The MEXT scholarship is the Japanese government’s fully funded award for international students. It pays your tuition and entrance fees, a monthly allowance of 117,000 to 145,000 yen and a return economy flight, and there is no application fee. You can reach it through two doors: the Japanese embassy in your own country (embassy recommendation) or a Japanese university that nominates you directly (university recommendation).
As of 24 October 2026, the embassy round for April and October 2027 arrivals is closed in every country I checked, and its results come out between December 2026 and early 2027. What is still open is a handful of university recommendation calls for October 2027, two of which close this week. The upcoming embassy deadlines are the Teacher Training and Japanese Studies calls (5 to 12 February 2027, depending on the embassy) and the 2028 undergraduate and research round (8 April to 11 June 2027 at the embassies listed below). This guide covers the MEXT scholarship 2027/2028 categories, allowances, timeline, documents and the exam and interview stage, using Study in Japan, Japanese embassy pages and university guidelines.
MEXT scholarship 2027/2028: where each round stands
MEXT is Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. It does not run one global application. Each embassy and each nominating university runs its own call, so the useful question is which call you can still catch.
| Round | Who applies | Application period | Status on 24 Oct 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Embassy recommendation, 2027 arrivals | Research, undergraduate, college of technology, specialized training college | April to June 2026, set by each embassy | Closed; final results due December 2026 to early 2027 |
| University recommendation, October 2027 entry | Mostly master’s, PhD and research students | Set by each university, often October and November 2026 | Some calls open now |
| Embassy recommendation, Teacher Training and Japanese Studies, October 2027 | Schoolteachers and undergraduates in Japanese studies | Last deadlines: 5 to 12 February 2026 | Deadlines: 5 to 12 February 2027 (5 Feb Papua New Guinea, 6 Feb Georgia, 12 Feb Australia and Hong Kong) |
| Embassy recommendation, 2028 arrivals | Research, undergraduate, college of technology, specialized training college | Last deadlines: 8 April to 11 June 2026 | Deadlines: 8 April to 11 June 2027, by embassy (table below) |
The 2027 dates in this table are this year’s deadlines moved forward one year (based on this year’s date; confirm on the official page when the call opens). Study in Japan says recruitment runs from April to May of the year before arrival, and the Consulate General of Japan in Toronto says forms for the 2028 cycle should appear in April 2027.
Embassy recommendation vs university recommendation
Most applicants should plan around the embassy route, which any citizen of an eligible country can enter. The university route takes fewer people, and it suits you if you already know which lab you want.
| Point | Embassy recommendation | University recommendation |
|---|---|---|
| Where you apply | Japanese embassy or consulate in your country of citizenship | The Japanese university or graduate school, usually online |
| Categories | All MEXT categories | Mainly research students, master’s and PhD |
| When | April to June for the following year (February for Teacher Training and Japanese Studies) | Each university’s own window, often autumn for the next October |
| Professor’s acceptance | Needed only after you pass the embassy stage | Usually needed when you apply |
| Fees | No application fee | Some universities charge an exam fee (9,800 yen at the University of Tokyo’s IST) |
| Selection | Documents, written exams and interview at the embassy, then MEXT screening | University committee nominates 1 or 2 per programme, then MEXT screening |
| Choice of university | You list preferences; MEXT and universities decide placement | Fixed: the nominating university |
You cannot send anything to MEXT in Japan. Study in Japan says plainly that documents go to the embassy or consulate, never to the ministry.
MEXT scholarship categories and age limits
Ages below are the 2027 rules for the April to June categories and the 2026 rules for Teacher Training and Japanese Studies, which were the latest published. Each new round moves the birth date forward by one year.
| Category | Who it is for | Age rule (latest round) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research students | University graduates going for a master’s, PhD or non-degree research | Born on or after 2 April 1992 (under 35) | 2 to 5 years, usually starting as a non-degree research student |
| Undergraduate students | High school graduates | Born on or after 2 April 2002 (under 25) | 5 years with a preparatory year; 7 years for medicine, dentistry, veterinary science and 6-year pharmacy |
| College of Technology (KOSEN) | High school graduates wanting engineering at a technical college | Born on or after 2 April 2002 | 4 to 4.5 years |
| Specialized Training College | High school graduates wanting vocational fields such as technology, business or nutrition | Born on or after 2 April 2002 | 3 years including 1 year of Japanese |
| Teacher Training | Primary or secondary schoolteachers with 5 years’ experience | Born on or after 2 April 1991 (2026 round) | About 18 months (October to March of the second year) |
| Japanese Studies | Current undergraduates majoring in Japanese language or culture | Born between 2 April 1996 and 1 April 2008 (2026 round) | Up to 1 year |
All categories need citizenship of a country that has diplomatic relations with Japan, and you apply where you hold that citizenship. Embassies can add local rules. India, for example, asks research applicants for at least 70% in their bachelor’s (65% in humanities and social sciences), and Malaysia set a 7A floor for its specialized training college applicants.
