The main Japan scholarships for international students in the 2027 cycle are the Japanese Government (MEXT) Scholarship, the two JASSO scholarships, the ADB-Japan Scholarship Program, and foundation or university awards such as the Honjo International Scholarship. MEXT is the only one that pays tuition, a monthly allowance and a return flight at every level from bachelor’s to PhD, and you can apply from your home country without an admission letter.
Timing is the problem for most readers right now. As of 24 October 2026, the MEXT embassy round for 2027 arrivals and the ADB-JSP master’s intakes for April 2027 have closed. The routes still open are the Honjo Foundation scholarship (closes 31 October 2026), MEXT university recommendation calls at some universities, and the JASSO awards you apply for after you enrol. Below is what each one pays, who qualifies and when to apply, checked against Study in Japan, JASSO, ADB, Japanese embassy pages and university sites.
Japan scholarships for international students compared
Monthly amounts are in Japanese yen. Only MEXT, ADB-JSP and JJ/WBGSP also pay tuition; the others are living allowances, so you still need admission to a programme you can afford or one that waives fees.
| Scholarship | Level | Monthly amount | Tuition | 2027 status (24 Oct 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MEXT, embassy recommendation | Bachelor’s, research (master’s/PhD) and others | 117,000 to 145,000 yen | Fully covered | Closed (April to June 2026) |
| MEXT, university recommendation | Mostly master’s and PhD | Same as embassy route | Fully covered | Some calls open; set by each university |
| Honjo International Scholarship | Master’s and PhD in Japan | 180,000 to 230,000 yen | Not covered | Open until 31 October 2026 |
| JASSO Honors Scholarship | All levels, privately financed | 48,000 yen (30,000 at language schools) | Not covered | Through your school after enrolment, or EJU reservation |
| JASSO Student Exchange Support | Exchange, 8 days to 1 year | 80,000 yen | Handled by exchange agreement | Through your home university |
| ADB-Japan Scholarship Program | Master’s | Varies by university (147,000 yen at Nagoya GSID) | Fully covered | April 2027 intakes closed; dates vary by university |
| Joint Japan/World Bank (JJ/WBGSP) | Master’s (some programmes in Japan) | Varies by host country | Fully covered | 2027 windows: 18 Jan to 26 Feb and 29 Mar to 21 May 2027 |
MEXT scholarship: the main fully funded Japan scholarship
MEXT is Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. Its scholarship pays your tuition and admission fees, a monthly allowance and an economy return ticket to Japan. There is no application fee. You apply through one of two routes, and the route decides your timeline.
What follows is a summary. For both routes in full, with every category, age limit, embassy deadline, the document list and the exam and interview stage, see our MEXT scholarship 2027/2028 guide.
MEXT monthly allowance
| Category | Monthly allowance |
|---|---|
| Undergraduate students | 117,000 yen |
| Research students (non-degree), teacher training | 143,000 yen |
| Master’s course students | 144,000 yen |
| Doctoral course students | 145,000 yen |
| Designated regions | Plus 2,000 or 3,000 yen |
These are the rates published by Kagoshima University and match the 117,000 and 143,000 yen figures on the Embassy of Japan in Australia’s 2027 page. MEXT says amounts can change each year. Kyushu University quotes 146,000, 147,000 and 148,000 yen for research, master’s and doctoral students because its figures include the regional addition.
Embassy recommendation: the 2027 round is closed
You apply to the Japanese embassy or consulate in your own country. Study in Japan states that recruitment runs from April to May of the year before arrival, and that you must never send documents to MEXT in Japan. Each embassy sets its own deadline. For 2027 arrivals, the deadlines I checked were all between May and June 2026:
| Embassy | Category | 2027 deadline | Exams and interview |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jordan | Undergraduate and research | 21 May 2026 | Exam 15 June, interview 8 July 2026 |
| UAE | Research | 22 May 2026 | Exam 13 June, interview 27 June 2026 |
| Iceland | Undergraduate and research | 7 June 2026 | Exams 30 June 2026 |
| Australia | Undergraduate and research | 11 June 2026 | Exams 7 July 2026 |
| Cyprus | Research | 19 June 2026 | Before 15 July 2026 |
After the embassy stage, research applicants contact Japanese professors for a provisional acceptance letter (the Honolulu consulate set 1 September 2026 as the last contact date), MEXT screens candidates around November, and final results come out between December 2026 and March 2027. Scholars arrive in April 2027 or September/October 2027.
If you missed 2027, the next embassy round is for 2028 arrivals. Going by the published pattern, expect calls from about April 2027. Watch your local Japanese embassy’s website from March.
