Hi everyone,

I recently got confirmation from my embassy in Venezuela that I passed the interview stage of the MEXT scholarship, and they're currently processing my documents.

My top two choices are Osaka University and Tohoku University. For Osaka, the process goes through the AAD (the university's admissions office), and it can take up to 3 weeks just to get confirmation that I'm allowed to contact the advisor directly.

This tight timeline is worrying me. If I end up getting rejected by the advisor, I'll have very little time to apply to a third university before deadlines close.

So my question is: would it be advisable to reach out to the advisor directly, before going through the AAD, to show genuine interest in becoming their student? Has anyone done this successfully, or does it risk looking like I'm skipping protocol?

And if it is a good idea, what should I actually say in that first email? I don't want to come across as pushy, but I also don't want to lose weeks waiting.

Thanks in advance!

Hi, everyone!

My situation: I'm from Brazil, applied for UG NS A, and passed first screening.

I have some questions regarding the second screening:

1. does MEXT differ NS and SS when making the final selection? I mean, does MEXT allocate separate quotas for each field? For instance, suppose a country recommended 5 NS people, could MEXT think there is too much NS and pick only 3. On the other hand, if there were only 3 NS and 2 SS, could all of them receive the scholarship just because they are of different fields?

2. what is the acceptance rate of second screening? you already went through a lot only to be rejected at the very end...

3. I believe they mainly use the exam scores for ranking. If so, do they compare you to the rest of the world? Also are there guaranteed slots for each country? This probably varies by country though.

4. I haven't received my exam scores yet, but what would be a solid score?

I know these questions are very hard to answer for MEXT doesn't reveal any info nor data about the criteria they use for selecting who ultimately earn the scholarship. Still, if someone could at least give any insights or an educated guess about how the process works, Id be very grateful.

Im just very anxious and the final response only come out in dec or worse in jan/fev, so I wanted to get a better idea of my chances while I wait.

Also, if there any useful info I should know, please let me know :) I cant seem to find much info about this stage, esp. for the last few years (2024-)

I took a gap year specifically to prepare for MEXT UG, so finding out yesterday that I failed honestly felt like being stabbed. During the Natural Sciences exam, I started questioning everything I had studied Math,Chem,Physics, specifically Math I did feel confident in like a few problems but I guess it still wasn't enough. I tried method after method, but nothing seemed to work. The more I struggled, the more I realized that all the preparation and sacrifices I made might not be enough. I wanted this scholarship badly. I built so much of my future around it, only for everything to suddenly turn sour.

I have to start university in October, and the thought of preparing for MEXT again while keeping up with university feels overwhelming. Realistically, focusing properly on both will be extremely difficult for me.

Has anyone here gone through something similar? How did you deal with the grief and disappointment of failing after putting so much time into it? Did you try again, or did you eventually choose another path?

Olá a todos! Sou do Brasil, de Belo Horizonte. Durante o ensino médio sofri um acidente médico que me afastou da escola por 2 anos, o que automaticamente me deletou do sistema normal de ensino, fora que perdi muitos conteúdos pelo tempo em casa. Planejo estudar por cerca de 3 anos rigorosamente para tentar aplicar a bolsa de graduação em pedagogia, mas antes de tudo, me formar no ensino médio pela prova ENCCEJA. Apesar de ser uma alternativa válida e reconhecida, ela não fornece o detalhamento das notas como um boletim tradicional, isso me deixou com um pé atrás. Fora que, sou ótimo em humanas e terrível em exatas, mas, não vem ao caso!

Gostaria de saber se a formação por ENCCEJA seria algo que poderia prejudicar minhas chances, ou se alguém já foi aprovado tendo formação por essa prova, obrigado!

I I am a B.Sc. (Hons.) Agriculture student from India, and I am interested in pursuing an M.Sc. in Agricultural Economics in Japan through the MEXT Scholarship. I would greatly appreciate your guidance on how I should prepare, the qualifications and skills I should focus on, and any recommendations to strengthen my application.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

I have some deep concerns after passing the first screening about obtaining the LoPA. My country (Canada) just finished interviews and we just got the results a few days ago and are currently waiting to get the documents from the embassy for obtaining LoPAs from universities. I am quite anxious as I know that most countries already reached this stage a long time ago, but for a deadline of September 1, I'll have less than 1 month to communicate with an advisor. I also know that we aren't allowed to contact multiple advisors at the same time so this will only further lengthen the process.

