Status: Embassy-recommendation applications for 2027 are closed. The MEXT Scholarship 2027 is the Japanese Government (Monbukagakusho) Scholarship for international students who want to study in Japan. There are two ways to apply — embassy recommendation and university recommendation — and each has its own timetable. Embassy-recommendation applications for the 2027 intake were recruited by Japanese embassies and consulates during 2026 and have now closed. University recommendations follow each university’s own schedule. This article explains the programme as it is published on the official Study in Japan website, run by the Japan Student Services Organization (JASSO), so you can see what it offers, who it is for, and how to prepare for the next round.
MEXT is one of the oldest and largest government scholarship programmes in the world, and it is known in Japan as the Monbukagakusho Scholarship. It is offered by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan, and it covers the main costs of studying in Japan: tuition is exempted, a monthly scholarship is paid, and round-trip airfare is provided. There are seven types of MEXT scholarship, and the right type depends on what you want to study and where you are in your education.
Summary
| Programme | Japanese Government (MEXT) Scholarship 2027 |
|---|---|
| Host country | Japan |
| Funded by | Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), Japan |
| Study level | Undergraduate, graduate (research), teacher training, Japanese studies, college of technology, specialized training college, Young Leaders Program |
| Funding | Fully funded — tuition exempted, monthly scholarship, round-trip airfare |
| Monthly scholarship | Research students ¥143,000–145,000; undergraduate students ¥117,000; Young Leaders Program ¥242,000 |
| Applications | Embassy recommendation through Japanese embassies; university recommendation through Japanese universities |
| Status | Embassy-recommendation applications for 2027 closed |
What the scholarship covers
The official Study in Japan page sets out the benefits for each type of MEXT scholarship. Tuition is exempted, and round-trip travel expenses (airfare) are provided. The monthly scholarship depends on the type: research students receive ¥143,000 to ¥145,000 per month; undergraduate students receive ¥117,000 per month; teacher training students receive ¥143,000 per month; Japanese studies students receive ¥117,000 per month; college of technology students receive ¥117,000 per month; specialized training college students receive ¥117,000 per month; and Young Leaders Program students receive ¥242,000 per month.
Those figures matter because they show which types pay more. Research students and teacher training students are paid at the graduate level, undergraduate and college-level students at the undergraduate level, and the Young Leaders Program — which is for mid-career professionals on a one-year master’s course — is paid at the highest rate. Tuition exemption and airfare apply across the types, which is why the award is described as fully funded: the three largest costs of studying in Japan are covered. The monthly scholarship is meant to cover living costs, and it is paid for the duration of the scholarship, including any preliminary Japanese language training.
The seven types of MEXT scholarship
There are seven types of the Japanese Government (MEXT) Scholarship, and each has its own level of study, duration, age limit and examinations. Research students study at graduate school level, for up to two years as an irregular course or for the standard school year as a regular course, with six months of preliminary education added when necessary. Teacher training students, who must be graduates of a college or teacher training college, study for up to one year and six months including Japanese language education. Undergraduate students study for five years including Japanese language training — seven years for medicine, dentistry, pharmacy and veterinary medicine. Japanese studies students, who are undergraduates studying Japanese language or culture, study for one academic year. College of technology students transfer to the third year of a college of technology and study for four years including Japanese language training, or four years and six months for merchant marine studies. Specialized training college students study for three years including Japanese language training. Young Leaders Program students take a one-year master’s course at graduate school level.
Which types are open to you depends on the recommendation route. Embassy recommendation is available for research students, teacher training students, undergraduate students, Japanese studies students, college of technology students and specialized training college students, but not for the Young Leaders Program, which is by recommendation from official overseas recommending organisations. University recommendation is available for research students, undergraduate students, Japanese studies students and college of technology students. Only a select number of universities approved by MEXT can make recommendations, and not all universities have their own recommendation quotas.
Who can apply
Age and education limits are the first thing to check. For research students you must be under 35 years of age and be eligible for admission to a master’s or doctoral programme. For teacher training students you must be under 35 and a graduate of a college or teacher training college, with teaching experience at the primary, secondary, or teacher training level, as the official page sets out. For undergraduate students you must be under 25 and have completed 12 years of school education, or have completed school education equivalent to a Japanese high school. For Japanese studies students you must be between 18 and 29 years old and enrolled as an undergraduate student in a faculty or school majoring in the Japanese language or Japanese culture. For college of technology students you must be under 25 and have completed 11 or more years of education. For specialized training college students you must be under 25 and have completed 12 years of schooling. For Young Leaders Program students you must be under 40 years of age in principle, and a university or college graduate with practical work experience.
The official page also warns that some application requirements are more detailed than the summary published there, and applicants should check with the Japanese embassy, consulate or other diplomatic mission in their own country. The type and field of application may also vary from country to country, so the same programme may look different depending on where you apply from.
The two ways to apply
There are two ways to apply for a Japanese Government Scholarship: embassy recommendation and university recommendation. In the embassy recommendation route, scholarship recipients are recruited and initially screened by a Japanese embassy, consulate or other diplomatic mission in the applicant’s country. All required documents and interviews are conducted by the embassy or diplomatic mission, and the examinations required depend on the type you apply for. Research students and teacher training students are examined in Japanese and English. Undergraduate students are examined in Japanese, English and mathematics, plus science for science faculty examinees, who choose two out of chemistry, physics and biology. College of technology students are examined in Japanese, English, mathematics and physics or chemistry; specialized training college students in Japanese, English and mathematics; Japanese studies students in Japanese.
In the university recommendation route, Japanese universities recruit scholarship candidates and, after their own screening, recommend them to MEXT. MEXT scholarship recipients recommended by a university usually arrive in Japan in September or October. Application requirements and academic standards vary depending on the accepting university, and the scholarship period and eligibility may vary depending on the type of recommendation. If you are interested in a university recommendation, the first step is to find a Japanese university that can recommend you and to contact it directly — the official page is clear that not every university can make recommendations.
Deadlines: check your embassy
Embassy-recommendation applications are run by each Japanese embassy or consulate, and each sets its own dates for the following year’s intake. For the 2027 intake those applications closed during 2026. For the next intake, check the website of the Japanese embassy or consulate in your country as early as possible — the embassy is the office that publishes the dates, the list of required documents and the examination schedule. Do not rely on a general date given by a third-party site, because the dates, the fields of study and even the types offered can vary by country.
Frequently asked questions
Is the MEXT Scholarship fully funded?
Yes. Tuition is exempted, round-trip airfare is provided, and a monthly scholarship is paid — ¥143,000–145,000 for research students, ¥117,000 for undergraduate students and ¥242,000 for Young Leaders Program students.
Can I apply for both embassy and university recommendation?
The two routes are separate, and the types available differ between them. Read the official page to see which types are open under each route for your situation, and check with your embassy and your university.
Do I need to know Japanese?
Most embassy-recommendation applicants are examined in Japanese as well as English, and preliminary Japanese language training is included in the scholarship period for most types. Your level of Japanese is part of the selection, so prepare for the examination that applies to your type.
What is the age limit?
Under 35 for research and teacher training students, under 25 for undergraduate, college of technology and specialized training college students, 18 to 29 for Japanese studies students, and under 40 in principle for the Young Leaders Program.
Official source
All types, benefits, eligibility and application details in this article were checked against the official Study in Japan website on 13 November 2026.
Official page: Japanese Government (MEXT) Scholarship — Study in Japan
Last checked: 13 November 2026. Requirements, fields and dates vary by country and by university; the official Study in Japan page, your Japanese embassy and your university are the authority.