Japanese Government (MEXT) Scholarship, Research Students

Tuition, entrance and matriculation fees waived. Monthly allowance of JPY 143,000 (preparatory or non-regular students), JPY 144,000 (master's) or JPY 145,000 (doctoral), plus economy flights to and from Japan.

Fields: Any field

Open to most nationalities

• You must hold the nationality of a country that has diplomatic relations with Japan, and apply through the Japanese embassy in your country of citizenship.
• In principle you must have been born on or after 2 April 1992 for the 2027 round. The age limit moves forward each year.
• For a master's or first-phase doctoral course you need 16 years of schooling or a bachelor's degree equivalent. For a second-phase doctorate you need a master's degree or equivalent.
• You should apply in the field you studied at university or a closely related field.
• You must be willing to learn Japanese and be in good physical and mental health, shown by a medical certificate on the prescribed form.
• Past MEXT grantees, military personnel and people already enrolled in Japan as privately funded students are generally not eligible.

Embassies open the call around April and close it in May or June, set by each embassy. For the 2027 intake the Embassy of Japan in Nigeria reportedly closed on 8 June 2026. The 2028 intake is expected to open around April 2027, check the embassy site.

Deadlines move a little every year and some close early. Confirm the date on the official page before you plan around it.

• Application form (current year's MEXT form)
• Placement preference application form
• Field of study and research plan on the MEXT form
• Academic transcripts for all years of every university attended
• Graduation certificate or degree certificate (or certificate of prospective graduation)
• Recommendation letter from your dean, president or academic advisor
• Medical certificate on the prescribed form
• Thesis abstracts, language certificates and an employer recommendation, only if they apply to you
• Photograph 4.5 x 3.5 cm taken within six months

1. 1

   Step 1: Watch for the embassy call

   Each year around April the Japanese embassy in your country publishes the call for the next intake. Read the MEXT Research Students application guidelines and your embassy's own checklist and deadline.
2. 2

   Step 2: Submit documents to the embassy

   Send the complete document set to the embassy by its deadline, in person or by post as the embassy requires. Documents are not returned and incomplete packages are not processed.
3. 3

   Step 3: First screening

   The embassy checks your documents, then holds written exams in Japanese and English and an interview. Passing does not guarantee selection.
4. 4

   Step 4: Request provisional acceptance

   If you pass, contact up to two Japanese universities' international student offices to ask for a letter of provisional acceptance. For the 2027 round the cut-off for starting this contact was 1 September 2026. Universities usually need about a month to reply.
5. 5

   Step 5: Submit the placement preference form

   Return the placement preference form to the embassy, listing up to three universities, by the embassy's deadline (around mid-September to early October).
6. 6

   Step 6: Second screening and result

   MEXT runs the second screening and university placement from November. Results reach applicants through the embassy between January and March.

• You must obtain a new Student visa in your home country before travelling and stay in Student status.
• You may not take other Japanese government or related scholarships during the award, and you must not plan long-term fieldwork outside Japan.
• MEXT may ask you to repay part or all of the scholarship if you give false information, break the pledge or lose your place for poor progress.
• After returning home you are expected to keep in touch with your university and cooperate with embassy surveys and events.

• Start your search for a Japanese supervisor and university early. A provisional acceptance letter strongly influences the final result, and applicants may be rejected without one.
• Write a specific, realistic research plan. The first screening judges the plan in detail.
• Do the Japanese and English exam preparation seriously. Both subjects are compulsory for everyone, though English can be exempted in countries where English is official, so follow your embassy's guidance.
• Check your embassy's site in March and April. Deadlines and any restricted fields differ by country, and the Nigeria deadline was only about a month after the call.

Winning the award does not include the visa. Plan your application with our guide for the host country.

• Japan student visa

Checked against these official pages on 17 Oct 2026.

• MEXT 2027 Research Students application guidelines (Study in Japan) (opens in a new tab)
• Embassy of Japan in Nigeria, 2027 MEXT notice (opens in a new tab)
• Study in Japan, MEXT scholarship page (opens in a new tab)