Japanese Government (MEXT) Scholarship

"The whole of Japan is a pure invention. There is no such country, there are no such people. The Japanese people are simply a mode of style, an exquisite fancy of art." – Oscar Wilde

Japan is a country with a rich history and cultural heritage that dates back centuries. The stunning scenery, which includes majestic mountains, traditional temples, and shrines, as well as yearly festivals, is awe-inspiring. The seasonal beauties of Sakura (cherry blossom) and Momiji (maple leaves) are particularly breathtaking, making it a dream destination for many travelers. However, Japan's allure is not limited to its natural beauty and culture. It is also renowned for its remarkable advances in research and technology!

Back in 2020, I was fortunate enough to receive a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to study, research, and immerse myself in the beauty, cuisine, traditions, and festivals of Japan. But guess the best part? Everything was covered and fully funded! Even after returning from Japan, I continued to receive numerous inquiries about ‘how to get this scholarship’. Thus, instead of answering the same questions repeatedly, I decided to create a comprehensive blog post that would address all of your concerns.

So, here I am sharing everything that I know about the prestigious Japanese Government (MEXT) Scholarship for my beloved juniors and peers! I will also update this blog if any new information or questions pop up! Hope this blog will inspire you to apply for this eminent scholarship program and aid your application process.

By the end of this blog, you will get a short ride to my university, research lab, and a glimpse of my tiny travel experience in Japan!!!

What is the MEXT / Monbukagakusho Scholarship?

The MEXT scholarship is a prestigious higher study program provided by the Japanese Government, or more specifically by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology (Monbukagakusho (MEXT)). This program is designed for foreign students to pursue their bachelor, master, PhD degrees or conduct research study in different Japanese institutions.

Is this scholarship "fully-funded"?

Of course, it is a government scholarship! It covers all the tuition fees, institute entrance fees, and other educational expenses. The international travel expenses, i.e. round-trip airfares from your home country to Japan, are also covered. Besides, the MEXT scholars get a stipend of 146000 - 148000 JPY (approx. 120K BDT) as living expenses per month. So overall, you do not have to pay for anything or look for a part-time job!

Do I need to show a bank statement? How much cash should I carry?

Like I said already, it is a government scholarship and fully funded. Not only the airfares and tuition fees are covered, but the MEXT scholars also get a monthly stipend which is more than enough for living in Japan. 

After getting selected for the program, the embassy and the university will contact the student for all the required further steps. The embassy takes care of the visa procedures and the university takes care of the travel issues. Just follow their instructions properly and you are good to go!

Is getting this scholarship hard?

Well, as there are tons of facilities, thousands of students from all over the world apply for MEXT scholarship every year. So yeah, obviously it is competitive. But 'competitive' does not mean impossible. Even though the application process is comparatively easier, due to its excessive competitiveness, sometimes people find it easier to apply for a direct PhD position in other developed countries. It is obvious that you have to apply in a strategic way to make your application look appealing. I will recommend to Google and go through the helpful articles and YouTube videos by the old MEXT scholars sharing their experiences, that's what I did. You will get an overall idea and a lot of useful tips. Of course, nobody is going to give you some ready-made answers to all your questions, all you need to do is spend some time and do some digging!

How many types of scholarships does MEXT provide?

The scholarship program is mainly for bachelors, masters, and PhD. There are also research programs, Young Leaders’ Program (YLP), and so on. I found this website elaborately explaining seven types of MEXT scholarships.

Am I eligible for this scholarship?

The main two conditions I personally think that should be considered are having 16 years of education when you are applying for a master's degree, and the student cannot be older than 35. Rest of the conditions are pretty much general, you will find detailed documentation on Google or the embassy website.

How can I apply? What is the application process?

The Study in Japan (https://www.studyinjapan.go.jp) website has everything that you need to know about MEXT. Also, please go through the Japan Embassy website of your country to go through the instructions for the application. 

Briefly, I will say there are two types of applications: Embassy-recommended MEXT and University-recommended MEXT. 

Both of them have some pros and cons. Through the embassy process, students can apply to three universities whereas in university-recommended MEXT, students can apply to only one institute! But the university-recommended process gives you access to have direct contact with the university, research lab, or professors. You can also contact any university or professor even if you are applying through the embassy process, but that will not be regarded in your application. In both cases, decisions are made centrally.

Essential documents for the application.

The required list of documents is more or less the same as any other scholarship program. As I applied through the university-recommended MEXT and as a Research Student, I had to submit a research proposal. They have a two-page form for writing this research proposal where I had to describe the aim, proposed methodology, expected results, and an estimated timeline for this research. You can either pick a topic of your choice or a particular project from your selected research lab or university. If you are already in touch with a professor, you can request some suggestions as well.

Do I need a high CGPA or research experience/publications?

Making comments about CGPA is not easy. We all know how important your CGPA can be, or again how your CGPA does not define you. But it is true that even though MEXT considers your overall profile, CGPA is quite an important factor in their evaluation criteria. It does not mean MEXT scholarship belongs to only students with high CGPA. I saw people not getting this scholarship even with high CGPAs, also people getting this scholarship with low CGPAs. But of course, they had to prove their worth through other relevant experiences.

Having research experience or publications is not mandatory, but obviously, you will be prioritized if you have any. Please keep in mind this is an academic scholarship for pursuing your higher study, so definitely they will appreciate having publication or relevant research experience. They will even appreciate if you know the basic research rules such as how to write a research article, how to read or summarize a paper, different formats of citing related papers, familiar with the concept of plagiarism, etc.

If you are worried about these issues, please do not worry. There are tons of MEXT scholars who moved to higher study from industry with zero research experience. Just be prepared to get familiar with the research world once you step into your Japanese institute.

How did you start applying for MEXT from scratch? A short summary of my overall application process.

After my undergrad, I was looking for fully-funded higher study programs where I came to learn about several government scholarships such as MEXT (Japan), Erasmus Mundus (Europe), and KGSP (South Korea). Then, I started exploring through Google, read several articles, and watched videos from previous scholars on YouTube. To get familiar with the application process of MEXT, I explored the JASSO, MEXT, embassy, etc. websites and decided to go with the university application process. The next and most time-consuming part was then to select a particular research lab or university. You can follow different strategies while looking for a professor or research lab, I basically started with the top-ranked Japanese Universities. Then, I explored their individual university websites, campus facilities, research environments, etc. The next step is quite general like any other application process: sending emails. First I made sure that the university provides university-recommended MEXT by contacting their admin office. Then, I knocked few professors based on my research interest. After having short email-based conversation with several professors, the hardest part was to finally select one particular lab/university among my three shortlisted choices (as you can apply to only ONE!!!). 

Finally, after picking Social Tech Lab of Kyushu University, I followed the step-by-step instructions provided by my supervisor and the administrative officer of Kyushu University. I prepared all the necessary documents, submitted/posted them accordingly, faced the oral exam, and waited for the final results from the government. After getting selected for the scholarship, I had to sign a pledge form provided by Kyushu University and post it to Japan. Then I just waited for their further instruction where they provided embassy appointments for visa, booked my flights, and made all the necessary arrangements. Then, the actual journey began!

Will there be an oral interview? Could you please share your interview experience?

The university recommended process varies from university to university, even from department to department within the same university. In my case, I had an oral exam for around 45~55 minutes with three professors. The interview was not technical, it was completely conversational and the professors were also very friendly. I believe the aim was to know the candidate properly. 

Well, as far as I can remember, I had to explain my undergrad thesis - the aim and results. Then, they basically went through each and every line that I mentioned in my CV, a few questions about my undergrad study and the courses, and my research interest. They even asked questions about my GitHub profile. Trust me, they check everything!

Do I need to learn Japanese language first? Will I get any language course there?

No, they do not expect you to know the language already. But it is really appreciated if you are currently learning or planning to learn the language when you are there. The language is never going to be an issue for academic life, but for daily life it is a MUST!

In my case, Kyushu University provided a six-months advanced language course. Other universities might have some similar programs. You can contact the admin office of any university regarding these queries.

Any tips to start learning Japanese at home?

There are tons of online courses and tutorials. Personally, I will recommend Duolingo and JapanesePod101.

Can I apply without IELTS/TOEFL score?

Yes, it is possible to apply by submitting a medium of instruction certificate from your undergrad university. However, I will recommend to go for the test as I heard some of the applicants never heard back from the embassy/university. They believe they were selected in the program next year when they submitted their IELTS/TOEFL score.

The expectation is not really high. A minimum of 72 in TOEFL or 5.5 in IELTS should be enough. Personally, I believe seven days of preparation for TOEFL should be more than enough.

What is the research student position? Did you get the scholarship for it too?

Research student is basically the period when you get familiar with the Japanese environment, their rules and regulations, get adapted to daily life, then soon start preparing for your next academic steps. The duration is a minimum of six months to a maximum of eighteen months. In general, six months of research students are those who are preparing for the master's entrance exam. But it can be extended to eighteen months if you want to give your full time in research or want to have a master's equivalent experience before enrolling in PhD.

About getting scholarships or monthly stipends as a research student, why not!! It is part of the scholarship program, research students are MEXT scholars and they get similar facilities with an equal stipend every month. But this is a non-degree program, so you can consider it similar to getting a research assistantship position.

How many Letters of Recommendation (LoR) should I submit? 

In 2020, I had to submit two LoRs. In the list of instructions, they clearly mentioned to get one from my undergrad thesis supervisor and another from the Dean or VC of my university. As I applied to Kyushu University, my undergrad university Dean/VC had to write the LoR directly to the president of Kyushu University. 

Please do not mix up the university process MEXT instruction list with the in-general MEXT instruction list (embassy process). These are two different things and might vary from university to university. Like I said before, just follow everything they asked you accordingly and you are good to go!

I am a fresher / expecting to graduate this year. Can I apply? 

Yes! All they want you is to fulfill their 16 years of education condition. So for example, if you are in your third year and expect to graduate by the end of this year, just submit an 'incomplete transcript' with an official document that mentions your expected date of graduation. These should be enough! Personally I will say, if you are in touch with a Professor, consult and be clear about everything you are doing. As long as your professor is with you, you are on the safe side.

Do I need to write a Statement of Purpose (SoP)?

Not sure if MEXT will change their rules in the future, but they did not require any motivational letter or SoP in 2020. I guess you have to do that verbally during your oral interview with the professors. But yes, they require you to submit a research proposal even if you are applying as a research student or for a PhD position.

What is a research proposal? How can I write it?

A research proposal is a structured official document that gives an overview of your research plan. I will again recommend to Google and find some templates to get an overall idea. In general, there should be a tentative title, introduction, related literature that has motivated this work, methodology, expected results, and an estimated timeline for conducting this research work.

Again, carefully read the instructions. If they give you a structure or form, you have to write the proposal on that. If they only ask you to submit a research proposal, you can follow any template with any page limit. 

How to convert our CGPA system to MEXT system?

Please check this article, they have elaborately explained the whole grading scale conversion system. 

Can I get both masters and PhD with this scholarship?

Of course, you can! The process might vary based on your university. There can be several options such as initially applying as a research student, and then going for the entrance exam for masters; directly getting enrolled in the master program; if you already have a masters degree, directly getting enrolled in the PhD program. In Japan, you cannot expect to enroll in a PhD program without having a masters degree. But having an equivalent experience to a master's degree can compensate for that in some cases.

Is Japan expensive?

With my short experience of living in a few countries, I will say "NO!". Being a developed country, I found Japan affordable and convenient for living your daily life. Also, they have a life-savior 100 yen shop called "Daiso".  From stationaries to gardening, office items to kitchen utensils, you will find literally everything you need in Daiso. Besides getting everything for 100 yen, Daiso maintains a very high quality of all of its products. Of course, there are tons of stores where everything is excessively expensive, but also there are several stores that provide cheaper options. 

One of the best parts of Japan that I loved is getting points on everything! There can be membership cards for different stores where you get points for spending every 100/200 yen. These points can be used later for purchasing other products or even in restaurants. They even offer this point facility for your credit cards. I probably had almost a hundred free burgers from McDonald's using these points!

Is there any halal food option? 

Not just "any", there are tons of them! Starting from Kyushu University, they have a separate halal corner in the cafeteria for students. Different halal stores from Bangladesh, India, Egypt, Indonesia are spread throughout the whole country. Also, there are a lot of popular online halal stores which give you home delivery such as Baticrom and AKhalal shop. You will easily find your home country products there, a bit expensive of course. They even have our local Sajeeb/Ruchi muri and chanachur as well! 

How about accommodation? Are shared apartments cheaper than single/family apartments?

This is the only part that will take a major portion of your scholarship amount (approx. 50%). Accommodations are expensive, everywhere! It can vary in other prefectures, but in Fukuoka taking a shared apartment is way more complicated than taking a single apartment. If you want to stay with a friend, they will ask you to provide a guarantor (japanese citizen) and a huge amount of key-money. Also, the apartments will not be furnished so you will have to buy all the appliances. For a single apartment, the rent varies from 40K to 60K yen. There are also some government housing called 'Danchi' where the rent is only 8K to 15K, but only people with families can apply for it. To be honest, looking for accommodation in Japan is not easy. Japan still believes in paper-based formalities instead of going through an online database system, you will definitely need a friend who knows Japanese to go through these formalities. In most cases, universities should assign you a senior masters/phd student who will help you as your 'guide'. If not, trust me you are in trouble! Japanese people are extremely kind and helpful, but communicating through a google translator is not going to solve all your problems.

Monthly expense estimation and savings.

If you are living alone and do not have a family, I would say saving 30-35% from your scholarship each month is easily doable.

Is it possible to study and travel at the same time?

Depends on how you are utilizing your weekdays. I used to work in my lab from 10 to 6 for five days a week and traveled every weekend. 

If you have ever seen my posts during my stay in Japan, you know!!