MEXT Scholarships

 

2023 MEXT Japanese Studies Students Scholarships
 

Now Accepting Applications. (See "Japanese Studies Students Scholarship", below.) If you are a currently-enrolled undergraduate student majoring in Japanese studies and wishing to strengthen your fluency in Japanese language or knowledge of culture during one year abroad in Japan, you may be interested in this scholarship.

Introduction

Some 102,000 students from approximately 160 countries and regions have studied in Japan under the Japanese Government (Monbukagakusho, or MEXT) Scholarship program, established in 1954. (Data is through fiscal year 2015).

The Consulate General of Japan in Los Angeles accepts applications for Japanese Government scholarships from candidates who are U.S. citizens and reside or attend universities in Southern California* and Arizona only.

Please read the Application Guidelines for detailed information on the four MEXT Scholarships we administer.

If you would also like to see past applicant exams for your reference, please see the links for application materials, below.

If, after reading the Application Guidelines, you have further questions, please contact:

MEXT Scholarships Desk
350 S. Grand Ave., Suite 1700
Los Angeles, CA 90071
Tel: (213) 617-6700, ext. 336
Fax: (213) 617-6728
mext@ls.mofa.go.jp

If you are a U.S. citizen but do not live or study in our jurisdiction (Southern California* and Arizona), please click here to find the Consulate General of Japan to which you can apply for a MEXT Scholarship. If you are not a U.S. citizen (including foreign student or permanent resident) please inquire about MEXT through the Embassy of Japan in the country of which you have citizenship. Click here for a list of Japanese Embassies and Consulates.

About 7,500 Americans studied abroad in Japan during the 2016-2017 academic year. This includes exchange program participants, students with various scholarships, and privately financed students. For an introductory guide on studying in Japan, please see https://www.us.emb-japan.go.jp/jicc/doc/Library/StudyAbroadGuide_Spreads.pdf.

(*Imperial, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura Counties)

■Research Student Scholarship (for program beginning in April 2023 or September/October 2023) - APPLICATION PERIOD CLOSED

https://www.studyinjapan.go.jp/en/smap_stopj-applications_research.html

 

■Undergraduate Student Scholarship (for program beginning generally in April 2023) - APPLICATION PERIOD CLOSED

https://www.studyinjapan.go.jp/en/smap_stopj-applications_undergraduate.html

 

■Specialized Training College Student Scholarship (for program beginning in April 2023) - APPLICATION PERIOD CLOSED

https://www.studyinjapan.go.jp/en/smap_stopj-applications_specialized.html


Important Notes for Research Students, Undergraduate Students, and Specialized Training College Students scholarship applicants:

1. Applicants from Southern California and Arizona submit their completed application (all by hardcopy), with all the necessary documents which are listed in the links above, by the deadline, to this address:
          MEXT Scholarships Desk
          Consulate General of Japan
          350 S. Grand Ave., Suite 1700
          Los Angeles, CA 90071 U.S.A.

2. Deadline - Completed applications must be received by Tuesday, June 7, 2022, 4:30 p.m.                
    (Please note the 4:30 p.m. deadline.)

3. Exams - Written examinations are required of applicants who are to be interviewed.  They are to be held in-person on Thursday, June 30, 2022.

4. Updated: Interviews – Friday, July 1, 2022. Applicants selected for this step in the selection process must appear online for the interview on the appointed date.
 
5. Applicants should be in the United States. 

6. In other matters of the application, please consult the Application Guidelines in the above links.
 



 

■Japanese Studies Students Scholarship (for program beginning in Japan in Sept./Oct. 2023) - APPLICATION PERIOD OPEN

Application Guidelines & Forms
Checklist

Important Notes regarding the Japanese Studies Students scholarships for those applying through the Consulate General of Japan in Los Angeles:
1. Submit your completed applications (all by hardcopy), with all the necessary documents which are listed in the link above, by the deadline, to this address:

          MEXT Scholarships Desk
          Consulate General of Japan
          350 S. Grand Ave., Suite 1700
          Los Angeles, CA 90071 U.S.A.

2. Complete your application according to the Application Guidelines, using the 2023 forms and other documents, and referring to the Checklist.  Select your preferred universities from the list provided in the “Course Guide of Japanese Studies Program” (2023).

3. Deadline (received by): Thursday February 16, 2023, 4:30 p.m.
    (Please note the 4:30 p.m. deadline.)

4. Examinations and interviews: Monday, February 27, 2023  

5. In other matters of the application, please consult the Application Guidelines in the above link.

*Exams and interviews take place at the Consulate General of Japan in Los Angeles, and applicants selected for further consideration must attend in person on the prescribed day.

Attention Scholarship Applicants

 

There are other ways to study in Japan and other scholarship programs. For information, please visit:

• “Study in Japan: A Guide for U.S. Students” by the Embassy of Japan is a new, introductory guide. 
• “Study in Japan” by Japan Student Services Organization (JASSO) is a thorough, regularly updated guide.
• “Scholarships for Study in Japan” by JASSO links to a pamphlet listing three different kinds of scholarships.

For further information, please contact the Scholarships Desk.