Order direct from TranSenz or your favorite online bookseller today to get a head start on the most important document in your MEXT Scholarship application!
Most Important Part of Your MEXT Scholarship Application
Do you want to win the MEXT Scholarship? Are you worried if your application is competitive or if you really have a chance?
If that’s you, you need to focus on making your Field of Study and Research Program Plan the best it can be.
Nothing else under your control can make as much of a difference in your MEXT Scholarship application. The Field of Study and Research Program Plan gives you the opportunity to stand out from other applicants, impress your reviewers, and win the scholarship.
With that much pressure on a single document, it helps to have a coach with experience from helping thousands of MEXT Scholarship applicants in the past. And that’s exactly what you’ll get in this book. I have read hundreds of Fields of Study and Research Program Plans from successful and unsuccessful applications, plus offered direct coaching and answered questions to thousands more applicants, and I condense all of that experience and knowledge into this guide.
If you want to know:
- Why the Field of Study and Research Program Plan matters
- How to choose a research topic
- How to write and validate your research question
- How to format and write your Field of Study and Research Program Plan, including:
- How long and detailed it should be for maximum effectiveness
- What to include and what to leave out
- How to meet the reviewer’s expectations
- Mistakes that will reduce your chances and how to avoid them
- Why and how to review and revise your plan
Then this is the book for you!
Practical Exercises and Analysis of Past Plans
Throughout the book, I include exercises designed to help you apply the information from each chapter to complete your own Field of Study and Research Plan. By the time you finish the book, you should have a final product that you can submit with your MEXT Scholarship application.
I also include analysis of plans submitted by past TranSenz readers and three plans that past applicants have shared online, so that you can read their submissions alongside my review to apply the lessons to your own plan.
Both the exercises and the analyses are available as pdf downloads, regardless of the format you purchase the book in, for easy reference.
Take Advantage of the Expertise of Thousands of Applicants
I have spent seven years working in international student recruiting and acceptance for Japanese universities, including three years as the direct point of contact for all MEXT scholarship inquiries and applications at a large, private university. During that time, I have personally processed hundreds of applications and have shared my experience to help over 5000 MEXT scholarship applicants through the process through this blog, which is one of the world’s leading independent sources of information and advice on the MEXT scholarship.
My Mastering the MEXT Scholarship Application: The TranSenz Guide series builds on the blog articles, questions from readers, and further, exhaustive research of successful applicants’ approaches and experiences to bring you the best practices for every step of the application process. It is perfect for the applicant who wants to go deeper than the blog posts do to perfect their application and leave nothing to chance.
Get Started Today!
It is never too early to start working on your Field of Study and Research Program Plan. Most successful applicants spend at least 1-3 months working on this document, and some spend as many as 6, from starting to develop their research topic through completing the proposal.
To give yourself the best chance to win the MEXT Scholarship, order now, direct from TranSenz or your favorite online bookseller!
Want to Read it for Free?
If you want to check out the book, but don’t have the resources to buy it now, why not try to get it at your university library?
How to Write a Scholarship-Winning Field of Study and Research Program Plan is available in print, through Ingramspark or Amazon, and in ebook through Overdrive, Bibliotheca, and Baker & Taylor which are ebook distribution networks for libraries, if your library stocks ebooks. Either way, your library should be able to order it through their normal purchasing channels. Here’s the information your library might need:
- Title: How to Write a Scholarship-Winning Field of Study and Research Program Plan
- Author: Travis Senzaki
- ISBN: 978-4-909776-01-3
- Imprint: Travis Senzaki
- Year: 2019
Not sure yet?
No problem. In the meantime, why don’t you take advantage of the free resources I have to offer? If you sign up for my mailing list below, I’ll send you a sample completed application form, plus an email course introducing the MEXT scholarship and the most important things to consider as you start your application. No strings attached!
Hello Travis,
I have a question about the Field of study and study program, specifically about “Your research topic in Japan: Describe articulately the research you wish to carry out in Japan,” I did talk about it with the Japanese prof, but he said he dropped that research area a long time ago, yet he accepted me, should I still write the same research in the application?