MEXT scholarship allowance and what it covers
| Category | Monthly allowance |
|---|---|
| Undergraduate and specialized training college students | 117,000 yen |
| Japanese Studies students | 117,000 yen |
| Research students (non-degree) and Teacher Training students | 143,000 yen |
| Master’s and professional degree students | 144,000 yen |
| Doctoral students | 145,000 yen |
| Designated regions | Plus 2,000 or 3,000 yen |
On top of the allowance, MEXT waives the entrance exam fee, admission fee and tuition, and pays a round-trip economy ticket. To give a sense of scale, the University of Tokyo lists 84,600 yen for admission and 346,800 yen a year for tuition in 2027 for students who are not on the scholarship. Every source adds that amounts can change with the Japanese government budget.
What it does not cover: getting to the exam venue in your own country (the Australian embassy says applicants pay this themselves) and setting-up costs in Japan such as a housing deposit, which come out of your allowance. I would arrive with savings worth one or two months of rent.
How the MEXT embassy recommendation timeline works
Here is the research student sequence for a typical round, using the 2027 dates as the guide. Undergraduate, KOSEN and specialized training college applicants follow the same first stage but do not contact professors.
- April: Study in Japan posts the new year’s guidelines and forms, and embassies announce their calls.
- April to June: you submit to your embassy by its own deadline.
- May to July: first screening at the embassy: documents, written exams and an interview.
- July to September: research applicants who pass contact Japanese professors for a letter of provisional acceptance and finalise their placement preferences.
- Autumn: the embassy recommends successful candidates to MEXT for the second screening and university placement.
- December to February: acceptance notices go out.
- April, or September/October: you fly to Japan. Undergraduates start in April.
MEXT embassy deadlines: 2027 round and next round
The 2027 round deadlines have passed. The deadline for each embassy is the same date in 2027, for 2028 arrivals.
| Embassy or consulate | Category | Last deadline (2027 round) | Deadline (2028 round) | How to submit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Malaysia | Specialized training college | 8 April 2026 | 8 April 2027 | Hard copy to the embassy |
| India | Research | 15 May 2026, 11:59 p.m. | 15 May 2027 | Preliminary form by email, Word file only |
| Canada (Toronto) | Undergraduate | 29 May 2026 | 29 May 2027 | Paper application |
| Philippines | Research, undergraduate, KOSEN, specialized | 29 May 2026 | 29 May 2027 | Hard copy in person or by post only |
| Georgia | Research, undergraduate, KOSEN, specialized | 5 June 2026, 17:00 | 5 June 2027 | Originals plus email copies |
| Nigeria | Research, undergraduate, KOSEN, specialized | 8 June 2026 | 8 June 2027 | Hard copy in person or by post only |
| Australia | Undergraduate and research | 11 June 2026, 5 p.m. AEST | 11 June 2027 | Online form and email, then hard copy if shortlisted |
MEXT university recommendation calls open now
Under the university route, a Japanese graduate school screens you, nominates its best one or two applicants to MEXT, and admits you even if MEXT later says no (you would then enrol as a self-funded student). Two calls for October 2027 entry were still open on 24 October 2026:
- University of Tokyo, Graduate School of Information Science and Technology: online application from 19 October to 30 October 2026, 17:00 Japan time. You need a signed conditional acceptance from your future supervisor before you apply. University results come on or after 18 December 2026, MEXT results around June 2027, and arrival is late September to early October 2027.
- Hokkaido University, e3 English engineering programme: online application from 20 to 29 October 2026 for master’s and doctoral research in its labs.
Closing this week
Hokkaido e3 closes on 29 October 2026 and the University of Tokyo IST call at 17:00 Japan time (08:00 GMT) on 30 October 2026. The Tokyo call needs a supervisor’s signed acceptance with the application, so if you have not contacted a professor yet, treat these as a model for next autumn’s calls.
To find more, search each graduate school’s English site for “MEXT university recommendation” plus the intake year from about September. Many calls are tied to one English-taught programme, so read the eligible nationalities before writing to anyone.
