MEXT Scholarship with University Recommendation | Prospective Students | Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo

What is MEXT Scholarship with University Recommendation?

In the scheme of the MEXT Scholarship with University Recommendation, each Japanese university will conduct the preliminary selection and recommend their candidates to MEXT. Therefore your first contact is the university you wish to study. MEXT expects their scholars to start their study in October only. Following students are expected to apply. Those who live in Japan with a proper visa at the time of application are NOT eligible to apply.

Those who have studied at GSFS as an exchange program student
Those who have participated in any internship program at UTokyo such as UTSIP Kashiwa before and would like to enroll in GSFS as a regular student

How to apply

Please note that the MEXT has set bounds to nationality of applicants since October 2023 admission. Accordingly applicants are suggested to send an inquiry with your nationality to the International Liaison Office to check if you are eligible to apply.

If/when you have found yourself eligible, please proceed to contacting professor(s) at GSFS and obtain an unofficial consensus to accept you first.
If/when you obtain the consensus, please submit all the application materials in accordance with the instruction provided below.

Application materials

a) Application form and Study plan (double-sided print)
(download the designated form here - Application form and Study plan）
Your picture must be attached in the application form.

b) Original copy of a recommendation letter
Must be prepared by the Dean (Head of School or Faculty) of your university you currently enrolled. And must be addressed to the President of The University of Tokyo.

If your recommender wishes to email us directly, we shall accept it until January 17. Otherwise, an applicant must upload it to the designated URL by him/herself.

c) Copy of your passport
The page with your picture

d) Original copy of academic transcript of your undergraduate course
Include a transcript of your master course if you are applying to a doctoral course at GSFS. In case your transcript does not show GPA or the grading system, then a letter from professors of your university describing your relative evaluation in your class must be attached.

e) Original copy of Certificate of Graduation or Expected Graduation

f) Abstract of your thesis of your previous course

g) Certificate of your language proficiency of Japanese or English

Those who have language proficiency at the JLPT N2/ CEFR B2 or above:
Test score from TOEFL, IELTS, TOEIC for both Reading & Listening and Speaking & Writing, or the Japanese Language Proficiency Test will be considered valid if it obtained after December 1, 2021.
Those who have completed their final academic program with English or Japanese as the medium of instruction:
Documents confirming that the primary language of the educational program was either English or Japanese.

Submission method・deadline

The application period for those seeking admission in Fall 2024 has ended.
The application information for those seeking admission in Fall 2025 will be updated in November 2024 on this website.

All application materials, including your photo data, must be uploaded to the online application form shown below no later than 5:00 PM Tokyo time on January 17, 2024 (Wednesday). No late submissions will be accepted.
It is also possible that your recommenders email their letters directly to us by January 17.

Then, please send all original application materials, including b) recommendation letter, by any trackable courier service to the International Liaison Office so that we can receive it by February 2, 2024 (Friday).
If your recommender wishes to send the original letter directly to us, it is also acceptable.

Where to upload

Online Application form for MEXT scholarship with University recommendation
* URL to upload application materials will be ready in November 2024.

Where to send

International Liaison Office
Graduate School of Frontier Sciences
the University of Tokyo

Room 120, Building of Environmental Studies
5-1-5 Kashiwa no ha, Kashiwa
Chiba 277-0882
Japan
Phone +81 4 7136 4558

If you are accepted

The result will be notified to you in June 2024 from GSFS. If you are accepted you will enroll in October 2024 as a research student. In order to proceed to a master or doctoral course while receiving a MEXT scholarship, you must go through two steps. One is to take an entrance examination of the department/graduate school you want to study and pass it. The second is that MEXT admits your application of scholarship extension.

1) GSFS entrance examination

Please check this website. https://www.k.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/exam/info/index.html
Note that NOT all departments holds their entrance examination at each exam schedule.

MEXT scholars are exempted from paying a screening fee.

2) Extention of MEXT scholarships

Those who enrolled as a research student would be able to apply for scholarship extension after their enrollment, which is to be November or so.
And MEXT notifies you of the extension result around March of the following year.

For example, if you enroll in October, and pass the Schedule B exam and your application for MEXT scholarship extension is accepted, you can proceed to a degree course in April of the following year.
If you enroll in October, and pass the Schedule A exam and your application for MEXT scholarship extension is accepted, you can proceed to a degree course in September of the following year.

Contact

International Liaison Office at GSFS: iloedu.k.u-tokyo.ac.jp