University-Recommended MEXT Scholarship Eligibility Criteria

Updated as of the 2024-2025 application cycle

These are the eligibility requirements for the University-Recommended MEXT Scholarship for Research (Graduate) Students. I do not cover the requirements for undergraduates below. However, MEXT has published the PGP application guidelines in English this year, so undergraduate applicants can refer to that document.

I have a separate article about the eligibility requirements for the Embassy-Recommended MEXT Scholarship. There are differences between the two, so please be sure to read the right article!

Disclaimer

The eligibility requirements I describe below are the requirements set out by MEXT. Some universities may have higher eligibility requirements. If you find that the university you are applying to specifies higher requirements than what I describe below, you must meet both sets of requirements. Do not bother trying to argue with the university that MEXT’s standards are lower. That won’t work!

Eligibility requirements are subject to change in future years.

Societal Contribution

This isn’t measurable, but in the introduction to the eligibility criteria in the General Category guidelines, MEXT explains that the eligibility criteria are designed to identify applicants who can be expected to contribute to society, as below (my translation):

“MEXT seeks to develop persons who can become a bridge between their home countries and Japan and contribute to the development of both countries and to the world, via the research they conduct in Japan, and has therefore established the following eligibility criteria.”

What does this mean? It means that your research should have some societal benefit outputs to Japan, your home country, or both. Earning a degree for your own career benefit or because of a research interest isn’t enough. Make sure to mention the benefits to society, such as in your Field of Study and Research Program Plan.

Minimum GPA

You must have a minimum 2.3 / 3.0 cumulative GPA on MEXT’s scale during your most recent degree and be expected to continue the same level of performance during your studies in Japan.

I have another article about how to calculate your GPA on MEXT’s scale, so please read that post for more details.

Exception: Programs with no objective grading

If your degree program has no objective grading or marking system (for example, a graduate program entirely by research with no coursework), then you may be eligible if you can provide objective evidence that you are in the top 30% of students in your program. In this case, your letter of recommendation from your university would have to state your order of merit within your graduate program or university, such as “#1 of 150 students”.

This exception does not apply if you have objective grades. If your grades on MEXT’s scale are 2.3 or lower, but you are still in the top 30%, you are not eligible.

Nationality

You must have the nationality of a country that has formal relations with Japan (e.g. not Taiwan or North Korea) and must not have Japanese Nationality, including dual nationality. If you hold Japanese nationality as a dual national but live primarily in the second country of nationality, then if you give up your Japanese nationality before you arrive in Japan or before the university formally registers you as a student (including as a research student) you would be eligible.

General Category

Universities can only recommend applicants from Priority Countries. So if you are not from one of those countries, you would not be eligible.

PGP Category

Up to 25% of nominees for each PGP program may be from non-Priority Countries.

Age

As of the application for the 2024/2025 scholarship application cycle, applicants would need to have been born on or after April 2, 1990. (This changes by one year each year.)

Exceptions

There are only two exceptions to the date of birth above

1. Inability to apply during the ages when you would have been eligible because of the situation in your country, such as compulsory military service or the total suspension of higher education due to war, as determined by MEXT. (Exceptions will never be granted for personal reasons such as family reasons, financial difficulties, health, etc.)
2. Applicants who are graduates of the Young Leaders Program and applying for a Doctoral-level program that will start within 5 years of the end of the YLP.

I have never heard of anyone being granted an exception for the first criteria!

Academic Background

For the University Recommendation MEXT Scholarship, MEXT requires only that you meet the admissions requirements established by the recommending university as of the time that you start your scholarship.

Field of Study

You must be applying within the same field you majored in previously at university or a related field. Your field of study must be available at the university you are applying to.

I have discussed the meaning of a “related field of study” in past articles as well as in my book, How to Apply for the MEXT Scholarship, but here is a brief summary:

A “related field” is a field of research that falls within the same discipline as something you majored in previously. If your past and future fields could conceivably be majors in the same faculty, or if one is a subset of another, they are related. For example, international relations and political science are clearly related. The same applies to media studies and communication, or mechanical engineering and robotics. If you come from a multidisciplinary field, such as area studies, then any of the related fields are available.

If your fields are not so obviously related, (for example, if you majored in computer science in undergrad and want to do an MBA in Japan) then you have to explain the connection in your Field of Study and Research Program plan by showing how research in your past field provided you with a natural transition to the future one.

The most common field changes I see work are related to business and computer science, my examples above. I have seen many applicants switch to an MBA and emphasize how they want to study the business applications of the field they studied previously, or switch in/out of computer science by explaining how they will use the computer science knowledge (programming, data science, etc.) to conduct their research in their other field. I also saw an example of an environmental engineer who switched to policy science because their country’s forestry management policy was inhibiting his ability to make a difference as an engineer.

