research topic, as well.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Solid reply dude. Thanks alot!
Hello!
Thank you so much for the useful information and for taking the time to help us! I bought the 2 books you wrote regarding this scholarship and they are of great help indeed!
I plan to apply this year through embassy recommendation and I have some questions:
1. I am not in touch with any professors as of now and I know it is not something necessary until you pass the primary screening, I am kinda worried about this topic. Should I try to contact them now when is so little time left until the application? If I should indeed contact them, should I mention them about the Mext scholarship or not? Is it better to wait and see if I pass the primary screening at this point? Because it is already kinda late? I am really confused right now.
2. I am graduating this month with a major in Japanese language and Japanese literature. Based on the fact that my major was Japanese would it be expected to choose a program in Japanese? I would actually prefer to do it in Japanese, but I am kinda worried about my language level. I passed N2 this December, but with not so great scores, would that be a big problem? I am also worried because some programs ask for N1. I actually have a friend who got accepted into an university that had N1 as a requirement when she only had N2 certificate. Do you know anything about it? I plan to study something related to sociology, something specific for Japanese population. Would N2 certificate be enough?
3. I actually studied in Japan before, for one year, with Nakajima scholarship for students graduating in Japanese language majors. I studied at a national university in the countryside at that time and I plan to try out for another universities that have a broader programs to choose from, related to my topic. Is it a minus to choose a different university? The professor that was in charge of me at the time was a linguistics teacher and I plan to focus on sociology this time. Should I ask him for advice? Or if he knows any professors whose area is sociology that would6be interested to have me as a student? Would that be rude to him?
Sorry for my long post. It would mean so much to me if you could answer my questions.
Thank you for your good work!
Hi Rosa,
Thank you for your kind words! I am very happy to hear that you have found the books helpful already, as well, too!
1. It never hurts to start reaching out to professors, no matter what stage of the application you are in. You might not be able to get any meaningful interaction (e.g. a commitment to accept you, or advice on your Field of Study), but when you get to the interview phase of the application, at least being able to say that you have started reaching out will make you look more proactive. In general, I do not recommend mentioning the MEXT scholarship in your first email (unless it is during the LoA application time). Wait to see if you get a response, then mention the MEXT application in subsequent emails.
2. You would be expected to choose a program in a related field, but you do not necessarily need to choose a program taught in Japanese. If you prefer to study in Japanese then, for a sociology program, it should be possible to get in with an N2 (and the assumption that you will continue studying up to your arrival to get your ability higher!). For a literature program, though, it might be hard without an N1 in many cases.
3. I do not think there is a problem with choosing another university. It could be advantageous to choose the same university where you studied before, because you have connections, but it would not hurt your application chances to choose another university. As for contacting your previous professor. I do not think it is rude to ask him for suggestions (and not ask him directly to be your supervisor) since you are changing focuses. At the very least, he should be happy that you plan to return to Japan and in the case of all professors I have known, should be eager to help a former student, if he can.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
good day, please i want to get some clarification, i had a B.Eng in Petroleum and Gas Engineering and also a Masters of Engineering in Reservoir Engineering and i want to apply for another Masters degree in Engineering management.. .. would it be right to indicate i have a masters degree and still want to apply for another masters instead of a PHD? please i need clarification. NB; my certificate for the masters hasnt been issued to me
Hi Henry Chigozie,
Yes, it is fine to apply for a second master’s degree under the MEXT scholarship. You would need the certificate of grades and graduation from your last master’s when you apply, though, and you would need to be able to justify why a second master’s makes more sense for you now than a PhD would. Since it sounds like you are making a minor pivot from engineering to engineering management, that would seem like a good enough explanation.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi, Travis, I just have a question:
So, I do speak fluent Japanese, and I think I could easily pass the N2 or maybe even N1 test if I take it; however, the problem is, I live in Syria, and there is no way to take the test, get the certificate, and prove my ability.
My question is: Am I going to be treated like an absolute beginner, and I am better off just selecting English-taught courses because I don’t have the certificate to prove it? (I really have the skills take a Japanese course).
Hi YS,
If you are applying for the Embassy-Recommended MEXT Scholarship, you are not required to submit proficiency scores during the application process – you will take a language proficiency test at the Embassy during the primary screening. However, universities might want to see more information when you apply to them for Letters of Acceptance.
If you apply for the University-Recommended MEXT Scholarship, you would need to submit JLPT scores.
In either case, it might be safest to apply for English-taught courses, if you can prove your ability in that language. If you apply in Japanese, the burden is going to be on you to prove to universities that you have sufficient language ability to their satisfaction.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hey Travis, I can’t find a master’s degree in health, where can I get more information?
Hi Sofia,
You have to get both more and less specific. Health is a broad field and can include everything from studying to become a medical doctor, to health policy, to researching cures for specific diseases. What exactly do you want to study? Think of your research topic, itself.
Once you have that topic, try to think what graduate school programs it might fall under and then use the suggestions in this article to find those programs. You can then look through the individual programs’ web pages to see if there are courses and professors related to your research field.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello! Thanks for all the help you provide here.
I intend to apply for MEXT this coming June 2019. I just contacted the Japanese Embassy in Spain and they told me I should contact now, directly, with the professors/Supervisors I would like to research with, even before I have applied!? Is that the way it is done? Am I not supposed to not to contact them yet?
Thanks for your answer
Hi Javier Delgado,
Thank you for your kind words!
