The Placement Preference Form is only a single page, but it’s impact on your MEXT Scholarship Application can be significant! This form is where you tell MEXT what, where, and with whom you want to study. It might not have a significant bearing on whether you pass the Primary Screening, but it will help decide where you spend the next 2-3 years in Japan as a MEXT Scholar.
As with any other MEXT form (or any Japanese government form, for that matter), it is not necessarily easy to understand. It is also the only form in the application process that you need to submit twice. Naturally, it inspires quite a bit of confusion, but this article I will explain it in simple detail so that you can submit it easily and with confidence. Both times.
When to Submit the Placement Preference Form
In most cases, you will submit this form twice. Each Embassy or Consulate may have its own procedures, but typically, the first submission is with the rest of your application documents for the Embassy Recommended MEXT Scholarship. This is the submission that generates the most confusion.
I will go into more detail below, but the most important thing to know is that the list of universities and professors can (and in most cases will) change before the second submission.
The second submission comes after you pass the Primary Screening and receive your Letters of Provisional Acceptance. At this point, you can only list universities that have awarded you a Letter, or at least have not rejected you. You should also be able to re-order the universities in your list.
How To Fill Out the Form
1. Name in Alphabet:
Your name has to match your passport, exactly. Specifically, it needs to match the computerized text at the bottom of your passport, as below:
To find your name and the correct order for the application form, refer to the bottom two lines of your passport. On the second-to-bottom line, there should be a three-digit country code along with your name. For example:
P<USATRANSENZ<<TARO<FITZGERALD<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Everything between the Country Code (“USA” in the example) and the “<<” is your surname. Everything after the “<<” is your given and middle name, in that order. It is your choice whether to list all of your given and middle names in the “given name” box or to split them between given and middle name, but you must include everything and cannot change the order, even if that’s not what you use in daily life. If you have no middle name, you can leave that question blank.
If you do not have a “<<” because you do not have a legal surname or have only one legal name, then you should leave the surname block blank.
You cannot enter any special characters, such as accented letters. Even if there are accented or special characters in the top part of your passport, near your photo, there should be none in the computerized text.
Yes, that’s a lot of instructions for a “name” line, but I’ve seen a shocking number of mistakes with this one in the past.
2. Gender:
This refers to your biological gender as stated in your passport, not your gender identity. Do not expect special treatment or even official acknowledgement of non-binary genders in Japan. There is still no official recognition of non-binary genders in Japan, so you will have to complete official paperwork with your biological gender, but more and more universities are understanding and you should be able to ask professors to call you by a preferred name, at least.
3. Nationality:
Write the name of the country that issued your passport. (In Japan, your “nationality” is a noun, not an adjective. For example, you would write “Japan” not “Japanese.”) If you have multiple nationalities, choose your “primary” nationality, which is the country that you are living in and where you will apply for the MEXT Scholarship.
4. Date of Birth/Age:
The tricky part of this line is filling in your age. If your age falls between the date you fill in the application form and April of the next year, you need to be sure to fill in the age you will be as of the date on the form, not the age you are now.
Note: In Japan, your age goes up on your birthday. It does not automatically go up on January 1 or on the lunar new year as it does in some other countries. Your age at birth in Japan is “0”. I am aware that in other countries, newborn babies are considered to be “1” at birth, but use the Japanese system for this form.
5.(1). Field of Study in Japan / 5.(2). Detailed Field of Study in Japan
Select your field and detailed field from the official list of research fields provided by the Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science. Note that you should choose the field for the research you want to pursue in Japan, not the research that you have completed in the past!
5.(1). Field of Study: Choose from the left-hand column.
5.(2). Detailed Field of Study: Choose a detailed field from the right-hand column. You do not need to include the field number. In most cases, you only need to write the “basic section” field, which would be one of the ones not in bold. However, if your field is marked with an *1, you need to also write the “Medium-sized Section” which is the one in bold at the top of each section. For example, “Gender-related studies*1” appears as a “Basic Section” in three different Medium-sized Sections on page 1, so if you choose that field within Political science and related fields, you would write “Political science and related fields: Gender studies-related”.
Some fields are also marked with an “*2”, but you don’t need to worry about that. *2 means that you have to write the “Research field”, too, but we already did that in 5.(1).
6. The university in Japan you with to attend
The purpose of this article is not to tell you how to choose your universities and professors. I have another article and a book that is dedicated to that process.
I also have another article that focuses on how to contact universities in Japan to apply for your Letter of Provisional Acceptance, so I will not be covering that process here, either.
The purpose of this section is to tell you how to fill in the list both times you submit this document.
Name of university
Fill in the official name of the university that you wish to apply to. Make sure you get the name and the spelling right. Believe it or not, I have seen mistakes here!
Name of the graduate school
Each university is divided into graduate schools for various subjects, like the Graduate School of Letters, Graduate School of Medicine, etc. That’s what you should fill in in this section. This is the graduate school where you would enroll and earn your degree, so you would need to make sure that you are qualified to study there (particularly in the case of medical degrees, etc.)
Name of academic advisor
This is the professor that you want to supervise your research. The professor must be affiliated with the graduate school, so please be sure to check their profile on the university website. If you see that the professor’s research field is similar to yours but they are not affiliated with your desired school, then they cannot be your advisor. I often see this happen with STEM fields. For example, an applicant to the Graduate School of Life Sciences (an academic discipline) might find a professor researching the same topic who is affiliated with the Graduate School of Medicine (a professional discipline).
Your academic advisor does not necessarily need to be a full professor. Each university is going to have rules about what faculty members are allowed to supervise graduate students, and you won’t know for sure until you apply there for your Letter of Provisional Acceptance. Fill in the name of the faculty member that you most want to work with when you submit the initial form. You will fill in the final name after you receive the Letter of Provisional Acceptance.
I recommend that you fill in the name as follows: “[Title] FAMILY NAME, Given Name”. For example:
Assoc. Prof. TRANSENZ, Taro
Remember, you do not need to contact the professor in advance before submitting this form to the embassy.
The Checkbox
You should only check the box at the bottom of the form when you submit this form after receiving Letters of Provisional Acceptance. So, when you submit it to the embassy at the start of your application, it should be blank. If you apply for Letters of Provisional Acceptance and fail to receive any, you would leave it blank for the second submission, too. But I hope that doesn’t happen to you!
Checking this box indicates that you agree to arrive in Japan at the time specified in the Letter of Provisional Acceptance from the university you are placed at, regardless of your preference. If there is a difference between the preferred arrival time you wrote in your application form and the arrival time in the Letter of Provisional Acceptance, the Letter takes preference.
It is mandatory to check the box, so you don’t have a choice in the matter, I just wanted to explain what it means.
Submitting the Placement Preference Form
1. Submitting the Placement Preference Form at the Start of Your Application
Here are a few of the most common questions and points of confusion I hear from applicants at the start of the process:
What does it mean that I can not fill in the name of a university that has already rejected me?
One of the most confusing parts of the instructions for this form is the bold, underlined explanation, “Do not fill in the name of any universities you have already been rejected.” (And not just because it’s bad English!)
Applicants ask me every year if that means that they cannot list universities that they applied to in the past (such as through the University-Recommended MEXT Scholarship) and were rejected from. No, it does not.
When you first submit this form, along with your other application materials, at the start of the application process, you will not yet have been rejected by any university. So, you do not need to worry about this instruction at all. Fill in any university you would like.
Even if you have reached out to a professor in the past and gotten no reply, that is not a rejection. You can still list that professor (though whether you want to or not is up to you). If you reached out to a professor and they said they weren’t able to supervise your research, that is not a formal rejection, so you could list that professor, but that would be a bad idea, since they aren’t likely to change their mind. You could, however, list a different professor at the same university.
Do I need the professors’ permission to list them in the Placement Preference Form?