Hi Imran,
I’m a little confused about where you are in the application process. If you’ve already submitted your application to the Embassy or University (whichever is appropriate for your application), you cannot change the contents of your Field of Study and Research Program Plan.
If you haven’t submitted it yet and have just been in conversation with your professor and received his agreement to supervise you if you are formally accepted by the university, that’s great. In that case, you can still change the contents. But unless he directed you to, you shouldn’t need to do so. You will not be committed to the specific research in your FSRPP. If you and your advisor work together to develop a new research question in the same field after you are accepted and start working with him, that’s not a problem.
If I knew where you were in the application, I might be able to give more specific advice, but for now, I can only say that if the professor didn’t suggest that you change your proposal and you didn’t promise to do so in your reply to him, then I think you should be fine leaving it as-is.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi, hope you’re doing well ,
I’m a political science student applying for masters in International relations but, the problem is I feel lost…at the beginning I choose a topic about a comparative analysis in disability “A Comparative Analysis of Disability Care Policies in Japan and Lebanon: Lessons and Opportunities” but the thing is some people told me that this topic is not related to IR and I should writes about two state relations directly.
what do you think? any tips?
Hi Layla Khansa,
I agree that this topic does not sound like it fits in political science/IR. That field would focus more on the structure of government or relationships between states.
Maybe in law? Public policy? Healthcare? Perhaps even cultural studies.
My advice would be to find researchers working on a similar research theme in Japan (you would have to do this anyway, to fill out the Placement Preference Form), then find out what graduate school and department they are affiliated with at their universities. That should help you figure out what the best major would be to study your research topic.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
I am NZEYIMANA Elie from Rwanda, I recently graduated from Civil engineering with bachelor of science with honor in civil engineering specialized in Geotechnical Engineering. I have the question about Placement form on The university in Japan you wish to attend. The question is about the graduate school, what is required to fill there? secondly its about academic advisor, How to find them, when to contact them. Thirdly its about Graduation thesis, for me I did research during my final year project about Geotechnical, the question is this, can this project done filled on application form on graduation thesis? Lastly its about research theme and research plan, is it research you want to conduct during your studies in Japan?
Thanks
Hi NZEYIMANA Elie,
The name of the graduate school is the specific name of the graduate school within the university where you want to enroll. For example it could be the “Graduate School of Science and Engineering” at “The University of Tokyo”. You need to find the name of the graduate school that teaches civil engineering programs at each of the universities that you want to apply to.
You can find the names of professors and their research areas on the university website, so you would need to find one with a similar research area to what you want to study in Japan. You do not need to contact the potential advisors before submitting your application to the embassy.
I have an article about finding universities and professors that should help with that process.
If your graduation research was a project instead of a thesis, then you could write the title of the project in your application form and include an abstract of that, instead.
For the Research Theme and Research Plan, yes, they should both be about your proposed research that you want to conduct during your studies in Japan.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
I have a couple of questions regarding the research application. On the section that asks about work experience it says to exclude volunteering and part-time work. I am currently working full-time but my full time position before now was a few years ago, teaching English in Japan. I left Japan to get my first Masters. My previous job was as a graduate teaching assistant which was technically a part-time job, but I really worked near full time for that job. So do you think it would be ok to but my current position, and my graduate teaching position or put my job from Japan on the application?
Hi Christopher,
I think you should follow the instructions exactly, so you should not put the graduate teaching assistance position. “Full-time”/”part-time” is not just about the amount of hours you worked, it is about your hiring status.
So, I would recommend that you put your current position and your previous job in Japan.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hey Travis,
I have chosen a particular topic for my research plan. I wish to work on microalgae. I have found a professor in the university of Tokyo, but he works on a specific species. In my research plan can I just generalize the term algae, instead of specifying a particular name. Will this help with my second and third choice of universities?