It is not required for the application process that you be in contact with professors in advance, but it does help for both the application and for your own progress. If you start networking with them sooner, then you will know whether they are a good fit for your research as well as someone that you want to work with. You can improve your preparation based on their advice, too. Plus, during the interview stage, you will look more prepared if you can tell the interviewers that you have already been in contact with the professors.
However, do keep in mind that some universities and professors have a policy to not respond to you until after you pass the Primary Screening, so do not get discouraged if you do not hear back from anyone. It is not personal, and you can try again after passing the primary screening.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
I will be applying for MEXT scholarship this year.
i want to take my master degree in water supply and sewerage through MEXTscholarship, but unfortunately i couldn’t fined any department or university, and also professor in this field pleas show me some university’s in this field.
Hi Zikrullah,
If you’ve read this article, it explains what to do when your search topic is too narrow in order to find professors. I would recommend that you think about what a the broader field would be and try again!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi,
My name is Meena I am from Afghanistan. I have completed my Master degree in Japan through JICA scholarship currently applying for PHD.
My question regards the research plan, my plan includes(introduction, Motivation,Literature Review,methodology, and references) each of these are my titles for the plan. Should I past it down on the Research plan side or remove the titles?
Also, I have already done my master through JICA will it decrease my chances or its fine?
Hi Meena,
I have an article with recommendations on how to format the Field of Study and Research Program Plan that may help answer your questions.
As far as your past experience with JICA goes, that should not hurt your chances, though whether it helps or hurts is ultimately going to depend on your performance and activities during your last degree in Japan! As far as I know the JICA scholarship has no impact on the MEXT scholarship, but if your past scholarship was paid via MEXT, you’ll want to make sure that you meet the eligibility criteria related to time between degrees.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Sir,
Thank you for all your valuable guidance. I have been following all your blogs and bought the book on Research Proposal guidance. It has been a huge help to me and I otherwise would have been totally lost without it.
I have two questions
1) I will be applying for Masters course in Sociology.One of the proffesor I found with very similar research interest is a faculty of Undergraduate Program sadly. However himself has MA degree. In that case can I enlist the said proffesor as my potential supervisor? Or is it absolutely necessary I my advisor has to be from Graduate School only?
2)My first preference university which is Kansai university doesn’t offer any English language course. Are there any specific language requirements? I have studied Japanese for 5 years in my home country and completed N3 level proficiency test with good results . In that case would that be helpful ?Or do specific Universities have higher language requirements for those apply for Japanese course like N2?
Another thing is that in Kansai university there are seperate schools for Undergraduate (School) and Graduate program. However when I was searching for the proffesors(both research map and university website) all of them were enlisted under the school program instead of graduate program. I also enquired at the inquiry section for international students. But they never replied back. I assume there is no strict division here. Do you have any idea what it may mean?
Hi Miki87,
Sorry, I did not see this post yet when replying to the last.
Typically, undergraduate colleges have more administrative power in Japanese universities than graduate schools, so it is better for professors to be listed as belonging to the undergraduate college than the graduate school. That is why you might see those results.
Rather than the section for international students, you might want to consider contacting the administrative office of the college itself directly.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Miki87,
Thank you very much for your kind words! I am glad to hear that you have found the book helpful, as well.
1. Ultimately, that is going to depend on the university’s policy. I know that in many universities, professors may “belong” to the undergraduate college but also teach and advise in the corresponding graduate school (and vice versa). However, if the professor in question only has an MA, he may not be eligible to advise MA students. You would certainly be able to work with him and get his feedback on your research, though, even if he could not be your direct adviser. My best recommendation would be to try to get in touch with him directly to find out and, if he cannot be your adviser, to ask him if he has any advise on selecting an adviser that would be willing to cooperate with the two of you.
2. In general, I recommend having at least N2 to apply for a program taught in Japanese, as I mentioned in the recent update to the eligibility criteria article. As I mention there, though, it is not an absolute requirement by MEXT, but you are more likely to find that the university will impose a language ability requirement when issuing Letters of Acceptance. I recommend that you check the university’s admissions guidelines for privately-financed applicants to see what they normally ask for.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello sir,
I am applying for a master research of biotechnology, but to find the university offering that program! Has become a problem to me.
May you help me
Hi Bertin,
There are many universities in Japan that have biotechnology programs taught in English. Have you used the resources I described in this article?
You are probably not going to find “biotechnology” itself in any of the lists of available programs, because they will be listing broader fields. So, you would have to look for universities that have programs in biology, for example, then go to that university’s website to see if their biology program has a biotech track.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Blessings for unleashing such timely rich information. I have just one question bothering my mind. Out of the three Universities that I am suppose to write down the advisers names, I got only one who responded to my email just within an hour. I checked with the Japanese Calendar and realized its their National Children’s Day. I am assuming that could be the reason why I am not getting any feedback from them. But lets say, due to the deadline of form submission , I am unable to get all the three, will that affect my chances of passing the first screening stage?
Hi Clement,
No, not having a reply from the universities will not hurt you during the Primary Screening. There is no requirement to contact the universities in advance. (Of course, being in contact with a professor about your plan is a good thing and that can help you during the application, but there is no penalty for not being in contact).
Some Japanese universities have a policy to not reply to Embassy Recommended MEXT Scholarship applicants until after they pass the Primary Screening.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Howdy Transenz!
My research topic is a bit diverse. To explain, I took up chemical engineering in undergrad, but upon searching the schools in Japan, I found that my proposed research can be found under labs in materials science, materials engineering, or environmental science instead.
