MEXT Scholarship: University Recommendation

Host University Recommendation Scholarships

Japanese Government (Monbukagakusho: MEXT) University Recommendation Scholarship

September 2027 Enrollment


Application guidelines for 2027 enrollment are scheduled to be released between November and December 2026. Only the Graduate School of Life Sciences and the Graduate School of Science and Engineering are expected recruit applicants this year. DO NOT contact other graduate schools about the scholarship.

Description:
The MEXT University Recommendation Scholarship is a comprehensive "full-ride" scholarship sponsored by the government of Japan. As indicated by the name, an applicant must be recommended by a Japanese university to MEXT, or as it's formally known, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan (known as the "Monbukagakusho" in Japanese), in order to be considered for the scholarship. Applicants who wish to be recommended for this scholarship by Ritsumeikan University must apply for admission to the university via the procedures described below. Each applicant who passes these admissions also receives a university recommendation for the scholarship. There is no other way to recieve recommendation for this scholarship from Ritsumeikan University. The maximum number of applicants allowed to pass these admissions is equal to the number of scholarship recommendations allocated to the university by MEXT. Since recommendation slots are few, this means that only a small handful of applicants receive a Letter of Acceptance via these admission procedures.

Once recommended to MEXT, recommendees undergo a subsequent scholarship review, and finally, awardees are selected by MEXT. The following explains procedures for students who seek admission to Ritsumeikan University accompanied by a university recommendation for the MEXT Scholarship.


1. Scholarship Eligibility Requirements and Scholarship Benefits

To be eligible to apply for Japanese Government (MEXT) Scholarship, an applicant must:

  • Have the nationality of a country that has diplomatic relations with the Japanese government. Applicants who have Japanese nationality are not eligible (Japanese dual-nationality citizens who plan on renouncing their Japanese citizenship, however, may apply).
  • Have been born on or after April 2, 1991.
  • Be in both good physical and mental health.
  • Be willing to newly acquire a student visa and newly enter Japan for the purpose of study upon receipt of the scholarship.
  • Be able to arrive in Japan on a date designated by Ritsumeikan University in the middle of September 2027.
  • Have a CGPA of at least 2.30 out of 3.00 as per MEXT's scale for the current degree program (or most recently attended degree program for persons not currently enrolled)
    *You DO NOT need to calculate this on your own. The university will calculate your GPA according to MEXT's formula AFTER receiving your formal application. It is not a simple one-to-one conversion, rather, grade scale and grading system are taken into account and the applicant's 3-point scale GPA is calculated from scratch.
  • Have English language ability equal to or greater than Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) B2 level, or have studied in English in most recent (or currently enrolled) degree program. See our CEFR Conversion Chart and MEXT Language Requirements for details.

Additional Requirements, Criteria, and Scholarship Benefits: Please refer to the scholarship outline for a description of scholarship benefits as well as a more detailed overview of scholarship eligibility and conditions.


2. Application

At Ritsumeikan University, MEXT Univeristy Recommendation Scholarship hopefuls may apply for enrollment to the master's and/or doctoral degree programs of certain graduate schools via the following procedures. Enrollment as a non-degree seeeking research student is not possible. Only those applicants who are granted admission to the university via these procedures will be recommended to MEXT for scholarship.

Understand that only the graduate schools and degree levels listed in the application guidelines are being recruited for. In other words, you cannot apply to a degree program or level not indicated in the application guidelines. Read the guidelines ON YOUR OWN to determine whether or not your graduate school of interest is recruiting applicants, and if so, whether it is recruiting for just the master's program, just the doctoral program, or both. Also, please note that in the application form you must indicate the name of your preferred academic supervisor, however, only applicants to the Graduate School of Science and Engineering must obtain permission from a faculty member prior to application. Applicants to other graduate schools DO NOT need to obtain advance permission. Simply enter the name of your preferred faculty member in your application.

Please carefully read through all sections of the application guidelines before beginning to complete an application:
*Forms must be typed.

Application Procedures and Forms
All prospective applicants must read through the Application Guidelines, complete the Ritsumeikan University Graduate School Online Application Form (see application guidelines), and prepare and submit all other forms denoted in the application guidelines via email attachment according to the instructions within the guidelines. Some of the required application documents including the Application for Japanese Government (Monbukagakusho: MEXT) Scholarship, Field of Study and Research Plan, and Certificate of Health are linked below. Also included below is the Letter of Recommendation Template - an optional template which you may use when requesting your Dean, etc... to write you a Letter of Recommendation in order to try and ensure that the submitted letter meets the minimum criteria for acceptance. (To be clear, submission of a Letter of Recommendation is mandatory, however, there is no set format for the letter)


Application Guidelines

Application Forms


Reference


3. Notes to Keep in Mind before Submitting your Application

1) Make sure that ALL of your application documents meet ALL requirements described in the guidelines.
2) In particular, your Letter of Recommendation, and in turn your application, will not be accepted if it does not meet all requirements mentioned in the guidelines.
3) Additionally, your transcripts, and in turn your application, will not be accepted if they do not meet all requirements mentioned in the guidelines. If your transcripts do not meet the criteria in the guidelines, please obtain additional supplemental documentation, such as a detailed explanation of the grade scale, as necessary from your university before submitting your application.
4) If the rest of your documents are ready but you are waiting for the arrival or announcement of an English language test score, please submit the rest of your application in advance before the deadline. Follow up by submitting your language test score certificate via email as soon as its ready.


4. General Schedule from Application to Enrollment

The following is a rough schedule. Timing of all points below, but in particular the announcement of scholarship results, are at the discretion of MEXT and/or the university and are subject to change.

Timeframe Activity
Late Nov - late Dec Applicants submit applications to Ritsumeikan University (hereinafter "RU")
Jan - Feb RU announces admission results to applicants
Feb - Mar RU submits scholarship recommendations for applicants who succeeded in the admissions process to MEXT
Jun - Jul MEXT notifies scholarship results to RU
RU notifies applicants of their scholarship selection results
Jul - Sep RU issues MEXT Scholarship Certificates to those granted MEXT Scholarship
Successful applicants submit the MEXT Scholarship Certificate to their local Embassy or Consulate of Japan to apply for a student visa as a Japanese government scholar
Mid-Sep Scholars travel to Japan on a date designated by RU, attend orientation, etc.
Sep 26 The Fall Semester begins and scholars begin their formal studies at RU

5. Additional Requirements and Supporting Information

  • ”Monbukagakusho” is the Japanese word for the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan, which is also known by its acronym, MEXT.
  • Please note that you may only receive University Recommendation for MEXT scholarship from one university.
  • Please review our Researcher Database to assist with finding potential research supervisors. You do not need to ask a professor permission to include his or her name on your application.
  • Students who need to request an individual review of their eligibility, as mentioned in the guidelines, should contact the International Center prior to applying. Please see the contact information listed in the application guidelines.
  • Students who are currently enrolled in a university in China or who have graduated from a university in China may find information on how to obtain their China Higher-Education Student Information Online Verification System certificates here.
  • The Letter of Recommendation is free-format, but a sample including the required points such as to whom the letter must be addressed to and the writer's title, may be found here.
  • For more information about MEXT, please visit their home page: http://www.mext.go.jp/en/
  • If you have questions about the application process, please contact the Ritsumeikan University International Center:
    cger-bkc@st.ritsumei.ac.jp

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