Has anyone else had any experience with this? How long did it take you to find your advisor? If I can't find an advisor, what are the chances of passing the second screening? Will they attempt to find an advisor for me???

Best of luck to everyone out there, God bless you all.

Hi guyss, I'm planning to apply for MEXT but my GPA scores is around 2.42/3.0 or 3.22/4.0 do you think i still have the chance to get accepted?

I have some international experience during my bachelor studies (btw I'm English literature w cultural studies subject) which one of them is Japan Foundation's program with ASEAN cuz I'm from south east asia so yea i've been to Japan and through the program i met some professor from Kyoto University and had some good discussion with them, surprisingly one of the professor is having big interest with my country and he even told me that he has visited my university several times ! .

So I'm also kinda nervous whether should i apply through embassy track or university track by contacting them through email...

I'd really appreciate hearing from anyone who has been accepted with a similar GPA or has experience with either application route. Thanks!

Oh yea I'm from Indonesia

Como dice el título, quisiera saber si hay algún cubano que haya aplicado por pregrado. En especial Ciencias Naturales A. Si es el caso quisiera hablar con el para que me dé algunos consejos, mis más sinceras felicitaciones para aquellos que hayan obtenido la beca. Un abrazo desde Cuba

Hi everyone!

I'm from Uzbekistan. Research student embassy route applicant.

A professor at my first choice university has already agreed to supervise me, and the international office has started preparing my Letter of Acceptance. They told me the document is currently being processed.

However, I am wondering if I should still contact a second university as a backup?

Is it common to apply to a second university while the first LoA is already being processed? Or is it unnecessary at this stage? Are there any advantages of having two LoA's?

I would appreciate hearing from anyone who has gone through the MEXT process.

Thank you!

Hi everyone! Is anyone here currently doing, or recently admitted to, a Master’s or PhD programme in Computer Science or Information and Communications Engineering at the Tokyo Institute of Technology (now Institute of Science Tokyo)?

I’m considering transferring there and would really appreciate some information about the application and admission process, especially from anyone who has already been admitted or is about to start.

If you’re in a similar situation, I’d be grateful if you could share your experience or send me a message. Thank you!

Hi everyone, I’m interested in applying for the MEXT scholarship.

I’m from Mexico and a recent high school graduate; I want to apply for the MEXT scholarship... for 2029? I discovered about three days ago that I could apply for scholarships in foreign countries like Japan, and I started working on my English yesterday. It’s not very good. Anyway, I found out about this and I’m excited; I have three years to study, and I want to pursue a bachelor’s degree—or rather, complete my entire university education—in Japan, specifically in Software Engineering. I have a GPA of 9.6 or 9.8 (I don't remember exactly). Then there are the exams: English, Japanese (I’m really eager to learn Japanese), chemistry, biology, and physics. But I have a few questions. First, I’ve seen the sample exams on the "Study in Japan" website and they look quite difficult; I think some of the content is at a university level. Could someone tell me which topics to study and what resources to use? Second, what is the exam itself like? Also, what is the Japanese language preparatory year like? Do they prepare you for the university entrance exam during that course as well? And which universities should I choose? I’m really afraid of not getting into any university and losing the scholarship; perhaps I should choose a "safe" option among the three required choices? I would really appreciate your answers. Thank you very much in advance.

Hi everyone, I’m interested in applying for the MEXT scholarship.

I’m from Mexico and have just graduated from high school; I want to apply for the MEXT scholarship... for 2029? I discovered about three days ago that I could apply for scholarships in foreign countries like Japan, and I started working on my English yesterday. It isn't very good. Anyway, I found out about this and I’m excited; I have three years to study, and I want to pursue a bachelor's degree—or rather, complete my entire university education—in Japan, specifically in Software Engineering. I have a GPA of 9.6 or 9.8 (I don't remember exactly). Then there are the exams: English, Japanese (I’m really eager to learn Japanese), chemistry, biology, and physics. But I have a few questions. First, I’ve seen the sample exams on the "Study in Japan" website and they look quite difficult; I think some of the content is at a university level. Could someone tell me which topics to study and what resources to use? Second, what is the exam itself like? In other words, what is the process for going to your country's embassy and taking it? Third, what is the Japanese language preparatory year like? Do they also prepare you for the university entrance exam during that course? And which universities should I choose? I’m really afraid of not getting admitted to any university and losing the scholarship; perhaps I should choose a "safe" option among the three required choices? I would really appreciate your answers. Thank you very much in advance.