Language Ability

You must meet one of the language ability requirements below for the language of your selected degree program, at the time of formal enrollment into the degree program. However, if you start as a Research Student (Non-degree student) and only meet Criteria 3 as of that time, then you would have to meet Criteria 1 in order to extend your scholarship and continue into the degree program. So, if you only meet Criteria 3, expect that universities will not select you as a Research Student, only as a Degree student.

Please note that these are the MEXT requirements. If your university requires a higher level, you would have to meet their standard!

Japanese Language Ability Requirement

1. Have passed the JLPT N2 or higher level at the time of starting the degree program.
2. Completed your qualifying degree* with Japanese as the primary language of instruction.
3. Have equivalent or higher ability in the Japanese language to a person meeting criteria 1 or 2 above, as determined by the nominating university and demonstrated by objective evidence.

*Your “qualifying degree” is the degree that you earned as a prerequisite to the degree you are applying for. If you are applying for a master’s degree, your qualifying degree would be your bachelor’s degree. If you are applying for a doctoral degree, then your qualifying degree would be your master’s degree.

Note: If you are nominated under criteria 3 for either Japanese or English language ability, then you would have to meet requirement 1 or 2 in order to apply to extend of your scholarship (from non-regular student to degree-seeking student or from Master’s to Doctoral level).

English Language Ability Requirements

1. Have a formal language proficiency test score in English equivalent or higher to B2 on the CEFR scale (*Slide 13 PDF in Japanese from MEXT’s website. See the English translation below) at the time of starting the degree program.
2. Completed your qualifying degree* with English as the primary language of instruction.
3. Have equivalent or higher ability in the English language to a person meeting criteria 1 or 2 above, as determined by the nominating university and demonstrated with objective evidence.

*Your “qualifying degree” is the degree that you earned as a prerequisite to the degree you are applying for. If you are applying for a master’s degree, your qualifying degree would be your bachelor’s degree. If you are applying for a doctoral degree, then your qualifying degree would be your master’s degree.

CEFR B2 Equivalency Table

Here are the scores that MEXT has determined to be equivalent to the CEFR B2, based on the PDF linked above:

• Cambridge English (Preliminary, First, Advanced, Proficiency): 160 or higher
• Eiken (Jun-1 kyu, 1 kyu): 2304 or higher
• GTEC (Advanced, CBT): 1190 or higher
• IELTS: 5.5 or higher
• TEAP: 309 or higher
• TEAP CBT: 600 or higher
• TOEFL iBT: 72 or higher

Your language proficiency test must cover all four skills (reading, writing, listening, speaking), and for tests that give individual scores in these categories, all four must be at the B2 level or higher.

Health

Must have no mental or physical conditions that would be an obstacle to your study in Japan, as determined by the nominating university.

This means that each university will have a medical form that they require you to have completed. Often, universities will use the same Certificate of Health used in the Embassy-Recommended MEXT Scholarship. Of course, you should be sure to fill in the document required by the university you are applying to, but the certificate linked above should be a good indication of what to expect.

Even if you have a pre-existing medical condition, you would only be disqualified for medical reasons if your home country doctor was unwilling to sign off that you are fit to study abroad in Japan. If you have a pre-existing condition, but your doctor agrees that you can continue your care or medication regimen in Japan, then there should be no problem.

Ability to Arrive in Japan on Designated Date

You must be able to arrive in Japan during the period specified by the nominating university, no more than 2 weeks before or after the official start of the semester. Failure to arrive by the end of the designated period will be considered voluntary withdrawal from the scholarship. In the event that nominees arrive outside of the designated period, MEXT will not pay their travel fees.

You need to follow the arrival dates designated by your university. The “2 weeks” mentioned above is an instruction for the university’s reference as to when they are allowed to set your arrival date. Arriving late will mean that you lose the scholarship. Arriving early is possible, but you would lose the travel benefits.

For the University-Recommended MEXT Scholarship, you will arrive for the fall semester in Japan, in September or October, depending on your university. The only exception is for some PGP programs that start in the spring semester (April), but this is quite rare.

Visa Requirement

In principle, you must apply for and obtain a “Student” visa at the Japanese diplomatic mission in the country where you hold nationality prior to coming to Japan, then arrive in Japan using that visa.

You must follow the visa application procedures designated by the Japanese diplomatic mission in your country of citizenship, including tuberculosis testing, if required.

Applicants who are currently residing in Japan may not apply for General Category slots, but they can apply for PGP Programs. You are considered to be residing in Japan if:

1. You are living in Japan at the time of application with a mid- or long-term residence status.
   *Visiting Japan temporarily as a tourist or to take an entrance exam, etc., does not count.
   *There is no prohibition against residing in Japan after the application time but before the start of the scholarship.
    