Documents for the MEXT scholarship application
This is the research student list from Study in Japan’s 2027 page and the embassy instructions. Always download the forms for the current fiscal year: an FY2027 form will not be accepted for 2028.
| Document | Notes |
|---|---|
| Application form | Current fiscal year version; can be handwritten, typed or filled in software and printed |
| Placement preference application form | Research students only; lists the universities and programmes you want |
| Field of study and research plan | Research students only; must match the courses you choose |
| Certificate of health | Completed by a medical doctor on the MEXT form |
| Recommendation letter | From your university (or school); the MEXT sample is a guide and any format is accepted |
| Academic transcript | Original; Nigeria, for example, asks for the original |
| Degree or graduation certificate | Copy attested by an authorised university official; originals are not returned |
| Language certificate | If you have one (JLPT, IELTS, TOEFL); English-medium proof is accepted by some embassies |
| Letter of provisional acceptance | Research students, after passing the embassy stage |
Two embassy rules catch people out. Nigeria asks you to write the document number from the guidelines’ table in the top right corner of the first page of each document, and treats incomplete forms as disqualifying. India’s preliminary stage accepts only a Word file under 1 MB, and rejects PDFs and Google Drive links automatically. Your referee should follow a clear structure; our recommendation letter samples show what to include.
MEXT written exam and interview
| Category | Written exams at the embassy |
|---|---|
| Undergraduate, humanities and social sciences | Mathematics, English, Japanese |
| Undergraduate, natural sciences | Mathematics, English, Japanese, Chemistry, plus Physics or Biology |
| Specialized training college | Mathematics, English, Japanese |
| Research | Japanese, and English at many embassies (Australia tests Japanese only) |
| Teacher Training | Japanese and English |
| Japanese Studies | Japanese |
Study in Japan publishes past exam papers, and that is the best preparation you can get. You are not expected to know Japanese for a research application in an English-taught programme, but I would still attempt every part of the Japanese paper you can. Undergraduates do need to be willing to study in Japanese after the preparatory year.
Shortlisted applicants then have an interview. India held its 2027 interviews online from 16 to 19 July 2026, and Georgia held its interviews in early July. Embassies do not publish the questions, so I would prepare for these:
- Your research plan: what problem, what method, why in Japan and why that lab.
- What you will do after the scholarship and how it links to your home country.
- Your preparation for life in Japan, including any Japanese you have started learning.
I would rehearse a two-minute summary of your research plan out loud until you can give it without notes, since most of the other questions grow out of it.
Common mistakes in MEXT listings
- Age: some listings say you must be born on or after 2 April 1985. The 2027 cut-off was 2 April 1992 for research and 2 April 2002 for undergraduates.
- Japanese: undergraduates must be willing to learn Japanese and study in it. Only English-taught graduate programmes skip that.
- References: MEXT asks for one recommendation letter from your university, not two from any teacher or employer.
- Allowance: it is published. The figures are in the table above.
For other funding in Japan, including JASSO, ADB-JSP and the Honjo scholarship, see our wider guide to Japan scholarships for international students. MEXT also appears in our list of scholarships with no application fee.
FAQ on the MEXT scholarship
When is the MEXT scholarship 2028 deadline?
The deadlines fall between 8 April and 11 June 2027 depending on your embassy, the same dates as this year: for example 15 May 2027 in India, 29 May 2027 in the Philippines and 8 June 2027 in Nigeria.
Can I apply for the MEXT scholarship without IELTS?
Yes. MEXT sets its own English and Japanese exams at the embassy, and a test certificate is optional. Some universities in the university recommendation route accept proof that your degree was taught in English.
Do I need a professor’s acceptance letter to apply for MEXT?
Not for the embassy route: research applicants ask professors for a provisional acceptance only after passing the embassy stage. University recommendation calls usually want a supervisor’s signed acceptance with the application.
How much is the MEXT scholarship per month?
117,000 yen for undergraduates, 143,000 yen for non-degree research students, 144,000 yen for master’s students and 145,000 yen for doctoral students, with 2,000 or 3,000 yen more in some regions.
Sources and updates
Timing, forms and the rule against sending papers to MEXT come from Study in Japan’s 2027 research student page and its specialized training college page. Age limits, deadlines, exam subjects and allowances come from the 2027 MEXT pages of the Embassies of Japan in India, the Philippines, Nigeria, Georgia, Australia and Malaysia, the Consulates General in Toronto and Chennai, and the 2026 Teacher Training and Japanese Studies pages of the embassies in Georgia and Papua New Guinea and the Consulate General in Hong Kong. University recommendation details come from the University of Tokyo IST’s October 2027 MEXT guidelines and Hokkaido University’s e3 programme. Find your own embassy through Japan’s list of embassies and consulates. Checked on 24 October 2026; the full 2027 guideline PDFs on Study in Japan could not be opened, so some details rely on embassy summaries. I will update this post when the 2028 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.
