MEXT Scholarships
2025/4/25
The 2025 application period for the Research, Specialized Training, and Undergraduate scholarships is now open! Please check out the information below.
Monbukagakusho (MEXT), the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology offers four different scholarships for non-Japanese nationals wishing to study in Japan. Only U.S. citizens living within the following states can apply for a MEXT Scholarship at this Consulate: IL, IN, IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD, WI. U.S. citizens living in other states should apply through the consulate responsible for their state. Non-US citizens should apply through the Japanese embassy in their country of citizenship. To read about other scholarships for non-Japanese to study in Japan, please see our links page.
All MEXT Scholarship applications will be subject to a document screening after the appointed application deadline. Only those applicants who pass the document screening will be invited to the Consulate to sit for the interview and exams for their respective scholarship. Please read the guidelines and FAQs listed below for the scholarship(s) you are interested in. If you need further assistance, please contact the JIC.
Student Voices
"I am deeply grateful to the Japanese Government and the Consulate-General of Japan in Chicago for supporting my academic endeavors and professional development. The time I’ve spent during my scholarship has given me the skills and confidence to continue my involvement in the design industry and serve as a cultural ambassador between Japan and the US."
– Florence Fu, 2023 MEXT Graduate Research Scholar and master's student at Waseda University (click here to read Florence's full account)
"This scholarship not only made my dream of visiting Japan a reality, it supported me through an entire year of life in Japan to the fullest."
– Nicholas Swiatowy, 2023 MEXT Japanese Studies Scholar at Hokkaido University (click here to read Nicholas’s full account)
"The MEXT scholarship aided immensely in my professional development and allowed me to grow as a person."
– Emily Maynard, 2019 MEXT Research Scholar and master's student at Kyoto University (click here to read Emily’s full account)
"I am so grateful for the opportunities that I have had access to via the support of the MEXT Scholarship to grow as a scholar and individual in expanding my understanding of both the specifics of my field and Japanese culture in general, as well as in broadening my perspective on the world and the human experience at large."
– Gabrielle Dulys, 2021 MEXT Research Scholar and master's student at Yokohama National University (click here to read Gabrielle’s full account)
"If it were not for the MEXT Japanese Studies Scholarship I had received, I would not have had as rich and full of an experience as I did during my study abroad."
– Zachary Kok, 2018 Japanese Studies Scholar at Keio University (click here to read Zachary's full account)
"The time I spent in Tokyo as a MEXT recipient continues to have a profound influence on how I approach the world around me, and I struggle to envision the person I would be today if not for that period in my life."
– Gabriel Wilkinson, 2018 Specialized Training College Scholar at Bunka Fashion College (click here to read Gabriel's full account)
"Being able to experience the full development cycle of a spacecraft is a bit of a rarity in the aerospace field ... Knowing that something I have worked on is in orbit is also incredibly gratifying. and I have learned so much. All of this is thanks to the ongoing support I receive from the MEXT Scholarship."
– Hannah Tomio, 2017 MEXT Scholar and master's student at Tohoku University (click here to read Hannah's full account)
"This opportunity has helped me to develop connections with professors and other students in my field, given me the time and means to travel both for my own research and in order to attend conferences, and also connected me with personalized guidance from an attentive and enthusiastic advising professor."
– Paige Jones, 2017 MEXT Scholar and master's student at Shizuoka University (click here to read Paige's full account)
"Being able to further my education in Japan has truly been an experience of a lifetime."
– Catherine Shasteen, 2015 MEXT Research Scholar and PhD candidate at the University of Tokyo (click here to read Catherine’s full account)
Monbukagakusho (MEXT), the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology offers four different scholarships for non-Japanese nationals wishing to study in Japan. Only U.S. citizens living within the following states can apply for a MEXT Scholarship at this Consulate: IL, IN, IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD, WI. U.S. citizens living in other states should apply through the consulate responsible for their state. Non-US citizens should apply through the Japanese embassy in their country of citizenship. To read about other scholarships for non-Japanese to study in Japan, please see our links page.
All MEXT Scholarship applications will be subject to a document screening after the appointed application deadline. Only those applicants who pass the document screening will be invited to the Consulate to sit for the interview and exams for their respective scholarship. Please read the guidelines and FAQs listed below for the scholarship(s) you are interested in. If you need further assistance, please contact the JIC.
Student Voices
"I am deeply grateful to the Japanese Government and the Consulate-General of Japan in Chicago for supporting my academic endeavors and professional development. The time I’ve spent during my scholarship has given me the skills and confidence to continue my involvement in the design industry and serve as a cultural ambassador between Japan and the US."
– Florence Fu, 2023 MEXT Graduate Research Scholar and master's student at Waseda University (click here to read Florence's full account)
"This scholarship not only made my dream of visiting Japan a reality, it supported me through an entire year of life in Japan to the fullest."
– Nicholas Swiatowy, 2023 MEXT Japanese Studies Scholar at Hokkaido University (click here to read Nicholas’s full account)
"The MEXT scholarship aided immensely in my professional development and allowed me to grow as a person."
– Emily Maynard, 2019 MEXT Research Scholar and master's student at Kyoto University (click here to read Emily’s full account)
"I am so grateful for the opportunities that I have had access to via the support of the MEXT Scholarship to grow as a scholar and individual in expanding my understanding of both the specifics of my field and Japanese culture in general, as well as in broadening my perspective on the world and the human experience at large."
