1. What is MEXT scholarship with Embassy Recommendation
Those who wish to apply for a MEXT Scholarship with Embassy Recommendation to study in Japan are required to apply to the China Scholarship Council and follow their selection procedures as the preliminary stage. Only those who pass the preliminary stage may proceed to the University selection. The Graduate School of Frontier Science (GSFS) will announce information on the University selection procedures on this GSFS website in June for both April and October enrollment in the following year. In GSFS, every department and the Graduate Program in Sustainability Science accept applications from those who are applying for a MEXT scholarship with Embassy Recommendation.
The application guidelines for those wishing to enroll in AY2025 (April or October 2025) have been updated. (As of May 22, 2024)
2. Application procedures
| Step 1 | Apply to the China Scholarship Council |
|---|---|
| Step 2 | June to August Only those who pass the preliminary selection at the Japanese Embassy or a consulate will be able to apply for admission to GSFS. |
| Step 3 | September After the GSFS assessment, the successful candidates will receive a conditional admission letter from GSFS. |
| Step 4 | December You will be notified with the MEXT scholarship award result. |
| Step 5 | April or October of the following year Once the MEXT scholarship is awarded you will enroll in a university which you have applied. |
● Guidelines for those applying as a degree seeking student:
GSFS does not accept the MEXT scholars through Embassy recommendation directly into their degree courses. Applicants must apply for a status of "research student" instead of "degree seeking student".
● For those applying as a research student:
Research student is classified as a non-degree student. In order to matriculate to a degree-seeking course, students must take an entrance examination of the department you wish to enroll, and pass it. For more information, please check Q&A.
3. FAQs
- Should I contact the professor I prefer to have as my supervisor directly?
- Yes. Please obtain consent first from the professor(s) to become your supervisor. Upon obtaining consent, please file an application in accordance with the guidelines.
- I have received consent from more than one professor. What should I do next?
- Please decide on one professor as your supervisor, and file an application to GSFS. Also please inform all the professors you have contacted of your decision.
- If I enroll in a department in the Graduate School of Frontier Sciences as a research student, can I automatically matriculate to a degree-seeking course from the next semester?
- No. In order to become a degree seeking student, you must pass the entrance examination of the department you wish to enroll. GSFS holds entrance examinations twice a year, in August (Schedule A) and February (Schedule B). If you enroll in the Spring Semester (April), for example, the first possible entrance examination is in August. If you pass the exam, you can matriculate to a degree-seeking course in the Autumn Semester (October). If you enroll in the Autumn Semester (October), the first possible entrance examination is in February. If you pass the exam, you can matriculate to a degree-seeking course in the Spring Semester (April).
- What if I fail the entrance examination as a research student?
- Those who enrolled in April can be a research student for up to two years. Those who enrolled in October can be a research student for up to one and half year. Within this period, research students must take an entrance examination and pass it in order to proceed to a degree-seeking course. Most departments hold entrance examination twice a year, in August and February. In the August, all departments conduct examination and students can take them in English. In the February, fewer departments conduct exams. You want to pay attention to your examination schedule when deciding your enrollment timing. For example, if you enroll in October as a research student, and the department you are going to apply holds examinations only in August, you must wait to proceed to a degree-seeking course for at least one year.
- I want to study as a degree student without having been a research student, but the department I want to apply accepts students only as a research student. Aren't there any other options available?
-
After you receive a conditional acceptance letter in September, you may want to think about taking an entrance examination of the department you wish to enroll prior to your expected enrollment.
Sample schedule
- In September, you receive a conditional acceptance letter from GSFS and complete your scholarship application procedures at the Japanese Embassy in your country.
- Take an entrance examination, Schedule B, in February.
- If you pass it, GSFS will accept you as a degree seeking student instead of research student in April of the following year.
Please keep in mind that most departments require applicants to come to Japan to sit for their entrance examinations. For more information on entrance examinations, please check the website of the department you wish to study. - What are the financial differences in taking an exam after I enroll as a research student, and taking it before I enroll?
- The two main differences are "examination fee" and "air fare (if it is necessary to come to Japan for exam)". If you take the examination after you enroll, you will be exempted from paying both. When you take an examination before your enrollment, you must pay "examination fee" and "air fare (if necessary)".
- Are there any additional procedures I have to do other than taking the examination to matriculate to a degree course?
- Yes, you must apply for extension of your scholarship period after you enroll in the Graduate School of Frontier Sciences. By the time of application, you and your supervisor are expected to discuss your study plan to decide when you are going to take entrance examination and which department you are going to apply.