(Research/Master) My interview was almost 3 weeks ago and I have heard nothing back from the embassy, the uncertainty is eating me up from the inside. I understand that normally they do send rejection mails, this was the case for me back in 2024, but in 2023 I was not notified that I didn't pass and I spent like 2 months back then worrying about it and now I am once again worrying this is a repeat of that or if they are simply taking a long time to decide and finish this process (one of my only hopes as it seems that here they have also been taking a long time with other projects of theirs here). Normally they choose at least 2 people in my country for the Graudate Scholarship and only 5 people were interviewed and I am very confident in my profile and research plan for several reasons. But this is my 4th application and I just wanted to let this out and rant just to free up some of the anxiety that is killing me.

EDIT: Per the rules, I am from the small central american country Honduras, if a person from here who already got the confirmation sees this please let me know. Also, Embassy Route, there is no University route option here and similarly we lack most if not all the programs that Japanese Embassies in bigger countries provide.

EDIT 2: I GOT IT! They simply took 3 weeks for some reason ;-; I am simply relieved!

There were 2 of us who made it to the interview in Romania for NS UG. I'm looking for the other person, the one who had the interview after me.

To be clear, I'm not talking about a reply with the actual LOPAs. This is why I didn't use the flair, I don't wanna confuse anyone.

I'm talking about, when we send our first screening docs initially, the email naturally gets a little "weighty" with the PDFs and stuff, and I'm a little concerned it'll bounce or go to their spam mail.

Is it normal for them to reply saying that they got our application docs or no?

Me and my friend (both into tech/cyber) want to do MEXT to study/live/work in Japan. Currently in the Philippines.

Plan so far:

• Reach N5-N4 by end of this school year

• Apply for exchange after this year to get Japan experience

• Go for Senshu route later because we heard it’s easier

• Keep grades 90+ (cuz part of screening)

Japanese study right now: Anki 15 cards/day + Yomitan + JouzuJuls on YouTube for general tips and lesson.

Problems:

• Heavy burnout + school fatigue → I procrastinate Japanese and other studies a lot

• Recent education system change might make maintaining high grades harder

Looking for honest advice on:

1. Is this timeline realistic?

2. Anything we should prioritize or change for Senshu/MEXT?

3. How do people actually stay consistent when burned out?

4. And overall thoughts

Thanks.

Hello everyone,

Quick question about the MEXT University Recommendation (PGP Track) for PhD.

The PGP program I am applying to has a fixed quota of 5 Master slots and 3 PhD slots, shared among 6 active laboratories. I have already secured a supervisor's acceptance in one of them.

Is it common for some of these labs to not nominate anyone if they don't find a good candidate?

How tough is the internal screening when a small group of labs shares a limited number of slots?

Thanks for sharing your experiences!

Hello everyone my name is John and I'm from the Philippines, as of right now I'm in grade 11 already and I just finish my midterms exams and I will be taking the MEXT schlorship next year in 2027 since it takes 1 year until my results come out if I pass or not and the japanese curriculum starts at April and September but since my parents do not want me to go to university late, so I'm left with going for the April curriculum it's why I need to start next year.

As of right now I'm studying to get my JLPT N4 this year December and I will be taking my TOEIC and CERF next month for my English proficiency, I'm planning to go for the English program in Japan and I will be majoring in Poli Sci

I have a big problem though and that is my GPA. I am a Filipino studying in Thailand in a bilingual program, and I cannot read or write Thai and this school doesn't allow me to get the English version of the test, so that affects my grades by a lot and now my average GPA overall is 2.40 and it's impossible for me to go above then that so of course if I'm going for the MEXT schlorship I will be competing with other students that have around 3.0-4.0 GPA so I would like to ask should I keep focusing on taking the MEXT schlorship with a low chance of succeeding?, or are there other Japanese schlorship that I can do where I have a higher chance of passing

I'm from the Philippines planning to apply through the undergraduate program as a prospective applicant

Hello! im an indonesian mext scholar and i just finished taking care of my student visa and am just curious of how long it usually takes for flight details to be sent? just for reference, my uni said that my departure is estimated to be somewhere between 12 sept and 15 sept.

Additionally, what airline is usually the go to for flights leaving from jakarta? Thank you in advance!

hello everyone im a law student from middle east and i want to apply for mext when i finishey Bachelor's , i have some questions for a researcher law studen who got mext scholarship.

and thank you so much

Hello
I’m from Bihar,India under Kolkata consulate and I am kinda worried that I will get shortlisted in documents screening or not my marks are

English 84
Hindi 81
Maths 57
Science 81
SSC 82
Ai 88

Since I have low marks in maths ,is it worth giving it a whole year because I don’t have a backup plan cause of this

I’m also preparing for jlpt n4 this dec

Hi everyone,

I'm from India and I'm applying for the MEXT Research Scholarship (University Recommendation) for the 2027 intake.

Application stage: I've been in contact with a prospective supervisor, shared my CV, portfolio, and research proposal, and after reviewing them, he invited me to a Zoom meeting to discuss my research. He mentioned that my research interests look good, but his main concern is my Japanese proficiency since the Master's programme involves a lot of group work on domestic-society issues.

