For MEXT Scholarship Students: Rules and Regulations
Confirmation of Presence
You must come to the Study Abroad Section (Inbound), Educational Affairs Division or Chiyoda Campus Administration Office once a month and sign a document to confirm your status as a student. If you fail to sign, you will not get paid your scholarship for that month.
There are 2 deadlines in each month.
If you sign by the first deadline → You can receive the scholarship around the end of the month.
If you sign by the second deadline → You can receive the scholarship around the middle of the following month.
If you fail to sign → You can not receive the scholarship for that month.
Amount of Scholarship for 2024
| Student Category | Monthly Scholarship |
|---|---|
| Undergraduate Students | 120,000 yen |
| Research Students | 146,000 yen |
| Master’s Students | 147,000 yen |
| Doctoral Students | 148,000 yen |
| Young Leaders’ Program Students | 242,000 yen |
Temporary Leave
*You do not need to apply for a re-entry permit if you re-enter Japan within 1 year from the date of departure.
- If you re-enter Japan with a visa status other than “Student,” your scholarship will be suspended.
Extension of Scholarship
- [Undergraduate to Master course] In case an undergraduate student wishes to get into a graduate school, his/her GPA must meet the criteria set by the MEXT (you can see AY2024 guidelines on the MEXT website ) [only in Japanese]. The number of MEXT Scholarship Extension’s acceptance is limited, therefore, please keep in mind that all of the applicants can not always get approval of the extension.
- [Research student to Degree-seeking course] In case a research student wishes to get into a degree-seeking course of the graduate school, he/she can apply for the extension if you meet the requirements.
E.g.1) Student who arrived in Japan in April 2024
| Course You Want to Enroll In | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Autumn 2024 | April 2025 | Autumn 2025 | April 2026 |
| △※ | ○ | △※ | ○ |
※Possible only if the graduate school you are entering has fall admission.
E.g.1) Student who arrived in Japan in Autumn 2024
| Course You Want to Enroll In | ||
|---|---|---|
| April 2025 | Autumn 2025 | April 2026 |
| ○ | △※ | ○ |
※Possible only if the graduate school you are entering has fall admission.
- [Master’s/Professional School student to Doctoral course] In case Master’s or Professional School Student wishes to go to a doctoral course, his/her GPA must meet the criteria set by the MEXT and he/she must complete his/her degree within the set period of study. The number of MEXT Scholarship Extension’s acceptance is limited, therefore, all of the applicants can not always get approval of the extension.
Timeline
| Late September | Preliminary survey (Educational Affairs Division⇔Applicants) |
| Around late November to mid December | Official announcement (MEXT→Educational Affairs Division→Applicants) |
| Late December | Submit application documents (Applicants→Educational Affairs Division)
*Including Letter from your supervisor (Your supervisor→Educational Affairs Division) |
| Early January | Document screening and interview (internal)
・Category II (2nd year master’s students) ・Category III (4th year undergraduate students) *Interviews will be conducted only if the number of applicants exceeds the limited number. |
| Mid January | Submission (Educational Affairs Division→MEXT) |
| In March | Notice of Approval (MEXT→Educational Affairs Division→Applicants) |
| In March or July/August | Submission (Applicants→Educational Affairs Division→MEXT)
Successful Candidates: Pledge, Acceptance Letter Unsuccessful Candidates: Extension Decline Form* *Refer to Traveling Allowance for Returning Home |
＜Notice＞
1. Enrollment and Extension Start Month
Students who wish to advance from undergraduate to master’s or master’s to doctoral must continue from the current enrollment (enroll in the month following graduation).
* Undergraduate students graduating from our University in March are limited to enrolling in the Master’s program in April.
2. Admissions
In order for the scholarship to be extended, the student must have passed the entrance exam for the school of higher education and the extension must be approved by MEXT.
* All students who plan to take the entrance exam must apply, even if the results of the entrance exam are not known at the time of application submission.
3. Reporting results of the exam and applying return ticket
Please submit the documents promptly after you receive your results. In particular, if you are returning to your home country after failing the exam, you must apply for your return ticket in a short period of time.
Please note that if the procedure is not completed in time, you will be responsible for your own expenses.
Please refer to the following links about the 2025 MEXT Extension.
Traveling Allowance for Returning Home
MEXT scholars who are planning to return to their home countries after their scholarship payment period expire can apply for a return ticket provided by MEXT.
Please try to consult with the Study Abroad Section (Inbound), Educational Affairs Division at least 45 days before you plan to leave if you will graduate in September, or by the middle of December if you will graduate in March. As a general rule, the Study Abroad Section (Inbound), Educational Affairs Division will notify the eligible students of details about the procedure.
In the following cases, you cannot apply for MEXT return tickets:
- When you do not return to your home country by the designated date
- When you do not apply for a return ticket by the specified date
- When you return to your home country in the middle of the period of the scholarship due to your individual reason
- When you continue to stay in Japan after the expiry of the scholarship payment period
- (Travel allowance for your temporary return cannot be covered by MEXT.)
Transfer to Another University
In principle, recipients of a MEXT scholarship are not allowed to transfer to another university. It is only possible after consultation with the MEXT in cases where remaining at Hitotsubashi University would be exceptionally disadvantageous to the student. (If you were recommended by Hitotsubashi University as a recipient of a government scholarship, you will under no circumstances be allowed to transfer to another university.)
Declining a Government Scholarship
If you have to decline a government scholarship payment during the term of the scholarship please contact the Study Abroad Section (Inbound), Educational Affairs Division as soon as you possibly can.
(e.g.) because of leaving Japan for a long term, taking care of your family, starting to work, and so on
Contact
Study Abroad Section (Inbound), Educational Affairs Division
- TEL :+81-42-580-8163
- E-mail :
Please consult the MEXT website too.