When you say that the priority of choosing a school should be my field of study, do you think I can apply under these labs that are of different programs from my undergrad? My main concern is that I don’t have the needed knowledge to pass the entrance exam (if there is one), since my undergrad is chemical engineering, not materials or environmental or others. Or do you think I would be better of finding schools that offer graduate studies in chemical engineering instead, then find a lab that fits my interests/research closest?
Have you encountered this situation like mine? Any insight is super appreciated. Thanks for all your help! 😀
Btw I’m asking this to arrange my priorities in the university placement preference 🙂 so I can try and tailor fit my research plan accordingly. Thank you so much Travis!!!
Hi Chris,
It is not at all uncommon for a field of study to be under one “college” in undergraduate and a completely different one in grad school, like your case. What matters is the content of what you have studied, not the name of the graduate school. So, if your chemical engineering studies fit better under a department of materials science or environmental engineering, then you should apply for those.
You would have to check the entrance exam requirements for the specific universities that you apply to, but I would assume that each grad school would have different exams (if they have paper exams at all) for different departments. After all, materials science is rather broad and they would not expect an applicant to understand the whole field.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hey Travis,
I would like to thank you wholeheartedly for your effort and time. What you are doing benefits many people, including those who do not comment.
I would be delighted if you answered few questions I have about the “Placement Preference Application Form”. I would like to write down a national university to maximize my chances, so I searched through the websites of almost all national universities in Japan. I would like to study linguistics, specifically pragmatics and socio-linguistics in Japanese. I noticed that there are very few professors in universities in smaller cities that study related subjects. I found professors with similar fields of study in Tokyo University, Osaka University and Tokyo University of Foreign Studies. I also found professors with averagely closely related fields of study in Tsukuba University and Nagoya University. I am willing to maximize my chances for getting in and I have following questions about the MEXT:
1- Would I have little luck if I wrote “The University of Tokyo, Osaka University and Tokyo University of Foreign Studies” as my preferences, as two of them are in Tokyo and all of them are in metropolitan cities? They are all ranked great. Should I add one or two “backup” universities instead?
2- I understand that I have to write down a professor’s name in the form, in order to apply for the scholarship. So, if that particular professors rejects me for any reason, will I not be able to ask another professor and receive their acceptance?
3- Let us consider that I passed the interview and the time period for me to get acceptance letters started. What happens if I fail to receive the LoA from any of the universities? Am I allowed to go on and ask another university and receive LoA? Shall I change my form afterwards?
4- If question no. “3” is positive and I am actually allowed to get LoA from universities or professors other than those in the placement preference form, then what is the purpose of writing down my preferences before passing the embassy stages?
5- Would you describe the limitations and the actual process of evaluation of application forms by the universities? I read about the stages in one of your guides but I would like to know about their limits of students. Is there a limit for the university to accept applications? Like, 300 approvals of MEXT application for year or something? Or do they ask the professors how many students would they like to supervise annually? With fictional numbers, is it like this: “The University of Tokyo accepts 300 applications from MEXT each year (or this year) and there are 1000 applications this year. So, the office has to reject 700 applications. They rank the applications and choose the top 300.” ? Or does it work differently? Could you please tell more about that?
I know it is long but your help is most needed. I would be overjoyed if you help.
Thank you!
Hi Aaron,
Thank you for your kind words.
For what it’s worth, the Primary Screening is a much more intensive and competitive screening than applying for an LoA. If you pass the Primary Screening, you should have very little to worry about with LoAs. The biggest reason I saw students fail to receive LoAs was if they were applying for fields where there were no professors available (or the available professor was retiring, etc.), or they didn’t meet the language ability requirements (programs in Japanese, only). As long as you have done your homework on the programs, you should have no problem.
1. I would recommend that you focus on the best universities for your field of study. If those universities are in Tokyo/Osaka, then so be it – as long as your reason is the program quality and not the location. The list of universities that you submit with your primary screening is not your “final answer.” You will have to revise that form and resubmit it after you apply for Letters of Acceptance after the Primary Screening, anyway. When you do that, you will only be able to list universities that have issued you a Letter of Acceptance, so the list may change by then.
2. Yes, you will be able to change the names later, as I listed above. Of course, if you can start networking with the professor in advance to ensure that does not happen, that would be to your benefit.
3. Yes, you would technically be able to contact another university. However, there is a final deadline to contact universities to ask for an LoA and the chances of finding out about a rejection before that deadline are slim.
4. To show the embassy that you have done your research.
5. There are no university-wide limitations, but each professor may have a limited number of graduate students that he or she can supervise, as a simple matter of practicality. Each advisee takes quite a bit of time to supervise and professors’ time and resources are limited.
There is not particular process like the one you described. Each university and professor is going to make their decisions differently. In most cases, the numbers are less important than the quality and preparedness of the applicant.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hey Travis!
Thank you for the quick and detailed reply! You cleansed the fog of doubt and worry that surrounded me. Unfortunately, the professors that I am looking forward to write their names don’t have any email visible to me from any browser search. I believe I won’t be able to contact them before the primary screening. I’m not sure if I should be writing here but I have one more question. I passed N2 but I don’t believe I currently have the N2. I am willing to study linguistics, so all of the programs are in Japanese. Do you think my Japanese level would cause a problem? I’m not talking about the language test in primary screening as it is written that either Japanese or English test result, the higher one will be accepted and I have no problem with the English test. What do you think?
Thank you!