Hi Arya,
I think that specificity is better in almost all cases. Could generalize to algae in your title but then mention that specific species as an example of one your could work with, based on consultation with your advisor. That would show that you are willing to switch to meet the needs of the lab.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you for the reply…
Actually I made a mistake. The algae I chose and the professor from Tokyo University works are the same. But the professors from my second and third choice in the placement preference form work on the general field algae and not on the specific species I proposed. I could only find that one professor working on the same species. So if I write my proposal based on that species, will that be ok?
Hi Arya,
I don’t have enough expertise in your particular field to know just how important the species is or how difficult it would be to research it if someone else in the lab wasn’t already working on it, so I cannot be completely certain from the academic perspective.
Based on my knowledge of the application process, it should not be a problem for the embassy-level review, at least. I don’t see any particular problems.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you for your response…
Good day, Travis
I am Paul, from Nigeria. I am a recent graduate of Animal Science and am making plans to apply for the 2024–2025 MEXT scholarship. My undergraduate research project was on animal reproduction, nutrition, and biochemistry, but I wish to further my research in animal breeding and genetics. My research interest centres on understanding the genetic basis of important traits (disease resistance and methane-related traits specifically) in animals and how they can be conserved and improved. My interest seems to be ambiguous, but I cannot separate one from the other. I am finding it difficult to streamline my specific research objective.
Thanks for your time.
Hi Paul,
It is not enough to have a research “interest”. You need a specific research question and you need to know how that fits into existing scholarship in the subject. By developing that question and doing the background research, that should give you an understanding of what field you should apply in for your Master’s degree. From there, you can research universities and professors to find the one whose research is most similar to your own and would be able to supervise your research, then apply to the program where that professor teaches.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Mr Travis. I have a question about FSRPP. My major is biology and I am passionate about virology and wanna do research on virology in Japan, specifically abour SARS-CoV-2 virus ( covid-19 virus). Can I still choose labs in Japan which deals with viruses but not specifically sars-cov-2? for example i found some of them deal with it, but some unis deal with another virus but they are similar with their genetics and etc. So as I am gonna mention specifically about Covid virus on my FSRPP, is it still ok to choose non covid virus labs/supervisors on my placement preferance list?
Secondly: I kind of started contacting some of the professors to see if they would accept me even though my research area might be a little bit different than theirs. So one of them replied me like that” Thank you very much. You may be able to choose our group for the 1st selection of MEXT scholarship, but I strongly recommend you to communicate well with principle investigators before coming to Japan. Good luck.” I kinda couldn’t understand what he means by “principle investigators ” Whom should I contact with…?
Thank you so much Travis!
Hi Fidan,
After you pass the Primary Screening at the embassy, you will have to apply to the universities for Letters of Provisional Acceptance. At that point, the individual professors will review your application materials to decide whether or not they can accept you in their labs. If you want to research COVID-19, but you apply to the lab of a professor who is not studying that virus, there is a good chance that they won’t be willing to accept you. However, if you are not too particular about which virus you study and indicate in your FSRPP that you are using COVID-19 as your example, but would be willing to change to study another virus at the direction of your advisor, that could open more possibilities.
It’s fine to start contacting professors in advance. That could be a good way to answer your first question :). As a graduate student in a Japanese research lab, you will almost certainly be working on a research project led by another member of the lab. The leader of a research project is the “Principle Investigator”. So, I think he is saying that you need to look at what the ongoing research projects are in that lab and make sure that your proposed research could fall into one of those projects, then communicate with the project leader/PI in advance to ensure that they are willing to accept you to their team.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
I understood it, Thank you so much Mr Travis!
Hello Travis,
i will be applying for the MEXT scholarship 2024-2025 for a masters program. I have already sorted professors and universities. I have always been interested in the history and culture of Japan as a country and I am having a hard time connecting my proposal to my home country. Because its largely a study of the Japanese society that i am interested in. hoe do you suggest I proceed with my FSRPP.
Hi Faiza,
What is your specific research topic? It’s hard to make a connection with something as broad as “study of society”, but if you are investigating a certain problem, issue, or phenomenon in society, you might be able to apply or compare the results to a similar issue in your home country’s society or use your research as a basis to improve understanding of Japanese society in your home country (through some specific action), which could lead to stronger relations between the two.
