GUIDELINES FOR APPLICANTS (2024)
to the Program for Global Human Resource Development in Mathematical andPhysical Sciences for Data Science and Computational Science(Master’s Program)at the Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology
Kanazawa University
The Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology is pleased to announce its Program for theMaster’s Degree in Natural Science and Technology with a special course in English and scholarshipfor overseas students with outstanding scholastic ability. Students who are accepted will be awarded aJapanese Government Scholarship through the financial support of the Ministry of Education, Culture,Sports, Science and Technology. (Monbukagakusho:MEXT)

1. Qualifications
1) Nationality:
An applicant must have the nationality of a country which has diplomatic relations with the Japanesegovernment. Applicants who have Japanese nationality at the time of application are not eligible withthe following exception: applicants of dual nationality who reside outside of Japan and who will
expatriate from Japanese nationality by the time of arrival are eligible.
2) Age:Applicants must have been born on or after April 2, 1989.
3) Academic Background:
All applicants must satisfy one of the following requirements:
1. has graduated or will graduate from a Japanese university by September 30, 2024.
2. has completed or will complete by September 30, 2024 a 16-year school curriculum in a foreigncountry.
3. is or will be age 22 by September 30, 2024 or older and has taken an individual entrance
qualification examination and has been judged by a graduate school as being equal or superiorin academic ability to a university graduate.
4. In addition to the above, those who satisfy or will satisfy the qualification requirements by
September 30, 2024 for admission to Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology atKanazawa University.
4) Academic Record:
Eligible applicants must have GPA (Grade Point Average) of 2.30 or higher at the last university
attended.
＊NOTICE＊
After admission, applicants should keep his/her GPA higher than 2.30 point as well. If his/her GPA
will be lower than 2.30 point each year, he/she will be disqualified from the MEXT scholarshipstudent.
The academic record will be calculated by the method which is designated by Monbukagakusho.

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Method to Determine GPA
Grade Point
4-point scale

ExcellentGoodAverageFail4-point scaleABCD

4-point scale

80~100%70~79%

60~69%

0~59%

5-point scale

SABC

F

5-point scale

ABCDF

5-point scale

90~100%80~89%

70~79%

60~69%

0~59%

Point value

33210(number of 3 point grades) x 3 + (number of 2 point grades) x 2 (number of 1 point grades) x 1 + (number of 0 point grades) x 0
Total number of grades (including those with a value of 0)5) Language:
The thesis work will be carried out in English.
An applicant must have enough English skills to conduct academic research and education. Anapplicant is required to satisfy any of the following conditions.
1. An applicant who has a score of any test of English language ability equivalent to / higher level
than Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) B2, the test datemust be after November 1, 2021.
2. An applicant who completed the curriculum which meets the qualification to enter Japanese
Master course of graduate school, in an institution where main instruction was in English.
3. An applicant who can be concluded that he/she has English ability equal to or more higher than1.
*If you want to convert your English scores into CEFR, please refer to the website below.
https://www.mext.go.jp/a_menu/koutou/koudai/detail/__icsFiles/afieldfile/2019/09/25/1420500_3_2.pdf
6) Health:All applicants should submit a Certificate of Health by a qualified and recognized physician.
7) Arrival in Japan:
All applicants must arrive in Japan between September 17, 2024 and October 14, 2024.
8) Visa Requirement
Selected applicants must obtain a College Student (ryugaku) visa from the Japanese consulate generalin the country of their nationality.
Even if selected applicants already have another status of residence, they must change to a residence
status of College Student (ryugaku) by the time they will enroll. But even if selected applicants apply
for a “Permanent resident” or “Long Term Resident” status again after completing a scholarshipstudent, it may not be certified.
9) Other:Applicants who meet any of the following conditions are not eligible. If this is identified after
acceptance of the scholarship, the grantee will be required to withdraw from the scholarship:
1. Those who are military personnel or military civilian employees;
2. Those who cannot arrive in Japan by the date specified by MEXT or the accepting university;
3. Those who are previous grantees of Japanese Government (MEXT) Scholarship programs(including those who withdraw from the scholarship program after acquisition of student
status). However, this does not apply to those who wish to apply for Research Students
program and meet any one of the following conditions. In addition, since theMonbukagakusho Honors Scholarship for Privately-Financed International Students does not2

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5.

6.
7.
8.

9.

apply to the Japanese Government (MEXT) Scholarship programs, the previous grantees canapply.
・those who have at least three years of educational or work experience following the end of
the payment of the previous scholarship and the start of this scholarship;・the past grantees of Japanese Studies Students program who have graduated or are goingto graduate from universities in their home countries, Japan-Korea Joint Government
Scholarship Program for the Students in Science and Engineering Departments and Young
Leaders’ Program;・those who have obtained or are expected to obtain a degree as undergraduate students oftheJapaneseGovernment(MEXT)
Scholarshipprograms(university
recommendation/special selection).
Those who are currently also applying to another program under the Japanese Government(MEXT) Scholarship system. This includes the programs for which scholarship payments
will begin in FY2024;
Those who are planning to receive scholarship money from an organization other thanMEXT(including a government organization of the applicant’s country) on top of thescholarship money provided by MEXT after the start of the scholarship payment (theacquisition of student status);
Those who are expected to graduate at the time of application and cannot satisfy the conditionof academic background by the deadline given;
Holders of dual nationality at the time of application who cannot verify that they will give up
Japanese nationality by the time of the arrival in Japan (the acquisition of student status);
Those who plan to, from the time of application for the MEXT scholarship program, engage
in long-term research (such as fieldwork or internship) outside Japan or plan to take a longterm leave of absence from the university;
Those who have no intention to obtain a degree.

2. Enrollment
Five research students will be accepted. (Mainly students from ASEAN)

3. Scholarship Benefits1)

2)

Stipend: 144,000 yen per month (subject to change)※Stipend will be paid for 2 years from October 2024 to September 2026. The recipient who isadmitted into the Master’s program of Kanazawa University will not be able to extend his/herterm of scholarship.
MEXT strictly requires that students admitted to this program complete their Master’s studies
within two years from the start of their financial support.
Travel expenses: round-trip airfare between the applicant’s country and Japan Transportation to Japan: The grantee will be supplied with an economy class air ticketfrom the international airport nearest to his/her address at the time of leaving his/hercountry to an international airport in Japan, such as Kansai International Airport. Domestic
flight fee, airport usage fee, airport tax, etc., will NOT be covered. (The address in the33)country of the grantee’s nationality stated in the application is in principle considered as
the “Address at the time of leaving your country”, ex his/her family’s house). Air travelfrom a country other than the grantee’s nationality will not be covered.
 Transportation from Japan: The grantee who returns to his/her home country within thelast-payment month of his/her scholarship will be provided, upon application, with an
economy class air ticket from an international airport in Japan to the international airport
nearest to his/her home address.
Note 1: The cost of any aviation and accident insurance for travel to and from Japan shall bepaid by the grantee.
Note 2: If a grantee continues to stay in Japan after the scholarship period has ended, he/she will
not be paid travel expenses to return home for a temporary visit.
Note 3: Those who are staying in Japan are not eligible for payment.
Admission/Tuition fee: waived.

4. Application Procedures
The following documents must be submitted in either English or Japanese on A4-sized papers. If thisis not possible, you must attach English or Japanese translations to each document.
1)
Cover sheet (use the formats supplied)
2)
Application form (with photo) (use the formats supplied, in electronic files)
3)
Field of Study and Research Plan (use the formats supplied, in electronic files)
4)
Graduation Certificate (certificate of degree) from the last educational institution attended, ora certified letter from the university at which the applicant is currently enrolled, stating theexpected graduation date.
5)
Official academic transcript.
6)
A copy of applicant’s passport (or copy of a certificate of family register, certificate ofcitizenship or other identification issued by the government of his/her home country)
7)
A letter of recommendation written by the President, Dean or above of the institution
addressed to the President of Kanazawa University (use the format supplied)
8)
Photographs (4.5×3.5 cm; upper front figure without a hat ) taken within the past 6 months.
Name and nationality must be indicated on the back. The photographs should be pasted on thespecified place of the application form (2). Electronic data can be acceptable.
9)
A summary of the Bachelor’s thesis (or research content) written in English.
10)
Acceptance letter written by a prospective academic advisor from Kanazawa University (anemailed one is also available).
11)
Documents certifying that the applicant meets the requirements of the language ability
described on page 2.
12)
For those who are currently employed, a letter of release /recognition from theirsupervisor, recognizing their right to apply and/or pursue further education inKanazawa University
13)
Certificate of health (use the format supplied to be completed by the examining physician)14)
Pledge to the President (use the format supplied)
15)
Pledge to the Director (use the format supplied)※

The academic transcripts of the last university attended must show the grade scale applied andthe grades earned by the applicant on all the subjects studied. If it is impossible to calculate
4your GPA, for example because your grade is judged only by pass / fail etc., please include in“7) A letter of recommendation” the meaning that your academic record is in the top 30% offaculty, university or graduate school.
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Submit the following documents as “11) Documents certifying that the applicant meets therequirements of the language ability”.
[1] A certificate stating that the main instruction is English, from an institution you havecompleted / will have completed which meets the qualification to enter Japanese Master’scourse of graduate school.
And / or[2] An original score of any test of English language ability such as TOEFL-iBT or IELTS.
In case you cannot submit both [1] and [2], submit any documents showing your Englishability.

The application documents must be submitted by email to the address below by noon (JST) onDecember 28, 2023, include “[MEXT GHR]” in the subject header. The originals of the documents
submitted by email must be sent by registered air mail after receiving a notification of application
complete.
Email address: s-nyusi@adm.kanazawa-u.ac.jp
Application period: from 9:00(JST) on December 11, 2023 to noon (JST) on December 28,2023※Applications will not be accepted if any of the above documents are incomplete, incorrect or notsupported by evidence. Those not meeting the specified deadline will not be accepted.

5. Notes
1) All applicants must keep in close contact with their prospective academic advisors at Kanazawa
University to formulate their research plan.
2) Once submitted no documents will be returned.
3) After an applicant has agreed to accept the scholarship, he/she may not change their host institutionin Japan.
4) The scholarship will be cancelled for a grantee in the following cases. Furthermore, if scholarshippayments were made during the period the following cases applied, the grantee may be ordered toreturn scholarship payments received during that period
1. Any information supplied with an application is later found to be false. Admission can becanceled any time after enrollment.
2. They violate the pledge declared to the MEXT.
3. They are subjected to a disciplinary punishment or judged by the faculty as not being able
to continue the program.
4. If it becomes definitive that they will not be able to graduate (or complete his/her course)
within the standard course term because of his/her poor academic achievement orsuspension.
5. They quit Kanazawa University.
6. They transfer to another university.
7. They change the status of residence to one other than “college student” or they do not
obtain the College Student (ryugaku) visa by the time of enrollment.
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They receive financial support from their government or other organizations (except for ascholarship designated for research expenses).
9. At each point in every one years, the recipient’s GPA fell below 2.30. This GPA will becalculated by the method which is designated by Monbukagakusho.
5) The scholarship will be suspended if a leave of absence occurs or when the student fails to attend
the university for a long time.
6) Applicants are expected to learn and understand the geography, climate, customs and traditions ofJapan as well as the rules of Kanazawa University. Although thesis work can be carried out inEnglish, it is recommended to get accustomed to the Japanese language essential for daily life.
7) Do not use erasable ball-point pens for application documents.
※An applicant who is applying for another university with MEXT scholarship at the same time is not
eligible. If identified after acceptance of the scholarship grantees, the applicant will be required towithdraw from the scholarship.

6. Selection and Admission
Preliminary selection is carried out by the Selection Committee of the Program for Global Human
Resource Development in Mathematical and Physical Sciences for Data Science and Computational
Science, based on the submitted documents listed in Item “4 Application Procedure” above. TheCommittee may contact the applicant by email for further information. Kanazawa University thenrecommends the selected candidates to MEXT, which will make the final decision of recipients.
Admission starts from the semester beginning October 1, 2024.
Applicants will be notified of the results of the preliminary selection by March 2024. Final resultsof the selection authorized by MEXT will be announced by June 2024.

7. Force majeure
Due to force majeure, the schedule to come to Japan may be changed, the scholarshipmay be canceled, or the contents of the application guidelines may be changed at any
time before or after the notification of acceptance.
Force majeure means events beyond the reasonable control of Monbukagakusho, suchas natural disasters, government (including local governments; hereinafter the same
applies in this section), or acts of government agencies (including border measures suchas immigration restrictions and travel restrictions by the Japanese government or
national governments concerning infectious diseases), compliance with laws, regulations
or orders, fire, storm, flood or earthquake, war (whether declared or not), rebellion,
revolution or riot, strike or lockout including but not limited to.

8. Information
For further information, please use the contact below:
Admission Affairs Section
Science and Engineering Administration Department
Kanazawa University
Kakuma-machi, Kanazawa, 920-1192, Japan
Email: s-nyusi@adm.kanazawa-u.ac.jp
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