JAPANESE GOVERNMENT （MEXT） SCHOLARSHIP FOR 2025
Research Students (recommended by universities)（General Program and Special Program）
1. Qualifications and Terms of Conditions(1) Target:
Excellent students newly coming to Japan as foreign students at a graduate school levelinstitution.
※Specifically, applicants must have maintained a scholastic performance level of 2.30 and higher
for the past 2 years, and must have the potential to maintain the same level during the term forwhich the scholarship is granted.
(2) Nationality:
Applicants must have the nationality of a country that has diplomatic relations with Japan. In
principle, an applicant who has Japanese nationality at the time of application is not eligible.
However, persons with dual nationality who hold Japanese nationality and whose place ofresidence at the time of application is outside of Japan are eligible to apply as long as they choose
the nationality of the foreign country and give up their Japanese nationality by the date of theirarrival in Japan.
(3) Age:
Applicants must have been born after April 2, 1990.
(4) Academic Background:
Applicants must have the appropriate qualifications to enter a masters’ course in a
graduate school, or a doctorial course (either first or second semester) in a graduate schoolof Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology. (This includes individuals who willmeet this requirement by one day before their arrival in Japan.)]Note: Qualification screening will be done if necessary.
(5) Major Fields of Study
Applicants must apply to a program of study that correlates to their undergraduate major,
or a related field, and a field that can be studied at our university, TUMSAT.
(6) Language Ability
Applicants must be proficient in Japanese or English language to receive education and conduct
research at the university. Although it is not considered a requirement for selection this year, it is
proposed that applicants sit for a language test (for English: TOEFL, IELTS, and so on and forJapanese: Japanese Language Proficiency Test - JLPT) in order to objectively show theirlanguage ability.
(7) Health:Applicants whose mental and physical conditions are judged by the university to be free from
impediment to pursue study at the university will be admitted.
(8) Arrival in Japan:

1Entrance in October: Applicants must be able to arrive in Japan, in principle, on the day
designated by TUMSAT within 1 week preceding the first day of the course. However, due to the
influence of COVID-19, the time of arrival in Japan may change.
(9) Visa Acquisition:
Applicants must obtain College Student (ryugaku) visa at a diplomatic mission of Japan in theapplicants’ home countries before entering Japan. They then enter Japan with the College
Student （ryugaku） residence status.
If an applicant holds a status of residence in Japan, such as permanent resident, long-term
resident, etc., the person must change the status to “ryugaku” and come to Japan anew. It
should be noted that if this person applies for “permanent resident” or “long-term resident”
status upon completion of the status of a MEXT scholarship student, such application may
not be approved as a matter of course.
(10) Ineligible Applicants
Any applicant who meets any or all of the following conditions is ineligible. If identified
after the start of the scholarship period, the applicant will be required to withdraw from thescholarship.
[1] Those who are military personnel or military civilian employees at the time of theirarrival and/or during one’s scholarship period in Japan.
[2] Those who are unable to arrive in Japan by the day designated by the university.
[3] Those who received a Japanese Government Scholarship (MEXT scholarship) in the past
and who have not been engaged in education and research for more than 3 years since
the completion of the scholarship period before the time of admittance of the new
application for a MEXT scholarship. However, those who had been students on MEXT
scholarship majoring in Japanese language and Japanese culture, Japan-Korea Joint
Department of Science and Technology and Young Leaders’ Program returned home andgraduated (or are expected to graduate) from the university enrolled, wish come to Japanagain for study may apply for MEXT scholarship as research students.
[4] Those who have applied concurrently to another program that qualifies for MEXT
scholarship, the provision of which will begin in 2025.
[5] Those who are currently enrolled at a Japanese university with a College Student(ryugaku) residence status, and those enrolled, or scheduled to be enrolled, at aJapanese university as a privately financed foreign student during the period when thescholarship application was filed until the start of the provision of the scholarship.
However, even if the applicant is currently a privately financed foreign student studying
in Japan, this restriction does not apply to an applicant who, at the time of filing theapplication for MEXT scholarship, will certainly return to one’s home country before thestart of the scholarship application period, and who will obtain a College Student(ryugaku) visa anew to come to Japan.