Sorry, I meant “I don’t believe I currently have the language ability to be able to read, write and use N2 grammar and vocabulary, mostly Kanji. I passed N2 and it is still valid but I would grade myself between N2 and n3 to be honest.”
Hi Aaron,
Thank you for the update.
If kanji and vocabulary are your weak points (from disuse, I would imagine), those are the easiest skills to brush up on via self-study and catch up quickly. You have until August before you have to start asking for Letters of Acceptance, so there is time to raise your ability back up to confident N2 by then!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Aaron,
I’m sorry to hear that you weren’t able to find the professors’ contact information. YOu could try reaching out to them via the administrative offices of the graduate schools where they work, if you still wanted to try.
Regarding the language ability question, I would recommend that you review the websites of each of the programs where you want to apply to see what their language proficiency requirements are for fee-paying (direct application) applicants. My suspicion is that in the field of linguistics, they may want to see higher ability than in other programs.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello there, I had a question.
How to make sure that the University I chose is under MEXT scholarship program?
Are all the universities listed on the MEXT site below part of the program?
http://www.mext.go.jp/en/about/relatedsites/title01/detail01/1373673.htm
Hi Altair,
For the graduate scholarship, all universities in Japan are available (MEXT is the Ministry of Education, so all universities fall under it’s area of responsibility).
If you were applying for the Japanese Language and Culture Scholarship (a 1-year scholarship for exchange students), then your choices would be limited.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis! Thank you so much for this incredibly helpful website. I have a couple of questions and apologise in advance if I have missed any answers you have previously provided.
1) Without fluency, is it not possible to apply for programs taught in Japanese? I am slightly confused about the 6 month prepatory language school which I have read about before. The way I had interpreted it, if you apply for a Japanese taught course without fluency, after the tests taken at the embassy and decided as not having a high enough level, you would be enrolled on a 6 month language course before starting the degree in Japanese. (I am interested in completing a masters degree in particular). Is this not true?
2) Based on your answer above, would you recommend against applying for a mixture of English taught and Japanese taught courses?
3) You mention that it would be best to apply as a research student and then change to a masters, why is this?
4) For the Recommendation Letter, would it be possible to send more than one? For example, as well as one from a university representative, could I send a letter in Japanese from my Japanese tutor who has known me for 8+ years?
Thank you in advance!
Hannah 🙂
Hi Hannah,
Thank you for your kind words! There is so much information on this site now – especially in the questions – that I don’t think it is possible to catch up on all of it, even if I have answered questions before :).
1) No, you need to have N2-level fluency, at least, to apply for Japanese-taught programs (some programs may require N1). The 6-month language prep course is designed for students enrolling in English-taught degrees to teach them some Japanese for daily life, like shopping, dealing with landlords and utilities, etc. It cannot possibly get you up to speed on academic Japanese. If you are taking a course taught in Japanese, you would most likely not be assigned to that prep course, since it would be far below your required level.
2) Yes, absolutely. I recommend applying only to courses in English unless you are already fluent in Japanese.
3) The primary reason is that to enter as a degree-seeking student, you may need to take an entrance exam before starting your program. Depending on the university, this can mean sitting for the exam in person, in Japan (and traveling there on your own dime to do so). If you start as a research student, you could take the entrance exam after arriving in Japan. Another reason is that once you start the degree program, you have a limited number of semesters to complete it. If you start as a research student, you can get a head start on your research and some coursework, plus adjust to living in Japan, before you go “on the clock” for your degree. Finally, there is no down side to starting as a research student. It would lengthen your studies by a semester, but that semester is funded, as well, so the impact should be minimal.
4) You can send more than 1, but I would not expect letters other than the required one (from your professor, dean, or president of the most recent university attended) to have any significant impact on your application – the same would go for any other documents that you sent in that were not on the list of requirements.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis! Thank you so much for the detailed reply.
That makes a lot more sense, I will definitely look for English only programs from now on.
I have checked with the universities I aim to put down as my three options and they all allow for a Skype interview instead of having to travel to Japan for the exam/interview. But based on what you have said, I will still look into applying as a research student. Is it an easy process to transfer to a taught masters course as a research student once arriving in Japan?
One last question, as I am applying for a humanities subject (art history) which is not as commonly offered as a science subject, would it matter if I cannot find a professor who teaches on the English-taught program who specialises in my field? E.g. one of the art history professors focusses on modern Japanese art, but my Reseach Proposal would focus on prints from the Edo period. Could I still put them down as the professor for one of my university choices?
Many thanks,
Hannah
Hi Hannah,
The process of transferring from a research student to a degree student after arriving in Japan should be no different than the process of applying directly for the degree before you arrive in Japan, at least in terms of what you have to do. Where it will be easier is that you will be in Japan already and will have started to establish a working relationship with the professors in question, so the conversations should be smoother than if you are getting to know one another for the first time over Skype, etc.
Regarding how close the professor has to be to your own research subject, that comes down to the professor him or herself. There is no MEXT rule. In general, the closer your research is to the professor’s own, the more likely they are to accept you as an advisee. I do not know enough about your field to know how similar Edo art and modern art are, but with my own background as a history major, I would not have selected a modern history specialist as my advisor if my research focus was in Edo-era history, or vice versa. I would have kept looking until I found someone who specialized in Edo.
