The following information is intended for prospective international students currently based overseas and wishing to attend Kyoto University on the Japanese Government (Monbukagakusho: MEXT) Scholarship.
For information for privately-financed international students currently enrolled at Kyoto University, see Scholarships for privately-financed international students.
- Categories
- Application period, eligibility, and benefits
- Application procedures (overseas selection)
- Contact
Categories
The Japanese Government (MEXT) Scholarship, funded by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), is available to seven categories of students: 1) Research Students (Graduate-Degree Students and Research [non-degree] Students), 2) Teacher Training Students, 3) Undergraduate Students, 4) Japanese Studies Students, 5) College of Technology Students, 6) Professional Training College Students, and 7) Young Leaders Program (YLP) Students.
Kyoto University accepts the following categories of international students:
Research Students | Undergraduate Students | Japanese Studies Students |
---|---|---|
Graduate degree and non-degree students | Undergraduate degree students | Credited auditors |
Application period, eligibility, and benefits (as of May 2023)
The information provided below is based on past application guidelines and subject to change. Prospective applicants are advised to read the guidelines applicable to their intended year of entry.
Reference:
MEXT: "About the MEXT Scholarships"
The above webpage is written mostly in Japanese, but is linked to pages providing links to application guidelines in English.
Category | Research Students | Undergraduate Students2 |
Japanese Studies Students3 | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Application |
Overseas Selection | ||||
Embassy Recommendation |
University Recommendation (general program) |
Embassy Recommendation4 |
Embassy Recommendation |
University Recommendation |
|
Application period |
Around April – May | Around late December – January1 | Around April – May | Around December | Around February1 |
Arrival in Japan | Early April or late September of the following year | Late September | Around April of the following year | Late September of the following year | Late September |
Selection method |
Evaluation of submitted documents, a written exam, an interview, and others | Evaluation of submitted documents, an interview, and others | |||
Eligibility | Those who have graduated, or expect to graduate, from an undergraduate or higher degree program | Those who have graduated, or expect to graduate, from a secondary school or equivalent | Overseas undergraduate students majoring in fields related to the Japanese language and/or culture (having studied these subjects for a total period of one year or more as of 1 September of the year they expect to arrive in Japan), and expecting to return to their home universities after completing a program in Japan | ||
Age (as of 1 April of the year of arrival) |
34 or younger | 24 or younger | 18–29 | ||
Duration | Non-degree students: up to 2 years, including a six-month Japanese-language training period5, 6 (not mandatory for those with sufficient language skills) | Non-degree students: up to 18 months6 | Five years, including a one-year Japanese language training period2 | One year | |
Degree students (master's, professional, and doctoral): until completion of the degree program (not to exceed the standard number of years required)6 | |||||
Monthly stipend7 |
|
117,000 yen | 117,000 yen | ||
Additional monthly payment:
|
|||||
School fees7 | Examination, admission, and tuition fees are exempted | ||||
Traveling cost7 | One round-trip ticket is provided |
Please note that undergraduate MEXT Scholarship students are not eligible to enroll in the six-year programs at the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences’ Division of Pharmacy and the Faculty of Medicine’s School of Medical Science at Kyoto University.
Japanese Studies Students Program (in Japanese).
- Undergraduate International Course Program of Civil Engineering, Undergraduate School of Global Engineering, Faculty of Engineering
- Kyoto iUP
For details, please contact the administrative office of each program.
Please note that not all the applications are approved.
Application procedures (overseas selection)
Pre-arrival applications should be submitted through either:
1) a Japanese diplomatic mission (Embassy Recommendation) or
2) a Japanese university (University Recommendation).
Most of the MEXT Scholarship students at Kyoto University earned their scholarships through Embassy Recommendation.
Note: For information for privately-financed international students currently enrolled at Kyoto University, see Scholarships for privately-financed international students.
1. Embassy Recommendation
To obtain an "Embassy Recommendation", applicants must submit their applications to the Japanese embassy (or consulate) in their home countries for the initial screening. Those interested are advised to contact an appropriate Japanese diplomatic mission in their countries.
In China, however, applications should be submitted to the country's Ministry of Education for the first screening. The application requirements, schedule, and process differ from those for Embassy Recommendation. Successful applicants usually arrive in Japan in October. Contact your home university in China or China Scholarship Council (CSC) for more details.
Regular schedule (subject to change)
Before arriving in Japan | April – May | Application | |
---|---|---|---|
May – August |
Japanese diplomatic mission review ("first screening") | ||
In the case of research students: Application for a Letter of Provisional Acceptance from a Japanese university10 | |||
October | MEXT review | ||
February (– July)9 | Notification of results | ||
March (September)9 | Immigration procedures | ||
During the stay in Japan | Early April (late September)9 |
Arrival in Japan | |
A. Research (non-degree) students:
|
B. Degree students: Undergraduate, master's, doctoral, or professional-degree studies6 Note: Students need to have passed the entrance exam before the program begins. |
||
Entrance examination | |||
Undergraduate, master's, doctoral, or professional-degree studies6 | |||
Returning to home country |
9 Months in parentheses are for those arriving in late September.
10 See the following section: "For those wishing to obtain a Letter of Provisional Acceptance from Kyoto University".
For those wishing to obtain a Letter of Provisional Acceptance from Kyoto University for 2022 or later enrollment as a research student
Follow the procedures outlined below after receiving the Passing Certificate of the First Screening or a notification of selection from a Japanese diplomatic mission.