2[6] Those who plan to receive scholarships from institutions other than MEXT, Japan
Student Services Organization (JASSO) or the Japanese government (other than MEXT)
and including governmental institutions of their home countries, after coming to Japan.
[7] Those who are “expected to graduate” from their universities but who do not meet theacademic qualifications and conditions by the designated date.
[8] Holders of dual nationality at the time of application who cannot verify that they havegiven up Japanese nationality by the time of their arrival in Japan.
[9] Those who desire, at the time of application, to conduct fieldwork, internship and so on
in countries other than Japan.
[10] Those who have finished a doctoral course and do not intend to obtain a doctoral degree.
(11) Others:
While studying in Japan, foreign students are expected to help promote mutual
understanding between their home countries and Japan, to help promoteinternationalization of Japan, by taking part in activities organized by schools andcommunities in the neighboring area. After completing a study course, they are expected
to maintain close partnership with TUMSAT, and to cooperate with its post-completion
surveys. After returning to their home countries, they are expected to cooperate with
programs organized by Japanese diplomatic establishments in their countries so that they
can help promote relations between their countries and Japan.
2. Periods of Scholarship
The periods when a scholarship is paid vary according to the courses in which students areenrolled as follows:
When a student is permitted to enter on a date not applied to the above due to the starting
date of the term as designated by TUMSAT, the period of payment shall be designatedelsewhere by MEXT for the sake of education and research.
(1) Those who are enrolled as non-degree research students, such as non-degree credited
auditors, and auditors after arriving in Japan, payment shall be made as follows:-

Arriving in October 2025: 1.5 years as the maximum from October 2025 to March 2027.
The period will be separately determined by MEXT for those who arrive in othermonths.

(2) Scholarships will be disbursed once the students have arrived in Japan for the periods
required to finish the regular course of the respective courses for those who are enrolled in amaster, doctoral or professional degree course in graduate school (standard term of study).
For those who are enrolled in a 5-year doctoral course, the first 2 years will be treated as amaster course and the remaining 3 years as a doctoral course.
(3) For those students who are admitted to a special program, scholarships will be disbursed
for the period of the course in which they are originally enrolled. However, individuals whowish to continue studying at a doctoral course (or advancing to the third year in a 5-year
doctoral course) will be required to submit an application to extend the scholarship period.
Students enrolled in programs only for master’s courses are not able to extend their3

scholarship period. Those who have applied as students recommended by universities(research students – general program) shall not be admitted as they fall in [3] under (10)Ineligible Applicants in Qualifications and Terms of Conditions.
(4) For non-degree research students who wish to advance to a master’s course, or those whowish to advance from a master’s course or a professional degree course to a doctoral course,
the periods of scholarship may be extended, provided that the students satisfy a specified
academic standard and are academically outstanding. Their applications for extension shallbe examined. Not all applicants may be admitted and the following points should be noted:
a. The scholarship period cannot be extended as a non-degree research student.
b. For students who enter an upper-level course without obtaining approval for ascholarship extension application, there will be no disbursement of the scholarship.
(However, a privately financed foreign student can advance to or be enrolled in an
upper-level course.)c. If a non-degree research student fails to pass an examination in a degree course while
enrolled in a course as a non-degree research student, his/her scholarship period cannot
be extended.
d. Please note that transportation cost will not be provided to a non-degree research
student who, having failed in entrance examinations to advanced degree courses in
graduate school, return to their home countries, even if the application for extension ofscholarship has been approved.
e. Non-degree research students who advance to a master’s course, or those who advancefrom a master’s course or a professional degree course to a doctoral course will not beallowed to enter graduate schools of other universities on the same scholarship.
(However, they are allowed to do so if they are privately financed international
students).
3. Scholarship Benefits(1) Scholarships
The following amounts of money are provided according to the course in which a student is
to be enrolled. The amounts may vary each year due to budgetary conditions. When
students take a leave of absence or are absent from school for an extended time period,
scholarship funds will not be disbursed.
a. Non-degree research students: 143,000 yen per monthb. Master’s course or Professional degree course: 144,000 yen per monthc. Doctoral course: 145,000 yen per month* A sum of 2,000 or 3,000 yen will be added per month for students studying in specificdesignated regions.
(2) Transportation[1]Transportation to Japan

