The Monbukagakusho (MEXT) Undergraduate Scholarship (Embassy Recommendation)

p.s.: This post is written from the perspective of a Malaysian who applied for the undergraduate scholarship. For readers of other countries or other levels (e.g. graduate, teacher training...) who are interested in applying for the scholarship, the process described here may be different, so please cross-check with your country's Embassy of Japan.

Last year (2013), I applied for this scholarship and in December, I was informed that I have been awarded this scholarship by the Japanese government! So this post (and next few posts) is mainly to share with everyone about my experience applying for this scholarship and how to prepare for the written and interview tests.

But... What is this scholarship in fact?

The Monbukagakusho（文部科学省, MEXT）is also known as the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, Technology of Japan. Each year, it gives out a number of scholarships to people from countries all over the world to pursue their studies in Japan. The scholarships offered are for undergraduate studies, graduate studies, teacher training, Japanese studies, college of technology, special training and Young Leaders' Programme. And there are two kinds of the MEXT scholarships - Embassy-recommended and University-recommended. 

Unfortunately I don't have that much space to talk about all (sorry...), so I would be focusing on the MEXT Undergraduate Scholarship (Embassy-recommended). 

What is being covered by the MEXT Undergraduate Scholarship?

From the tuition fees, examination fees, matriculation fees, to even giving you an allowance of 117000 yen per month (according to senpais, that is more than enough to cover your living)! Take note though, the 117000 yen will also cover your dormitory rent and bills in Japan. 

The duration of the scholarship is 7 years for Medicine and Dentistry and 5 years for other courses which include an intensive Japanese language course for the first year. 

So... Who can apply for the MEXT Undergraduate Scholarship?

Check whether you have fulfilled the following conditions: 

(This is according to the Embassy of Japan in Malaysia, so will differ between countries)

• Be a Malaysian passport holder and have a Malaysian address. 
• For the 2015 scholarship application, be 17 to 22 years old as of 1st April 2015 (born between 2nd April 1993 and 1st April 1998).
• Have at least 11 years of formal education (primary + secondary, no remove classes). 
• Completed SPM or O-Level or UEC. Or sitting for STPM, A-Level, Diploma, Matriculation exam this year, provided results are made known March the next year.
• Fulfill certain requirements for your results (refer to the Embassy's website).
• Willing to learn the Japanese language and receive university education in it.

I have to touch on a bit on the fourth bullet point. I myself, even though Malaysia-born, was not educated in Malaysia for my secondary school. I started education in Singapore since Secondary Three. Last year, I applied for the scholarship using my Singapore-Cambridge GCE O-Level Results, which was recognized as SPM-equivalent. Which is why if you apply for this scholarship, I don't think you have to be strictly Malaysia-educated.  

When can I apply?

Usually the application period will begin March every year and end in April/May. Take note of your Embassy's website as well as the newspapers. I believe Utusan Malaysia, The Star (if I'm not wrong) and Sin Chew Jit Poh will have a press release every year for Malaysia. 

So... The Application Period has begun! What should I do?

Step One: Document screening

Go to your Embassy's website. Download the Application Form and fill it up. Then, attach a certified true copy of your results, put it in an envelope, and send it to the address as stated. There are three categories of undergraduate studies: Social Sciences and Humanities, Natural Science A (which is leaned towards Physics), Natural Science B (more towards Biology and where Medicine and Dentistry are!). I think you would have three choices of programmes, but all must be from the same category. 

For me, I chose Medicine, Dentistry and Veterinary Science (the reasons would be posted on a later date, sorry!). 

Step Two: Whiz through the written exams

If you pass the first step, you will be invited to a written exam in late June or July. For Malaysians, the written exam is usually held in Confucius Chinese Private School (in Kuala Lumpur). Usually there will be about a few hundred people there. And the papers to take are as follows:

• Social Sciences: Japanese, World History, English, Mathematics (A).
• Natural Science A: Japanese, English, Mathematics (B), Physics, Chemistry.
• Natural Science B: Japanese, English, Mathematics (B), Biology, Chemistry.

Take note though, the results for all papers except for Japanese will be taken into consideration for the next step. But I think if you do well in Japanese, you will stand a better chance though. 

I'll be sharing the tips for the exams on the next post, so do look out for it!


Step Three: The Interview

After the written exams, a few weeks later you might receive an email from your Embassy calling you for an interview. For Malaysia, it was exactly a week later and the interview was at late July. 

For my year and my country, out of the 200 or so people who attended the written exam, 8 were chosen for the interview held in the Embassy. And out of these 8, all the 7 who attended the interview got nominated by the Embassy to the Japanese government. Which is why the scholarship is a bit tough to get in my opinion, because even if you do well in the written exams and impressed your interviewers, you still have one last level to pass - the Monbukagakusho itself! 

Again, because this post is mainly about the process, I'll share my interview experience on a later post, sorry about that!


Step Four: Health Screening 

After the interview, if you get nominated, the Embassy will require you to do a health screening. Basically you will get a form and you can ask your family doctor or a physician who conducts your health checkup to fill it up. The health screening is to make sure you are healthy and therefore able to receive your undergraduate education in Japan.


Step Five: The Longgggggggg Wait

If you have submitted your health screening, congrats! Now all you need to do is to wait for a few months for the government to make their decision. For me, the nomination results came out in mid-December. And during this time, you might want to learn some Japanese or the cultures of the country. 


That's all I have experienced so far for the application process for the MEXT Undergraduate Scholarship. The following are some links I found which might also be helpful for you in applying for this scholarship:

Wikipedia's Page on the Scholarship
Embassy of Japan in Malaysia - Scholarship Information
Study Japan's Website on the Scholarship

Sample Papers of the Written Exam

If you do have any queries, feel free to comment below or drop me an email! I'm on my school holidays right now, so I'll be able to reply to you rather fast.