The important thing is to understand your specific research question, first, so that you can figure out how you might apply it.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Sir,
I’m Sreedevi LK and I’m planning on applying for MEXT scholarship for research students (for 2024-2025)
1) I’m a B.tech graduate in Electronics and Communication Engineering, so if I’m applying for master’s degree on same department then do I have to choose research paper by myself (from my own sources) while filling the application form (for 1st selection process) or select research programs that are offered in the Japanese University under guidance of their faculties (like contacting them and getting Letter of Acceptance etc.).
2) If the above mentioned is needed, do I have to attach my research paper alone with application form or just the Field of Study and Research Proposal. And if i have to select a paper own my own, do I need to get it approved by my previous professor or not?
Hi SREEDEVI L K,
1. You have to develop your own research proposal in the Field of Study and Research Program Plan before you submit your application or start contacting universities. While you are doing that, you should also research universities in Japan that offer Master’s degrees in your field and identify (but don’t contact yet) professors that could supervise the research that you want to complete. Once you have your research proposal, you can start contacting professors to network and perhaps even ask for their feedback on your research proposal (but don’t expect that). You won’t apply for a Letter of Provisional Acceptance from the universities until after you pass the Primary Screening at the Embassy.
2. Your research proposal needs to be in the format of the Field of Study and Research Program Plan, which I describe in this book (and a few articles on the site, as well). Nobody needs to approve it, but getting your previous professor’s input could be helpful!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Sir!
I’m Kaviya. I’m going to apply for MEXT scholarship [Masters] in 2024 for 2025 batch. I’m an undergraduate right now pursuing English literature. So my query is about the research plan.
Is it necessary to present our contribution to Japan and Home country through my research plan?. It will be easy for others like engineering, doctors, etc.. How can I frame and link my research plan that benefits my home country and Japan?. How can I link my research plan with English literature and Japanese literature and Indian literature ? Please solve my doubt..
HI Kaviya,
Yes, it is important to show how your research will enable you to contribute to Japan, your home country, and or the relationship between the two. That is one of the most important things that the Japanese government is looking for (and if your country’s government is involved in the selection process, they will likely be looking for it, too.)
I don’t know enough about your particular field to suggest how it could make such a contribution, so I can’t give any specific suggestions. I’m not sure why you would want to study English literature in Japan, as opposed to an English-speaking country, but I assume that there’s a good reason that it has to be Japan (and that it isn’t about the scholarship!). So, think about your reason why you wanted to study this field in Japan and also what your plans are for your future career. Those should be good sources for developing your proposal for how you can contribute!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis … I am planning to apply MEXT for graduate (research student). Should I fill all (three) choices the university in Japan I wish to attend ? How about if I only fill first choice ? Will it my application fail in document selection ?
Hi Irene Setia Kristanti,
You are not required to fill in all three selections, at least as far as MEXT is concerned, but I have heard of some embassies insisting that students fill in all three before accepting their applications. You will also need to be prepared to explain why you only listed one university. The assumption of the reviewers may be that you were too lazy to research others, so you will have to show a good reason why you chose only that one.
Even if you fill in all three during your initial application, after you pass the Primary Screening, you will have to apply to universities for Letters of Provisional Acceptance, then resubmit the list along with those letters. You can revise the list at that time, so you could choose to list only one university during that final submission.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi, I need someone to support me from faculty of pharmaceutical science. I need help on research them and plan as well as how I can be in touch with academic advisors in different universities
Hi Maelaf,
I have an article about how to find universities that teach your desired degree field in English in Japan that might help you find a university to apply to. There is also some advice in there about contacting professors.
But you need to develop your Field of Study and Research Program Plan on your own before applying. If you need help related to developing a research plan for a specific field, I recommend that you work with a faculty member from the university you already graduated from who knows you and would be willing to help.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Good Evening Sir.
I might be the youngest amongst everyone up here and I have question hoping to get answers from you.
I was admitted to a University in Japan and will be going to Japan this September for my Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science.
Yesterday, the school emailed me to call for application of the MEXT’s Scholarship Top Global University Project.