MEXT eligibility at a glance
| Requirement | Undergraduate | Research student (master’s/PhD) |
|---|---|---|
| Age (2027 round) | Born on or after 2 April 2002 | Born on or after 2 April 1992 |
| Education | High school graduate by the start of the programme | University graduate by the start, usually applying in the same field |
| Nationality | A country with diplomatic relations with Japan; apply where you hold citizenship | Same |
| Japanese | Must be willing to learn it and study in Japanese | Not required for English-taught programmes |
| Written exams | Japanese, English and Mathematics; science track adds Chemistry plus Physics or Biology | Japanese and English (some embassies exempt English-programme applicants from parts) |
| Length | Usually 5 years including 1 preparatory year | Up to 2 years as research student, then the degree |
Some embassies add their own grade floors. Jordan, for example, asks undergraduate applicants for 80% in Tawjehi for engineering and sciences and 85% for medicine. Check your embassy page for local rules.
University recommendation: the route that may still be open
Some Japanese universities hold their own MEXT quota and nominate students directly. These calls usually run in autumn for the following October intake, and many are tied to specific graduate programmes. Two examples for October 2027 entry:
- Hokkaido University’s English engineering programme (e3) ran its online application from 20 to 29 October 2026.
- Kyushu University’s IGSES programme for Southeast Asian nationals has 4 places a year. Applicants had to request a provisional acceptance letter by 1 September 2026, and must be under 35 on 1 April 2027 with CEFR B2 English or JLPT N2.
To find others, search the English site of the graduate school you want for “MEXT university recommendation” and the intake year.
Honjo International Scholarship: deadline 31 October 2026
The Honjo International Scholarship Foundation funds about ten non-Japanese graduate students a year. It is the one sizeable Japan scholarship you can still apply for this month.
| Programme length | Monthly amount |
|---|---|
| 1 or 2 years | 230,000 yen |
| 3 years | 210,000 yen |
| 4 or 5 years | 180,000 yen |
- Who: non-Japanese citizens enrolled in, or applying to, a Japanese master’s or PhD programme starting in April 2027 (autumn 2027 entrants may also apply).
- Age: master’s applicants must start by age 30 and PhD applicants by age 35, with no exceptions.
- Language: basic conversational Japanese; the interview is held in Japanese.
- Application window: 1 September to 31 October 2026, online only. Logins stop on 1 November.
- Documents: photo, a 2-minute research plan video, undergraduate transcript, a research proposal on the Foundation’s Japanese template, a signed recommendation letter and your admission letter.
- Selection: document results by 31 January 2027, interviews in early February 2027 (Tokyo or video), final result by 31 March 2027.
Honjo does not pay tuition, but it can be held alongside MEXT, the JASSO Honors Scholarship, JSPS and JICA awards. Most other scholarships cannot be combined with it.
JASSO scholarships for international students in Japan
JASSO (the Japan Student Services Organization) runs two programmes for international students. Neither pays tuition, and for most applicants your school handles the application.
Monbukagakusho Honors Scholarship for Privately Financed International Students
- 48,000 yen a month at universities, graduate schools and colleges; 30,000 yen at Japanese language schools.
- Paid for one year (April to March) or six months (October to March).
- You need Student residence status, a GPA of at least 2.30 for the previous year, and average monthly support from home under 90,000 yen.
- Regular-course students also need JLPT N2, 200 or more on the EJU Japanese test, or CEFR B2 English. English-taught special courses are exempt.
- Apply through your school once enrolled, or before arrival through the EJU “reservation program” if you score well on the EJU and plan to enter as a regular student.
Student Exchange Support Program
This pays 80,000 yen a month for exchange stays of 8 days to one year at a Japanese school that has an exchange agreement with your home university. Only the Japanese school can submit applications, and you must return to finish your degree at home. Ask your own international office whether it has partner agreements with Japan before you plan around this.
ADB-Japan Scholarship Program (ADB-JSP)
Funded by the Government of Japan and run by the Asian Development Bank since 1988, ADB-JSP offers about 130 master’s scholarships a year at 27 partner institutions, 17 of them in Japan. It covers full tuition, a monthly allowance including housing, books, medical insurance and travel.
| Requirement | ADB rule |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Citizen of an ADB borrowing member country, with no dual citizenship of a developed country |
| Age | 35 or under when you apply |
| Work experience | At least 2 years full-time after your degree |
| Admission | Admitted to an approved master’s course at a partner institution |
| After study | Return and work in your home country for at least 2 years |
| Not eligible | People living or working outside their home country, ADB staff and relatives |
You apply to the university, not to ADB. Each partner sets its own dates. Nagoya University’s Graduate School of International Development, for example, took ADB-JSP applications for April 2027 from 1 to 16 June 2026 and pays 147,000 yen a month. ADB borrowing members are in Asia and the Pacific, so applicants from Africa, Europe or the Americas should look at MEXT or JJ/WBGSP instead.
