Admissions
Japanese Government (MEXT) Scholarship
The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) of Japan offers scholarships to international students who wish to study in Japanese universities. The scholarship students are recruited and selected in two ways: embassy recommendation or university recommendation. Prospective international students who wish to study at University of Tsukuba can apply for the scholarship by one of the two ways.
Embassy Recommendation
To be a candidate of this category, applicants need to apply through the Japanese Embassy or Consulate (hereinafter referred to as "Japanese Embassy") in the applicant's country at first, and pass their first screening. The application schedule differs according to the country in which the Japanese Embassy is located, and the categories of student status ("RESEARCH STUDENT", "UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT", "JAPANESE STUDIES STUDENT" and "TEACHER TRAINING STUDENT"). Applicants are advised to check websites of MEXT and the Japanese Embassy in their home country for the details.
Applicants for this scholarship as a "RESEARCH STUDENT" are required to get a "Letter of Provisional Acceptance" issued by Japanese universities. Only applicants who passed the first screening can contact a prospective academic advisor to request the letter during the period stated in the MEXT's guidelines. Those who received the letter need to submit it to the Japanese Embassy to proceed to the second screening by MEXT.
* The contact information of our faculty members can be searched on TRIOS. Please be aware that your potential academic advisor will not accept your request for Letter of Provisional Acceptance after the due date.
AY 2024 Application Schedule for MEXT scholarship (embassy recommendation)
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Around April-June, 2023
- FIRST SCREENING at the Japanese Embassy
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Late August
- Request a LETTER OF PROVISIONAL ACCEPTANCE to Japanese universities
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September
- Receive a LETTER OF PROVISIONAL ACCEPTANCE from the university. It must be submitted immediately to the Japanese Embassy.
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October or after
- SECOND SCREENING at MEXT
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Around January-February, 2024
- Notification of the final result from the Japanese Embassy to the candidates
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April or October, 2024
- Enrollment at the university
University Recommendation
Candidates of this category are nominated to MEXT through university selection. This recommendation way is consisted of two different types, "General Program" and "Special Program" as follows.
General Program
The university selects candidates for MEXT University Recommendation Scholarship, General Program, among applicants reside overseas who wish to seek admission to our Master's or Doctoral programs. Even though the nationalities of applicants are limited to those designated by the MEXT, in this category, there are no restrictions on applicants' research fields. To start with, applicants need to contact a prospective academic advisor directly and ask for a recommendation for the MEXT University Recommendation Scholarship by email attached with a CV, research plan, and your own academic report including a bachelor's or master's thesis that will help the academic advisor to understand your interest and achievements. Please discuss further details with the academic advisor.
AY 2024 Application Schedule for MEXT scholarship (University recommendations, General Program)
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Around November-December 2023
- Application period
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Around January-February 2024
- University's internal selection
Nomination to MEXT
- University's internal selection
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Around June
- Notification of the final result
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October
- Enrollment at the university
Special Program
University of Tsukuba selects candidates for programs particularly adopted by MEXT for its University Recommendation Scholarship, Special Program. Some programs take only "RESEARCH STUDENT" while others take "UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT".
In any case, this category accepts only degree students, therefore, the applicants are required to pass the entrance examination provided by each program in order to be eligible for application. Please check the program website to obtain relevant information about the entrance examination.
List of Special Programs for University Recommendation AY 2024 (as of May, 2023)
Graduate Level
- Transborder Medical Program for Emerging Infectious Diseases
- International program for human-centered AI society
- International Resilience Engineering Program powered by Industry-Academia Collaborated PBL
- Master's Program in Sport and Olympic Studies
Undergraduate Level