They told me to send a “research plan or research status” but I am currently a high school student with not much experience and idea. What should I write in there? Should I write a study plan? If yes, can you provide me some guidelines.
Thank you for spending time reading and considering my comment.
Hope to hear from you soon.
Best regards.
Hi Nguyen Tran,
What does your degree program require for a capstone project/thesis? That should be the basis of your research plan. Of course, you’re still years away from actually completing it but if you have an idea of what you want to accomplish with your independent project or research then, you can make a plan for what steps you’ll need to complete in order to achieve it, including things you can start now.
I’m afraid that I do not have personal experience with an undergrad computer science degree or what would be the capstone, etc. Is there anyone you can talk to at the university yet? Perhaps a senior student, even?
You should need need anything nearly as detailed and complex as what I describe in this book, since that is targeted at graduate level research.
If you cannot find anyone in your field to help, I would suggest that you write a plan including at least the following items:
– What you hope to accomplish in your capstone/thesis and why it is important.
– The steps you will need to take to accomplish it.
– What coursework/personal study/practice you will need to be able to accomplish the steps above
– How you will obtain the necessary knowledge (e.g. courses) throughout the course of your degree, based on the curriculum progression at your university.
I hope that helps.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you so much for all these information. I want to ask, in the research plan must we put reference?
Hi Travis, first of all thank you for your content, it’s been really helpful!
I’d like to ask your opinion about my research goal, I’ve been writing my project about japanese noh theatre, and essentially my goal would be to (after researching specific history and key figures of noh) spread knowledge about the beauty/depth of noh theatre outside Japan, (whether ‘outside’ means my home country or not, but maybe I should mention a focus on my own country?). Noh theatre is not as unknown outside Japan as other form of jp theater, but I still feel like most people associate Japan with anima/manga and food culture, so my goal would be to also give an idea of a more traditional Japan, related to more traditional (but incredibly deep and beautiful) performing arts such as noh.
My question is: would a research goal like that, “spreading awareness (outside Japan) about Japan’s beauty and traditions through a theatre performing art” be considered “acceptable” and give me good chances to make a good impressions with my project? Honestly, given the topic and the humanities/cultural field, I couldn’t think of many other goals outside “spreading knowledge/awareness about X”.
In some ways, this helps both Japan and my home country and helps strengthening their “cultural ties”, or at least I thought about it this way, as you suggested.
Thanks a lot in advance.
Best regards,
Lorenzo
Hi Lorenzo,
Thank you for your kind words.
Spreading awareness would be an “acceptable” goal, but personally, I think it’s rather weak as a MEXT scholarship goal and you would need to do better to be competitive.
Here are a few question to consider:
What, specifically, to you hope to accomplish by spreading awareness of Noh? (What is the desired outcome?)
How do you plan to spread awareness of Noh after graduation? (And yes, specifying where would be important)
Why would spreading awareness of Noh in the target are be the best way to achieve your ultimate desired outcome?
Why are you the best person to do this?
I think the scholarship aims to develop leaders in their fields who can create new knowledge or make unique contributions to society. If you were to study an aspect of Noh to apply what you have learned to traditional theater in your home country, to fuse elements of the two cultures and create a new variation on the art, or to apply some external aspect of Noh (the system of training actors, maintaining troupes, whatever) to another theater form, that would be stronger, in my opinion. And by introducing those elements to theater in different country/culture, it would also increase awareness of Japanese traditional theater while creating something new.
I don’t know if that’s a goal suited to you and your situation, but I encourage you to look for a way that you can contribute by doing something new, original, and with a clear value.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you very much! One last doubt I had was about the “pratical” goal of the initial period as a research student, in my timeline I wrote that I will aim to publish 1 paper about my research during the 1 year I wanna spend as research student (and then do 2 years of Masters if I can pass the entrance exam), is that enough or should I aim for at least 2 or more papers in 1 year?
Thank you again.
