A Guide to Secure the Prestigious MEXT Scholarship

MEXT Scholarship is one of the highly funded scholarship in the world.  Being funded by Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, scholarships are offered to individuals seeking undergraduate as well as postgraduate degrees.

WHAT IS INCLUDED IN SCHOLARSHIP?

Scholarship covers any admission and tuition fee incurred as well as 117,000 Yen/Month for undergraduates and 120,000 Yen/Month for postgraduate studies in lieu of the living expenses. It also includes airfare from the home country of recipient of Scholarship to Japan at the start of the study and from Japan to home country at end of Scholarship.

The prospects of continuation of Scholarship for higher studies are high while you are a MEXT Scholar.

THE APPLICATION PROCESS

The application process if quite lengthy yet simple. In the following lines, application process through EMBASSY RECOMMENDATION is explained:

• INITIAL APPLICATION SCREENING
  Applications usually open in March of the year preceding the year of Scholarship. Like the MEXT Scholarship that commences in 2018 will have its application opened in March/April 2017. For 2019, scholarship opens in 2018.The application is simple to fill. Form is in Japanese as well as English Language, it can be filled in MS Word as well as hand written. For Postgraduate, they require transcripts as well One Page Research Proposal.Forms are to be printed with other documents being verified by a Government Officer and then sent by post to Embassy of Japan of your country. Like in Pakistan, we have to send it to Embassy of Japan in Diplomatic Enclave, Islamabad. Addressee is usually Public Relations Officer of Embassy.

  IMPORTANT: Do fill questions regarding life at Japan, How do you feel about Japan and Why Japan with great care. Why? I will tell in a while.

• WRITTEN TEST
  After you have passed the initial screening through application form, Embassy will call you for a written test conducted at Embassy as well as consulates. It usually happens in June/July. In Pakistan, they conducted the tests in Embassy at Islamabad as well as Consulate General in Karachi.Past Year Papers of the written test are usually available on the website and give you good estimate of the difficulty of the written test. For Engineering Disciplines at UG Level, they take tests of English, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Japanese. Performing good in Japanese is not mandatory but a plus point. They are generally gauging on your ability in Mathematics and English.
• INTERVIEW
  Those who pass the written test are then called for interview either in the evening on the same day of written test of some other day. Interview is generic and interviewers want to know how you feel about Japan and how do you see yourself after receiving this Scholarship. PEOPLE TO PEOPLE RELATIONSHIPS is phrase,  they are generally looking in interview.
• EMBASSY RECOMMENDATION
  Once the interview is done, there is a long wait of about 1/1.5 months until you receive a letter of either recommendation or rejection from Embassy. If you are recommended, you are asked to provide some documents. Embassy Recommendation usually comes in August/September.

ACCEPTANCE
There is even more wait after this. Embassy sends the recommendation to Japanese Government which then evaluates the recommendation as well as the application form and takes decision in December. Confirmations are sent out in start of December till end. Those who are selected are asked to fill and sign the Pledge form.

Postgraduates are asked to apply to different universities for a recommendation letter while these letters are not required in case of Undergraduates. Undergraduates are usually placed for Japanese Language training at either Tokyo University of Foreign Studies or Osaka University for ONE YEAR. Postgraduates are given the same opportunity for six months after which they start their regular education.

THIS IS UP, IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, DO WRITE THEM IN COMMENTS, I WILL TRY TO ANSWER THEM TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE. 

~UMER SADIQ