Applicants must be under 35 years of age and a college graduate or have completed 16 years of schooling in order to be eligible. Individuals who have not yet graduated at the time of application must receive their degree before the date of departure for Japan as a scholarship recipient.

Knowledge of Japanese Language: Applicants who have passed the interview will be required to take a Japanese language exam as part of the First Screening, so prior study of the Japanese language is highly encouraged. Applicants must be willing to learn Japanese, deepen their understanding of Japan, and carry out their academic studies in Japan in Japanese. If selected, grantees will be enrolled in a one-year preparatory education course. Individuals who have a strong functional command of Japanese may instead choose to be directly placed in a university and begin their program of study.

• senior
• graduate

• US Citizen

The MEXT Research Scholarship is intended for graduate or post-graduate students to complete a master’s or doctoral degree at a Japanese institution. Applicants must explain their intended program of study (major) in the application and should take care to explain why they wish to complete their degree in Japan and how their research will benefit US-Japan relations. It should be related to their undergraduate field of study and should be a program which they can pursue at a Japanese university. The scholarship is open to students pursuing any major and is typically for a period of two years or the length of time to complete the degree program, including a six-month term of intensive Japanese language training. 

For information on studying at Japanese universities, please use the resources below as a starting point:

Japan Student Services Organization (JASSO)
Japan Study Support

Applicants must carefully read the Application Guidelines before beginning to prepare their application packet. Please refer to the Japan Student Organization (JASSO)'s Study in Japan webpage using the link below to access Guidelines and Application form.  https://www.studyinjapan.go.jp/en/smap-stopjus-applications-research.html

Questions? Please see the MEXT Scholarship Frequently Asked Questions, or contact the Educational Affairs Specialist at education@se.mofa.go.jp.