2. You have already been accepted to enroll in a Japanese university or other institution as a fee-paying student between the time of your application and the start of your MEXT Scholarship.

If you are living in Japan with a Student residence status, then you must definitively complete (not withdraw from) your program.

Applicants who arrive in Japan without obtaining a student visa will have their scholarships suspended.

Residence Status Requirement for Domestic Applicants (PGP Programs)

In addition to the requirements above, the following conditions apply to PGP program applicants who are applying as Domestic Applicants (residing in Japan at the time of application) .

Applicants who had been residing in Japan with a residence status other than “Student” at the time of selection must change their residence status to “Student” no later than the end of the month before they start their scholarship.

Applicants who have a residence status such as “Permanent Resident” or “Long-term Resident” must also change their resident status to “Student”. They must understand that if they apply to regain their previous residence status after the end of the scholarship, there is no guarantee that the application will be approved.

Applicants who are residing in Japan with a “Student” residence status must complete the Extension of Period of Stay procedure before their residence period ends. If they change universities, they must also complete the necessary report to the Immigration Services Agency.

Disqualification Criteria

Anyone meeting any of the criteria below is ineligible to apply for the scholarship:

1. Active duty military or military-employed civilian at the time of arriving in Japan or at any point during the scholarship award period.
    
2. Unable to arrive in Japan by the deadline determined by MEXT or the nominating university.
    
3. Previous recipient of the Japanese Government MEXT Scholarship (including those who withdrew from the scholarship in the past after arriving in Japan). Past receipt of the MEXT Honors Scholarship does not disqualify applicants.
   However, applicants who meet the conditions below are exempt from this criteria:
   
   • Applicants who have over 3 full years of education or employment history between the month after the end of the previous scholarship award and the start of the new award.
   
   
   • Past recipients of the Japanese Studies MEXT Scholarship who returned to their home universities and graduated after receipt of that scholarship (including those expected to graduate before the start of the new scholarship), past recipients of the Japan-Korea Joint Government Scholarship Program for the Students in Science and Engineering Departments, and past recipients of the Young Leaders’ Program scholarship.
   
   
   • Past recipients of the MEXT undergraduate scholarship (University-recommended, PGP category) who completed their degrees or are expected to do so before the start of the new award.
4. Applicants who are simultaneously applying for any other Japanese Government (MEXT) scholarship to begin in fiscal year 2025. (e.g. the Embassy Recommended MEXT Scholarship or applying to another Japanese university for the University Recommended MEXT Scholarship at the same time).
    
5. General Category: Applicants who are living in Japan at the time of application.
    
6. Applicants who are projected to receive (have been accepted/approved to receive) a scholarship or fellowship from the Japanese government or a Japanese government-affiliated organization after the start of the MEXT scholarship payment period.
    
7. Applicants who apply prior to completing their qualifying degree who cannot graduate (meet the academic background eligibility requirements) before the designated deadline.
   Note: If you have not graduated, you are still eligible to apply and would have to submit a “Certificate of Expected Graduation” instead of a Certificate of Graduation. However, if you do not graduate as expected, you would lose the scholarship.
    
8. Applicants who have dual nationality, including Japan as one nationality, at the time of application and who cannot provide proof that they have renounced their Japanese citizenship prior to arriving in Japan or when they are officially registered as students by the Japanese university.
    
9. Applicants who intend to to be away from Japan for an extended period during their studies, such as to conduct fieldwork or internships outside of Japan or take a leave of absence.
   “Extended period” is undefined, but I would interpret this as meaning any period that interferes with coursework during the semester or the MEXT Scholarship payment cycle (one month). Fieldwork outside the country could be possible during vacation periods for less than a month, but if you fail to sign in at your university each month, you would lose the monthly scholarship payment for the months that you do not sign. If you miss three months in a row, then you forfeit the scholarship completely.
    
10. General Category: Applicants who plan to study in Japan only as Non-Degree Students
     
11. Applicants who do not intend to earn a degree.

Note: While the eligibility criteria related to studying in Japan as a “Non-Degree Student” only applies to General Category students, it is also impossible to study in Japan as a Non-Degree Student as a PGP scholar, since there are no PGP programs that are approved to accept Non-Degree Students.

Willingness to Take Part in Intercultural Interaction and Follow-up Studies

During your studies in Japan, you must be willing to participate actively in interaction events with schools and communities to contribute to strengthening the relationship between your home country and Japan. After graduation, you must remain in contact with your university, participate in follow-up surveys and studies, and join in activities conducted by the Japanese diplomatic mission in your home country to promote relations with Japan after returning home.

Of course, this is not measurable, but stating your willingness/excitement to take part in such activities during the application process, where possible, would help you application.

Conclusion

This concludes the list of eligibility requirements for the University-Recommended MEXT Scholarship. How did you do?

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