No. At this point, you do not need the professors’ permission. You do not need to have ever been in touch with that professor or university. So, if you are not already in contact with them by the time you go to submit your application to the Embassy or Consulate for the first time, you do not need to worry about getting in contact with them then, at least for the purpose of the form.
Of course, it’s always better if you have been in touch with the professors on your list and even more so if you already have their support, but that’s not always possible.
What Steps to Take Before Filling In Professors’ Names
Ultimately, you are not even required to contact the professors on your list at this point, but that doesn’t mean that you can just fill in any name.
You should do everything possible to find the best professor to supervise your research in Japan. You may be asked during your interview why you have chosen each professor and university that you filled in there and may also be asked if you are in contact with them. Being able to explain your selection then would be helpful. But you will also be working under that professor for the duration of your degree in Japan, so it is important to put time and thought into your selection. You can change this list later, but you will not have much time after the Primary Screening and before applying for Letters of Provisional Acceptance, so do your research as soon as possible.
2. Submitting the Placement Preference Form After Obtaining Your Letters of Provisional Acceptance
Once you pass the Primary Screening, you will need to contact up to 2 of the universities and professors you want to study under in order to request a Letter of Provisional Acceptance. The embassy or consulate will also give you a deadline for when you need to submit your Letters of Provisional Acceptance along with your revised Placement Preference Form. (Note that this is different from the deadline for contacting the universities, as described in the article above).
You should be able to change the names and order of universities and professors in your Placement Preference Form when you submit it for the second time. In most cases, you’ll have to.
Reasons to Change the Universities/Professors on Your List
- A university on your original list refused to issue you a Letter of Provisional Acceptance. When you submit your final Placement Preference Form along with your Letters of Provisional Acceptance, this is when the instruction that you may not list any universities that have already rejected you applies. If a university turned you down for any reason, you cannot leave it on the list.
If you found out about the rejection before the deadline to contact universities, then you can apply to the third university on your list for a Letter of Provisional Acceptance. But even if it is after the deadline and too late to apply to another university for a Letter, you can still research and add a new university to your list.
- You discovered another university that suits you better, and applied there instead. If you continue to research universities after submitting your application to the Embassy and find a university or professor that suits you better, you can apply there, instead, and rearrange your priority list. (Of course, if you have already applied to two universities, then you cannot contact a new one to request a Letter of Provisional Acceptance unless you withdraw your application to one of the first two, first.)
- A university never replied to your request for a Letter of Provisional Acceptance. Technically, you do not have to remove a university from your list if they did not reply yet. You can keep that university on your list, but would you really want to? If the quality of the university’s communication has made you second-guess whether you really want to study there, and they have not responded, you may want to remove them from your list. Note that even if a university doesn’t reply, that does not mean that you can contact an alternate university. You would first have to contact the non-responsive university to withdraw your application.
Are You Allowed to Contact All of the Universities on Your Original List?
No. You can only contact two universities at any time, even though you can have three on the list, and you can only receive two Letters of Provisional Acceptance. I know this doesn’t make much sense. If the first or second university rejects your application before the deadline to apply for Letters of Provisional Acceptance, then you can contact the third, but that is the only time it would be allowed.
Are You Required to Contact the Universities on Your List?
No. You could choose two contact two universities that weren’t on your original list, if you continued researching universities after the deadline and found better options for you.
Are You Required to Submit All Letters of Provisional Acceptance that You Receive?
Yes. If you applied to a university and received a Letter of Provisional Acceptance from them, then you are required to put them on your list and submit that letter to the Embassy, even if you are not so interested in them anymore.
Of course, I do not know how MEXT would ever find out if you left a university out, but on the other hand, with every document you submit, you are attesting that it is true to the best of your knowledge and ability. Deliberately leaving out a Letter of Provisional Acceptance would be a lie and could get you disqualified from the scholarship if discovered. Just don’t risk it.
Will MEXT Follow Your Preference List?
Not necessarily. MEXT will contact one university at a time from your list to ask them to accept you, but it might not be in order.
MEXT prefers to place scholars at national universities, instead of public or private universities. If your first choice university is private and your second choice is national, then MEXT may decide to contact the national university, first, to ask them to accept you.
MEXT should prioritize universities that have given you a Letter of Provisional Acceptance, though. So, in the example above, if the private university had given you a Letter of Provisional Acceptance, but the national had not, then I think MEXT will contact the private university, first. Remember though, you are required to submit all Letters of Provisional Acceptance that you receive, so you can’t “hide” one to manipulate the order.
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.
What Comes Next?
If you’re submitting the Placement Preference Form as part of the document screening at the start of the application process, then your next step is going to be the language proficiency tests and interview. During that interview, you’ll need to be prepared to explain your choice(s) of universities and professors, as well as your contact status with them.
If you have already passed the Primary Screening and are submitting the Placement Preference Form with your Letters of Acceptance, then you are essentially done with the application process! At this point, your MEXT scholarship is essentially guaranteed and only the Secondary Screening, Placement, and long wait remain.
Questions?
Let me know in the comments below!
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Can I write several “X-related fields” in the detailed field of study. I did read your article before submitting the application but it didn’t noticed that you said one of the ones. Now I am afraid they are gonna reject me.
Hi Sara,
Your proposed research should really only fit in to one field, if you’re using the chart that I linked in the article.
I don’t think they would reject you over that small detail, though!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello! Thank you for the guidance! It’s really helpful. However I do have one question regarding the list of preference. Can I put the same university twice but different grad school? For example 1. Todai (School of Engineering) 2. Todai (School of science).
Hi Farah,
No, you can only put the same university once. There should only be one best fit for your research at any particular university, so you need to figure out which one it is.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Transenz,
Your guide was super helpful, thanks to you I passed the first stage of the primary screening and just took the language exam.
Now I am concerned about the fact that my Research Plan only really matches the first of the three professors listed on my Placement form (all three of them are specialized in wastewater treatment but differs in methods to do so). I did send the first professor my Research Plan and he replied to positively consider me if I pass. But he is a professor at Todai so I am worried that the competition is fierce there and MEXT may not consider Todai for me and contact the other two universities.
I would really appreciate it if you can give me some guidance. I am searching for other professors who share the same specific interest but find it very hard.
Hi Trần Việt Tùng,
Thank you for your kind feedback!
Usually, the application for Letters of Provisional Acceptance is not as competitive as the Embassy’s screening. The most critical step is getting the approval of a professor who can supervise your research, and it sounds like you already have that, so I don’t think you should have to worry about not being accepted by Todai.
In the next step after passing the Embassy’s screening you will have to contact two universities from your list to request letters of provisional acceptance. At that point, you don’t need to worry about MEXT’s preference, since you choose who you will contact.
Once you submit your letters and move on to the Secondary Screening, MEXT prefers to place students at national universities, like Todai, for budgetary reasons, so there is no reason that MEXT would skip over that university to choose another (especially if it was the case that Todai was your only Letter of Provisional Acceptance!)
Of course, if you want to change the other universities on your list because you find a professor that is a better fit for your research, there is no problem in doing so. I don’t think the professor has to match your research topic exactly though, as long as there is enough similarity that they would be willing to supervise you.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you so much for your prompt response. Hearing your reply really puts me at ease
Is it correct to understand that I can submit only one LoA. I know you can only submit two but not sure if you can submit only one)
Hi Trần Việt Tùng,
You can submit up to two Letters of Provisional Acceptance, but you have to submit every LoPA that you get.
So, if you only get one, you only submit one. That’s not a problem. But if you get more than one, you cannot choose to submit only one of them.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Transenz,
So I can choose to contact only one Uni, get one LoPA and not contact the other two, is that correct?
Hi Trần Việt Tùng,
Yes, that is correct. If you’re sure that you can get an LoPA from that university, that would be one way to practically assure you’d be placed there!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
hi Travis
thank you so much for your help. please the university I chose does not have a name of graduate school. please what should I put in that space?
