1. Japanese Government (Monbukagakusho (MEXT)) Scholarship
This is a program where students are able to study at a Japanese university with a scholarship from the Japanese government, specifically the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (Monbukagakusho (MEXT)).
The University of Tokyo (UTokyo) accepts students as “research students” and “undergraduate students,” which are two of the various types of Japanese government-sponsored scholarships available under the MEXT Scholarship program.
(1) Research Students
There are four ways to apply for the scholarship.
① Embassy recommendation
Applications for this category are made directly through the Japanese Embassies or Consular Offices outside Japan. Application procedures and deadlines vary according to the country. Therefore, for more details, please contact the appropriate Japanese Embassy or Consular Office in your country.
Applicants who have passed the preliminary examination conducted by the Japanese Embassy or Consular Office and wish to enroll in UTokyo are required to contact the appropriate Graduate School concerned, to confirm the conditions and documentation needed to submit an application as the conditions vary depending on the Graduate School. Please use the links below for contact details of the Graduate Schools of the University of Tokyo.
※Applicants should contact the Graduate School of their choice ONLY after they have passed the preliminary screening at the Embassy or Consular Office.
② University recommendation
For this category, the universities recommend research students directly to MEXT as candidates for the Japanese government scholarship. The majority of applicants will be international students on inter-university student exchange agreements, and the scholarship term starts in September or October. Although the period of application will vary depending on the Graduate School, students wishing to apply should contact the relevant department in the Graduate School as early as possible. Transfer to another university after arriving in Japan is not permitted. For further information, please contact the relevant office in the Graduate School you wish to attend.
③ Domestic Selection
Privately financed, full-time postgraduate international students can apply for the Domestic Selection. Applicants will be recommended from each department to MEXT, normally by the middle of December. If you wish to apply, please contact the relevant office in your Graduate School.
④ SGU (Top Global University) Category
In 2014, UTokyo was selected as one of the universities taking part in the Top Global Universities project by MEXT. This has given UTokyo additional capacity to receive MEXT scholarship students from FY 2014. The period of the scholarship is only one year.
Applicants are students who will newly arrive in Japan or who have already been studying at UTokyo and will be recommended by each Graduate School.
If you wish to apply, please contact the relevant office of your Graduate School.
(2) Undergraduate Students
UTokyo accepts undergraduate students through the Embassy recommendation and SGU categories.
① Embassy recommendation
Applications for this category are made directly through the Japanese Embassies or Consular Offices outside Japan. Application procedures and deadlines vary according to the country. Therefore, for more details, please contact the appropriate Japanese Embassy or Consular Office in your country.
In the first year, each scholarship recipient will be enrolled in a school designated by MEXT for a one-year intensive course in the Japanese language and other subjects necessary for preparation for proceeding to university. A recipient who has completed the preparatory education will go on to a university designated by MEXT upon passing its entrance examination. Please note that even though applicants may wish to enter UTokyo they may not necessarily be able to take the entrance examinations for UTokyo. This is because the university whose examination a recipient will take is decided by MEXT in consultation with the university and the preparatory school and in comprehensive consideration of the results of the academic examinations in the primary screening held in his/her home country, academic achievement at the preparatory school, the recipient’s proposed major subject, and the receiving capacity of the university.
② SGU (Super Global University) Category
In 2014, UTokyo was selected as one of the universities taking part in the Top Global Universities project by MEXT. This has given UTokyo additional capacity to receive MEXT scholarship students from FY 2014. The period of the scholarship is only one year.
Applicants are students who will newly arrive in Japan or who have already been studying at UTokyo and will be recommended by their department. If you wish to apply, please contact the relevant office of your department.