You can still put them down as your choice on the Placement Preference Form, but understand that you are the one who has to reach out to the professor and ask him or her to accept you as an advisee, so selecting professors where you think there is a better chance would be to your benefit.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
Thanks again for a speedy and in depth reply! I guess my final question, then, is possibly a stupid one. If it appears that I cannot study for a masters in Art History in English via MEXT, since all are purely in Japanese and I don’t have high enough proficiency, and therefore apply for a ‘Japanese Studies’ masters taught in English (with some classes in Art History/Aesthetics etc) – would it be wrong to still write my Research Proposal on a topic in Art History?
More simply, if applying for a Japanese Studies masters, what would you advice one to write their Research Proposal on? Especially if there are a mixture of classes from literature, popular culture, media, art history etc. Can I choose one aspect? As for the professor to contact, if they teach a class in Japanese Art History (including Edo period art), but themselves focus on modern art, can I still focus my Research Proposal on a more traditional aspect of Japanese Art History? There are extremely few professors in Art History (on an English course) who do anything other than modern art, yet teach a variety of time periods. This is my problem at the moment.
Many thanks,
Hannah
Hi Hannah,
I think it is perfectly reasonable to apply for a Japanese Studies course with your research focused on Japanese art history, provided that there are faculty members associated with the program who specialize in that field. (I feel rather silly for not coming up with that suggestion myself!)
With Japanese Studies, as with any major, I would encourage you to drill down to what courses are available in that program and what the associated professors teach. As you suggested, you can, and probably should, choose only one aspect of the field. Since it sounds like your passion is Edo art and you would rather study that period than modern, I would encourage you to focus your research proposal on the Edo period, but also to start reading out to professors in advance, as soon as you have your Field of Study and Research Program Plan prepared, to see if they would be able to supervise you.
Another thought is that if the professor in the Japan Studies program focuses on modern art, but the same university also has a professor in an art history program (even if taught in Japanese) that focuses on Edo, you could certainly collaborate with the Edo specialist, even if the modern art specialist was your advisor.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis,
I’m planning to apply for MEXT scholarship this year through the embassy track as a research student and I am currently preparing for my submission and already got 3 option of the university. But I have a question here:
1, Among the 3 universities that I have chosen, 2 of them are a private university. My first choice is Tokyo University of The Arts, this seems to be the only national university focused on the art and design major. However, the rate of acceptance is really small and the thing that worries me the most is I can’t find another national university with my desired major in it.
2. My second option is Tama Art University it’s located in Tokyo and is a private university. The rate of acceptance specifically for international students, I think is not as lower as the Tokyo University of The Arts ( I bet it’s still competitive though) and my third option is Kyoto Seika University which is outside Tokyo, but (again) it’s a private university. What do you think of these choices? and How these options would impact my application?
3. Does the government give the preference to a certain field or major such as engineering? or all of the majors have the same chances of getting accepted?
Thank you!!
Hi Gania,
1/2. If you are relying on general acceptance rates for your reference, understand that you would be a special case. By the time you contact the universities, you will have passed through the Embassy’s primary screening, which is generally far more competitive than any university’s admission screening, and would be a prospective MEXT scholar, so they are more likely to give your application more consideration than another graduate applicant.
The biggest concern I have seen with universities assessing MEXT Embassy applicants is whether the applicants’ fields of study match what professors at the university are able to offer and, of course, if the applicants meet the language ability requirements. Have you ensured that all three universities you selected offer degree programs taught in English in your field? Unless you have N2-level Japanese, that would be my primary concern with your choices.
If you have a good reason for selecting the universities that you did, then there is no problem with having private universities in your list.
3. Which government? MEXT does not have an official preference for one field or another – its interest is more in the impact that you can make after graduation. As long as you can justify that impact, then you can compete with engineers with no problem. However, your home country may have a preference. For the Embassy-Recommended MEXT Scholarship, MEXT works with the local governments for their input and in some cases, they limit fields of study, or limit the number of scholarship slots for different fields.
The best way to find out if that applies to you would be to check the application guidelines on the embassy website, either from last year or for this year, after they are released.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi!
I have found laboratories/professors in several universities in Japan that deal with my desired field of study. However, the department/division of these labs and professors are from a program that isn’t offered in English. Do I automatically remove these school options from my choices?
Thank you so much for your awesome content. I really appreciate everything!
Hi Marc,
If you do not speak Japanese fluently, then you would only be able to apply to degree programs that are offered in English and therefore could only select professors affiliated with that program.
If there is a related department or division in the same graduate school or university where your research would fit, and you can find a related professor there, I would recommend applying there and then taking advantage of the opportunity to consult with the faculty members in the Japanese-taught program that you already identified.
For example, at my last university, we had several applicants interested in the research in our Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, but that program was only taught in Japanese. We encouraged them to apply for the Graduate School of Life Sciences’ English-taught program and a professor there, then consult with both after arrival.
Of course, if there are no related English-taught programs at the same university, then I am afraid you would have to choose another, altogether.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
hello Travis pls answer my questions, am a Hnd Graduate in Building Technology can i apply for the research program?
Hi Adeniran Adeshola,
I do not know what an HND is or how it relates to degrees in the Japanese education system, so you’ll need to find that out, first.
Once you know, then I would recommend that you read my article on eligibility to apply to see if you qualify.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Sir,
I will be applying for MEXT scholarship this year.
I am doing this for the first time and I already have gone halfway through my research proposal. I did look up for the related proffesors in my field but did not paid much attention to it because I was unaware of the importance of choosing proffesors first and then designing my proposal.
Right now I am at a stage where although I have done a lot of study regarding the topic but cannot find professors who are working in the same area.
