For some professors, I checked their lab websites and noticed that none of the current lab members are international students. Does that usually mean they don't accept international students, or could it simply be a coincidence?

Would it still be appropriate to email these professors if I'm applying through the university track, or is it better to focus on professors whose labs already have international students?

I'm a Grade 11 student from India, aiming to study Mechanical Engineering in Japan and eventually specialize in Mechatronics/Automobile Engineering.

I scored 97.4% in my Grade 10 boards. Initially, I thought I'd be applying for the 2029 intake, so my plan was to reach JLPT N3 by December 2027 and apply the following year.

Then I found out that I could actually apply for the 2028 MEXT intake during 2027 itself. That completely changed my timeline.

Now my plan is to:

- Give JLPT N4 in December 2026.

- Take the IELTS within the next few months.

- Start preparing for Grade 12 from January 2027, even though schools here usually start Grade 12 in April.

That also means I'll have to finish almost the entire Grade 12 PCM syllabus (except 3–4 chapters) within about two months of school reopening.

Alongside all this, I'm also preparing for JEE, India's biggest and one of its toughest engineering entrance exams. I'm around 60% done with N5, and with school included, I study roughly 75–80 hours a week.

Honestly, sometimes it does feel like a lot. But on the bright side, even if I don't secure a MEXT scholarship on my first attempt, I can always try again, and finishing Grade 12 early will also give me a big advantage for JEE.

I just wanted to share my journey and keep this post as a sort of milestone/progress marker. Also, to anyone who's working toward MEXT or any other long-term goal—if it ever starts feeling too difficult, take a moment to remember why you started.Seeing some negativity of sorts due to people not clearing MEXT , I wanted to spread a little positivity.

Good luck to everyone preparing this year.

TLDR- Good Luck and keep struggling for your goals , you'll make it someday :)

AI USED FOR FORMATTING

Not a 90%+ SSC kid, just an average student with a big dream lol. Before I waste months on this — is MEXT even worth trying if your board grades aren't insane? Do they filter people out just from SSC1/2, or does the rest of the application actually matter? (undergraduate)

Pakistani MEXT scholars (embassy or uni recommendation) — how'd you get in, and how competitive is the pool from Pakistan? Trying to figure out if I should actually go for this or save myself the heartbreak.

Hi everyone,

I'm a student from India and I'm planning to apply for the MEXT Master's Scholarship after completing my 4-year bachelor's degree.

I'm currently preparing early by working on my academics, improving my English, and learning Japanese. I would really appreciate advice from current or former MEXT scholars.

I have a few questions:

What should I start preparing now?

What mistakes do Indian applicants commonly make?

How did you find and contact your prospective professor?

Is there anything you wish you had known before applying?

Thank you so much for your help!

I am a student preparing for IIT/JEE currently in class 11th state board( MP board ) dummy. I do wish to study in japan with giving my parents a financial load.

And i gotten 61% in class 10 CBSE ik it very bad but i wanna improve i will do whatever it takes to improve

I have a few Questions

Does i can give exam?

How to prepare?

What is system of exam?

Syllabus/topics for ts exam(Natural Science 1)

Do i need japanese? I could easily reach N5 under ts year if need

Do i have to study from japanese textbooks

I couldnt find most of ts resources online and ik I am pretty late but what's wrong in giving it a shot

Please consider helping

From India

Hola, soy de Argentina y quisiera saber si el hecho de poner que mi hobby es la pastelería y la cocina y que me encantaría ir para estudiar también la cocina y los dulces del país, no sabría si esto haya afectado el hecho de mi rechazo o no, debido a que no se si es muy profesional el poner algo así
Muchísimas gracias de antemano a quienes me respondan.

Buenas soy de Perú, estudio arquitectura y quiero postular a la beca MEXT para maestría, mi promedio acumulado es de 15-20 según el sistema de calificaciones de mi país, aun me quedan 2 semestres pero no creo lograr aumentar ese promedio. ¿Es posible llegar a pasar la primera fase? hay otra beca que pueda considerar con mi promedio o de plano deberia rendirme.

I'm planning to apply for a MEXT Master's scholarship in 2 years, and I'm struggling to decide how to spend my limited free time.

A bit about my background:

• I'm an CS student in Algeria, I've ranked 1st in my program every year so far.
• I have a strong extracurricular profile with leadership roles, volunteering, debate, education, and community projects.
• I speak Arabic (native), English (C2), and French (B2).
• My long-term goal is to pursue research in AI/computer vision (or a closely related field) and eventually work in research and innovation. I'm currently trying to build technical skills (Python, computer vision, machine learning, research experience, projects, etc.) because I know these are important for graduate school.