Hi Joshua,
It is not possible that there is no name for the graduate school. Every Japanese university has a name for each undergraduate faculty and each graduate school. (e.g. Graduate School of Science, Graduate School of Letters, etc.)
Even if the university only has a single faculty/graduate school, it will have a name. It’s an organizational necessity.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello
One question: do I have to fill out the Name of academic advisor in the placement preference application?
I can not find a professor at any of the 3 universities
Osaka University , Temple University Tokyo university
Hi Deema,
Yes, you are required to identify a potential advisor and fill in their name in the form. You do not need to contact them and obtain their permission in advance, but you do need to find someone whose research interest matches your own and who would be able to supervise your research.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis.
Thank you for all of the helpful information on the MEXT application! I am just about done and ready to submit mine, but I was curious about the Research Placement Preference Form, as there is a column following University Name, Grad School Name, and Advisor Name that says “No.” with an explanation below that reads
“Only applicants who selected ‘English’ in Q23, ‘Desired language of instruction,’ in the Application Form, should fill in the number column shown in the list of contact information provided by Japanese diplomatic mission.” I did select English as my language of instruction, but I never received any such information. Much like the checkbox, is this something I leave blank on the first screening until I receive letters of provisional acceptance?
Hi Mylz,
Both of the question you referred to (in the application form and in the Placement Preference Form) are unique to the versions of those forms specific to the USA, as far as I have seen. (They may well be present in other English-speaking countries, but I have only seen the US examples.) The Q23 you referred to and the “No” column in the PPF do not exist in the “vanilla” version of the forms or in MEXT’s application guidelines.
Since you are supposed to fill in that column based on information provided by the consulate, I recommend that you contact them to confirm. For what it’s worth, one US applicant reported to me that his consulate told him to leave the column blank for the initial submission, but I can’t be sure that the instructions will be the same at all consulates across the US.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
And I have another question too. One of the supervisors that I want to list is Assistant Professor, lecturer. So how do I write his name there? Assistant Prof “…” ?? Like that?
Hi Fidan,
According to google, it would be Asst Prof.
You could check the university’s website to see if they use a particular abbreviation, too.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis. Should we only write the name of the “basic section” in the (2) detailed field of study?? Cuz I guess i saw something different too in your another blog. Should we describe our research in 50 words like FSRPP??
Hi Fidan,
In the past, before I was aware of this list, I recommended using this section to describe your thesis research in detail. I don’t think that doing so ever hurt anyone, but my current advice is to use the “Basic section” from the list, since that should be most helpful to reviewers to categorize your application field.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
I hope this message finds you well. My question is about the field of study, so like you mentioned I should select my field from the official list of research fields. Could you assist me in selecting the appropriate field of study from the official list of research fields? I am pursuing a Master’s in Computer Science, but I couldn’t find a suitable option for my field on the list.
Hi Rabia,
You need to select the appropriate field for your specific research topic, not just the name of your degree, so there are many possible options and I can’t give you a specific suggestion. You can find the computer science-related fields under “Informatics” on page 4, so choose the most appropriate field there.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis. My question is: Should I write “International Relations-related” or just “International Relations” in the “detailed field of study in Japan” column?
I am asking this because for one of the universities I have chosen, the master’s degree is International Public Policy but the professor I have chosen has the same research interests as me and I have been able to build a good rapport with her already. So I have written International Relations but the programme name is International Public Policy and the graduate school name is “(School Name) School of International Public Policy.” I would like to know if this is allowed.
Hi Vanessa,
You should answer the detailed field of study based on your research topic. I think the “-related” is part of the topic in the list I linked, but leaving it out wouldn’t hurt you. Either response is fine.
Don’t worry too much about the name of the graduate school. As long as there is a professor (and, of course, appropriate courses) in that school that are related to your research topic, it would be perfectly fine to select “International Relations” as a field of study even if the graduate school name is International Public Policy.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis, I stumble across your Blog as i was conducting research on MEXT and i must say i find it really helpful. I discovered MEXT scholarship just recently and wish to apply and hopefully meet up with the deadline.
I studied B.sc Accounting as an undergraduate and wish to apply for M.sc Data science for the Graduate studies. I don’t know if such transition is possible especially in MEXT context and also put me in an eligible position. However, i have 3.5 GPA for my undergraduate and already have programming background. Thank you. Your response will be highly appreciated.
Hi Aliyu,
Thank you for your kind feedback!
In your application – particularly the “Past and Present Field of Study” part of the Field of Study and Research Program Plan, you have to show how your previous education/research is related to your research topic in Japan. The program name is less important than the actual research topic.
Depending on your research topic, you should be able to find similarities between Data Science and Accounting, since you can apply aspects of data science to just about any field or research topic. But it’s up to you to make the connection.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi again
Do you recommend applying for Japanese graduate programs and not English programs?
Do you think as a non Japanese speaker could be fluent in Japanese within 6 months?
Some universities have really interesting programs but they don’t offer everything in English unfortunately.
Thanx
Hi Sidra,
No! Do not apply for Japanese-taught programs unless you are already in fluent in Japanese. (At least N2 level, higher if the university requires it.) Universities will not issue you a Letter of Provisional Acceptance unless you already meet the language proficiency requirements.
The 6-month Japanese language program is designed to get you to the level that you can survive daily life in Japan. It will not get you to a level of fluency to be able to study in Japanese.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis,
I was looking for guide like this on how to fill out the application form for MEXT undergraduate.
If you already made one please share it with me.
One of the questions I have is about the reasons for selection of field of study and major. Should I be concise and give a shot reason or should it be a paragraph explaining why.
Thank you in advance.
Hi Ahmed,
My area of expertise is the graduate scholarship and I do not have any resources about how to fill out the parts of the undergraduate application form that are unique to that form.
In general, you should always be concise, but also thorough and compelling. Nobody is interested in a personal essay about why you want to study the field, but you should explain how a degree in that field will help you achieve a specific goal to contribute to society in the future.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thanks a lot I will take this into consideration.
I really appreciate your efforts.
Keep up the good work!
Hey Travis
I’m about to fill my placement preference form for applying to the primary screening conducted by embassy. I had chosen Kobe university as one of my option but I’m not sure whether they accept students through MEXT Scholarship. I contacted the university but got no response from their side. Is it ok if I put that university’s name on my form
Hi Elsa,
For any university, if you google “[Name of University] Embassy-Recommended MEXT Scholarship” that should help you find the instruction for applying there as a MEXT scholar. If they have instructions, like Kobe does, then they accept applications.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you for the information. But I couldn’t find anything related to Kobe and their office is responding. why would it be like that?
Hi Elsa,
You should easily be able to find the information yourself. I found it in under a minute and included the direct link to the page in my last comment, so I’m not sure what trouble you’re having now.
It looks really bad to university offices if you are emailing them to ask questions that you should be able to answer on your own with a little research, so I recommend that you do not contact them directly unless you’ve put a lot of effort into the search and you’re positive that the information isn’t out there (which is almost never the case).
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hey Travis
I have filled the placement preference form with three universities. I have a doubt that if I’m not getting any letter of acceptance from these, tharn can I choose a new university once I pass the primary screening?
Hi Arya,
You can only contact universities to request Letters of Provisional Acceptance after you pass the Primary Screening and you are only allowed to contact two of the universities from your list.
If one of the universities rejects you before the August 9 deadline to apply for Letters of Provisional Acceptance, then you must take their name off the list, but you can contact an alternate (such as the third university on your list). If they reject you after the August 9 deadline, then you must take their name off the list and you can add another university instead, though you would not be able to contact them to request a Letter. (MEXT would contact them later, after the Secondary Screening, if they decide to try to place you there.)