But there are few proffesors whose research area I can remotely relate to but not very closely. My point is I am not very sure whether I will find a suitable professor even if I clear the primary screening. I don’t know whether I should change my topic at this point altogether.
Should I contact the proffesors? Also their email addresses are not available as such.( I will be applying via embassy recommendation)
I forgot to mention I will be applying for Masters course
And that my preference universities are private universities
Hi Miki87,
How close your professors need to be to your research really depends on your field of study. For example, in humanities and social sciences, the connections do not have to be as close, but if you are in a science and engineering major, you would really want a professor conducting research in the same field and familiar with your methods, because you will be working in their lab.
Without knowing your field and just how close your research is, I am afraid I cannot offer any more specific advice.
I covered suggestions on how to get in touch with professors who don’t list their email address anywhere in a FAQ on contacting professors. But in general, your last option would be to contact them via the administrative office at the graduate school.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you so much Sir for your reply. I have been really confused about this.
I am from Social Science background and though we donot work in laboratory it is mostly fieldwork oriented.
The area of my proposal is relatively new and thus there isn’t a huge database of research. Probably the reason why I could not find professors working in the exact same area.
However it is not exactly totally new area. And the 3 professors I have listed may match remotely or in some way or other.
Since there isn’t much time left and I am not sure whether any professors will reply back as I haven’t passed the primary screening. In that case what should I do?
Also since you have recommended not to mention about the scholarship or askfor LoA how should my approach be?
Should I state my specific research area and ask for whether the professors has any experience in that field ? Or where I contact the office I should ask whether any professors are available for my area of interest? I don’t want to sound rude.
Hi Miki87,
I would recommend that you approach the professors from the perspective of having a genuine interest in their research and wanting to work with them. You should know in advance what each professor you plan to contact’s research field is (or else, why are you contacting them), even if you do not have their direct contact information.
I would recommend knowing their research, your own, and the relationship between the two before you reach out to the grad school admin office to ask them to help put you in touch.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Miki87,
Thank you for your reply.
I am glad to hear that you have found a few potentially related professors. In social sciences, you should have more flexibility with how closely your fields have to be aligned.
As you reach out to each professor, I would recommend that you try to approach them from the perspective of interest in their research and describing how your own research interest could possibly benefit their work. I do not recommend mentioning right away that you are applying for the MEXT scholarship, as that can come across as indicating that you just want the free education and are not interested in the professor.
You do not strictly need to have the professors’ replies before listing their names on the Placement Preference Form for the application, but starting to build that relationship now would be beneficial (and will help you find out whether the professors themselves consider your research fields to be close enough for them to supervise you!)
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Dear sir how to find course guide teacher
Hi Zakir Ullah,
I’m afraid I don’t understand your question. This whole article talks about different ways to find courses and professors. Is there something more specific that you wanted to know about?
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi
For masters degree, is it necessary to find a professor or the program and univeraity is enough?
Hi Abigail,
You will have to find a specific professor that you want to work with who is able to supervise your research.
If you are applying via the Embassy Recommendation, you will have to list that professor’s name in the Placement Preference Form (and the university will most likely expect you to have a name in mind when you contact them). For the University Recommendation, it is even more important, since you should be aiming to establish a relationship with that professor before the application process even begins so that he or she can be your advocate in the competitive selection process.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello,
I am UDAY from bangladesh.Is it mandatory IELTS/TOEFL for MEXT schoolarship?
Hi Uday,
At least as of the most recent cycles, it is not mandatory for MEXT itself, but each university determines whether it is necessary for their recommendation (for the University Recommended MEXT Scholarship) or to apply for an LoA (for the Embassy Recommended MEXT Scholarship).
I suspect that it may become mandatory for the University Recommended MEXT Scholarship in the future, though. Possibly as soon as this year.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi I want to know are there specific universities in partnership with mext or I can contact any professor from any University of Japan
Hi Zaria Fatima,
MEXT is the Japanese Ministry of Education, so every educational institution in the country is under its authority. You can apply to any university in Japan. (Of course, you would be limited to the universities that offer degree programs in English, unless you are fluent in Japanese.)
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hey Travis, I cannot thank you enough for the wonderful job you’ve put in this website and everything related to conquering the MEXT, as well as your book which I am planning to buy soon. I still have one year left of Bachelor studies and going to apply for MEXT upcoming year only but already started gathering information and planning some things beforehand. I have a question related to this article and a few others in general thank you in advance. 1) The website of one of the universities that I wish to apply for is stating that it is not required to reach out to the professors beforehand while applying for LoA and apply straight to the international office. Should I still contact my target professors anyway just to let them know my research topic and ask if they would supervise me, or it is not necessary in this case ? 2) If I should anyway, there’s a slight problem that the email of one of my target professors is nowhere to be found, there’s only a telephone number and an actual address. What should I do in this case ? 3) I know that it is required to submit a certificate of graduation or a copy of diploma to the embassy, but I am still going to be in the process of graduating and won’t posses such documents yet at that time but will graduate soon after. What should I submit instead then ? 4) I am not from an English-speaking country so I need to get all of the non-English documents translated by a professional entrepreneur and approved by notary, is that correct ? Thanks again, I’m sure that I will have more questions in the future but these are the ones that bothers me right now.
Hi Lawrence,
Thank you for your kind words!
If you have a year left in your Bachelor’s Studies, then this is a perfect time to start your application preparation.