Here's my dilemma:

Engineering is already extremely demanding, and I realistically don't have enough time to do everything. If I decide to learn Japanese seriously, it will take time away from research projects, programming, and building the skills directly related to my future field.

I am planning to pursue a Master's programs taught in English, and I've heard that plenty of MEXT scholars arrive in Japan with little or no Japanese and learn it after arrival. On the other hand, I've seen people say that speaking Japanese can improve your chances, help when contacting professors, and make life and lab work much easier.

So I'm wondering:

• If you received MEXT (especially for a Master's), how much Japanese did you actually know before applying?
• Did your professor expect Japanese?
• If you were in my situation, would you prioritize reaching something like JLPT N4/N3, or would you invest that time into research experience, technical projects, publications, and strengthening your research proposal?
• Does the answer change depending on whether you're applying through the Embassy Recommendation or University Recommendation track?

I'm not trying to avoid learning Japanese forever, I definitely want to learn it if I end up studying there. I'm just trying to make the smartest decision with the limited time I have before applying.

I'd really appreciate hearing from people who have gone through the MEXT application process or are currently studying in Japan.

Thanks!

​

Hey guys,

I recently got accepted into two scholarship programs for my master degree and honestly I am so torn between them right now. Need some realistic advice from anyone who studied in China or Japan.

MOFCOM Scholarship in China (Nankai University) for Software Engineering

JICA Scholarship in Japan (Tokyo International University) for Digital Business and Data Science

I know I can only pick one and doing both is impossible. But im trying to weigh the options based on a few things:

monthly stipend & living costs (which one lets you live better or save more?)

part time work flexibility while studying

post grad job opportunities abroad or staying in the country

overall university reputation (Nankai ranking vs TIU international environment)

social life and networking

If you were in my shoes which one would you choose and why? Any insights on Nankai SE or TIU digital business programs would be super helpful. Thanks a lot!

Hi everyone, I'm from Singapore and I got offered by my embassy to do direct placement. I have only just taken the JLPT N2 recently in July and I'm still waiting for my results, but due to some circumstances I'll be trying to get N1 by December.

As I'm planning to study economics for my undergrad in Japanese, what are some universities that you guys would recommend? I'm just asking as I'm kinda lost from the selection they gave me...

I definitely wanna aim for hitotsubashi but it might not be so realistic given that I don't even have an N1 yet and I want a safe backup option in case I do not get the universities I want.

Thanks a lot for the help in advance! 🙏🙏

For instance, i will most probably be pursuing computer science and business systems in a college in India for my undergraduate program. Idk if i should take the course (i am getting csbs in a little reputed institute) or just take CSE in another university which is a level lower. Please help me out as i am interested in pursuing masters in japan and i am concrete about it.

Thank you for reading my post!!

Hi everyone, I’m a 17 year old student from Russia planning to move to Japan for an April language school intake. My ultimate goal is to reach N2/N1, adapt to the language, and transition into a Japanese university.

My main hurdle right now is financial: I have a hard limit of about $6,000 saved for my first year, which needs to cover upfront fees and language school costs. Because of this tight budget, I’m trying to figure out all available options for grants, tuition reductions, or work-study programs (like Newspaper Scholarships or JASSO support) available for language school students.

I would love to get your insights on a few things:

• Realistically, how doable is this budget if I work part-time (arubaito) and look into cheaper living areas like Saitama?
• Are there any specific private grants or school-specific scholarships for incoming students on a budget?
• For those who started from scratch, was 1 to 1.5 years in a language school enough to reach the level needed for university entrance exams?
• Are there any current administrative or banking nuances for Russian students that I should prepare for in advance?

Any advice, realistic budget breakdowns, or personal experiences would be immensely appreciated. Thanks!

I still haven't got any final answer from my University. A colleague of mine got her answer last Friday, but she was recommended to a different University that me.

So i applied for a subject under tech and recently got to know that there's another guy who has N2 Japanese and has applied for the same subject. We both got interviewed. One of my friends told me that they select only one person for each subject. Is it true? 😭😭😭

Hi. I have a question regarding the item 13 of the application form that says: State the titles or subjects of books and theses (including graduation thesis) authored by applicant, if any, with the name, address of publisher and the date of publication.

Do I only fill this is my thesis is already published? I filled it so they can know the theme I worked on my undergrad and masters thesis. But now I’m wondering if I’m only allowed to fill this if they are published.

