MEXT Scholarship 2024 for Indian Students

MEXT Scholarships are provided under the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (Monbukagakusho) of Japan. These Japanese government scholarships are fully funded and are offered to applicants who come from those countries with which Japan has diplomatic ties. MEXT scholarships 2024 are offered to students attending all major kinds of educational institutions at the bachelor’s and master’s levels. 

International applicants are free to choose certain majors under a particular field of study and they can then apply as undergraduates for MEXT Japan scholarships. There are other eligibility criteria too which must be fulfilled to avail of scholarship benefits. Check out the article for all the details about MEXT scholarships to study in Japan. 

All About Monbukagakusho MEXT Scholarship Japan

Monbukagakusho MEXT Scholarships in Japan are offered to applicants who are applying for admission to Japanese universities across various fields of study. Some applicants may be required to have preparatory admission or may be admitted for a direct placement. The following requirements must be fulfilled:

Types of Institutions Approved for MEXT Scholarships 2024

There are a couple of higher education institutions that are approved for MEXT scholarships offered in Japan for Indian students who are:

• Research students (graduate)
• Teacher training students (graduate)
• Undergraduate students 
• Japanese Studies students (undergraduate)
• College of Technology students (undergraduate)
• Specialized training college students (undergraduate)

Fields of Study for Japan MEXT Scholarship 2024

International applicants can choose the following fields of study to be eligible for the MEXT scholarship in Japan for the year 2024:

There may be a mix of majors that applicants might choose, applicants must check the official notification before proceeding to mark their choices for MEXT scholarships.  

MEXT Japan Scholarship Amount & Benefits

Based on the type of academic applicant, MEXT Japanese scholarships are offered. The following table throws light on the MEXT scholarship amount offered to various types of applicants aiming to study in Japan:

Apart from the above-given scholarship amounts, there are MEXT scholarship benefits which are offered to applicants like:

• ¥2,000 - ¥3,000 is added to the monthly allowances for conducting research in specially designated Japanese regions. The amounts are subject to change each year. 
• Apart from this, the tuition and exam fees are exempted for all applicants qualifying for Monbukagakusho MEXT scholarships in Japan. 
• Round-trip travel expenses are also added additionally for MEXT Japanese scholarship qualifiers. 

MEXT Japanese Scholarship Duration

The duration of MEXT scholarship in Japan varies with the type of academic student enrolled across various types of institutions of study. Check out the MEXT scholarship duration based on the institution or academic standing of the applicant in the table below:

Thus, applicants who wish to study in Japan in the upcoming year will have to apply for the Japanese scholarship in the previous year of June. The applications usually wrap up in a week, and limited vacancies open up, hence it's always better to keep a tab on the application cycle and apply accordingly. For more details on scholarships check out Scholarships to Study Abroad for international students.

MEXT Scholarship Eligibility

Applicants applying for the Monbukagakusho MEXT scholarship to study in Japan will have to fulfil certain eligibility criteria based on the level of programs. Details are as follows:

Monbukagakusho MEXT Scholarship Eligibility for Undergraduates

To be eligible for the Monbukagakusho MEXT scholarship as undergraduate students, applicants should have passed high school and should be able to fulfil the following minimum eligibility criteria if applying for :

• Nationality: Applicants must belong to a country with which Japan shares diplomatic ties. Applicants who are official Japanese citizens, cannot apply for this scholarship.
• Age: Applicants must be of the age of 18 or above at the time of admission. There may be exceptions to the rule for not a wide range of applicants.
• Academic Background: Applicants should have completed 12 years of schooling equivalent to a Japanese upper secondary school. 
• Japanese Language: Applicants should be interested in learning the Japanese language. Also, applicants should ideally be interested in learning about the different aspects of Japan.
• Health: Applicants should be in good health and submit the health certificate in the proper format to be eligible for the scholarship.
• Student Visa: A new and recent student visa that is issued by applicants will also be required at the time of application to apply for the MEXT Japan scholarship.

Monbukagakusho MEXT Scholarship Eligibility for Postgraduates

Those applying for a Master’s course / Doctoral course should hold a Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field with a minimum of 70%. For Doctoral course admissions (second phase), a Master’s degree in the relevant field with a minimum of 70% marks is required. Candidates should have practical research/teaching/work experience after obtaining the qualification.

There are only three programs that come under the graduate study, if applicants are applying for them, then they should fulfil the following eligibility criteria:

• Research Students: Applicants should be under 35 years of age and hold a graduate degree or they must have completed 16 years of schooling.
• Teacher Training Students: Applicants should be under 35 years of age with a graduate degree from a teacher training college, and should have five years of teaching experience in primary or secondary or at a teacher training college in the applicant's home country. Applicants who are in the middle of the five-year teacher training experience, are not eligible to apply. 
• Young Leaders Program (YLP): In this case, applicants must be under 40 years of age hold a graduate degree, also should have practical experience and prove to be young public administrators who can play a pivotal role in Asia and other countries. 

Exams Required for Embassy Recommendations to Get MEXT Scholarships

The following are some of the key subject exams which must be cleared to get an embassy recommendation for a MEXT scholarship for studying in Japan:

There may be additional eligibility criteria which must be fulfilled to avail MEXT scholarship while studying in Japan. 

Check out: Popular Japan Scholarships for Indian Students

MEXT Scholarship 2024-25 Deadline

The application deadline for the Monbukagakusho MEXT scholarship 2024-25 in Japan varies for each type of academic student and their institution. Following is an application deadline as proposed and given on the official website for Indian students applying for MEXT scholarships:

The MEXT scholarship 2024 deadline was June 9, 2024, thus, applicants should have applied for the scholarship by now. The deadlines for 2025 are yet to be announced. 

How to Apply for MEXT Scholarship 2024?

There are two ways in which Monbukagakusho MEXT Japanese Scholarships can be applied for by Indian students. Applicants can apply for MEXT Japanese Scholarships in two ways: 

1. Based on the Embassy's Recommendation: Submit applications, qualify for entrance, go for the interview and qualify for the first screening. Once the Embassy screens the applicant and when the applicant qualifies for the written test and interview by the consulate in their country, they are then prompted to apply for the MEXT scholarship. The applicants will have to submit their documentation as well. This is for research, undergraduate, College of Technology, Japanese studies and specialized training college students. 
2. Based on the University's Recommendation:  On the other hand, applicants can be recommended by the universities they are studying in and run exchange programs with various Japanese universities based on the applicant's merit and quality of research. This applies to both research and Japanese studies students. 

From Where to Get MEXT Scholarship Application Form?

The application forms for MEXT Japanese scholarships for the year 2024 are available online on the official websites of Embassies. The applicants can download the PDF version of the MEXT Japanese scholarship application, fill it up and send it with the following documents in an envelope to the concerned set of authorities. 

Documents Required for MEXT Scholarship Application

The following documents will be required by applicants applying for the Monbukagakusho MEXT - Japanese government scholarship for the year 2024:

• Direct placement preference form
• Academic transcripts of school and previous years at university or college
• Graduation certificate from both school and college
• LOR (recommendation letter) from previous class teacher or principal of the school
• Medical certificate
• Enrollment certificate who are already enrolled at a Japanese university
• English or Japanese language proficiency certificates
• University-specific enrollment qualification exam certificate

A certain number of copies of the above-mentioned documents will be required at the time of application submission for Monbukagakusho MEXT scholarships in 2024-25. Applicants are required to check all possible details and then begin their applications. 

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