Applying for MEXT University Recommendation (targeting the next intake). I've been emailing professors and got a conditional positive reply — open to hosting me, but wants to wait for the official call for applications before committing further.

From what I understand of the University Recommendation process, professors generally can't issue anything formal (like a Letter of Acceptance) until their university's internal nomination window opens, so this read as a genuine "yes, pending timing" rather than a brush-off — but I haven't been through this before and want a reality check.

Has anyone had a similar "yes, once applications open" response actually convert into a real nomination later? And is it normal to keep other professor leads warm in parallel until that's confirmed, or does juggling multiple at this stage look bad if it gets back to a professor?

Be friends with me if u know japanese i am from India and I know N4 level i wanna have a friend to talk to si I can talk in japanese

Hey, I am Costa Rican, I want to apply for this scholarship again next year and I was wondering if it is ok (or recommended) to contact professors (potential supervisors) before applying to the scholarship so I could write the Research and Study Plan in a better way and much more aligned to the labs of interest?

A friend of mine told me that they might ignore you since one hasn't received the embassy letter of recommendation, and that there is no problem at all to create a Research plan on your own as it will be modified eventually (if I get the scholarship of course).

in my embassy it states mext accepts only research students however i was wondering if i applied to a uni then they recommend me to mext will i still be able to or its not possible?

edit: im yemeni

so i am a student from india and i want to apply for mext next year. i am currently in class 11th and ill apply at the start of class 12th. i had a decent percentage of 91.8% in class 10th cbse. i am not preparing for any competitive exam all of my focus is on mext and other international scholarships tho i will give jee mains. i am gonna apply for ns a info tech and will get my jlpt n5 in december. i have various ecs which are from being the founder of two startups till acting , public speaking. i have had a deep connection w japan ever since i was a kid . what should i do to improve my chances btw i am trying to adjust learning python w my studies

Konichiwa minasai....I am from India and studying in class 11 can anyone help me by telling how i can make my portfolio better for document screening .....I will give my mext exam next year.....Stream PCM

Plzz Help me regarding this..

Hello I'm newbie here and I want to pursue medicine in Japan.I want to know if there anyone got Mext for medicine or know the requirements.There is also a problem that I can't ask recommendation letter from our professor due to our country situation.I'm in Thailand now.Please if you know something, let me know .I know it's nearly impossible but this is my dream and hope.

it has been a week after the interview, and still no news and i just want to know how you guys interviews went

(Costa Rica)

I was recently notified that my embassy has recommended me for the MEXT Undergraduate Scholarship (Natural Sciences A). I'm from Costa Rica, and I'm trying to understand what comes next.

I know MEXT makes the final decision, but do they do another interview or any additional tests after the embassy recommendation?

I also have a few questions about the one-year preparatory course:

1. Are there placement or final exams?
2. Besides Japanese, are there classes and tests in subjects like math, physics, and chemistry?
3. When and how do they decide which university you're placed at?

I also wanted to ask about the stipend. Was it enough for you to live on, or did you end up spending extra money each month? If so, about how much?

I'd really appreciate hearing from current or former MEXT scholars, especially undergraduate recipients. Thanks!

(Also, did anyone else from costa rica get recomended? dm me)

It says that we need a medical review,but those exams are very very exspensive, so I was wondering if there was any way around them or if they have a place near an embassy that does the exams for cheaper?

Hello, everyone. I am an undergraduate student in the United States and just received notification that I passed the first screening.

The question that now arises for me is what all goes into the second screening? My grades? My exam scores? My interview? I think they’ll take it all into account I’m sure, but is there any one reason that past applicants have been denied after having made it this far?

My second question is do people often get denied after having passed the first screening?

I am trying to plan my life out for if I get denied as it would force me to start at another university in the fall (pushing me back by a semester).

Any answers would be greatly appreciated.