Japanese Government (MEXT) Scholarship Program for U.S. Citizens | District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia Residents | Embassy of Japan in the United States of America

The MEXT Undergraduate Studies Scholarship is for high school seniors or recent graduates who intend to earn an undergraduate degree from a Japanese university. It provides airfare to Japan, tuition for the university, and a stipend for cost of living. In addition to the information provided on this page, all applicants are responsible for reading and following the instructions in the 2025 MEXT Undergraduate Scholarship Application Guidelines.

Applicants must indicate their intended program of study (major) in the application. The scholarship is open to students pursuing any major and is intended to provide the student with a one-year program of intensive Japanese study and then complete an undergraduate degree (typically a four-year program), for five years on the scholarship. Individuals who already have knowledge of the Japanese language sufficient to function in an academic setting may choose to opt out of the one-year intensive study of Japanese language. The term of the 2025 MEXT Undergraduate Studies Scholarship is from April 2025 to March 2030. The scholarship period for those majoring in medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine or a six-year course in pharmacy is from April 2025 to March 2032.

For information on studying at Japanese universities, please use the resources below as a starting point:

Eligibility Requirements:*

U.S. citizenship and residence in Maryland, Virginia, or the District of Columbia
The applicant must be able to travel to the Embassy of Japan in Washington, DC for the First Screening and to obtain visa prior to departure.
Born on or after April 2, 2000
Completion of high school diploma (or equivalent) by March 2025

*Read the Application Guidelines for more detailed descriptions and additional requirements

Knowledge of Japanese Language

All applicants will be required to take a Japanese language exam as part of the First Screening, so prior study of the Japanese language is highly encouraged. Applicants must be willing to learn Japanese, deepen their understanding of Japan, and carry out their academic studies in Japan in Japanese. If selected, grantees will be enrolled in a one-year preparatory education course. Individuals who have a strong functional command of Japanese may instead choose to be directly placed in a university and begin their program of study.

Interviews and Examinations

The format of the interview will be announced to applicants upon receipt and review of the application documents. In addition to the interview, all applicants will sit for written exams held at the Embassy of Japan in Washington, DC, including a Japanese Language Exam, an English Language Exam, and a Mathematics Exam. Additionally, applicants whose chosen field of study is a natural science must take a chemistry exam and either a physics exam or a biology exam.

Sample examination questions from previous years can be found here:  https://www.studyinjapan.go.jp/en/planning/scholarship/application/examination.html

Application Timeline

April 2024	MEXT scholarship application documents become available
June 7, 2024	Application submission deadline
Mid-June 2024	Notification of being invited to interview
Late June 2024	Interviews and examinations take place (first screening)
Mid-late summer 2024	Notification of results for the first screening Applicant documents are sent to MEXT in Tokyo for secondary screening
January 2025	Notification of results for the secondary screening
January 2025 – February 2025	Notification of university placement
March 2025	Travel arrangements to Japan are made for scholarship recipient
April 2025	Departure for Japan and beginning of scholarship period

How to Apply

Applicants must carefully read the Application Guidelines before beginning to prepare their application packet. Please refer to the Japan Student Services Organization (JASSO)'s Study in Japan webpage using the link below to access the Guidelines and Application Form

https://www.studyinjapan.go.jp/en/smap-stopj-applications-undergraduate.html

All required documents should be included in a single envelope and mailed to:

MEXT Scholarship
Embassy of Japan
2520 Massachusetts Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20008

The deadline for application documents to be submitted to the Embassy is June 7, 2024*.

*This is not a “post-marked by” deadline. Late applications will not be considered.

If you have questions about the MEXT Undergraduate Studies Scholarship, please contact education@ws.mofa.go.jp

Unavoidable Circumstances

In the event of unavoidable or unforeseen circumstances, the Japanese Government reserves the right to change or cancel the arrival date, scholarship, and contents of the application guidelines or the above timeline, at any time before or after notification of the results of the final selection.

The MEXT Research Scholarship is intended for graduate or post-graduate students to complete a master’s or doctoral degree at a Japanese institution. It provides airfare to Japan, tuition for the university, and a stipend for cost of living. In addition to the information listed on this page, all applicants are responsible for reading and following the instructions in the 2025 MEXT Research Scholarship Application Guidelines.

Applicants must explain their intended field of study in the application and should take care to explain why they wish to complete their degree in Japan and how their research will benefit US-Japan relations. It should be related to their undergraduate field of study and should be a program which they can pursue at a Japanese university. The scholarship is open to students pursuing any major and is typically for a period of two years or the length of time to complete the degree program, including a six-month term of intensive Japanese language training. The term of the 2025 MEXT Research Scholarship is from April 2025 to March 2027 with the possibility of extension.

Applicants should research universities in Japan before applying to understand what programs are available and whether they will accept international students.