Hi Lorenzo,
I think proposing that you will prepare one paper for publication would be perfectly fine. I would recommend that you set your goal as preparing a paper for publication, not actually publishing it, since the publishing process is out of your hands and can take several months or more from when you submit, depending on your field and the journal in question.
Honestly, in most of the applications I see, applicants focus entirely on the outcomes of their research and the mention of publication and dissemination is, at most, one sentence at the end of the specific research plan, so I do not think it is a particularly important part of your application. It is more important to focus on the details of your research and how you will answer your research question.
I would also add that most applicants do not apply for a distinct research project as a research student then plan to do another research project as a degree student. Usually, it is one research question that goes through the entire MEXT Scholarship time, and the research student period is just added time (necessary, in some cases, to be able to take the entrance exam, etc, after arriving in Japan).
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello sir, my name is Karthick. I wanna do masters in psychology in Japanese universities. Is it possible ?
Can I do masters in psychology with the help of MEXT scholarship ?.
Hi Karthik,
If you can find a university in Japan that offers your field of study in a language that you speak, then you can apply to study it under the MEXT Scholarship.
I have an article about how to find Japanese universities that teach your field of study in English that should help to see which universities teach psychology.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Please is the application for the 2023 still opened??
Hi Sulemana Seidu,
The Embassy-Recommended MEXT Scholarship application for 2023 has long-since closed, but the University-Recommended MEXT Scholarship application for 2023 should open this fall.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis, I’ve wondering if i can add bibliography or use academic written works in my own language (spanish) to propose my research, or only english is admited? thank you in advance
Hi Francisco Medina,
There is no problem with using sources written in other languages!
You could even think of it as an advantage, since you are bringing understanding of sources in languages that other researchers at the university might not read.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you for your kind reply, I just have a last question and is about university picking. when in choose university only public and nationals universities are admitted trough mext? or i can choose also private universities?
Hi Francisco Medina,
You can also choose private universities. MEXT prefers to place students at national universities because it is cheaper for them, so if you have both national and private universities on your list, there is a chance that they will try to place you at a national university, even if it isn’t your top choice, but many applicants do end up at private universities.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
should the topic be general for research proposal or it will be the research topic in japane???
Hi Abdul Hakeem,
Your research proposal should be for the specific research you want to conduct for your final thesis, so it needs to be specific.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hey Travis. I was wondering if is mandatory to include the bibliography in the format? (and if yes) where to put it, I mean, is included in the two pages within or I can put in a third page as an extra?
Hi Francisco Medina,
The bibliography is not necessary, but adding a list of sources can be a useful reference for faculty members when they review your proposal. They should be familiar with works in your field, so if they see that you are referring to the leading scholars in the field, that will be a mark in your favor.
If you include it, I recommend doing it as an attachment, not part of the two pages. Put it on a separate page and title it “Attachment: Bibliography” or something like that.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
hey i wanna do masters by course does japanese universities have masters by course??most of them seems like masters by research.
Hi Ahishek,
In almost all cases, Japanese universities require both coursework and research for a Master’s Degree. I am not aware of any programs that do not require capstone research or a practicum, etc.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you so much Travis for the support, the books helped me a lot It cleared a lot of things and I have all my questions answered
Hi Mahmoud Belkhiria,
Thank you very much for your feedback! That is most encouraging to hear.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello, I am requesting for a sample of research plan can I be assisted on that issue??
Hi Philipo,
Unfortunately, I do not have any examples of the FSRPP using the current format. All the people I have found who shared their plans publicly were from years ago when the form was different. Here is one example, though:
http://www.transenzjapan.com/lars/
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello sir, my name is Nii Lantey. I want to apply for the Japanese mext scholarship program. I’m finding it very difficult to understand the process. I am done with the application form. I don’t know if I’m supposed to complete all documents and attach it to the application form and send it.
these documents includes: the application form, health certificates, placement preference form, field research plan. please my question is should I just send the application form after I’m done filling and later if I’m being shortlisted, id be asked to send the remaining documents or I’m supposed to submit everything at the scholarship secretariat in my country at the same time? please this is delaying me, if i can have a response immediately, id really appreciate.
and do you think I’m late since my submission deadline is 31st of may?
thank you.