– Gabrielle Dulys, 2021 MEXT Research Scholar and master's student at Yokohama National University (click here to read Gabrielle’s full account)
"If it were not for the MEXT Japanese Studies Scholarship I had received, I would not have had as rich and full of an experience as I did during my study abroad."
– Zachary Kok, 2018 Japanese Studies Scholar at Keio University (click here to read Zachary's full account)
"The time I spent in Tokyo as a MEXT recipient continues to have a profound influence on how I approach the world around me, and I struggle to envision the person I would be today if not for that period in my life."
– Gabriel Wilkinson, 2018 Specialized Training College Scholar at Bunka Fashion College (click here to read Gabriel's full account)
"Being able to experience the full development cycle of a spacecraft is a bit of a rarity in the aerospace field ... Knowing that something I have worked on is in orbit is also incredibly gratifying. and I have learned so much. All of this is thanks to the ongoing support I receive from the MEXT Scholarship."
– Hannah Tomio, 2017 MEXT Scholar and master's student at Tohoku University (click here to read Hannah's full account)
"This opportunity has helped me to develop connections with professors and other students in my field, given me the time and means to travel both for my own research and in order to attend conferences, and also connected me with personalized guidance from an attentive and enthusiastic advising professor."
– Paige Jones, 2017 MEXT Scholar and master's student at Shizuoka University (click here to read Paige's full account)
"Being able to further my education in Japan has truly been an experience of a lifetime."
– Catherine Shasteen, 2015 MEXT Research Scholar and PhD candidate at the University of Tokyo (click here to read Catherine’s full account)
Japanese Studies
This scholarship offers undergraduate students majoring in Japanese language, Japanese affairs, or Japanese culture an opportunity to deepen their understandings through academic study at one of several universities in Japan. Please click here for the FAQs related to this scholarship.
Deadline: All applications must be received by email and mail by Monday, February 10, 2025 (please see the FAQ for more information).
Interview and Test Date: Tuesday, February 25, 2025
More Information: Guidelines and Application Forms
Deadline: All applications must be received by email and mail by Monday, February 10, 2025 (please see the FAQ for more information).
Interview and Test Date: Tuesday, February 25, 2025
More Information: Guidelines and Application Forms
Research
This scholarship offers applicants the opportunity to spend 18 or 24 months conducting independent research under a Japanese professor. Any field of study is eligible for the scholarship, but applicants must find a Japanese professor willing to supervise their research. However, this does not guarantee that the applicant will be placed with that professor. Please click here for FAQs related to this scholarship.
Deadline: All applications must be received by Friday, May 23rd, 2025
Test Date (if applicable): Wednesday, June 18th, 2025
Interview Date: Wednesday, June 18th, 2025 (subject to change)
More Information:
Deadline: All applications must be received by Friday, May 23rd, 2025
Test Date (if applicable): Wednesday, June 18th, 2025
Interview Date: Wednesday, June 18th, 2025 (subject to change)
More Information:
Specialized Training College Students
This scholarship offers applicants the opportunity to spend up to 3 years at a Japanese professional training school studying in one of several fields. Please click here for FAQs related to this scholarship.
Deadline: All applications must be received by Friday, May 23rd, 2025
Test Date (in person): Thursday, June 26th, 2025
Interview Date: TBD
More Information:
Deadline: All applications must be received by Friday, May 23rd, 2025
Test Date (in person): Thursday, June 26th, 2025
Interview Date: TBD
More Information:
Undergraduate Students
This scholarship offers applicants the opportunity to spend up to 5 years at a Japanese college or university as an undergraduate degree student in one of 2 fields of study: (1) Social Sciences and Humanities or (2) Natural Sciences. Please click here for FAQs related to this scholarship.
Deadline: All applications must be received by Friday, May 23rd, 2025
Test Date (in person): Thursday, June 26th, 2025
Interview Date: TBD
More Information
All application procedures for Japanese Government (Monbukagakusho: MEXT) Scholarships are conducted solely through Japanese government embassies and consulates, or institutions of higher education in Japan. For further information on the Japanese Government (MEXT) Scholarships, please contact the Japanese embassy or consulates in your home country, or the institutions of higher education in Japan in which you wish to enroll.
There are never any application fees, deposits, or any other form of charges assessed when applying for the MEXT Scholarships. Please be aware that any organization or individual who charges an application fee or deposit in relation to applying for the MEXT Scholarships has no relation with the Japanese Government and is committing fraud.
Thank you for your attention.
Deadline: All applications must be received by Friday, May 23rd, 2025
Test Date (in person): Thursday, June 26th, 2025
Interview Date: TBD
More Information
Teacher Training
The Teacher Training Scholarship will no longer be offered through the Embassy and Consulates in the United States.*Warning*
Attention to Japanese Government Scholarship ApplicantsAll application procedures for Japanese Government (Monbukagakusho: MEXT) Scholarships are conducted solely through Japanese government embassies and consulates, or institutions of higher education in Japan. For further information on the Japanese Government (MEXT) Scholarships, please contact the Japanese embassy or consulates in your home country, or the institutions of higher education in Japan in which you wish to enroll.
There are never any application fees, deposits, or any other form of charges assessed when applying for the MEXT Scholarships. Please be aware that any organization or individual who charges an application fee or deposit in relation to applying for the MEXT Scholarships has no relation with the Japanese Government and is committing fraud.
Thank you for your attention.