MEXT Scholarship Overview (PostGrad)

sesungguhnya realiti itu tidak indah;

I was watching the Frankfurt Major in the small confined space of my single room in Takamatsu when I got the push to finally sit at my laptop and type out my research proposal. Watching an underdog team like OG make it to the finals  from the lower bracket with any chance of elimination at every game was a Cinderella story, and something in nOtail’s post interview got my heart burning. It’s been 3 years since that interview but it went something along these lines;

“If you want something really badly, then you have to put in the work. It’s not just going to magically happen. You have to want it so much that you’ll keep trying.”

I submitted my application to the MEXT Government Scholarship while I was still in Japan. Knowing that I would graduate soon and be home by the time the first round of results came out, either way I had nothing to lose. Fast forward to today, with God’s grace I am on track towards my PhD, again in the land of the rising sun. My significant other also decided to apply for the same scholarship the following year in order to follow me here, and Alhamdullilah we are both now safely studying together here thanks to MEXT. So if any of you readers are considering applying for the MEXT Scholarship, here is a rough overview of the process and a couple of things that you should probably know beforehand.

1. Application Period

I think this is one of the most important things to consider before applying. The scholarship application period takes A WHOLE YEAR. Yes, a whole year. The application deadline is usually near the end of March, and the rest of the application follows through all the way to February of the following year. I even managed to finish my MA while waiting for the final results （笑）. It should also be noted that they will only open/ release the application form for a two weeks or so. That's why it is vital to make sure that you already have an idea about what you are going to write and look up for past documents that you will need to prepare. This includes your academic transcript. Keep in mind that they have a couple of phases in the application.

2. Student Status

As stated in the application form, applicants will generally be applying as a Research Student. What this means is that once accepted, you will be enrolled initially as a Research Student and will be given a maximum of two years to prepare and sit for the MA or PhD programme entrance exam. Only after passing the entrance exam will you be enrolled into the proper Post Grad Programme of your choice. As a research student, your studies will mainly be dictated by your supervisor as you are not required to take any credits (unless you want to transfer them then why not). If you fail to pass the entrance exam in the given time period, you will then be sent home :( 

3. Application Process

First: Document assessment

The first and most important part of the whole application. It doesn’t require much, but the main focus should be on the research proposal as this is is what your interview will be based on and will determine if you get selected to continue to the next phase. 

Second: the language exam.

No, you do not need to know Japanese Language to apply for this scholarship. The language paper is a simple English paper (only for Post Grad applicants) if you do know Japanese Language then you can answer the Japanese Section as well. Your Japanese Language ability will not be a factor in the selection process as long as it does not have anything to do with your research plan.

Third: interview 

A month or so after the language exam, you will then receive an interview notification should you pass. Interviews will be conducted in English, with 5 or so interviewers in a range of 20 minutes.

Fourth : university application

The interview results will take a while, but should you pass, know that there’s already a 75% chance that you’re going to get the scholarship! Next you will need to apply for prospective universities in Japan. This is is the tedious part, and will take most of your time and patience as you are allowed to submit up to three Letter of Provisional Acceptance (LPA) from different universities.

Fifth: university selection by MEXT

At the end of the day, after submitting your LPAs, MEXT will determine which university you will go to and you’re DONE! This however will only be revealed in late January to February.

Well, that's the main overview of the whole process, at least in Malaysia that is. The deadline for the application for academic year 2020 will be somewhere around the end of March, so I highly suggest that you get cracking on your research proposal if you plan on applying this year! Keep yourself updated for news at the Japan Embassy in Malaysia website. I'll be continuously writing about this topic as each phase goes by, sharing my own experience, as well as that of my s/o hoping that it can help anyone who is interested out. 

Till then, all the best!

Cheerio;