MEXT Japan Scholarships

The MEXT University Recommendation Scholarship at Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University (APU) is a fully funded Japanese government award for international graduate students. MEXT, Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, funds the award, while APU in Beppu, Japan, recommends selected candidates for Master's and PhD study.

It is open to graduate applicants who are nationals of MEXT designated countries, meet the GPA requirement, and are recommended by APU. The scholarship covers full admission and tuition fees, a monthly allowance of 144,000 JPY including housing, and airfare. Applications are for September intake only; check the official page for current dates and details below.

• Full admission fee
• Full tuition fee
• Monthly subsistence allowance of 144,000 JPY, including housing (amount subject to change)
• Travel expenses: economy class airfare between the home country and APU at the beginning and end of the programme

Graduate level only. The MEXT (UR) scholarship is for graduate applicants at APU, covering the Graduate School of Asia Pacific Studies (Master's and Doctoral) and the Graduate School of Management (MBA).

Graduate programmes at APU, including Asia Pacific Studies (Master's and Doctoral) and Management (MBA).

Open to international applicants who are nationals of a MEXT designated country and who intend to study in Japan from overseas.

• Must intend to study abroad in Japan from overseas
• Must be a national of a MEXT designated country
• Must be born on or after April 2, 1992
• Must have achieved a GPA of at least 2.30 on a 3.00 scale at the most recent university
• Graduate applicants only
• Applicants currently serving on active military duty, or employed as civilian staff by the military at the time of application, are not eligible
• Previous recipients of a Japanese Government (MEXT) Scholarship are generally ineligible, except those with more than three years of educational or work experience since the end of their scholarship, or former recipients of certain designated programmes
• The Monbukagakusho Honors Scholarship for Privately-Financed International Students is not considered a MEXT Scholarship
• Recipients must not receive any other scholarship, including from the Japanese government, government-related organizations or other sources, that has not been approved for concurrent acceptance with the MEXT Scholarship
• Recipients must hold a Student status of residence (visa status) in Japan

1. Apply to APU first. There is no separate MEXT (UR) scholarship application; applicants must first apply to APU, and APU then selects eligible candidates to recommend to MEXT.
2. Submit the APU application by November 5, 2026 for September enrollment. April enrollment is not available for this scholarship.
3. Additional documents are not required to be considered for this scholarship.
4. Provide English proficiency test scores. Only scores from exams taken on or after March 15, 2025 will be considered valid, and applicants should review the application guidelines released by MEXT for further details.
5. APU reviews the application documents and selects suitable candidates to recommend to MEXT.
6. Applicants selected to be recommended for the scholarship are notified together with their final APU application results.
7. The final scholarship award results are decided by MEXT by the end of June. The timing of the final result notification is subject to change depending on MEXT circumstances.