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis
Regarding my name, beside the surname and my name , i have my father and my grandfather’s name, in Iraq we use different surnames , this is how it’s written on my passport, the total is four names, should i write them all?
And the all the names are written in capital, should i write them all in block letters or only the first letter of each name?
Hi Sidra,
You need to write all of the names that appear in the computer-readable part of your passport.
If you are typing the names, it is not necessary to write in all capital letters. Only the first letter should be capitalized in that situation. (If you are writing by hand, then in that case you should fill out the form entirely in capital letters for legibility).
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
thank you for the info regarding this document. However, one question popped up to my mind when reading this. My question is about field of study, so like you mentioned I should select my field from the official list of research fields. However, I find it little bit confusing how business is under social sciences, so is this the only correct way to indicate my field of study or can I give some other information to those two columns if I feel like it? Additionally, should my detailed field of study somehow be in line with my possible graduate school? In my case I assume Business administration-related is the detailed field of study for me, so I guess Graduate school of International relations should be totally fine.
Hi Edu,
Business and International Relation are quite different fields, so I don’t think you would be in IR if your research topic is in business administration. If your subject is business, you certainly would not be in the Graduate School of International Relations, you would be in the Business School.
Your specific research proposal must fit within the field and detailed field that you identify and you must also choose a graduate school where you can study that topic (i.e. where there are courses related to your topic and a professor with expertise in the field who can advise you.)
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
I hope this message finds you well.
I’m reaching out to inquire about the possibility of the embassy extending the placement preference form to the potential professor. My concern stems from a difficult relationship I had with my previous professor, whose name I included on the list alongside another professor from a different university. Given our past interactions, I prefer to avoid any potential conflicts regarding preferences. Therefore, I’m curious if the embassy intends to send the form to him as well.
Hi Clementie,
The embassy does not provide any documents to the universities–you have to do that when you apply for Letters of Provisional Acceptance (Note: That article is from last year and will be updated soon). However, you do not submit the Placement Preference Form to the universities, so they should never see it.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
hello
I don’t know if you have answered this but may ask what am i supposed to write in a detailed field of study. Do I have to explain what the course I want to take in Japan is about? or just write the name of the course.
i’m really confused about this step
Hi Najah Ismail,
I did answer that in the article and included a link to the official list that you should choose from, so please go back and reread that section. You should choose the field and detailed field based on your research topic.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
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Hello!
I was wondering about this and didn’t understand how it works. I’m filling up the form for the universities, but then I come to think that there’s for University and one for Graduate School, then… what’s the difference? I was looking up for schools with this tool:
https://www.studyinjapan.go.jp/en/search-for-schools/school_search.php?lang=en&offset=0&go=go&narabikae=2&limit=25&course=0&school_name=&level-2=1
And then I also saw that everything is University tagged, I don’t what to look for or if I just need to find for a university and then fill up the Graduate School box with the School (that has my major) that’s within the university.
Also, I have a question. I’m an undergraduate school and I’m about to finish my thesis. I’m studying Modern Languages, so… what is my department? I let my university teacher know, but she told me that there’s no Modern Languages Department, and that there’s a Modern Languages School; moreover, the Linguistics Department offers services to the Modern Languages School. So… I have some questions. Under which schools should look for to fill up the “Field of Study” and “Detailed Field of Study in Japan”?. Should I look for something related to Modern Languages, because that’s what I’ve been doing, something in in the lines of Languages, International Studies, etc., I could use some help here, please.
Thanks,
Hi Ricardo,
You should fill in the university name in the university column and the name of the graduate school within that university where you intend to study in the graduate school column. You’ll also need to research the name of the professor (academic advisor) that you want to work under in that graduate school.
The list of universities you mentioned is just a starting point to help you find universities that you will research further. Don’t just put universities on that list into your form. Research their websites in detail and make sure that they offer a program that matches your interests and that there is a professor there who can supervise the research topic that you want to pursue in Japan.
First, you need to decide on your research topic in Japan, first, then find the best university, graduate school, and professor (academic advisor) to match it.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis, can you tell me if everyone has to mandatorily sit for the EJU to get into a graduate school as a regular student (after the research student period)? I plan to go to Sophia university, and my graduate school doesn’t mention anything about needing EJU. I have only heard from people about it. Thanks!
Hi Ava,
No! The EJU is for undergraduate admissions. I have never heard of a graduate school requiring it and even undergraduate admissions often have an alternative for international applicants.
You will have to pass an entrance exam conducted by the graduate school, but the definition of “entrance exam” can be quite varied. There could be an actual written and/or interview exam, or it might just be a document review. It depends on your university and graduate school.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you so much for your reply, Travis! That clears up my confusion. Also another question if you don’t mind, is the process of visa acquisition taken care of by the embassy in our case? Does the lack of language ability create a problem there, even if we are MEXT embassy recommended students?
Hi Ava,
There is a special visa application process for MEXT Scholars. MEXT will send the names of the selected scholars to the nearest embassy to you and will send you instructions for what you need to do to apply. Language ability is not a factor.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Travis, I have received two letters and the name of the majors/departments are ‘Global Studies’ (1st preference) and ‘Japanese and Asian Culture’ (2nd preference). I am confused what to put in the field of study section. My research is going to be on queer culture, so ‘Cultural Studies’ would fit, but to honor both universities, should I put ‘Global/Cultural Studies’ to honor both choices? Thanks!
Hi Ava,
Congratulations on passing the Primary Screening!
This form is for MEXT’s reference moreso than the universities’, so you don’t really need to worry about honoring them. When you resubmit the form to the embassy with your Letters of Provisional Acceptance, the most important thing is that it accurately conveys your research field. The LoPAs themselves will tell MEXT in more detail what the advisors at each university expect you to research.
In your case, I think Cultural Studies would be fine, but you could also be more specific, such as by narrowing down the region. Indicating a specific region or “comparative” in your field would be enough of a nod to “Global Studies” to make it clear that your research fits in that field.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
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Hello Travis,
I have a question I will fill and apply Placement Preference Form with the other forms and documents when I get past the first screening I have to apply the Placement Preference Form again with the letter of acceptance from a university
Regards,
Abdullah
Hi Abdullah,
I’m not sure what your question was, but yes, what you said was accurate. You will submit it twice. Once with your application and then once again when you submit your Letters of Provisional Acceptance. The second time, you might have to edit it, if any of the schools on your original list rejected your application.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
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Hello Travis,
Thank you for the great information on your blog,
I currently have LoA from two national universities after passing the primary screening.
Isn’t it possible that I get accepted in my first preference cause I am interested in start working on my research plan, in this meantime, and also the advisor shows some interest in starting collaboration sooner?
Hi Arghavan,
If both your first and second choice universities are national universities, then I think there is a very good chance that MEXT will try to place you in your first choice. As long as that university is willing to accept you formally when MEXT contacts them, then there should be no problem.
If you start working with your advisor in advance, that should also help ensure that the advisor will advocate for the university to accept you, which should further increase your chances of being placed there!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis.
Thank you for all the information you provide us.
When submitting the placement preference form for the second time to the embassy, Can I also change the detailed field of study part rather than changing the names and order of the universities? Because my thesis topic is determined now by my professor. It also matches with my study plan.
Thank you for your time.
Hi X,
I’ve actually never had anyone ask that, at least not that I can remember. Unfortunately, I don’t have the answer, but you could ask the embassy.
You can’t change your Field of Study and Research Program Plan at this point, and the detailed field of study should be related to the FSRPP, so I think that’s why most applicants don’t change it at this point. The two should match.
However, you can of course change your research plan when you actually start studying! You are not committed to this proposal for the duration of your degree, it’s just for the sake of the application process for now.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis, I have passed the Embassy Reccomendation from Papua New Guinea and have applied to three universities as a Research student for Masters. My first choice University (Meiji University) have accepted my application and sent me the Provisional Acceptance letter however my second choice University did not accept me due to Covid19. I have just applied to my third choice University (26/08/21).
