MEXT Scholarships 2021 Applications (CLOSED)

The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) of the Government of Japan offers scholarships to foreign students who wish to study at Japanese universities.

To date, some 65,000 students from approximately 160 countries and regions around the world have studied in Japan under the Japanese Government MEXT Scholarship programme established in 1954.

Warning: In some countries there are fraudulent organisations that offer to help students apply for these Japanese Government scholarships in return for a deposit. The only ways to apply for a Japanese Government scholarships are through the Embassy of Japan in your home country, or through a participating Japanese university. You will not be asked to pay a deposit to apply for the scholarships.

Note: These scholarship programmes can only be offered if the exams and interviews can be conducted at your country. The scholarship may be cancelled if our representative cannot enter your country due to the travel restrictions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Reference

"Student Guide to Japan" is an essential book for international students planning to study in Japan.

Study & Work in Japan on JETRO (Japan External Trade Organisation) website is also useful for further reference.
 

Contact Details

Please submit your application to the office below.

Japan Information & Cultural Centre, Embassy of Japan in New Zealand (Wellington)

1. Research (Postgraduate) Students Scholarship

This scholarship is open to students from New Zealand to undertake research or a graduate degree in Japan. Course fees for the entirety of the scholarship will be covered, along with flights to and from Japan, and a monthly stipend for living costs.

Applicants must:

• Be a New Zealand, Cook Islands citizen.
• Be born on or after 2 April 1986.
• Have either an undergraduate degree, or the same or a higher level of academic ability as that of a university graduate.

The term of scholarship is either 18 months or two years (including 6 months of Japanese language studies) however the scholarship may be extended for a maximum of seven years depending on study. The area of study must be the same field or in a related field to what the applicant studied previously.

Application Guidelines and Forms

• Please refer to the Study Japan website
  (Submitted documents cannot be returned)
• Please submit your application to Embassy of Japan in New Zealand.
• Academic transcript must be certified, my eQuals print outs are NOT accepted.
• The Certificate of Health is not necessary at the application stage. Please fill out Self-Assessment Medical Report instead. This is a temporary alternative form to Certificate of Health and successful applicants will be required to submit a Certificate of Health.
• To select universities and courses you want to study in Japan, the following URLs may be helpful:
  http://researchmap.jp/search/
  http://jglobal.jst.go.jp/en/
  http://www.jasso.go.jp/en/study_j/search/index.html http://www.jpss.jp/en/
  https://www.jsps.go.jp/english/e-fellow/index.html

2. Undergraduate Students Scholarship

This scholarship is available to applicants who want to undertake their undergraduate degree in a Japanese university. Course fees for the entirety of the scholarship will be covered, along with flights to and from Japan, and a monthly stipend for living costs.

Applicants must:

• Be a New Zealand, Cook Islands citizen.
• Be born on or after 2 April 1996.
• Completed 12 years of school education by March 2020 OR have equivalent to high school completion.

A five-year scholarship is offered; the first year in Japanese language training, and the following four years being study towards a degree in the field of your choice. For those majoring in medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine or a six-year pharmaceutical course, the term of scholarship is seven years, including the first year in Japanese language training.

Application Guidelines and Forms

• Please refer to the Study Japan website.
  (Submitted documents cannot be returned)
• Please submit your application to Embassy of Japan in New Zealand.
• Please fill out Self-Assessment Medical Report instead. This is a temporary alternative form to Certificate of Health and successful applicants will be required to submit a Certificate of Health.
• Academic transcript must be issued by your school or the Government, personal print outs are NOT accepted.

Time line

Previous Exams

Past Examination Questions 2014, 2015, 2016