Japanese Government Scholarships for Undergraduate Students from Africa and Other Countries

Japanese Government (Monbukagakusho: MEXT) Undergraduate Scholarships

Course(s) Offered: Several fields
Course Level: Undergraduate (bachelors)
Provider: Japanese Government
Country to Study in: Japan

Scholarship Description
The Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) is offering scholarships for international students to study at Japanese universities.

There are two types of scholarships available: Japanese Government (MEXT) Postgraduate Scholarship and Japanese Government (MEXT) Undergraduate Scholarship. This page is for call for undergraduate applications.

The undergraduate scholarship programme is for a period of five years, including one year preparatory course in the Japanese language and is awarded to international students who wish to study Social Sciences, Humanities or Natural Sciences at a Japanese University. These scholarships aim to promote mutual understanding and deepening friendly ties between Japan and other countries.

Eligibility
QUALIFICATIONS:

• Nationality: Applicant must have the nationality of a country which has diplomatic relations with the Japanese government. This applies at such times to stateless persons, too. Applicant who has Japanese nationality at the time of application will NOT be eligible. Applicant screening will be made at the Japanese Embassy/Consulate General in the country of Applicant’s nationality. This shall not necessarily be applied in cases where one embassy covers multiple nations.
• Age: Applicant must be at least 17 years and less than 22 years of age. Applicants that will be over the age of 21 as of April 2018 are asked to contact the Embassy of Japan before applying.
• Academic Background: Applicant must either have completed a 12-year regular course of school education or have graduated from a school equivalent to an upper secondary school by March, 2018. Also included is any Applicant who otherwise satisfies entrance eligibility for a Japanese university.
• Health: Applicants must be free from any mental or physical disabilities that would be an impediment to the pursuit of university study.

See official website (link to it is below) for the complete eligibility requirements

Eligible groups
Citizens of ANY country in Africa, Europe, Middle East, Asia, etc (having diplomatic relations with Japan)

Participating Institutions
All accredited universities in Japan

Field(s) of Study
Those who wish to study in Japan as an undergraduate student must choose a field of major from the fields listed below. Applicants may enter a first, second, and third choice.

1). SOCIAL SCIENCES & HUMANITIES

1. Laws, Politics, Pedagogy, Sociology, Literature, History, Japanese language, and others.
2. Economics, and Business Administration.

2) NATURAL SCIENCES

1. Science (Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry), Electric and Electronic Studies (Electronics, Electrical Engineering, Information Engineering), Mechanical Studies (Mechanical Engineering, Naval Architecture), Civil Engineering and Architecture (Civil Engineering, Architecture, Environmental Engineering), Chemical Studies (Applied Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Industrial Chemistry, Textile Engineering), and other fields (Metallurgical Engineering, Mining Engineering, Maritime Engineering, Biotechnology).
2. Agricultural studies (Agriculture, Agricultural Chemistry, Agricultural Engineering, Animal Science, Veterinary Medicine, Forestry, Food Science, Fisheries), Hygienic studies(Pharmacy, Hygienics, Nursing), and Science (Biology).
3. Medicine, and Dentistry.

An international student who intends to major in Natural Sciences and would like to choose more than one major is required to choose and select first-, second-, and third-choice subjects from the subjects in brackets from within the same course (i.e. Natural Sciences A, B or C). However, a student who selects Course C as his/her first choice may choose his/her second-choice subjects from Course B or C and third-choice subject from Course B because Course C offers only two subjects.

Number of awards
Not specified.

Sponsorship duration
Awards will be tenable for five (5) years, including one-year preparatory education in the Japanese language and other subjects due to be provided upon arrival in Japan. For scholarship grantees majoring in medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine or a six-year course in pharmacy, the term of scholarship will be seven (7) years.

Scholarship Benefits
Includes monthly allowances (amount each year may be subject to change due to budgetary reasons), transportation to and from Japan, tuition fees and other fees.

Method of Application
Scholarship recipients are initially screened by a Japanese embassy (or consulate general, depending on the country). Because the application process may differ according to the country in which the Japanese embassy is located, it is required that you visit the Japanese embassy or consulate general in your country for specific details. To apply, download and submit requested forms and document such as application form, etc from the official webpage. Please read the “Guideline” and “Notes for Application” carefully before you apply.

It is important to visit the official Japanese embassy website in your country for complete information on how to apply, including to download all necessary documents. You may download the 2018 Application Guideline - Undergraduate students (pdf).

DEADLINES:
The general undergraduate application deadline is between May - June 2017 for session starting April 2018 as deadlines may vary per country e.g. deadline for Egyptians is 25th of May 2017, while deadline for Nigerians is 9th of June 2017. For your country's specific deadline, please contact the Japanese Embassy or Consulate General in your country.

PLEASE NOTE:
The deadlines are strictly enforced and MEXT are unable to accept any applications received after the deadline date.

Arrival in Japan: In principle, applicants must be able to arrive in Japan between the 1st and 7th of April 2018, or by the date specified by the accepting university, which will fall within two weeks of the starting date for each semester (in general, in September or October) in that year designated by the accepting university. “Arrival in Japan” is considered to be the arrival period specified in the application form; changes will not be permitted after submission of the application.

Visa Requirement: Applicants must acquire College Student (ryugaku) visas before entering Japan. They then enter Japan with the College Student (ryugaku) residence status. Please also note that those who change their visa status to one other than "College Student" after arrival in Japan will lose their qualification to be Japanese Government Scholarship recipients from the date when their visa status changes.

Application Deadline: May-June 2017
Open to International students: Yes

More Scholarship Information and Application

Related: Japanese Scholarships for Graduate Students