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Admissions

Japanese Government (MEXT) Scholarship

The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) offers a Japanese government scholarship program to provide outstanding international students with opportunities to study in Japan.
There are two ways to apply for scholarships: embassy recommendation, and university recommendation.


For details, please refer to the guidelines applicable to the intended year of entry.
Reference: MEXT: "About the MEXT Scholarships"


Prospective international students who wish to study at University of Tsukuba can apply for the scholarship by one of the two ways.


Embassy Recommendation

To be a candidate of this category, applicants need to apply through the Japanese Embassy or Consulate (hereinafter referred to as "Japanese Embassy") in the applicant's country at first, and pass their first screening. The application schedule differs according to the country in which the Japanese Embassy is located, and the application procedures vary by the categories of student status ("RESEARCH STUDENT", "UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT", "JAPANESE STUDIES STUDENT" and "TEACHER TRAINING STUDENT").
Those interested are advised to contact an appropriate Japanese diplomatic mission in their countries directly if they have any questions.
Reference: List of diplomatic missions overseas (Ministry of Foreign Affairs website)


To those who have passed the first screening conducted by the Japanese diplomatic missions:

Those wishing to enroll at the University of Tsukuba as a research student (graduate level), will need to obtain a Letter of Provisional Acceptance from the University of Tsukuba. If you wish to apply for a Letter of Provisional Acceptance, please apply through the " To applicants who wish to request "Provisional Acceptance" from University of Tsukuba" page (scheduled to be published on July 1, 2026).


Those who received the letter must submit it to the Japanese Embassy to proceed to the second screening of MEXT.


Regular Schedule【Research Student】

（subject to change）
  • Around April-July
    Call for applications opens at each Japanese Embassy / FIRST SCREENING at the Japanese Embassy
  • Around July-August
    Request a LETTER OF PROVISIONAL ACCEPTANCE to Japanese universities
  • Around September-October
    Receive a LETTER OF PROVISIONAL ACCEPTANCE from the university. It must be submitted immediately to the Japanese Embassy.
  • November or after
    SECOND SCREENING at MEXT
  • Around January-March
    Notification of the final result from the Japanese Embassy to the candidates
  • April or October
    Enrollment at the university

University Recommendation

Candidates of this category are nominated to MEXT through university selection. This recommendation way is consisted of two different types, "General Program" and "Special Program" as follows.


General Program

General Program is a type of selection in which a university selects overseas applicants seeking admission to its master's or doctoral programs as scholarship candidates to MEXT. No restrictions are placed on applicants' research fields but the nationalities of applicants are limited to only those designated by the MEXT. It must be noted that the maximum number of recommended candidates is very few, annually limited to only 3 candidates.


The application process for the university recommendation must always go through the applicant's prospective academic advisor. First of all, applicants are required to contact their prospective academic advisor via email to ask if they can be recommended as MEXT scholarship candidates. If the academic advisor is willing to recommend the applicant as a candidate for university selection, they will discuss further procedures.


After the application guidelines of the MEXT scholarship is published around mid-November, please get your documents ready as per the instructions by the prospective academic advisor.


Regular Schedule

(subject to change)
  • Around November-December
    Application period
  • Around January-February
    University's internal selection
    Nomination to MEXT
  • Around June
    Notification of the final result
  • October
    Enrollment at the university


Special Program

University of Tsukuba selects candidates for programs particularly adopted by MEXT for its University Recommendation Scholarship, Special Program. Some programs take only "RESEARCH STUDENT" while others take "UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT".


Since the Special Program is provided only for degree students, the applicants are required to pass the entrance examination of each program to be eligible for application. Please check the program website to obtain relevant information about the entrance examination.


List of Special Programs for University Recommendation AY 2026

Graduate Level


Undergraduate Level