For information on studying at Japanese universities, please use the resources below as a starting point:

Eligibility Requirements:*

U.S. citizenship and residence in Maryland, Virginia, or the District of Columbia
If the desired language of instruction is Japanese, the applicant must be able to travel to the Embassy of Japan in Washington, DC for the First Screening.
Born on or after April 2, 1990
Completion of an undergraduate degree before the term of the scholarship begins

*Read the Application Guidelines for more detailed descriptions and additional requirements

Knowledge of Japanese Language

All applicants who select Japanese as the desired language of instruction will be required to take a Japanese language exam as part of the First Screening. Prior study of the Japanese language is highly encouraged. All applicants must have the Japanese language ability to adapt to living in Japan and, if selected, must be willing to deepen their understanding of Japan after arriving. There will be a six-month term of preparatory education for those requiring it.

Interviews and Examinations

The format of the interview will be announced to applicants upon receipt and review of the application documents.

For those required to take the Japanese language exam, the exam will be held at the Embassy of Japan in Washington, DC. Sample examination questions from previous years can be found here: https://www.studyinjapan.go.jp/en/planning/scholarship/application/examination/

Application Timeline

April 2024	MEXT scholarship application documents become available
May 24, 2024	Application submission deadline
Late May 2024	Notification of being invited to interview
Early June 2024	Interviews and examinations take place (first screening)
Mid-late summer 2024	Notification of results for the first screening Applicants who pass the screening receive additional instructions for next steps Applicant documents are sent to MEXT in Tokyo for secondary screening
August 9, 2024	Deadline for applicants to request a provisional acceptance to Japanese universities
Mid September, 2024	Deadline for applicant to submit a Placement Reference Application Form
January - February 2025	Notification of results for the secondary (MEXT) screening and university placement
April or September/October 2025	Departure for Japan and beginning of scholarship period

How to Apply

Applicants must carefully read the Application Guidelines before beginning to prepare their application packet. Please refer to the Japan Student Organization (JASSO)'s Study in Japan webpage using the link below to access Guidelines and Application form

https://www.studyinjapan.go.jp/en/smap-stopjus-applications-research.html

All required documents should be included in a single envelope and mailed to:

MEXT Scholarship
Embassy of Japan
2520 Massachusetts Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20008

The deadline for application documents to be submitted to the Embassy is May 24, 2024*.

*This is not a “post-marked by” deadline. Late applications will not be considered.

If you have questions about the MEXT Research Students Scholarship, please contact education@ws.mofa.go.jp

Unavoidable Circumstances

In the event of unavoidable or unforeseen circumstances, the Japanese Government reserves the right to change or cancel the arrival date, scholarship, and contents of the application guidelines or the above timeline, at any time before or after notification of the results of the final selection.

The MEXT Japanese Studies Scholarship is intended for U.S. undergraduate students to study Japanese language and culture at a university in Japan for one year. It provides airfare to Japan, tuition for the university, and a stipend for cost of living for one school year. In addition to the information listed on this page, all applicants are responsible for reading and following the instructions in the Application Guidelines for Japanese Studies Students.

Applicants must be undergraduates at a foreign (non-Japanese) university at the time of arriving in and leaving Japan and must be majoring in a field related to the Japanese language or Japanese culture. The term of the 2024 MEXT Japanese Studies Scholarship is one year, starting from September or October 2024.

For information on studying at Japanese universities, please use the resources below as a starting point:

Eligibility Requirements:*

Must have U.S. citizenship and reside in Maryland, Virginia, or the District of Columbia (If applying from elsewhere in the U.S., please follow this link to find your local consulate)
Must be able to travel to the Embassy of Japan in Washington, DC for the First Screening and to obtain visa prior to departure
Must have been born between April 2, 1994 and April 1, 2006
Must be an undergraduate student majoring in fields related to Japanese language or Japanese culture
Must have studied Japanese Studies at a university for a total period of one year or more as of September 1, 2024
Must return to home country and continue to study at their home institution immediately after the end of the scholarship period

*Read the Application Guidelines for more detailed descriptions and additional requirements

Knowledge of Japanese Language

Applicants must have Japanese language ability sufficient for receiving education at a university in Japan.

Examinations and Interviews

Examinations are planned to be held in person at the Embassy of Japan in Washington, D.C. Interview information will be shared with candidates based on results of the examination.

Application Timeline

February 12, 2024	Deadline for the submission of application documents
February 26, 2024	Written examination in Japanese
Late February 2024	Notification of being invited to interview
Late February to early March 2024	Interviews take place
Late March 2024	Notification of results for the first screening Applicant documents are sent to MEXT in Tokyo for secondary screening
Late May 2024	Notification of results for the secondary (MEXT) screening
July 2024～	Notification of scholarship recipient and university placement
～August 2024	Travel arrangements to Japan are made for scholarship recipient
September or October 2024	Departure for Japan and beginning of scholarship period

How to Apply

Applicants must carefully read the Application Guidelines before beginning to prepare their application packet. Applications submitted with incomplete information or documentation will not be considered, so please carefully review that all required forms and documents are completely filled out and submitted together. A checklist of required documents is provided in the Application Guidelines.

All documents should be included in a single envelope and mailed to:

MEXT Scholarship
Embassy of Japan
2520 Massachusetts Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20008

The deadline for application documents to be submitted to the Embassy is February 12, 2024*.

*This is not a “post-marked by” deadline. Late applications will not be considered.

If you have questions about the MEXT Scholarship for Japanese Studies, please contact education@ws.mofa.go.jp