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MEXT or TUMSAT will, in principle, designate a travel itinerary and route, and provide
an economy-class airplane ticket from the international airport nearest to the student’s
residence (in his/her home country in principle) to Tokyo International Airport Narita orTokyo International Airport (Haneda Airport).
However, expenses such as inland transportation from his/her home address to theinternational airport, airport tax, airport usage fees, special taxes on travel, or inlandtransportation within Japan (including transit expenses) will NOT be covered.
Expenses for travel insurance, baggage and transportation of unaccompanied baggage
should be borne by students. If there are no Japanese diplomatic missions in thestudents’ home country, and if they must visit a third country to obtain a visa to Japan,
the costs of transportation to the third country, inland transportation within thatcountry, as well as board and lodging there should be borne by students. An
economy-class air-ticket from the third country to Tokyo International Airport Narita or
Haneda Airport will be provided by MEXT or TUMSAT. (The student’s residence is, inprinciple, the present address as described in the Application, but if one moves to a place
within one’s country at the time of travelling to Japan, the address registered in thecolumn “Address before coming to Japan” will be considered as “place of residence.”)
The air ticket will not be given to those who arrive in Japan from countries other thantheir own for their personal reasons, except for students visiting a third country toobtain a visa to Japan.
[2]Transportation from Japan：
For foreign students who return home within the month when the scholarship period
ends, MEXT or TUMSAT will, in principle, and upon request by the students, provide an
economy-class airplane ticket from Tokyo International Airport Narita or Haneda
Airport to the international airport nearest to the students’ residence (in their homecountry in principle).
However, expenses such as inland transportation from returning students’ places ofresidence in Japan to the nearest international airport, airport tax, airport usage fees,
special taxes on travel, or inland transportation within their home countries (includingtransit expenses), as well as expenses for travel insurance, baggage and unaccompanied
baggage should be borne by students.
It should be noted that transportation expenses to return home will not be paid tostudents intending to return home before the end of their scholarship periods for
personal reasons or reasons mentioned from (a) to (i) under 4 “Conditions for Revocationof Scholarship.”Note 1) As indicated in 2. Scholarship Periods, in principle, no transportation expenses
to return home will be disbursed to non-degree research students who, intending to entera master’s course, have submitted an application to extend their scholarship periods, butthen return home without extending their scholarship periods. Therefore, care will beneeded at the time of applying for scholarship extension.
5Note 2) If a student continues to stay in Japan after the termination of one’s scholarship
period (ex. Further studies or employment in Japan), transportation expenses to returnhome temporarily will not be paid.
(3) Tuition and Other Fees
Fees for the entrance examination, matriculation, and tuition at universities will be paidby the accepting university.
4. Conditions for Revocation of Scholarship
MEXT will stop paying scholarship when one or more of the following cases apply to
students. MEXT may order applicable students to return a part or all of scholarship alreadyprovided.
a. When a false or wrong statement is found in the application documents.
b. When a student violates any articles of the pledge to the Minister of Education,
Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.
c. When a student violates Japanese laws and regulations, and is sentenced to
imprisonment with hard labor or imprisonment for one year or longer indefinite term.
d. When a student is subjected to disciplinary action by the university, including
expulsion. (Scholarship payment may be suspended until a disciplinary action isdetermined by the university.)e. When it becomes certain that a student is unable to complete the enrolled course
within the standard time period because of poor academic performance, suspension,or long absence from the university.
f.

When a student arrives in Japan without obtaining, or renewing their residence
status as “ryugaku,” or when one’s status of “ryugaku” has changed to a different
status.

g. When a student has received a scholarship from other institutions (excluding thosespecified for research expenditures.)h. When a student advanced to a higher-level course without obtaining approval for theextension of the scholarship period.
i.

When a student left or withdrew from the university in which they originally enrolled
and transferred to a different graduate school.