Application period
From the date of receipt of the Passing Certificate through 25 August 2023.
Procedures and contact method
- Choose a prospective academic advisor, such as by searching the webpages listed below.
The University is not available to make any recommendations; applicants are responsible for selecting their academic advisors based on their own research interests. - Obtain a Passing Certificate of the First Screening from a Japanese diplomatic mission, contact the prospective academic advisor, and request a Letter of Provisional Acceptance from that faculty.
Applicants may contact a prospective academic advisor in either of the following two ways:
(1) Directly or through the administrative office of the graduate school/research institute
(2) As part of an online application process through the Admissions Assistance Office (AAO)
References for options (1) and (2):
(1) Find the contact information of the prospective academic advisor
Find the contact information of the administrative office
(2) AAO Application ProceduresFor those applying via AAO
The University needs to receive the scholarship application documents in order to issue a letter of provisional acceptance. Applicants must therefore submit the following documents, each stamped by a Japanese diplomatic mission, as part of the AAO process in addition to other application materials:
1. Application Form
3. Field of Study and Research Plan
4. Academic transcript for all academic years of university attended
5. Certificate of graduation or degree certificate of the university attended
6. Recommendation letter from the president/dean or the academic advisor at the current or last university attended
7. Medical certificate
8. Abstracts of theses (only if submitted to the Japanese diplomatic mission)
9. Certificate of language proficiency (only if submitted to the Japanese diplomatic mission)
10. Recommendation letter from the present employer (only if submitted to the Japanese diplomatic mission)
11. Photograph(s) showing the applicant’s own works of art or digitally recorded media of a musical performance (only if submitted to the Japanese diplomatic mission)
12. Copy of a Passing Certificate of the First Screening issued by the Japanese diplomatic mission
Reference: APPLICATION GUIDELINES JAPANESE GOVERNMENT (MEXT) SCHOLARSHIP FOR 2024 (page 8)
Notes:
- It may take a month or more for the graduate school or the faculty member concerned to evaluate the submitted materials and make a decision about the application.
The above-mentioned date, 25 August 2023, is not the day when the application results are announced (successful applicants will be issued a completed Letter of Provisional Acceptance). It is therefore advisable to apply for the AAO process in plenty of time. - Those issued a Letter of Provisional Acceptance must apply not only for the scholarship but also for the University.
In particular, those wishing to enroll in a master's, doctoral, or professional-degree program are required to pass the entrance exam carried out by the graduate school concerned. Learn about the application period and other details by reading the guidelines provided on the graduate school websites. - Those who decide to withdraw their application after being issued a Letter of Provisional Acceptance are asked to immediately contact their prospective academic advisor.
Resources for finding a prospective academic advisor
Information on the education and research activities of KyotoU teaching staff can be found at the following websites as well:
Language of instruction
All Kyoto University undergraduate, master's, and professional degree courses and examinations, with the exception of English-taught degree programs, are generally conducted in the Japanese language. Therefore, most of those intending to enroll in the University's undergraduate, master's, and professional degree programs must have sufficient proficiency in Japanese at the time of matriculation.
Please read this page to learn about English-taught degree programs offered by the University, and this page for Japanese-language learning opportunities available after enrollment.
2. University Recommendation (general program)
The application process varies by graduate school, so prospective applicants are advised to contact the administrative office of the school they wish to apply for.
Kyoto University screens the applications and selects candidates to recommend to MEXT as research(non-degree), master's, professional-degree, or doctoral students. In general, those who do not intend to enter a degree (master's, doctoral, or professional) program are not eligible to apply for university recommendations. Those interested in an undergraduate program are advised to read Note 4 in "Application period, eligibility, and benefits".
Eligibility for the University Recommendation Scholarship (general program) is limited to nationals and citizens of the countries and regions designated by MEXT.
Regular schedule (subject to change)
Before arriving in Japan | December – February | Application | |
---|---|---|---|
Graduate School review* | |||
March | Kyoto University review* | ||
April – May | MEXT review | ||
June | Notification of results | ||
July – September | Immigration procedures | ||
During the stay in Japan | Late September | Arrival in Japan | |
A. Research (non-degree) students:
|
B. Degree students: Master's, doctoral, or professional degree studies6 Note: Students need to have passed the entrance exam before the program begins. |
||
Entrance examination | |||
Master's, doctoral, or professional degree studies6 | |||
Returning to home country |
Regarding the handling of personal information
Personal information provided at the time of application and personal information related to the application will be used for the scholarship screening process. The information may also be used for the general management of financial support data within the university, and for the management and screening of other projects within the university to facilitate its provision of appropriate support.
Contact
International Student Support Section
International Student Division
Kyoto University
Email: intlstudent*mail2.adm.kyoto-u.ac.jp (replace * with @)