1) It is not necessary to reach out about an LoA before you pass the primary screening. The university where I used to work had the same policy, and I once advised applicants the same way on this site. However, that is only the MEXT application process, and I realized that it is important to think more broadly. Regardless of whether you are applying for the MEXT scholarship or any other graduate school program, it is a good idea to reach out to your prospective advisor in advance and try to establish a relationship to see if they would be a good fit for your next few years of studies. At that point, I do not recommend mentioning the MEXT scholarship yet. Your purpose should be to build a relationship.
It’s not necessary, but I think it is helpful. And it can be especially useful if you plan to apply for the University Recommendation MEXT scholarship where the competition is higher.
2) You could write an actual letter. That would leave quite an impression. The other option would be to contact the administrative office of the graduate school where the professor works and ask if they could pass a message on for you.
3) You would need to submit a Certificate of Expected Graduation. I cover that document in more detail in the article linked above.
4) Your documents would have to be translated by a professional translator, but it should not be necessary for the translations to be notarized, unless the application guidelines for the embassy or university where you plan to apply specifically require it.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thanks a lot ! I have couple more.
1) Based on my plan to study field and programs in English, it looks like majority of graduate schools are a part of private universities located in Tokyo. Is it better to have at least one choice from the 4 allowed that is not a private university and is not located in the same city or should I just go for the ones that fit me the best and I want to study the most ? (My first choice is still going to be a private university in Tokyo because I’m aiming for that one particularly, so the other two would just be plan B and C basically)
2) The grading system of my university that I’m studying right now is a 10 scale system, from 1 to 10. I tried converting them to the MEXT scale by basically turning the 8’s into 80’s, 9’s into 90’s, 10’s into 100’s and so on, Is that appropriate or I should do it somehow differently ?
3) For the first screening do I need to submit an official English language proficiency certificate to the embassy or not ? It says if applicable only, I assume I should since I’m not a native English speaker and I wish to study in English there. I’m sure that it’s needed when applying for the LoA to the university but not sure here.
4) Same for the abstracts of theses, I assume these are the abstracts of the Bachelors thesis in this case ? But at that time I probably won’t have it finished yet and it’s in my native language. So should I just make an abstract or take some parts from my final thesis and translate it into English or I misunderstood it ?
Thank you in advance !
Hi Lawrence,
1) I recommend applying to at least one national university and one university outside of Tokyo, if you can find something in your field, if for no other reason than that the competition levels in Tokyo are higher. If you can get LoAs from three privates in Tokyo, then by all means, you can list those three on your Placement Preference Form in the end, but when you’re applying for CoEs in the beginning, I would suggest a safety, just in case (you don’t have to list it on the PPF if you get letters from your preferred schools).
2) I’ve written a separate article on how to convert your GPA that might help with your answer, but no, it’s probably not that simple.
3) It’s not required to submit official language proficiency scores for the Primary Screening, but if you write in the application form that you have language proficiency test scores, then you are required to attach a copy of the score result. That’s what it means by if applicable.
4) An abstract should be about a 1-page outline of your research. You should be able to write that up in English and submit it, even if your thesis isn’t finished yet. (The only time you would not submit an abstract would be if you were in a program that didn’t have a thesis).
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis,
I’m writing to you again. I just bought your book yesterday and been immersed into detailed study of it ever since, what a wonderful job ! Especially on the motivational parts and exercises. I’m especially looking forward for the 2nd and maybe 4th books as they are the most relevant to me personally. In hopes at least one of them is out before next years embassy application. The things that I’ve wanted to ask now are as follows:
1. Which semester should I start, I’m thinking spring as it is the earliest one I can go or I should choose the one that says ‘accept the month designated by universities’ ? The main university im targeting says that Japanese language training is not necessary and I’m pretty sure my Japanese is good enough to get by, so that leads to my second question .
2. In this case, should I start as a degree student right away or enroll as a research student for the first semester ( let’s say spring ) if there’s a chance ? Also is it possible to still start as a research student even though I choose degree-seeking student when applying (ultimately I’m seeking for a degree and going to apply to particular programs rather than just carry out a research)
3. I will be applying for masters as of now and I’m not sure if I’d like to or will try to extend for doctoral program or no yet, therefore should I choose ‘up to the completion of master’s degree program’ for the term and if I do, do I still have the chance to extend my scholarship and studies into doctoral program later on if I decide so ?
4. When listing academic record in the application am I expected to submit any other certificates of graduation such as highshool etc. along with the expected university graduation form or no ? I suppose not, because couldn’t find it anywhere but still want to make sure.
5. Could I possibly get some tips or help on choosing a graduate school and advisor based on my field of study and research theme that I wish to carry out (no particular research plan or concrete topic yet either), I also do have some specific needs and restrictions to where I can and want to end up at. I already do have my eye on two grad schools so possibly a look at these too if they’re fitting, and filling my list with one or two backups which I’m struggling to do, would be perfect. I’m willing to pay for your help. Thank you again !
Hi Lawrence,
Thank you very much for buying the book and for your feedback! Please do let me know later if there are parts you think could be improved. I plan to keep it updated with future editions to better meet readers’ needs. I’m a little over halfway through the first draft of Book 2 now, and I intend to have that out by next year’s Embassy Recommended application period! (The 4th probably will not be ready by then, though. I was trying, but I’ve been slowed down by other tasks).