Is there a possibility I can get accepted as a MExT recipient from my first choice University
regardless of the outcome of my third choice?
Hi Emmanuel Pori,
I saw you had asked the same question on another article and answered it there, first.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello , I filled the direct placement form and submitted to my country’s embassy. Now they are showing names of shortlisted candidates for (Mext scholarship+ 1 year Japanese Couse) when will they shortlist the candidates that have filled direct placement form or does this means I am rejected? What must be my next step. Please respond I am very confused because of no information regarding this anywhere.
Hi Faiza faiza,
Unfortunately, the way that embassies release their results differs from country to country, so I do not know what the process would be in your country. I suggest that you contact them to ask if the Direct Placement results will be released separately.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
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Hi Travis,
Thank you very much for your incredible effort in putting up such amazing articles on the MEXT scholarship. It helps a lot and I appreciate you so much.
Please I am having challenges with the field of study and research plan sheet. My proposal will not hold much relevance if I over summarize it to meet the two pages requirements of the field of study and research plan sheet provided.
Am I allowed to add some extra pages to it?
Even though, I am using a font size of 12 in Times New Romans.
Thank you.
Hi Abdul Malik Hussein,
Thank you for your kind words.
You cannot go over the two-page limit. But I have never seen a Field of Study and Research Program Plan that could not be shortened to two pages and still get the point across clearly. I know it’s tough, but you have to focus on what is strictly necessary and cut any fluff and additional explanation.
I have an article all about the format for that document that explains what you need to include and the level of detail that you should be aiming for, so I hope that can help!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello, I want to apply for undergraduate progam . I just want to know what all documents do I need to submit for the scholarship apart from direct placement form. Also if I want to study in English then do need to show ielts score? Or they will not ask for it as I have completed all my education in English ? Also is it different to get Letter of recommendation from japanese professors.?
Hi Faiza,
For the application documents, yes, you need to submit everything other than the Direct Placement Form (optional).
Proof of English language ability is not mandatory for the Embassy-Recommended MEXT Application Form.
As an undergraduate applicant, you will not need to acquire Letters of Acceptance from professors in Japan. That is only for graduate applicants.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
How can Travis,
How can I find name of graduate school and name of professor to fill in the placement form?
Hi Patrick Singoyi
I have another article (and a whole book!) about how to find the names of graduate schools and professors, as well as how to choose the best ones for you. I hope those help!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
First of all, I’d like to thank you so much for all the work you do in helping MEXT scholarship applicants, which truly cannot be understated.
I have been in dialogue with a few universities and supervisors but to be honest there is one whom I am more keen to work with than any of the others, and he has already expressed an interest in having me join him at his research unit.
I have seen that you recommend placing three universities on the initial placement preference form to avoid doubts about the level of research put into the application.
If I put three universities down on the initial application, and then secure just the one LoA (should I be successful in getting to that stage) and put down just that one university on the second submission of the placement preference form, is there any possibility of me being placed at the other universities on the initial placement form?
Sorry I didn’t mean for it to be that longwinded – thank you very much for your time and help.
Best,
Tom
Hi Tom,
Thank you for your kind words. I am sorry it has taken me so long to get back to you.
After the Primary Screening and after you acquire Letters of Acceptance, you should have the opportunity to update your Placement Preference Form. At that time, you could remove the other two universities from your list.
As long as the universities are on your list, there is a chance you could be placed there, but I think there is a very low chance that you would be placed in your second or third choice with no Letter of Acceptance instead of your first choice with a Letter (unless, of course, the first choice university decided not to accept you in the end, which sounds unlikely).
If you are sure that you can be accepted at that university, then after the Primary Screening, you could remove the other two from your list.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
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Hi Travis,
I am a potential 2021 MEXT scholar, I already received 2 letters of acceptance from 2 unis. I put the Private one first and then the Public one. My question is that is it possible for me to be placed at private uni according to my preference? Have you heard of it before? Please let me know.
Hi Skyler,
Congratulations on passing the Primary Screening and getting two Letters of Acceptance!
Is your second choice university National or Public? There’s an important difference – Public universities are established by prefectural or city governments, not the national government, so MEXT does not have the same level of involvement in their management. MEXT favors National universities but does not necessarily prioritize Public ones.
I have heard of applicants getting placed in their first-choice private university in the past, even when their second choice was a national university. (Of course, I have also heard of the opposite result quite often, as well).
While I have never heard of MEXT passing over a Private university to place an applicant in a Public one, that may be because Public Universities are relatively rare, so the situation just doesn’t come up very often.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you Travis for your kind reply. My first choice uni is Waseda (Private) and the second one is Kyoto University（National). I only came to know the difference between the two. I hope I could make it into the first one. You said ” I have heard of applicants getting placed in their first-choice private university in the past, even when their second choice was a national university”, may I know that have you recently heard about it? I am afraid that it might changed in recent years. Thank you indeed. 😃
Hi Skyler,
I’m afraid I do not remember precisely when I saw that applicants had been placed in first-choice private universities when their second choice had been national, but it would have been at least a year or two ago. I was part of an active forum of applicants at that time.
I should mention that only some of the applicants in the forum got placed in their first-choice private university. There were others who were placed in a second- or third-choice national university when their higher choices were private. Unfortunately, I was never able to determine what the criteria was for who got placed in private universities and who got placed in nationals.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you for sharing your knowledge, Travis. I really appreciate your reply. I will wait for my university placement.
Hi Travis, my question is not directly related to this article, but something here just reminded me of it.
In section 6 (2). You made mention of something like “…if you’re not able to propose a thesis title (e.g hard sciences students that would most probably get a project from the lab they’ll work with)”, does this affect my Field of Study and Research Proposal form? Because right now I’m so confused on what to write as my thesis title or “detailed field of study”. I’m planning on doing my masters research on Micro-electro-mechanical Systems (MEMS) but don’t know a definite title I might focus on yet, in fact I don’t know what new project I want to do yet I just know I want to learn more about this and then use my knowledge that I’ll gain from the research to contribute to its development and innovations.
My proposed topic looks like this- “Exploration of PiezoMEMS” (PiezoMEMS is shortened, I’d definitely write the full words in the proposal but so as not to bore you with the long words that’s why I shortened it). Does this make sense or its too vague and not definite enough? Do I need to add a certain project I have in mind in front of this or what?
Thank you for all you do, I’ve actually read your article on the FSRPS and I’ve started reading your book on it as well, I just need answers to this my question because it’s bothering me and time is going already before the next application opens. Thank you.
Hi Bori,
Thank you for your kind words .
It sounds like you need to do some more work to develop your specific area of research interest. I do not think it is enough to go into a Master’s degree with just the desire to learn more about a subject. You should have a clear idea of how you want to use the knowledge from your degree to contribute to society after graduation and then choose a research focus area that will help you gain the knowledge and experience that you need to make that contribution.
In the early chapters of the book on the FSRPP that you mentioned, I talk about how to how to go from a general field of study to a specific research question via literature reviews and finding a research problem that excites you. I hope that process can help lead you to a more specific research topic.
For now, I do not think that “Exploration of PiezoMEMS” is nearly specific enough. Unfortunately, I am not familiar enough with your field to give a precise example, but I would recommend that your topic include a specific application of PiezoMEMS and problem. Something like “increasing efficiency of PiezoMEMS in inkjet printer heads” or how to produce more cost-effective PiezoMEMS for use in a specific application, etc.
Your current academic advisor might also be a good source to talk to about what research is currently going on in the field so that you can find a specific topic there that excites you.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Alright Travis, thank you for your response, this is helpful. I’ll do more work on it.