Mine are written but not yet published, so idk what to do. My embassy isn’t answering and I don’t have all the time in the world to wait. Does anyone know?

Hi guys!

I finished my interview recently and it wasn’t that great to say the least… I felt attacked if anything lol, so I’m feeling super down *sighs*
Just wondering if anyone got the scholarship even with a not so great interview experience?

I’d like to hear thoughts on these. Thanks!

P.S. Applying from India… I also heard from some other students that they didn’t have a great experience either. Most of us got annihilated by the professors taking our interviews ㅠㅠ

I personally got interrupted a lot and the professor didn’t let me complete my answers… Is it their personal style or something that they must do to see how students react under pressure?

And I totally do get the point of having strict professors but this one I felt was quite disrespectful and rude… it felt more like I’m defending my PhD thesis than applying for scholarship.

Also the field that I applied for was something that I studied but not an expert in, regardless I am interested in it and want to learn more about it but I was asked way too many technical and absurd questions with no will to understand my perspective or answers. The professor just kept saying what they thought was right and didn’t even bother to listen to me. It just felt so unsettling.

And unlike other students, my questions weren’t the classical MEXT questions at all, so I was caught off guard. Most of my questions were based on my previous experience from studying abroad so overall I don’t feel quite good about how my interview went :(

Hey everyone, I’m targeting the MEXT 2028 University track for a Master's, focusing on applied offensive security, automated pentesting, and cloud exploitation.

My current shortlist:

• Prof. Beuran (JAIST)
• Prof. Okamura (Kyushu)
• Prof. Nakamura (Aizu)
• Prof. Kadobayashi (NAIST)

Are there any other strong offensive security or red teaming labs in Japan I’m missing? Any thoughts on this list or suggestions for others would be hugely appreciated!

Hi! I’m currently choosing which uni i’m going to email about the LOA, and I have a question.

The advisor I want, is based in a lab associated with the uni. In the document my embassy sent, it says “only accepted as a non-degree research student” and that’s okay, for the first 6-12 months I want to be there as a researcher only, and later on take the exam to enter a phd.

But my question is, is it possible to reach for a degree even thought I enter the uni like this? I’m scared of going to this lab and later on not being able to peruse my degree and being sent home.

Hi everyone,

I'm from India and preparing for the MEXT Embassy Recommendation to pursue a Master's in AI + Cybersecurity in Japan.

My current interests are:

Malware Analysis

Early Ransomware Detection

Network Intrusion Detection

Explainable AI for Cybersecurity

Since I don't have a research mentor, I'm worried that I might be spending time on the wrong things.

I'd really appreciate your advice:

If you had 8–10 months before applying to graduate school, what technical skills would you prioritize?

Which topics are essential to learn before starting a Master's, and which can be learned during graduate school?

Looking back, what would you have done differently if you were preparing again?

I'd really appreciate hearing from researchers, graduate students, or MEXT scholars. Thank you!

Hey guys

,I am an international student from India interested in pursuing an undergraduate medical degree (MBBS/MD) in Japan, but I am starting from absolute scratch and don't know much about the process. I would love some guidance on a few questions:

1.Language Barrier: Are there any medical programs taught completely in English, or is fluent Japanese mandatory from day one? If I need to learn the language, does the university provide training?

2.MEXT Scholarship: Does the government's MEXT scholarship cover undergraduate medical programs? If yes, what does the application procedure look like

3.The Process: What are the general eligibility criteria (like high school grades or entrance exams) for a foreigner to get into a Japanese medical school?Any advice, links, or personal experiences would be heavily appreciated. Thank you!

hi im in 11th rn in 2026 and would just start 12th in april 2027 and am going to apply for mext undergraduate in april 2027. how should i prepare for written test ? Im in coaching but my 12th syllabus would just start till my written arrives .. what to do ?[ im going for mech engineering ] im from india

Country: India

I'm planning to apply for the MEXT Undergraduate Scholarship in the future and wanted to understand how academic records are evaluated.

I scored 74.44% in my 10th-grade board exams. I'm currently working hard for my 12th-grade boards and am aiming for 80% or higher.

For those who have applied for the MEXT Undergraduate Scholarship (or know someone who has), how much weight is typically given to:

• 10th-grade marks
• 12th-grade marks
• The written examination
• The interview

I'm not asking anyone to predict my chances. I'm just trying to understand how the selection process generally works and which areas I should focus on to strengthen my application.

I've already read the MEXT guidelines, but I couldn't find much detail about how these different components are weighed in practice. I'd really appreciate hearing about your experiences or insights.

Thank you!