1. My recommendation for your starting semester would depend on your precise study plans, so this is related to your second question. Typically, my advice would be to start as a research student. I recommend that you spend 1 semester as a research student to start getting familiar with your academic life in Japan and your adviser while also preparing for and taking the entrance exam to become a degree-seeking student in your second semester. So, you would need to check whether your program accepts students in either semester or only one. If they accept new degree students in only one semester, then you would need to arrive the semester prior (or spend a full year as a research student, but that might be overkill). If either semester is available, then it’s really up to what works better for you and the university. If you can be flexible, then let them choose. Otherwise, I’m usually of the opinion that getting started earlier is better!
2. I kind of covered this above, but I usually recommend starting as a research student unless you have a specific, compelling reason that you need to rush into the degree program. Regardless of your preference, it will ultimately be the university that chooses your starting status. To start as a degree-seeking student, you would have to pass their entrance exam, as well. By the way, as a research student, you could still be taking classes in addition to your research work.
3. You are not going to be bound by your choice at this point, so choose what fits your plan now and know that you can change it later. If you do select “Up to a doctoral program” you’ll want to have at least an outline of a plan as to what you would do for your PhD.
4. No, only your graduation record from university matters. You don’t need to submit high school diplomas, etc.
5. I’ll follow up with you separately by email.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
and shall I send an “awaiting your reply mail”………….it’s been almost 8 days since I have mailed professors but none of them have replied back? DOes it mean they are not interested in my research?
Hi Aishwarya,
Yes, it’s fine to send a polite reminder email.
A no-response does not necessarily mean that they are not interested in your research. It’s far more likely that they just haven’t had time to read your email and review the contents yet. There could be several factors – from the professor being busy with other tasks, to the way you wrote your email, and possibly even a policy not to respond to any MEXT related emails until after the Primary Screening is over.
You can’t officially apply for a Letter of Acceptance until after the primary screening. Even if your networking outreach now is not going well, you can try again then.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis.
Thank you very much for shared the updated guidance!
I would like to ask things that still worried me.
I already submitted my document and currently waiting for screening result. I proposed my research plan regarding monozukuri management in Japan. I wrote that I will do in depth interviews with several managers of Japanese global companies such as Toyota, Nissan, Fujitsu, etc. to obtain research data while in Japan.
The problem is my Japanese skill is very low and I don’t have JLPT score. I assumed that global companies in Japan should be accepted interviews in English, but I am not sure. I already asked several of my friends in Japan and some of them said you can, but some of them said it would be difficult/unusual.
Based on your experiences of living in Japan, is it possible for me to do research interview in English? I also worry this problem may be will troubled me when I contact professor or do interview test. Would you mind if ask advice from you to overcome questions regarding my language problem?
Thank you very much.
Hi Endi,
Thank you for your kind words.
Really, it all depends on whether or not the managers you want to interview are willing to accept your interview and can speak English.
I would recommend that you have a back-up plan, such as conducting written interviews in Japanese if the personnel are not willing to do verbal interviews in English. In that case, you could hire a translator to translate the questions into Japanese and the responses into English. (You may be able to apply for a research grant to do that).
There is a much higher chance that your professor will be able to speak English and guide you in that language, especially since you will be applying to an English-taught degree program.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Sir!
It is very first time or rather first scholarship I am intended to apply for and I am pleased to have found such an excellent blog. First of all I must acknowledge your effort, guidance and keen insight. Thankyou!!
Sir, I have number of questions to ask regarding the scholarship, Hope you’ll answer and make the procedure even easier for me to apply.
I am English Linguistics student and intended to do Masters in Applied Linguistics, so my questions are..
1. As English Linguistics is not one of ‘Priority Graduate Programs’, still I can apply for the scholarship?
2. I have no knowledge of Japanese Language but I have keen interest to learn it, so no knowledge of Japanese Language will affect the selection process?
3. What thing needs to be concentrated or done first ‘Embassy’s first screening test’ or ‘Contact the University’s Professor as Research Supervisor for LoA’?
4. For choosing University for Scholarship, the university should be public or private?
5. In ‘Placement Preference Application Form’ Is it fine to mention University name, and Professor name even before contacting them?
Thank you for your time and consideration!
Hi Elsa,
I saw your question on the FAQ page and answered it there, first.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
I am looking to apply for MEXT to be a research student. I am currently a junior studying Computer Science in the U.S.. I am interested in researching artificial intelligence mainly with language processing. I am currently looking at UTokyo, Tokyo Institute of Technology, and Tokyo University of Technology. At all three Artificial Intelligence is an interdisciplinary course of Computer Science and Math. My math background is only what is required for engineering students at my school: Calc 1-3, Basic Statistics, and Linear Algebra. While I have taken all the undergraduate classes in Artificial intelligence at my university most pf the mathematical concepts are taught in our graduate level courses. Would I have any chance applying for Artificial intelligence research or should I change my study plan an placement form to be more general Computer Science?
Hi Ezekiel,
I’m not sure what you mean by the interdisciplinary course. . . at Todai, at least, Artificial Intelligence is within the Graduate School of Information Science and Technology. There is no graduate school of computer science or of math.
I would recommend that you look at the graduate schools at each of the universities that you plan to apply to and specifically look at their entry requirements. If you meet them, then there should be nothing stopping you from applying!
As for how you write your Field of Study and Research Program Plan, I would recommend that you focus on the research that you want to do while appealing to the interest of the professor you want to be your advisor.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
hello sir! i would like you to send me the research proposal sample thats the onlythıng ı am stuck with
thanks!
Hi Isaac,
Sorry, but I don’t have a sample research proposal that I have created yet. (I’ll be working on one in the future, though).
In the meantime, I know some other people have shared theirs. Here’s one from a successful applicant in visual arts from a few years ago.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz