2025 Guidelines forJapanese Government (Monbukagakusho:MEXT) Scholarship<University Recommendation/Special Selection>

1. QUALIFICATIONS AND CONDITIONS(1) Eligibility
International students with outstanding academic achievements of graduate school level whoenter Japan as new students or those already staying in Japan.
* “International students with outstanding academic achievements” must have earned a Grade
Point Average(GPA) of 2.30 or above in their degreed (for those who are employed) or currently
enrolled courses, and be able to maintain that GPA while receiving the scholarship.
Furthermore, applicants must meet any one of the language requirements stated in (6)Language Proficiency.
* From the viewpoint of attracting the best international students, it is possible to nominate
international students presently residing in Japan for priority placement (hereinafter referred to"domestic recommenders"). However, the number of domestic recommenders should notexceed 40% of total candidates.
[Definition of "domestic recommenders"]① Those who are staying in Japan with a medium- to long-term resident status at the time ofapplication. Those who have their base of residence in Japan, not including tourists and shortterm visitors who are staying in Japan for the purpose of taking entrance examinations, etc. It
is irrelevant whether the applicant is residing in Japan from the time of after application to thestart of scholarship payments.
② Applicants residing outside Japan at the time of application, but will come to Japan as a
privately financed international students before the start of receiving scholarship payments.
* If you are or will be in Japan as a privately financed international student, you must complete
your program at the school you are enrolled or plan to enroll in before receiving scholarshippayments.
* Travel expenses will not be paid for domestic recommenders, regardless of the reasons statedin ① and ②. If applicants return to their country of nationality after applying under condition①, however, there are no exceptions if students return to Japan before scholarship payments
begin.
(2) Nationality
Applicants must have the nationality of a country that has diplomatic relations with Japan.
Applicants who have Japanese nationality at the time of application are not eligible. However,persons with dual nationality who hold Japanese nationality and whose place of residence at thetime of application is outside of Japan are eligible to apply as long as they choose the nationalityof the other country and renounce their Japanese nationality by the date of their arrival in Japan(the acquisition of student status).
(3) Age
Applicants, in principle, must be born on or after April 2, 1990.
Exceptions are limited to cases in which MEXT deems that the applicant could not apply within
the eligible age limit due to the situation or circumstances of the applicant’s country (militaryservice obligation, loss of educational opportunities due to disturbances of war, etc.). Personal
circumstances (financial situation, family circumstances, state of health, circumstances related toapplicant’s university or place of employment, etc.) will not be considered for exceptions.
However, for the Young Leaders' Program graduates who do not meet the above age
requirements and wish to enroll in a doctoral course, they can apply only within five years after
they have completed the program.
(4) Academic Background
Applicants must satisfy the conditions for admission to either a master’s or doctoral course atJAIST. (Applicants who will certainly satisfy them at the time of enrollment are eligible.)(5) Majors
Applicants should apply for the field of study they majored in at university or its related field.
Moreover, the fields of study must be subjects which applicants will be able to study and research
at JAIST.
(6) Language Proficiency
Applicants must satisfy any one of the following conditions to prove that they have sufficientJapanese or English language ability.
➢JAPANESE① Applicants must pass with N2 or higher in the Japanese-Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) atthe time of application.
② Applicants must complete curriculums that meet the conditions for admission to master’s ordoctoral courses at Japanese graduate schools using Japanese as the main language.
③ Applicants are regarded by the accepting universities as having Japanese language ability
equivalent to or better than ①.
➢ENGLISH① Applicants must pass or achieve scores in English language proficiency tests that correspondto B2 or higher level in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages(CEFR) at the time of application.
② Applicants must complete school curriculums that meet the conditions for admission inmasters’or doctoral courses at a Japanese graduate school by using English as the mainlanguage.
③ Applicants are regarded by the accepting universities as having English language ability
equivalent to or better than ①.
(7) HealthApplicants who are judged by JAIST to have no physical or mental conditions hindering theapplicant’s study in Japan.
(8) Arrival in Japan
In principle, applicants must be able to arrive in Japan during the period specified by JAIST within
two weeks before and after the starting date (October) of JAIST’s relevant academic term for thatyear.
Excluding cases in which MEXT deems as unavoidable circumstances, the applicant mustwithdraw from this scholarship program if the applicant cannot arrive in Japan by the end of thespecified period above. If an applicant will arrive in Japan before or after the specified period
due to personal circumstances, travel expenses will not be paid.
(9) Visa Requirement / Status of Residence
An applicant shall, in principle, newly obtain a “Student” visa at the Japanese diplomatic mission
located in the applicant’s country of nationality, and enter Japan with the residence status of“Student.”
Please also note that if a grantee arrives in Japan without newly obtaining a “Student” visa,
scholarship payments will be cancelled. Moreover, as the Japanese government requires prearrival tuberculosis screening for some countries, applicants obtaining a visa shall follow
guidance at the overseas establishment of Japan located in the applicant’s country ofnationality.
* Visa requirements and status of residence for domestic recommenders
For those whose current status of residence is not “Student,” applicants must change theirstatus of residence to "Student" at the local Immigration Services Agency in Japan by time ofregistration as students at JAIST. Even in cases of having other statuses of residence("Permanent Resident," "Long Term Resident", etc.), applicants must change their status to"Student" and begin their courses of study as Japanese Government (MEXT) Scholarshipstudents. It is important to note that applications for "Permanent Resident" or "Long TermResident" status after status of Japanese Government (MEXT) Scholarship student ends, may
not be granted as a matter of course. Also, if studies as Japanese Government (MEXT)
Scholarship students begin without changing status of residence to "Student," scholarships will
be canceled.
For those whose current status of residence is “Student,” they must complete the renewal
procedures before the expiration of their periods of stay. Additionally, in the event of changes
in school enrollment, notification must be submitted pursuant to the provisions of Article 19-16of the Immigration-Control and Refugee-Recognition Act.
(10) Non-Eligibility
Those who meet any one of the following conditions are ineligible. If identified ineligible after being
selected as a scholarship student, he/she must 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 JAIST;③ Those who are previous grantees of Japanese Government (MEXT) Scholarship programs(including those who withdraw from the scholarship program after acquisition of studentstatus). 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 the Monbukagakusho
Honors Scholarship for Privately-Financed International Students does not apply to theJapanese Government (MEXT) Scholarship programs, the previous grantees can apply.
・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 of

the Japanese Government (MEXT) Scholarship programs (university recommendation/special selection).
④ 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 FY2025;⑤ Those who are planning to receive scholarship money from an organization other than MEXT
(including a government organization of the applicant’s country) on top of the scholarshipmoney provided by MEXT after the start of the scholarship payment (the acquisition of studentstatus);⑥ Those who are expected to graduate at the time of application and cannot satisfy the conditionof academic background by the deadline given;⑦ 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);⑧ Those who plan to, from the time of application for the MEXT scholarship program, engage inlong-term research (such as fieldwork or internship) outside Japan or plan to take a long-term
leave of absence from the university;⑨ Those who have no intention to obtain a degree.
(11) Others
MEXT Scholarship will be granted those who are willing to contribute to mutual understanding
between Japan and their home country by participating in activities at schools and communities
during their study in Japan while contributing to the internationalization of Japan. They shall also
make efforts to promote relations between the home country and Japan by maintaining close
relations with JAIST after graduation, cooperating with the conducting of surveys andquestionnaires, and cooperating with relevant projects and events conducted by the Japanesediplomatic mission after they return to their home countries.
2. PERIOD OF SCHOLARSHIP
Master’s program student
24 months from October 2025 to September 2027
Doctoral program student
36 months from October 2025 to September 2028
3. SCHOLARSHIP BENEFITS(1) Allowance
The amounts listed below shall be paid depending on the course enrolled in. Due to thesituation of the Japanese Government’s budget, the amount of payment may be subject tochange each fiscal year. If a grantee is absent from JAIST for an extended period, thescholarship shall be suspended for that period.
Master’s program student
Doctoral program student

144,000 JPY per month
145,000 JPY per month(2) Traveling expenses① Transportation to Japan: MEXT will stipulate the travel schedule and route, and provide anairline ticket. However, MEXT will not provide an airline ticket for cases of domestic
recommenders. The airline ticket will be an economy-class ticket for the flight from theinternational airport closest to the grantee’s residence (in principle, the country of nationality)
to an international airport in Japan used on the normal route to JAIST. The grantee shallbear at his/her own expense all costs related to domestic travel from the grantee’s residence
to the nearest international airport, airport taxes, airport usage fees, special taxes necessaryfor travel, travel expenses within Japan (including airline transit costs), travel insurance
expenses, carry-on luggage or unaccompanied baggage expenses, etc. The grantee shallalso bear at his/her own expense travel and lodging costs incurred in a third country if thegrantee must travel to a third country before coming to Japan for visa purposes because
there are no Japanese diplomatic missions in his/her country, and the Japanese diplomatic
mission is closed in his/her country, or if there are no direct flights from the grantee’s countryof residence to Japan. MEXT will provide an economy-class airline ticket from the grantee’s
country of residence to the said third country, and from the third country to an international
airport in Japan used on the normal route to the accepting university. In principle, theaddress given in the space for “Your address before departure for Japan” on the application
form shall be recognized as the “residence,” and the airline ticket will be arranged for a flightfrom the international airport nearest to that address. Except for cases when the grantee
must travel to a third country to obtain a visa, MEXT will not provide an airline ticket forcases of travel to Japan from a country other than the grantee’s country of residence due tothe grantee’s personal circumstances.
② Transportation from Japan: Based on the application by the grantee, MEXT will provide anairline ticket to grantees who shall graduate or complete JAIST and return to the homecountry by the end of the final month of the period of scholarship (See “2. PERIOD OFSCHOLARSHIP”) designated by MEXT. MEXT shall provide an economy-class airline ticketfrom the international airport in Japan used for the normal route to and from JAIST to theinternational airport (in principle, in the country of nationality) nearest to the returning
grantee’s residence. The grantee shall bear at his/her own expense all costs related to travelfrom the grantee’s residence in Japan to the nearest international airport, airport taxes,
airport usage fees, special taxes necessary for travel, travel expenses within the country ofnationality (including airline transit costs), travel insurance expenses, carry-on luggage orunaccompanied baggage expenses, etc. If a grantee returns to the home country before theend of period of scholarship due to personal circumstances, or reasons stated in “4.
SUSPENSION OF PAYMENT OF SCHOLARSHIP,” MEXT will not pay for the returning
travel expenses.
If a grantee continues to stay in Japan after the scholarship period has ended (ex.
proceeding to further education or being employed in Japan), travel expenses for atemporary return will also not be paid.
(3) Education Fees
Fees for the entrance examination, matriculation, and tuition at JAIST must be paid by JAIST.
4. SUSPENSION OF PAYMENT OF SCHOLARSHIP
Payment of the scholarship will be cancelled for the reasons given below. Should any of thefollowing reasons apply, the grantee may be ordered to return a part of, or all of, the scholarship
paid up to that time. Payment of the scholarship may also be stopped during the period up to thedecision on the disposition of the matter.
① A grantee is determined to have made a false statement on his/her application;② A grantee violates any article of his/her pledge to the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports,Science and Technology;③ A grantee violates any Japanese laws and is sentenced and imprisoned for an indefinite period

or for a period exceeding 1 year;④ A grantee is suspended from JAIST or receives other punishment, or is removed fromenrollment; as a disciplinary action in accordance with school regulations of JAIST;⑤ It has been determined that it will be impossible for a grantee to complete the course within
the standard period of study because of poor academic grades or suspension or absence fromJAIST;⑥ A grantee came to Japan without newly acquiring the“Student”residence status, or changed
his/her residence status to one other than “Student.” In case of domestic recommenders, they
begin studies as Japanese Government (MEXT) Scholarship students with a status ofresidence other than“Student” or changed his/her residence status to one other than “Student.”⑦ A grantee has received another scholarship (excluding those specified for researchexpenditures);⑧ A grantee proceeds to a more advanced level of education without receiving approval for anextension of the period of the scholarship;⑨ A grantee withdraws from JAIST or transfers to another university;⑩ A grantee’s annual GPA is below 2.30 or the grading standard set by JAIST.
5. Research activities outside of JAISTMEXT scholarship students who enrolled in JAIST are generally NOT allowed to be supervised outsideof JAIST for long time because this scholarship is intended for international students who wish to enroll
in JAIST and do graduate research in JAIST. The recipients cannot receive scholarship during theperiod in other institutions.

6. Other Important Information
Recipients’ personal information may be used for international students support programs andpromotion activities by the Japanese Government. MEXT shall ask for the recipients’ approval bywritten pledge at the time of adoption.

Inquiries
International Student Section
Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology -JAIST
1-1 Asahidai Nomi, Ishikawa 923-1292, Japan
Email: ryugaku”at”ml.jaist.ac.jp
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to the above address.