5. Recommendation Procedures and Selection(1) Recommendation
The head of a university, upon examination within the university, recommends excellent
students who require the provision of scholarship with a priority order in respective
recommendation quotas in the designated format to the Minister of Education, Culture,
Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) of Japan together with necessary documents.
(2) Selection

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A Selection Committee will examine and select candidates for scholarship from among thestudents recommended by heads of universities. On the base of the examination, MEXT will
determine the beneficiaries and their respective scholarship periods.
(3) Documents to be Submitted, etc.
Please refer the ANNEX sheet “APPLICATION FOR JAPANESE GOVERNMENT(MONBUKAGAKUSHO : MEXT) SCHOLARSHIP 2025”<Important Notice>* These documents must be written in Japanese or English. If they are written in otherlanguages, Japanese translations should be attached. They should be prepared, as muchas possible, with A-4 size paper uniformly using word processing software programs.
* Submitted documents will not be returned.
* Recommending universities should be responsible to confirm the contents. If the above
documents are not perfectly and correctly prepared, or attached documents are notcomplete, such application will not be placed for examination. (If defects or false
descriptions are found after the admittance of applications, the admittance may becancelled.)* Applications arriving later than the closing date (it must arrive before or on the closingday) will not be accepted.
6. Application deadline and Announcement of the result(1) Application period:
October 11, 2024 - November 8, 2024
(2) Announcement of the result:First selection (Selection by TUMSAT):
January 2025
Second selection (Selection by MEXT):[General program] May, 2025
[Special program] May 2025
7. Contact information
International Student Section
Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology
ks-ryuu@o.kaiyodai.ac.jp

7Appendix
1. Academic performance requirements
The grading coefficient calculated by the following formula must be 2.30 or higher on a
3-point scale.
Classification

Grade Evaluation

4-point scale

優

良

可

不可

4-point scale

A

B

C

F

4-point scale

100 - 80

79 - 70

69 - 60

59 - 05-point scale

S

A

B

C

F

5-point scale

A

B

C

D

F

5-point scale

100 - 90

89 - 80

79 - 70

69 - 60

59 - 0

3

3

2

1

0

Evaluation Points
Calculation Formula(Credit for evaluation point 3×3)+(Credit for evaluation point 2×2)+( Credit for evaluation point 1×1)+(Credit for evaluation point 0×0)

Total credits registered(Note 1) If the credit system is not used for classes taken, the number of credits should be
replaced by the number of courses.
(Note 2) For transfer students, the number of credits after the transfer should be subject tocalculation. If the grade evaluation before the transfer (grades at the school attended
immediately prior to the current university) included in the most recent two-year period is notreflected in the credits after transfer, the calculation should be made based on the grade
evaluation before the transfer.1(Note 3) Evaluations that are not included in the grade evaluation table above (e.g., “approved,”“passed” etc.) should not be included.
(Note 4) Fractional numbers in the academic achievement coefficient should be rounded down
to two decimal places.
(Note 5) If the academic record of the university currently enrolled in is less than two years
and the academic record is determined on a semi-annual basis, and if the university enrolled in
before that calculated the academic record on an academic year basis and there is a fraction
less than one year, the academic record coefficient should be calculated based on the results ofthe most recent two and a half years.

82. Language requirements
Those who have Japanese or English proficiency and meet any of the following conditions
Japanese

1. Those who have passed the Japanese Language
Proficiency Test (JLPT) level N2 or higher at the time ofrequirements

admission to the regular course
2. Those who have completed an educational programwith Japanese as their primary language that meets thequalifications for admission to a Japanese graduate
school's master's program or doctoral program
3. Those who are judged to have Japanese proficiency
equivalent to Item 1 or above by the accepting university

English

1. Those who have a qualification/certification exam

requirements

score equivalent to B2 or above of the Common
European Framework of Reference for Languages(CEFR) in English at the time of admission to theregular course(Example) The main language exam scores are as
follows (as of April 2024).
IELTS: 5.5 or above; TOEFL iBT: 72 points or above;
TOEIC (Listening: 400 points or above; Reading: 385
points or above)
Note: For other exams, please submit the source
document that the score is equivalent to CEFR B2 orabove.
2. Those who have completed an educational programwith English as their primary language that meets thequalifications for admission to a Japanese graduate
school's master's program or doctoral program
3. Those who are judged to have English proficiency
equivalent to Item 1 or above by the accepting university

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