Hi Nii Lantey GOLIGHTLY,
Have you checked the application instructions on the website of the Japanese embassy in your country?
They should tell you how and when to submit all of the documents. If they do not include specific instructions saying otherwise, then you should assume that all documents must be submitted together by the deadline.
I think that if you do not have all of the documents prepared at this time, it is a little too late to apply this year. In particular, the Field of Study and Research Program Plan usually takes several days of intense work or multiple weeks to write.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Greetings Travis it’s Derick , I have an MBA in accounting and finance, it’s it easy for me to find Admissions for a PhD or for a master’s ? . Thank you
Hi Derick,
It’s really impossible for me to say. It all depends on the quality of your application.
You will need to find a program taught in English, have good grades from your MBA, and write a strong Field of Study and Research Program Plan to have a chance at the scholarship.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello, I want to ask are their priority countries for the MEXT Scholarship. And if there is, is Nigeria part?
Hi Mubaraq Lawal,
The Japanese government does have a list of priority countries for international programs, including the MEXT Scholarship. You can find the most recent list where I covered the countries here. Nigeria is on the list.
Priority countries are important for the University-Recommended MEXT Scholarship, since universities must nominate at least 75% of their candidates from those countries. It may also impact how many Embassy-Recommended MEXT Scholarship slots are available in each country, too, but I’m not sure.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi thankyou for the information and the support but what I really concern about is how to write an research plan for a masters scholarship I want to do masters in INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY but really don’t have an idea about how to write one . Please can you help me with that by sending some example I read earlier one but i think those were for undergraduate . I mean what to write and in which manner
Hi Dhiraj yadav,
Unfortunately, I do not have sample research plans, but I do have a template and guide for what your field of study and research program plan should include.
The book I mention here goes into detail of every step from how to generate your research topic all the way through writing the plan, but if you just need to know what to put in it, check out my article about how to write the field of study and research program plan, here.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis ,
I am preparing for mext in the field of physics. I am Currently pursuing my bachelors in physics , which is going to get completed in next year. So should I apply as a research student or Master student ? I know I would get one year for my thesis work and japanese language , but would you suggest me to for research student , because I need to complete my Masters also . Is research student have a 100 chance to get into masters , or Master program is more safe ? Please do answer quickly because I have only 13 days left
Hi Lipshit Dash,
I usually recommend starting as a research student then extending your scholarship to your degree after you arrive in Japan. While it is not 100% guaranteed that the extension would be approved, the only times I have seen applicants struggle was if they were really terrible students as research students so their university did not want to support their extension or if they could not pass the entrance exam (though in that case, it would have been impossible to start as a degree student, anyway!).
When you fill in your preference in the application form, it is just your preference, the universities that accept you will decide how to accept you in the Letter of Acceptance.
If you apply as a research student, I recommend that your FSRPP cover your time both as a research student and as a degree student in one research plan.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Sir. and Good evening Sir.
I want to ask you abou the Field of Study and Research Plan especially the rule about ” (3) This sheet must be created within two pages”. Can i erase the guide ? do the first page count ? since i has a litte bit long study plan so i try to write it using two columns, is it okay to write it like this ?.
Hi Muhammad Salim Makmur,
Unfortunately, you cannot delete the instructions and that does count toward your two-page limit. However, I have never seen a proposal that really needed more than that amount of space to make the point.
I have never seen a proposal written in columns – I would think that would actually reduce the amount of space you have to work with, since there are more margins – but there is no particular rule against it that I am aware of.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello sir, thank you for replying, and thank you again for your book. It helps me a lot to finish my application.
Dear Muhammad,
I am Samuel from Ghana. I am also trying to apply for the MEXT Scholarship. Can you kindly send me the book on how to successfully apply for the MEXT Scholarship?
Hi Samuel,
I don’t think Muhammad has the book to send you. But if you are interested in my books on preparing for the MEXT Scholarship application, you can find all the information to order them yourself (or ask your university library to do it, so that you can read them for free!) on this page.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz