Japanese Government Scholarships for International Students

Brief description:

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The  Japanese Government offers scholarships in Japan to international students who wish to study at Japanese universities as research students under the Japanese Government Scholarship Program.  The scholarship program is administered by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology (MEXT).  See also Japanese Government Scholarships for Undergraduate Students.

Host Institution(s):

Universities in Japan

Fields of study:

Fields of study must be subjects which applicants will be able to study and research at Japanese universities. Keep in mind, however, that a student who majors in medicine, dentistry or welfare science will not be allowed to engage in clinical training such as medical care and operative surgery until he/she obtains a permit from the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare under applicable Japanese laws.

Majors in traditional entertainment such as Kabuki and classical Japanese dances, or in subjects that seek practical training in specific technologies or techniques at factories or companies are excluded.

Number of Scholarships:

To date, some 83,000 students from approximately 160 countries and regions around the world have studied in Japan under the Japanese Government (Monbukagakusho) Scholarship program established in 1954. As of May 1, 2009, there were 10,168 foreign students studying in Japan as Japanese government scholarship students.

Target group:

The scholarships are awarded to nationals of countries which has diplomatic relations with the Japanese government.

Scholarship Benefits:

(1) Allowance: Under the fiscal 2011 budget, each grantee will be provided monthly with 143,000 yen (Research Student course), 144,000 yen (students enrolled in a Master’s program or a professional degree program), or 145,000 yen (students enrolled in a doctoral program) (an additional monthly stipend of 2,000 or 3,000 yen may be provided to those undertaking study or research in specially designated regions) .However, these amounts are subject to change depending on the annual budget of each year. The scholarship will not be paid to a grantee who takes a leave of absence or is long absent from his/her university.

Scholarship will be cancelled for a grantee if:

•  any of his/her application documents is found to be falsely stated;

•  he/she is in breach of his/her pledge made to the Minister of MONBUKAGAKUSHO(MEXT);

•  he/she is subjected to disciplinary action, such as expulsion or removal from register, taken by his/her university or the preparatory Japanese-teaching institution;

•  it becomes definitive that the grantee will not be able to complete his/her course within the standard course term because of his/her poor academic achievement or suspension;

•  his/her resident status of “College Student” as provided for in Paragraph 1-4 of Appendix to the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act changes to any other status; or

•  he/she is provided with another scholarship(except for a scholarship designated for research expenses).

(2) Traveling Costs

•  Transportation to Japan: Each grantee will be provided, according to his/her itinerary and route as designated by MEXT, with an economy class air ticket from the international airport closest to his/her place of residence to Narita International Airport (or following the itinerary normally used by the university where the grantee is placed). Expenses such as inland transportation from his/her place of residence to the nearest international airport, airport tax, airport usage charges, special taxes on overseas travel and travel expenses within Japan will be borne by the grantee (the place of residence of the grantee shall in principle be the address stated in the application form). Air travel from a country other than the grantee’s nationality will not be covered, nor travel to Japan before April 1, 2013.  If the grantee comes to Japan to obtain admission to a university, he/she will not be provided with traveling cost to Japan.

•  Transportation from Japan: The grantee who returns to his/her home country within the last-payment month of his/her scholarship will be provided, upon application, with an economy class air ticket for a flight from Narita International Airport (or following the itinerary normally used by the university where the grantee is placed) to the international airport closest to his/her place of return.

Note: Insurance premiums for travel to/from Japan shall be borne by the grantee. The airport the grantee departs from or returns to must be an airport of the country of his/her nationality.

(3) School Fees: Fees for matriculation, tuition and entrance examinations at a university will be paid by the Japanese government. If the grantee moves on to higher education as a nonregular student, he/she will pay for entrance examinations.

Eligibility:

(1) Nationality: Applicant must have the nationality of a country which has diplomatic relations with the Japanese government. This applies at such times to stateless persons, too. Applicant who has Japanese nationality at the time of application will not be eligible. Applicant screening will be made at the Japanese Embassy/Consulate General hereinafter referred to as the “Japanese legation”) in the country of Applicant’s nationality (except where two or more countries are attended by the same Japanese Embassy/Consulate General).

(2) Age: Applicant must have been born on or after April 2,1978.

(3) Academic Background: Applicant must be a graduate from a Japanese university or have academic ability equal or superior to that of a Japanese university graduate. A person will be deemed to have academic ability equal or superior to that of a university graduate, if he/she

•  has completed or will complete a 16-year school curriculum in a foreign country (or an 18-year school curriculum if he/she desires to enroll in a doctoral course in the field of medicine, dentistry or veterinary science, or pharmacy which is founded on a 6-year department or faculty); or

•  is or will be aged 22 or older and has taken an individual entrance qualification examination and has been judged by a graduate school as being equal or superior in academic ability to a university graduate (or 24 or older if he/she desires to enroll in a doctoral course in the field of medicine, dentistry or veterinary science, or pharmacy which is founded on a 6-year department or faculty).

Note: Eligible applicants include those who otherwise satisfy or will satisfy qualification requirements for admission to a Japanese graduate school. As a general rule, a person who has completed a doctoral course may not apply unless he/she seeks to obtain a degree.

(4) Major Field of Study: Applicant should apply for the field of study he/she studied at the previous university or any related field.  Applicant must choose a field on which he/she can receive education and perform research at the university of his/her choice.

(5) Japanese Language: Applicant must be willing to learn the Japanese language, interested in Japan and enthusiastic about deepening his/her understanding of Japan after arriving, and capable of engaging in study and research while adapting himself/herself to life in Japan.

(6) Health: Applicant must be physically and mentally healthy enough to pursue study at university.

(7) Arrival in Japan: Applicant must be able to leave for and arrive in Japan between the 1st and 7th of April 2013, or within two weeks of the date set by the receiving university for the beginning of the semester (in principle, in September or October). Travel expenses will not be provided if the Applicant is unable to travel to Japan during this set period.

(8) Visa Requirement: Selected Applicants must obtain a College Student （ryuugaku 留学） visa prior to his arrival in Japan. Applicants who are already in Japan under a visa other than College Student are required to change it to College Student by the end of the month preceding the start of the scholarship. Applicants who change their resident status to any status other than “College Student” after their arrival in Japan will immediately lose their status as a Japanese government scholarship student.

(9) Scholarships will not be awarded in the following cases:

•  The Applicant is an active member of the military or a civilian employed by the military

•  The Applicant is unable to travel to Japan within the dates set by the receiving university

•  The Applicant was a grantee of a Japanese Government Scholarship in the past will not be selected unless he/she has had at least three years of research or teaching experience after completion of the first scholarship. This exclusion will not apply to a research-student applicant, who (i) as a foreign student in Japan received training in the Japanese language and/or Japanese culture at a university and graduated from it, or who (ii) was a foreign student in Japan under the Japan-Korea Joint Science and Engineering Students Exchange Program.

•  The Applicant is currently enrolled in a Japanese university under the resident status of “College Student,” or if he/she plans to enroll at a Japanese university as a privately-financed foreign student between the time of application for this scholarship and the time the scholarship period is due to begin.

•  The Applicant is already the recipient of a scholarship from an organization (including a governmental organization in his/her country of origin) other than the Japanese government (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology – MEXT).

•  The Applicant, considered a “future graduate” and selected as such, is unable to graduate within the pre-set date or unable to fulfill graduation requirements.

Application Instructions:

Because the application process differs according to the country in which the Japanese embassy is located, please inquire at the Japanese embassy or consulate general in your country for details. Scholarship recipients are recruited and initially screened by a Japanese embassy (or consulate general, depending on the country).

The deadline of the applications differ varies per country but the application period falls around March-May each year.

It is important to read the 2013 Japanese Scholarship Guidelines for Research Students and visit the official website (links found below) for detailed information on how to apply for this scholarship.

Contact information:

Please find the contact details of the Japanese embassies/consulates in your country at this link.

Website:

Official Scholarship Website: http://www.studyjapan.go.jp/en/toj/toj0302e.html