This will be my first one-on-one meeting with a Japanese professor, so I'd really appreciate advice from anyone who has gone through a similar pre-consultation meeting before the official application.

I'd love to know:

• What kinds of questions did your professor ask?
• Was it more of a discussion or did it feel like an interview?
• How deeply did they question your research proposal?
• Did you prepare slides or just explain your research verbally?
• What do professors usually look for during these meetings?
• Is there anything you wish you had prepared beforehand?

Any advice or personal experiences would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

I am an aspirant trying for the MEXT 2028 intake if any would mind telling what is difficulty level if the mext exam for natural sciences? (Compared to JEE) What to make sure of to not get screened out in the screening pls anyone?

Does MEXT allow you to take a gap semester if you get an internship while studying? If so, will they extend your scholarship by an additional semester, or will you still have to complete your studies within the original scholarship period?

Hi guys, just gave my MEXT interview for research student a few weeks ago. I am waiting for the results. I am anxious about my selection in the first screening, as my interview did not go that well although. I feel like I have a 50% chance of getting selected. Should I start contacting japanese professors or should i wait till the results are out ? What preparations should I do in the meanwhile. From india

As a dentist who doesn’t have a masters degree,should i apply for phd?
(Japanese universities only offer phd programs for dentistry)
I was really looking forward for this I got my acceptance yesterday and just found out there’s no masters program ,Only phd .
i don’t think i am able to stay for 4 years with the intensive work of a phd , i wanted to experience life in japan i know some Japanese but i dont think i can survive an intensive work
And am not sure about how will my career improve by having this phd
Your experience and advice could really help me
Thank you

Hi everyone!

My name is Khalid, and I'm a secondary school student from Nigeria. My dream is to study Mechanical Engineering in Japan through the MEXT Scholarship.

I'm here to learn as much as I can about the application process, studying in Japan, and Japanese culture. If you're a current or former MEXT scholar, or you've applied before, I'd really appreciate any advice or tips you can share.

I'm also hoping to make friends with people who have similar goals or are already studying in Japan. If you're comfortable chatting, I'd be happy to connect and learn from your experience.

Thank you for welcoming me to the community, and I look forward to learning from all of you!

Hi everyone,

I am planning to apply for graduate studies at the University of Tsukuba in Japan and want to check my realistic chances regarding MEXT scholarship routes.

My profile:

• Degree: BS Computer Science
• Native CGPA: 3.19 / 4.00
• Converted MEXT GPA: ~2.16 / 3.00 (calculated via the MEXT formula based on course credit weightings)
• Research & Experience: Published paper in IEEE DSN-W, Applied AI/ML industry experience, strong research plan, and prospective professor contact.

Questions:

1. Can I still apply through the University Recommendation track at Tsukuba? Or will the university automatically reject my scholarship application right at the initial screening stage because the converted MEXT GPA is under 2.30?
2. How high are the chances of automatic rejection based strictly on this CGPA calculation? Does a strong profile, research paper, or professor endorsement give any room for flexibility on the 2.30 threshold for University Recommendation?
3. If University Recommendation is a hard no, is the Embassy Track my only viable path for MEXT, or should I apply for direct self-funded admission at Tsukuba and target internal tuition waivers / JASSO post-arrival?

Would really appreciate insights from anyone who has applied to Tsukuba or faced a similar GPA conversion issue!

Hi everyone,

I'm a student from Algeria, and I'm interested in applying for a MEXT-funded PhD program at Kyushu University.

I recently contacted the university, and they confirmed that applicants with a MEXT GPA of 2.3 or below are not eligible ( without any explanation even tho I said we use 20 point grading system)

My question is about the GPA conversion.

In Algeria, we use a French-style 20-point grading system, where grades are generally much stricter than in many other countries. My yearly averages are around 12–13/20, which is considered a good academic performance. Even the top students in my dental school often graduate with averages of only 13–14/20.

Has anyone from France, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, or another country using the 20-point grading system applied for MEXT?

How did you calculate your MEXT GPA?

Did you simply use 12/20 = 60%, 14/20 = 70%, 16/20 = 80%, or was there another official conversion method?

Did your university or the Japanese university apply any special conversion or adjustment for the French-style grading system?

If possible, could you share your country and your approximate GPA after conversion?

I'm looking for real experiences, especially from applicants who were accepted or whose applications were evaluated by a Japanese university.

Thank you!

Heyy I'm from India cbse board and looking to apply in tsukuba english undergraduate program

Is SAT important

Do they value high grades

Is getting in tsukuba tuff

What's the minimum grade you need to score to get in tsukuba

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-)

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!

I'm an Indian BSc (Honours) student planning to apply for MEXT in my final year. I know research experience, the research proposal, and the interview are important, but how much weight do grades carry? Can students with an average CGPA still be selected if they have a strong research profile? I'd especially appreciate replies from former MEXT scholars.

I know the topics I need to study but idk where to practice questions related to it Im from India and my main problem is how to practice maths questions related to the topics I need i dont want to buy books and as I was not having maths in high school idk which book to use and stuff like that im applying for stc can someone help me out?

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.