2026 JAPANESE GOVERNMENT (MEXT) SCHOLARSHIP FOR UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS

Published: 15 May 2025

The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) of Japan offers scholarships to international students who wish to study at Japanese national universities as Undergraduate Students.

The Embassy of Japan in Nigeria is now accepting applications for the MEXT (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology) scholarship program in Japan.

Japanese Government (MEXT) Undergraduate Scholarship

Application Deadline	May 30, 2025
Country to study	Japan
Type	Undergraduate
Course to study	View courses
Sponsor	Japanese Government
Gender	Men and Women

Benefits of Japanese Government (MEXT) Undergraduate Scholarship

• 117,000 yen per month. A supplemental regional allowance of 2,000 yen or 3,000 yen per month will be added to the monthly scholarship amount for the grantees studying or conducting research in specially designated regions.
• Fees for the entrance examination, matriculation, and tuition at universities will be waived.
• Traveling Expenses

Japanese Government (MEXT) Undergraduate Scholarship Courses

• Accountancy
• Agricultural Sciences
• Agriculture
• Animal Science
• Architecture
• Biology
• Biotechnology
• Business Administration
• Chemical Engineering
• Civil Engineering
• Crop production
• Dentistry
• Economics
• Electrical Engineering
• Engineering Sciences
• Environmental Civil Engineering
• Environmental Engineering
• Food Science
• Forestry
• History
• Industrial Chemistry
• Japanese Studies
• Law
• Literature and Cultural Studies
• Materials and Metallurgical Engineering
• Mathematics
• Mechanical Engineering
• Mechatronics Engineering
• Medicine
• Mining Engineering
• Natural Sciences
• Nursing
• Pharmacy
• Physics
• Sociology
• Veterinary medicine
• chemistry

Requirements for Japanese Government (MEXT) Undergraduate Scholarship

MEXT accepts applications from international students for study in Japan who satisfy the following qualifications and conditions.

• Applicants must have the nationality of a country that has diplomatic relations with Japan. 
• Applicants, in principle, must have been born on or after April 2, 2001.
• Applicants must be willing to learn Japanese
• Applicants must submit a health certificate in the prescribed format signed by a physician attesting that the applicant has no physical or mental conditions hindering the applicant’s study in Japan
• In principle, applicants must be able to arrive in Japan between April 1, 2026, and April 7, 2026.
• Applicants shall, in principle, newly obtain a “Student” visa at the Japanese diplomatic mission located in the applicant’s country/region of nationality, and enter Japan with the status of residence as “Student.”
• Applicants must satisfy any one of the following conditions. However, applicants desiring direct placement must satisfy condition 1, or condition 3, or condition 4.

1.  Applicants who have completed 12 years of schooling in countries other than Japan. (Applicants who will meet the above condition by March 2026 are eligible. However, applicants wishing to enroll from the autumn term through direct placement must be expected to complete 12 years of schooling by August 2026.)
2.  Applicants who have completed their studies at a school equivalent to a Japanese upper secondary school in countries other than Japan. (Applicants who will meet the above condition by March 2026 are eligible.)
3.  Applicants who have successfully passed an academic qualification examination showing equivalency to the completion of 12 years of schooling in countries other than Japan. (Applicants who will meet the above
4. Other than the above 1, 2 and 3 conditions, applicants who are eligible for enrollment in a Japanese university at the time of application.

 

Selection Process

The Japanese diplomatic missions will conduct the First Screening of applicants through examination of submitted application documents, written academic examinations and interviews.

Subjects of Written Academic Examinations (to be taken by all applicants)

Chosen Field of Study	Subjects
Social Sciences and Humanities – A Social Sciences and Humanities - B	Japanese(A), English(A), and Mathematics(A)
Natural Sciences - A	Japanese(B), English(B), Mathematics(B), Chemistry, and Physics
Natural Sciences - B Natural Sciences - C	Japanese(B), English(B), Mathematics(B), Chemistry, and Biology

 

(2) The date and time of the notification of the results of the First Screening will be specified separately by the Japanese diplomatic mission in the applicant’s country; the reasons for the results of the screening will not be disclosed. Those who pass the First Screening will not necessarily be selected as MEXT Scholarship grantees.

 

(3) Applicants who have passed the First Screening will be recommended to MEXT. MEXT will then conduct the Second Screening of the recommended applicants and decide the selection of the scholarship grantees. MEXT selects candidates from each course.

(4) Applicants will be informed of the final selection results by the Japanese diplomatic mission in the applicant’s country after January 2026. The reasons for the results will not be disclosed. Any objections to the decision on the university of placement will not be accepted

Application Documents

Applicants must submit the following documents to the Japanese diplomatic mission in the country of the applicant’s nationality by the designated deadline. The submitted documents will not be returned.

• Application Form
• Direct Placement Preference Form
• Academic transcript(s) for all school years of school/university attended 
• Certificate(s) of graduation of school/university attended
• Recommendation letter from either a class teacher or principal of last school attended 
• Medical certificate
• Certificate of enrollment
• Certificate of university enrollment qualification examination
• Certificate of language proficiency

Application Deadline

May 30, 2025

How to Apply