Two more options with Japanese funding
The Joint Japan/World Bank Graduate Scholarship Program funds master’s study at 44 participating programmes in 24 universities, some of them in Japan. You need a bachelor’s degree earned at least three years before the deadline and three years of paid development work (applicants from listed fragile states are exempt from the work rule). It pays tuition, return airfare plus a US$600 travel allowance per trip, insurance and a monthly allowance. The 2027 windows for developing-country nationals are 18 January to 26 February 2027 and 29 March to 21 May 2027.
Rotary Peace Fellowships fund master’s study at six Rotary Peace Centers, one of which is International Christian University in Tokyo. Up to 50 master’s fellowships are offered per round, and you need three years of relevant work. The 2027-28 round closed on 15 May 2026.
How to apply for Japan scholarships: a 12-month plan
- Now to January: pick 3 to 5 Japanese programmes, read their MEXT or ADB-JSP pages, and note any university recommendation calls.
- January to March: get transcripts, a degree certificate (or expected graduation letter), two recommendation letters and an English or Japanese test result issued within two years.
- March to April: write your Field of Study and Research Plan and download the new year’s MEXT forms from Study in Japan. Old-year forms are rejected.
- April to June: submit to your embassy by its deadline, in the format it asks for (several accept only printed copies by hand or courier).
- June to July: sit the embassy exams and interview.
- August to September: if you pass, email professors for a provisional acceptance letter and submit the placement form. Apply for Honjo from 1 September if you already have, or expect, admission.
Every MEXT research application needs a recommendation letter from your university. Our recommendation letter samples show what a referee should include.
Deadline warning
Embassy deadlines differ by country and some close in May. Do not rely on another country’s date: the Jordan embassy closed on 21 May 2026, while Cyprus accepted papers until 19 June 2026.
If you are comparing countries, our guide to scholarships with no application fee includes MEXT next to similar government awards. If you are thinking of a short trip to Japan first, see our Japan Youth Summit guide.
FAQ on Japan scholarships
Can I get a fully funded scholarship in Japan without IELTS?
Yes. MEXT does not require IELTS; embassies set their own English and Japanese exams, and a test certificate is only asked for “if applicable” at embassies such as the UAE. Your target university may still ask for English proof for admission.
When does the MEXT scholarship 2028 application open?
No date has been announced yet. Embassy recruitment normally runs from April to May of the year before arrival, so expect 2028 calls around April 2027.
How much is the MEXT scholarship stipend per month?
117,000 yen for undergraduates, 143,000 yen for non-degree research students, 144,000 yen for master’s and 145,000 yen for PhD students, plus 2,000 or 3,000 yen in some regions.
Do I need an admission letter to apply for scholarships in Japan?
Not for MEXT embassy recommendation, where you seek a provisional acceptance only after passing the embassy stage. ADB-JSP, JJ/WBGSP and Honjo need an admission, or an application in progress, at the host university.
Sources and updates
MEXT application timing and forms come from Study in Japan’s MEXT 2027 embassy recommendation page; deadlines, age limits and exam dates come from the 2027 MEXT pages of the Embassies of Japan in Jordan, the UAE, Iceland, Australia and Cyprus and the Consulate General in Honolulu. Allowance rates come from Kagoshima University, Kyushu University and the Australian embassy page. JASSO details come from Study in Japan’s JASSO scholarship page and JASSO’s exchange programme page. ADB-JSP rules come from the Asian Development Bank’s JSP page and Nagoya University’s 2027 announcement. Honjo details come from the Foundation’s 2027 application guidelines; JJ/WBGSP from the World Bank scholarship page; Rotary from Al-Fanar Media’s report of the 2027-28 call. University recommendation dates come from Hokkaido University and Kyushu University. Checked on 24 October 2026; this post will be updated when the 2028 MEXT calls open.
I am Jude Chinecherem, a final-year MBBS student at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. I know what it feels like to want an education your family cannot afford. When my parents could not pay for my schooling, I had to learn how to find scholarships and work the system out on my own, with nobody to guide me. I came out the other side, and now I share everything I learned so the next student does not have to figure it out alone. This is the advice I wish someone had given me back then.