Thank you once again…
Hi, there, I passed the first screening and has managed to secure two LOAs, my first professor changed my research title while the second accepted it as it is, so now am confused, which research title so I write in detailed field of study?
Hi Chacha,
Congratulations on passing the Primary Screening and getting two LoAs!
You mentioned that the professor changed your title, but what about the contents? If the contents of your research plan are the same, then I would recommend that you rewrite the field to describe the research contents under both acceptances, while avoiding the specific title.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
The contents are the same. Another person had the same issue and asked his embassy for guidance, they advised him to write both research topics. I have reached out to my embassy to ask if its possible to do so, so am just waiting for reply. I don’t know if this is okay too
Hi Chacha,
I hadn’t thought of writing both titles, but that makes sense!
I’m used to thinking of the form at the Primary Screening stage, when you are using it to narrow down your search for universities, but after you have the LoAs, matching your accepted research titles seems to be the best use.
I hope your embassy gets back to you with details soon!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello!
should I take a recommendation letter from my preferred Japanese professor at the time of the interview?
I am already in contact with a professor. will it make an impact?
Hi Shradha,
It is not necessary to bring the letter to the interview. Just explaining that you are already in touch with a professor, particularly if the professor has already agreed to supervise you, is enough.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi,
I am puzzled because I have two different but related study programs that I want to apply for. I am wondering if I should address both programs throughout my application forms or just stick to one. Also, is it ok to put both program names in the “field of study section”? Thanks!
Hi John,
You should be focused on one research proposal and one study program throughout the application.
If your two programs are essentially identical in content (same research) but just use different names, that is not a problem. In that case, choose a description that could cover both.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
If I write only one university name in my placement preference form, Can I add it more university name after passing the first screening?
Thank you very much.
Hi Sena,
Yes, you can add or change universities in that list after you pass the Primary Screening and get your letters of provisional acceptance. When you resubmit it after getting the Letters of Provisional Acceptance, you can only include the names of universities that have issued you a letter of acceptance.
In the meantime, though, I do recommend filling in three names for the Primary Screening. You are likely to be asked why if you have less and you do not want to give the impression that you simply did not do the research to find any others.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis, thanks very much for the support.
I have a few questions that needs your urgent help.
1. I would like to pursue a graduate program but the programs I see are MBA, MA and MSc even though the MEXT scholarship is mainly research based. How do go about it?
2. In the Field of Study Form, there is a portion for research plan. Do I complete just the form or am I required to write my research plan on another sheet and submit together with the Field of Study Form? Besides, apart from the Abstract of my undergraduate research, do I need to submit a proposal of the research I intend to do?
3. On the Placement Preference Form, there is “Field of Study'” and “Detailed Field of Study.” I want to pursue Logistics/Supply Chain Management so what do I need to write in the above spaces?
Thanks
Hi Kennedy,
I’m afraid I was not able to reply in time to help you, so I hope you were able to find answers anyway.
1. I’m afraid that I’m not sure what you’re asking. The purpose of the MEXT Scholarship in most cases is to sponsor your graduate degree. You would be doing research during the degree process, of course, but you would end up with a Master’s or Doctoral degree.
2. You should submit your research proposal on that form in the format that it specifies. I have a separate article about completing the Field of Study and Research Program Plan that should help.
The abstract of your undergraduate research is not part of your FSRPP. This document should describe the research that you want to do for your graduate thesis in Japan.
3. I covered this in the “Academic Details” section of the article above, so I would recommend re-reading that. “Logistics/Supply Chain Management” would be your “Field of Study”, and the “Detailed Field of Study” should be your proposed thesis title or research question for the research that you want to complete in Japan.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Mr Travis
By filling in the Placement Preference Application Form for MEXT, Is is necessary to include the title “Professor” following the professor’s name in the box of “Name of academic advisor”?
Kind regards
Hi Cézar Muchanga,
It is fine to leave out the title in the Placement Preference Form.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE Placement Reference
Application Form AND Placement Preference Application
Form
Hi Alexander,
There is no difference. There is only the “Placement Preference Form”. (Placement Reference Form is missing a “P” at the beginning of “Preference“.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello, thank you for all these amazing resources that you have provided. Though, I do have a few questions. I am planning to apply for the undergraduate scholarship but unfortunately, our graduation will be held after March. I would be ineligible unless I try direct placement. Or I could skip a year but I don’t know if it will be worth it. I am also considering to give up the undergraduate scholarship and just pursue the graduate scholarship at a later time. Currently, I am more focused on the direct placement option, but if there are other ways to be eligible, please let me know. I wanted to know which universities I can apply to, so I asked my embassy but they said they couldn’t provide a list. How could I search for universities? I thought about asking the universities directly, but I am not sure if it is allowed. I might be bothering the respective offices of the universities. Also, if I pick direct placement, do I have to apply for the university too? As well as do their exams, if there are any?
Hi RJ,
Thank you for your kind feedback!
Unfortunately, though, my area of expertise is in the graduate scholarship, so I have never looked into the undergraduate option in detail and do not know about Direct Placement.
From what I can tell, though, you do not need to apply directly to the universities, at least not at this point. You would just need to submit the Direct Placement application form along with the rest of your application documents.
However, according to the instructions on that form the place to get the list of the universities that accept direct placement is the embassy, but if they will not provide it, you can get it from the website of other Japanese embassies in other countries. For example, I found a link to the list on the website of the Japanese consulate in Miami.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Dear Travis
First of all, thank you for every details that you put and for time you spend on this site for people like us.
i have a question, in the end of the placement preference form there are 3 column named “the name of the University” which i know, name of graduate school and name of academic advisor.
i don’t know what are the last two columns for? and what should i write in blank spaces.
thank you very much
Hi Aynaz,
Thank you for your kind feedback!
After filling in the name of the university (e.g. University of Tokyo), you need to fill in the name of the graduate school within that university (e.g. Graduate School of Science) and the name of a professor there who you want as your supervisor. This is going to require some research on your part to determine which professor is closest to your research theme and best-suited to supervise you.
You do not necessarily need to contact that professor in advance for permission to list their name.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
I am filling the 2021 research main application form. Its in excel format. The whole part of the form is absolutely editable apart from the part where we are to append our signature…I have tried everything possible and Down loaded several other copies, yet I can’t edit it. Pls, I can’t edit it, neither can I alter the form. Pls can I write in a black ball pen my full name at my signature point?????
Secondly, the research form is just two pages, but my research plan despite everything enters 3 pages after continuous removal of valid points! What is your advice to me Sir?
Furthermore, Pls I have my original diploma as issued to us by the university after being cleared by the senate and undergoing necessary screening and making statutory to the relevant offices after being cleared. We are advised not to submit our Original copy as it won’t be returned…. Can I make a photocopy in colored format and submit for the embassy recommendation? Some quarters (applicants) are saying it has to be notarized or attested! But I have my very original diploma from the university full page including every necessary details as well as the registrars and Vice chancellors signature that is more authentic than anyother thing. My opinion is any further notarization beyond the originality in the form will render it useless or invalid. So what’s your advice Sir? Its very urgent as am just waiting for this response to make submission. Thank you.
Hi Daniel,
Your signature must always be handwritten, so your suggestion is perfect.
You do need to get your research proposal down to two pages. Even if all of your points are valid, consider which ones are necessary to make your case. I have a template that should be helpful for deciding what needs to stay and go. I have never yet seen a FSRPP that needed to be more than 2 pages long to get the point across with authority.
A copy, even a color copy, cannot be accepted as an original document unless the copy is notarized or signed by an official at the school as being an accurate copy. You do not need any additional notarization on the original, but the notary or the school official needs to certify that the copy you make is true and accurate. In that case, the notarized copy can be accepted as an original.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you for your manifold help!! I have submitted my application after notarizing my graduate diploma!! I just pray and expect the best!
field of study or specialization in the form: what do i write there as an undergraduate student who is still on last eyar at school?
Hi Mena Mohamed,
Are you referring to the question about your academic records? If your past studies did not have a particular field of specialization (e.g. your high school did not have specialized programs and courses), then you could fill in “general education, no specialization.”
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis, thank you for the guidelines, they have been very helpful so far. But I still have a little worry. I don´t understand what am supposed to write under “Name of Graduate School” on the Placement Preference form
Hi Faith,
At the graduate level, every university is broken up into graduate schools that are administered independently (e.g. Graduate School of Science, Graduate School of Political Science, etc.). So you would fill in the name of the graduate school where the professor that you have selected works.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
dear travis, it’s me again with an other question
should the choices of univs and majors I pick, be all tought in English and not japanese ?
if yes, what should I do in case I could only find one univ that offers my major in English ?
Hi Imen,
You must have the required language ability for any programs you are interested in or you will not be able to get a Letter of Acceptance. So, if you do not have at least N2 Japanese, stick to only degree programs taught in English.
Even if you can only find one university that teaches your exact major, I suggest that you search a little more broadly and focus on what universities have professors that could advise your research, even if the major name isn’t an exact match.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
hey Travis
concerning the field of study, the major of my first choice is “Industrial engineering and economics”, the second is ‘Industrial engineering and management’ and the third one is “Indsutrial and systems engineering”. I’m not sure now, what exactly to write in the field of study. Can you please suggest me what to write ?
thank you for your kind support
Hi Imen,
Where does your personal research lie? When the major name differs between programs, I would try to look for the commonality but stay as focused on your research topic as possible. Of course, you’ll have a chance to expand on it in the next field.
You can also go a level deeper than the name of the major – for example, if your interest is in systems engineering, but the major is called “industrial engineering and economics”, then as long as that major offers courses in systems engineering, it’s fine to list that as your field of study.
Sorry, but without knowing more about your particular research, I’m afraid I can’t offer any more specific advice.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi, Travis. Good day.
I would like to ask, (1) can i put the same university twice, but the labs/names of the adviser are different? Basically, there are two labs in the one school i am interested in, and i believe both can accommodate my research topic. Can I put them as my first and second choice in the placement form?
Also, as far as you know, (2) will it hurt my chances if I just put in top-ranking schools in the form? Since the competition is tighter with those schools or what not.
Many thanks and stay safe!
Hi Pablo,
I would certainly not recommend putting the same university twice. One of those labs should be closer to your topic than the other, so you should think carefully and choose only one.
The reason is that, while you might get through the Embassy’s screening with two professors from the same university on your list, one university is not likely to issue you two letters of recommendation, and it is not going to create a positive impression with them if you ask for two.
I wouldn’t factor “ranking” into your decision. Rank often has little to do with how good of an educational experience you are going to get at that university and may not even be related to how strong that university is in your field. Choose your universities based on which ones are best suited (appropriate faculty members, resources, etc.) to your field of study. If that means you end up in all high-ranking universities, then that’s fine. Ultimately, the MEXT scholarship competition is probably higher than the competition to get into any university. So, if you can pass the primary screening, you should be able to get a letter of acceptance from any university in Japan, regardless of rank, as long as you and the university are appropriate fits for one another.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis.
I found that from the required documents for the application, applicant has to submit their original degree certificate and academic transcript, and my university issues these only once. What do I do? Can I submit the Notorized copies to the embassy instead?
Moreover, can I use courier service to submit my application to the embassy. I stay in a very far location from the embassy. Thank you
Hi Nazifi Abdulrahman,
Please be sure not to submit your only degree copy or transcript! You will not get them back.
If your university will not issue new copies then usually, a copy that is certified as being accurate by the university can be accepted as an original. The application guidelines say:
“A copy of the graduation certificate or the degree certificate is acceptable if the copy is attested by an authorized official of the university. (Do not submit the originals as the submitted documents will not be returned.)”
So, those guidelines should apply to all documents from the university.
As for the submission method, each embassy sets its own specific rules, so I would recommend that you check the website for the Japanese embassy for your area to see how they will accept applications.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
I want to know if i am eligible with 69.44% marks obtained in my bachelor course in medical imaging technology (field of radiology) for the MEXT scholarship. I am also willing to know whether i need to contact professor prior the application or not.
Hi Susmita Shrestha,
Unfortunately, you cannot simply convert your final average grade. I have an article all about how to convert your GPA to see if you are eligible that should help you do the conversion and check if you meet the requirements.
As for contacting the professor in advance, in general, it is not required, but it is always good to start building a relationship early, if possible.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis!
I have a question, you said that the name in the form has to match exatly with the name on your passort, so if the name on my passport is writen in all capital letters,should I write it exactly the preference form?
Hi Luisa,
No, your name does not need to be written in all capital letters, if you are typing. (If you are handwriting the form, though, everything you write should be in all capitals, per the instructions).
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
I am currently an Undergraduate Student in Mechanical Engineering! I am really interested in research in Nuclear Fusion Energy and in Space Transportation Technology like RamJet And ScramJet.
I just want to ask you , are these field of study banned for foreign students under MEXT?
Hi Avinash,
Research into weapons technology and research that has direct military application is banned. I am not familiar enough with your proposed fields, but I would think/hope that you could find a research topic in there that stayed away from military and weapons use.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Dear Travis,
I apologize for looking for your advice once again. I am currently waiting for the second screening results. However, two weeks ago I was contacted by my Embassy to report that MEXT was requesting me a couple of documents. These were to certify my current ongoing study, which is sort of a specialization, not my bachelor degree (Medicine).
Anyway, I gathered the required documents and sent them to my Embassy right away, so there should be no problem, but as you can imagine I am very worried because of this unexpected requirement. I am afraid of MEXT having doubts about my application, even though as I mentioned, this is not about my bachelor degree but about a specialization (which is not a requirement for MEXT scholarship), and the fact that I got the requested documents and sent them right away.
My Embassy assured me that this was something that happened every year and that my chances are still high, but I would really appreciate your opinion about this matter…
I got two national uni’s LoA. Thank you in advance!!
Hi Ayu,
Please don’t ever apologize for asking for help! That’s why I built this site, to try to help people. If nobody asked any questions, I might just think it was useless and get rid of it 🙂
I will admit that I have never heard of a case like yours, but like your embassy said, I do not think it should be a problem. It sounds like you enrolled in a postgraduate program that was not a degree program. (They are called different things in different countries, but I often here “Postgraduate Certificate”). Is that right? Did you list it in your educational history as graduate-level education?
If you did, that is probably why they asked for documentation. They may simply need to confirm/prove that it is not, in fact, a degree program (because if it was, that would affect the grades considered for the scholarship, etc.) It may sound silly, but it is not uncommon in my experience for the Japanese government to collect evidence just to prove that something is not a problem.
Based on what you have described, I see no cause for worry – unless your specialization is in a field related to weapons of mass destruction or something like that. It sounds like a simple formality and nothing that will affect your application.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Dear Travis,
Thank you for your kind answer, I do feel more relieved after reading it 🙂 Indeed, this isn’t a degree program. But I did list it in my graduate-level educational history, because it explains what I’ve been doing during the past 3 and a half years (since I listed that I’m not working, but studying for this specialization program which lasts 4 years). It’s about surgery, so no weapons involved! I hope January arrives soon to know the results. Thank you once again for your time and your kindness! Wish you all the best
Hi Ayu,
Thank you for your follow-up. In that case, there should be nothing to be concerned about!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis!
I’m interested in the undergraduates scholarship and I’ll definitely be applying this coming 2020. I have a quick question about the MEXT exams. I’m interested in majoring in Economics so that means I’ll have to take a Japanese and Math test. I’m wondering how much impact these exams have on determining whether a candidate is suitable for the MEXT scholarship? Or at least, passing them on into the next stage of the process. And what I should be aiming for when I take these exams?
Hi Tatyanna,
It sounds like you are applying for the Undergraduate MEXT Scholarship. I do not have any expertise or detailed knowledge of that process, so I do not know, for example, how important the exams are.
However, I do know that it is a very competitive scholarship application process, in general, with few slots available. Assume that you are going to be going up against strong and motivated students in competition for the scholarship. In the case, I was recommend that you aim for a perfect score on the exams or as close to it as possible! Every last point you can earn in your favor will be helpful.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Dear TransSenz,
First of all same as vast majority here I dont know how to express so I am just gonna say THANK YOU for all your legit work here. It guided me and helped throughout the whole complicated process. I just wanted to make sure I understand clearly the structure of the “placement preference form”. Is it completely all right to put just one university name on the list (got LoA) and remove the other two from my initial list (the list for First Screening stage) ? It happened that I just wrote this one and was successful so technically I wasnt rejected from the other two on my previous list.
Thank you so much for your response!
Hi Charlotte,
Thank you very much for your kind feedback!
If you only applied to one university by the deadline, then you would have to remove the other two from your Placement Preference Form, anyway. You cannot list universities on the final Placement Preference Form if 1) They rejected your application for an LoA or 2) You never contacted them to apply in the first place.
So, I think that solves your problem! Put only the one university and you should be set.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Dear Travis
I wrote a comment a while back to thank you for your work and because I had questions and I came here to thank you again. Your blog and response helped me so much with the process of how to get started with the application and how to choose universities wisely etc. The process that sounded so scary at first was made easily understandable by your blog, you are great.
I successfully passed the Embassy selection and received my three LoAs that I will submit tomorrow. So thank you for everything. Keep up the good work, you’re doing amazing.
– Naam
Hi Naam,
Thank you very much for your feedback! I am thrilled to hear that I was able to make it a little easier for you to navigate this process! It sounds like you’ve put in the work to get the results you were seeking, too. Congratulations!
I wish you continued success and look forward to hearing about the results of your studies in Japan in the future.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis!
I’m not sure if this is the right article to leave this comment, but I have a quick question about arrival dates to Japan. On the LoA for my first-choice school, the arrival date is indicated as “either April 2020 or October 2020.” While it’s true that I am glad to go at either time, for personal reasons I’ve come to prefer to go in October if possible. At this stage, is there any way I can have a say in this or express this preference? Or is it pretty much out of my hands after I submit my letters to the Consulate?
Thank you, and have a great weekend!
Alex
Hi Alex,
That’s a great question. . . but unfortunately, it’s the first time I’ve seen it, so I don’t know that I can give you a certain answer.
You should have had the chance to specify your own preference in the Application Form. Did you choose October then? If so, that might help guide MEXT’s decision.
I don’t think I’ve heard of a case of a university saying that either one was fine in the past, so I do not have any direct experience to rely on. If you still have time, you could ask the school if they would be willing to reissue the letter, specifying October. Otherwise, my best advice would be to submit a personal letter attached to that LoA saying that while the university approved arriving in either semester, you would prefer to arrive in October if at all possible.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Dear Travis,
Thank you a lot for your articles, they saved my life! You work incredibly hard to help applicants, thank you for your guidance.
I have a question about receiving the LOAs. I secured two letters, one from a private and one from a national uni. The one from the private uni just arrived, they sent me by DHL. However my first choice uni, the national one didn’t sent me a scanned version and since I requested the letter at the end of August I’m a bit worried if it will arrive at time. (The embassy in my country didn’t told me an exact deadline, they said I should submit LOAs in mid-October approximately.) 2 weeks ago I wrote to the student exchange office and they replied if there’s a problem they will contact me, and it’s silence since then. Should I be worried?…
Thank you very much!
Hi Linda K,
Thank you very much for your kind words!
It sounds like the national university has not yet processed or released your letter, based on what you described, so it is still stuck in the bureaucracy there. If it had already been sent, then they wouldn’t have any way of knowing whether a problem happened to it in the mail.
If the office there already knows that your deadline is mid-October (which generally means around Oct 15) and they haven’t reported a problem, then I would tentatively suggest that they are still planning to have it to you on time. Japanese university bureaucracy can be frustratingly slow and the people responding to emails have a tendency to be somewhat reluctant with the details, so the message you received sounds pretty normal to me.
Most Japanese universities have only just returned to session at the end of September, so it is very possible that your letter has been waiting on the appropriate faculty members to return for processing. I hope that you will hear good news soon.
In the event that they do not get you the letter on time, you are still permitted to list that university on your Placement Preference Form, pending arrival of the letter, as long as they do not specifically say that they have refused to accept your application.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi! I am in the same situation regarding a National uni, last time I contacted them (3 weeks ago) they told me they were perfectly aware of MEXT deadline in mid-October… But anyway, there are only 10 days left until deadline and it’s impossible not to worry. I am just trying to remain calm and hope for the best. I hope our letters arrive soon 🙂
Hi Agus,
If they are delaying your answer, then they are delaying everyone’s who is in the same situation. The university would not take longer to issue a “yes” or a “no”, so the delay should not mean that you have anything to worry about. It is just a matter of their bureaucratic processes taking time to do anything.
You might want to check if your local embassy will accept a scanned copy of the letter of acceptance provisionally while they original is in the mail, just because at this point, it might be difficult for it to arrive in time.
(In my experience, embassies usually agree to this.)
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Dear Travis,
I just got my LOA from the national university too! I’m so happy, I hope I will be placed there at the end…
I’m so grateful to you. Without your blog, books and your kind encouragement I wouldn’t made it for sure 🙂
I wish you succes and inspiration in writing your book(s).
Thank you again for your help and your guidance.
Best regards,
Linda
Hi Linda K,
Congratulations on getting that last LOA!
Thank you very much for your kind feedback, as well, and for taking the time to share it. I can’t tell you how motivating that is for me to hear – it’s why I keep working on this site every day!
Good Luck with your placement and studies in Japan!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you for your feedback and information you give. It really helped me a lot throughout the application process
Thank you so much for the information. I just received a LoA from a professor. If I do get just one LoA and I only wrote one university in my placement form, what are the chances that I will get the scholarship to get into that university?
Hi Lee,
Once you have passed the Primary Screening and received/submitted at least one Letter of Acceptance, then your chance of receiving the MEXT Scholarship is practically 100%. And, since MEXT will only place you in a university that is on your Placement Preference Form, that would mean that if there is only one school there, then you should be guaranteed to be placed there. So, barring some unforeseeable problem (i.e. you have been deported from Japan within the last five years or are researching weapons of mass destruction), you should be guaranteed to receive the scholarship and be placed in that one university, as far as my experience goes.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
I am very hopeful for the Mext scholarship.
I will appreciate, if you can send me the form to fill in.
Hi Harris Yanquoi,
I deliberately do not provide any forms on this site because I want to make sure that you are actually contacting the embassy or university where you are going to apply to get the forms (and any additional instructions) from them. I also do not want to be giving out the wrong forms if they change in the future without notice.
Besides, it’s September now and you would have had to submit your application to the Embassy back around May to qualify for this year’s screening. So, if you are not already in the application process, then you should wait until next year’s process and forms are released.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
what I should do if I got 4 Letter of Acceptance?
Hi Neko,
You shouldn’t have applied for four Letters of Provisional Acceptance in the first place, but it’s a bit late for that.
I guess it depends on why you ended up with four letters. If, like some applicants I talked to, one university didn’t reply to you in a timely fashion, leading you to think they were ignoring you and forcing you to choose another, then that could be a reasonable explanation.
You can only list three universities on the form, so one is not going to make the cut. But if the embassy asks why you have 4 letters, be prepared with your answer.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz