MEXT Japanese studies 2025
- Thread starter anssssus
- Start date
- 21 May 2003
- 14,310
- 4,404
I bet you will find life in Japan is amazing. Hope your interview goes well. Feel free to ask questions about Japan , members here are very helpful.
- 3 Apr 2024
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GOOD LUCK ALSO I LOVE UR PFP U SEEM SO COOOOLL!!
anssssus
後輩
- 4 Mar 2025
- 15
- 40
- Thread starter
- #5
Its me again. I don't know who will need this info or if someone will need it at all but i'll still post this anyway - my biggest problem with this program was lack of information, so i hope i help someone with these posts.
I'm a student on my 2nd year and after coming back from my study abroad program in Japan i wanted to try Japanese studies (Nikkensei) program. The first thing i noticed while researching about it is how little information there is on the internet about this program. The only real source was this forum (for what i'm thankful) and a couple embassies posted more information about application process than others. My biggest question was the GPA requirement for this program since mine was beyond awful (i missed like 3 final exams in my second semester in my first year due to getting sick) and i'm pretty sure MEXT does have a minimal requirement for GPA (at least for university recommendations) so i was really anxious about getting rejected without even getting to the exam phase because of my GPA. But after applying i got through the document screening with no problems at all. They ask you to mark subjects related to Japan/Japanese language on your academic transcript, but even though i had like 2 fails in these subjects they didn't even ask me about my poor grades on the interview. So, for people with bad GPA there is still hope, i guess they don't pay much attention to it (unless you fail EVERY class i guess). By the way, in my country we sent the documents through email first and then gave them to people in the embassy on the interview.
The second stage was japanese language exam and tbh i wasn't really worried about it because I THOUGHT that i will be the only applicant this year and i already know Japanese at around N2 level, so i thought i'm gonna pass it no problem. Well, my expectations were shattered when i came in a saw like 4 other people in the class with me, all looking confident as hell. Worse than that, when we were handed the exam papers and exam started i noticed that its different from samples. Not gonna say much about questions or how its structured since im not sure if i can do that, but one i can say for sure: it was VERY difficult. The average level was N2, but there were some N1 grammar and a lot of onomatopeia (funny that i panic learned a couple of onomatopeia because i was very sure that the exam will have them and the EXACT onomatopeia i learned was on one of the questions lol). Texts were diffcult too but manageable even if you dont know every word in it (you are not supposed to really). So i left the embassy with a strong feeling that i'm gonna fail this one, especially when i saw one dude finishing it in like 40 minutes. Anyways, i got results the next day and i PASSED, lol. Me and other person (only 2 of us passed, so you gotta actually do good) were invited to the interview and it was pretty easy. They asked me about my motivation to go to japan, about my life during my exchange year, if i had any problems, if my parents were ok with me leaving, why my uni of choice etc. Nothing extraordinary. After the interview i gave them my documents and left.
Now i'm not sure whether i passed the first screening or not but i think i did. I should've gotten email confirmation today but i guess they are late with it. Yesterday after interview they called me and asked for some documents so i think they are nominating me. Yeah, thats pretty much it, i'm gonna update this thread sometimes.
I'm a student on my 2nd year and after coming back from my study abroad program in Japan i wanted to try Japanese studies (Nikkensei) program. The first thing i noticed while researching about it is how little information there is on the internet about this program. The only real source was this forum (for what i'm thankful) and a couple embassies posted more information about application process than others. My biggest question was the GPA requirement for this program since mine was beyond awful (i missed like 3 final exams in my second semester in my first year due to getting sick) and i'm pretty sure MEXT does have a minimal requirement for GPA (at least for university recommendations) so i was really anxious about getting rejected without even getting to the exam phase because of my GPA. But after applying i got through the document screening with no problems at all. They ask you to mark subjects related to Japan/Japanese language on your academic transcript, but even though i had like 2 fails in these subjects they didn't even ask me about my poor grades on the interview. So, for people with bad GPA there is still hope, i guess they don't pay much attention to it (unless you fail EVERY class i guess). By the way, in my country we sent the documents through email first and then gave them to people in the embassy on the interview.
The second stage was japanese language exam and tbh i wasn't really worried about it because I THOUGHT that i will be the only applicant this year and i already know Japanese at around N2 level, so i thought i'm gonna pass it no problem. Well, my expectations were shattered when i came in a saw like 4 other people in the class with me, all looking confident as hell. Worse than that, when we were handed the exam papers and exam started i noticed that its different from samples. Not gonna say much about questions or how its structured since im not sure if i can do that, but one i can say for sure: it was VERY difficult. The average level was N2, but there were some N1 grammar and a lot of onomatopeia (funny that i panic learned a couple of onomatopeia because i was very sure that the exam will have them and the EXACT onomatopeia i learned was on one of the questions lol). Texts were diffcult too but manageable even if you dont know every word in it (you are not supposed to really). So i left the embassy with a strong feeling that i'm gonna fail this one, especially when i saw one dude finishing it in like 40 minutes. Anyways, i got results the next day and i PASSED, lol. Me and other person (only 2 of us passed, so you gotta actually do good) were invited to the interview and it was pretty easy. They asked me about my motivation to go to japan, about my life during my exchange year, if i had any problems, if my parents were ok with me leaving, why my uni of choice etc. Nothing extraordinary. After the interview i gave them my documents and left.
Now i'm not sure whether i passed the first screening or not but i think i did. I should've gotten email confirmation today but i guess they are late with it. Yesterday after interview they called me and asked for some documents so i think they are nominating me. Yeah, thats pretty much it, i'm gonna update this thread sometimes.
anssssus
後輩
- 4 Mar 2025
- 15
- 40
- Thread starter
- #9
Hi everyone. Just got confirmation from the embassy - i passed the first screening. I wasn't really doubting it, but its nice to have it confirmed. Second screening is next and i'm not sure about it. As far as i know, almost everyone who gets past first screening gets scholarship in the end, but the wait is still long and even a small chance of rejection kinda makes me anxious lol.
anssssus
後輩
- 4 Mar 2025
- 15
- 40
- Thread starter
- #10
Its me again. This thread is beyond dead but i'll post anyway, again - i want to leave as much info as possible for future applicants. I was talking with other applicants on reddit and it looks like selection process got stricter this year. Person from one european country told me that only one applicant passed this the first screening this year from their country when last year they took like 4 people with N4-N3 level.
As embassy later said, the reason for rejecting like 7 other applicants was the fact that they didnt meet the minimal exam passing grade. One more person from other european country failed their first screening even though they were the only applicant from their country (i dont know about the level but the person seemed knowledgeable in japanese). Anyways, an applicant from Turkey told me that 11 people passed the exam from their country (wow) but 2 (Including the person in question) were rejected after the interview, which is VERY, VERY rare. Now it might just be a coincidence that the only people that i found on the internet that also applied to this program were rejected under weird circumstances and in other countries the selection process goes the same as in previous years, but i just want to overthink because the wait is killing me.
To say honestly it really feels like they became stricter with how they select applicants. In my country there were 4 of us at the exam and me and other person who passed the first screening are around N2 level (though somehow i knew most of the N1 grammar that appeared on the exam) and the other 2 who failed seemed to be around N3 level or maybe below. Now, Nikkensei is a program for any japanese level above N4 and its possible in theory for someone to pass with N4 if competition isnt big in their country. At least it was like that.
Now even with lack of competition it looks like they want AT LEAST high N3-N2 perfomance at the exam. Why? Well idk. In my experience N3 is more than enough to attend language classes in Japan and live everyday life, so why deny people? My theory is that they either cut available slots or just dont bother accepting people with mediocre language knowledge. I would say that the slot cut theory seems more believable, but the amount of slots is a factor only on second screening, not the first one (unless MEXT told embassies to up their language requirements, which definitely could happen but its too much speculating), so i doubt it. And to add to that, MEXT drastically cutting slots is not unheard of, but is very rare.
Whats my conclusion? Idk, the less competition at second screening the better for me.
As embassy later said, the reason for rejecting like 7 other applicants was the fact that they didnt meet the minimal exam passing grade. One more person from other european country failed their first screening even though they were the only applicant from their country (i dont know about the level but the person seemed knowledgeable in japanese). Anyways, an applicant from Turkey told me that 11 people passed the exam from their country (wow) but 2 (Including the person in question) were rejected after the interview, which is VERY, VERY rare. Now it might just be a coincidence that the only people that i found on the internet that also applied to this program were rejected under weird circumstances and in other countries the selection process goes the same as in previous years, but i just want to overthink because the wait is killing me.
To say honestly it really feels like they became stricter with how they select applicants. In my country there were 4 of us at the exam and me and other person who passed the first screening are around N2 level (though somehow i knew most of the N1 grammar that appeared on the exam) and the other 2 who failed seemed to be around N3 level or maybe below. Now, Nikkensei is a program for any japanese level above N4 and its possible in theory for someone to pass with N4 if competition isnt big in their country. At least it was like that.
Now even with lack of competition it looks like they want AT LEAST high N3-N2 perfomance at the exam. Why? Well idk. In my experience N3 is more than enough to attend language classes in Japan and live everyday life, so why deny people? My theory is that they either cut available slots or just dont bother accepting people with mediocre language knowledge. I would say that the slot cut theory seems more believable, but the amount of slots is a factor only on second screening, not the first one (unless MEXT told embassies to up their language requirements, which definitely could happen but its too much speculating), so i doubt it. And to add to that, MEXT drastically cutting slots is not unheard of, but is very rare.
Whats my conclusion? Idk, the less competition at second screening the better for me.
- 14 Mar 2002
- 21,050
- 18,904
Thank you again for sharing this! Don't misinterpret the silence for disinterest. Threads such as yours gather a lot of attention, but nowadays, getting people out of their comfort zones and participating actively is a challenge. 
I hope your wait will be over soon!
I hope your wait will be over soon!
paulinbruant
後輩
- 1 Dec 2023
- 15
- 27
Thanks for sharing your experience. It will for sure help someone!
- 27 Dec 2003
- 2,853
- 2,102
The one thing not being mentioned here is when a person has negative personality 'issues' (not friendly enough, etc). I mean, that's part of why they have interviews, right? How often are people being rejected because of 'issues'? Being polite is HUGE in Japan. If I was an interviewer and someone was "not polite enough", I'd reject them right away.
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anssssus
後輩
- 4 Mar 2025
- 15
- 40
- Thread starter
- #14
I've heard that interview is there to let people who decide whether to recommend you or not see your face and make sure that you are mentally sane and know what you are gonna do with your scholarship. If they decide that you are not interested enough/don't have any real plans for your life/don't know what you want to do in Japan/just a negative person, they will probably reject you no matter how well you did on the exam. I've heard about someone getting rejected after interview even though they were the only applicant and passed the exam, so i guess embassy decided that the applicant isn't the right fit for Japan even though their Japanese language is on a decent level. In my case i didn't stress much at the interview (at least not more than other people who shared their experience on the internet) and i think my answers and attitude didn't have any problems because a couple hours after the interview i got a call from the embassy and was asked to bring some documents (which is kinda an unofficial acceptance sign)
anssssus
後輩
- 4 Mar 2025
- 15
- 40
- Thread starter
- #15
Hi everyone, it's me again. It's been almost 2 months since my last post here and it's kinda sad to see that no one posted here hahaha
Anyways, i didn't get my results yet and i really don't know when i will. I checked a couple of embassy websites and the result dates vary from late may to late july, so it's kinda hard to know what to expect. As far as i understand, people who get results in july get them already with information about their university placement, whereas people who get them in late may-mid june get only confirmation of MEXT accepting their application. According to my embassy, results should come in mid june, so i will probably get an acceptance confirmation first, though embassy dates are only an estimation and are almost always wrong (lol).
It's been more than 2 months since i got results for embassy screening and tbh it's not easy to wait for so long with no guarantee that i'll even pass. Even though (as i've been told by other people) rejections are very rare, i can't help but feel anxious, since this opportunity is very important to me. I'm not posting this to ask for any info (though i'll appreciate it) because no one really posts here, just posting for the sake of posting
Anyways, i didn't get my results yet and i really don't know when i will. I checked a couple of embassy websites and the result dates vary from late may to late july, so it's kinda hard to know what to expect. As far as i understand, people who get results in july get them already with information about their university placement, whereas people who get them in late may-mid june get only confirmation of MEXT accepting their application. According to my embassy, results should come in mid june, so i will probably get an acceptance confirmation first, though embassy dates are only an estimation and are almost always wrong (lol).
It's been more than 2 months since i got results for embassy screening and tbh it's not easy to wait for so long with no guarantee that i'll even pass. Even though (as i've been told by other people) rejections are very rare, i can't help but feel anxious, since this opportunity is very important to me. I'm not posting this to ask for any info (though i'll appreciate it) because no one really posts here, just posting for the sake of posting
- 14 Mar 2002
- 21,050
- 18,904
Yeah, our formerly active MEXT crowd has probably moved to a Facebook Group, Reddit, or whatever social media realm is popular these days. Thanks for updating this thread, and good luck with your results!
anssssus
後輩
- 4 Mar 2025
- 15
- 40
- Thread starter
- #17
Hi, thank you for kind words. Unfortunately no, they didn't move anywhere, at least i can't really find any active group on the internet. Anything MEXT related is usually about graduate or undergraduate program, not Japanese Studies. Japanese studies related posts are either very old or have like 1-2 people replying to it. I made a couple of posts on the mext subreddit and only found like 5 people who applied to the program and only 2 of them passed the first screening and they are as clueless about the whole process as i am, so it's kinda hard ahahaha. Well at least yesterday someone told me that i should expect something by middle of june, so there's that at least.Yeah, our formerly active MEXT crowd has probably moved to a Facebook Group, Reddit, or whatever social media realm is popular these days. Thanks for updating this thread, and good luck with your results!
- 6 Mar 2003
- 9,317
- 9,444
What is your ultimate goal in terms of studies/degree?
anssssus
後輩
- 4 Mar 2025
- 15
- 40
- Thread starter
- #19
To be honest i'm not even sure myself, Japan wasn't even my main plan originally. (unrelated to the question) When i was graduating from high school my original plan was to go somewhere in Europe to study international relations. I studied hard for IELTS and similar exams and in the end got into KU Leuven (In Belgium i think?) but was denied by my parents for reasons i still don't understand. Anyways, i had to get into an university somewhere in my country and since it was entrance exam period when i was told that i can't go abroad, i didn't have much time to prepare and my result was mediocre at best. That's why my faculty choice at universities was pretty limited and i chose the one related to Japan, mostly because i had some knowledge of japanese language from the middle school (wanted to move there but kinda gave up and chose europe) and my interest in Japan wasn't completely dead yet. I decided that i'll try Japan one more time and even went there as an exchange student for a year. I don't regret choosing Japan again, but i do greatly regret choosing the university i chose for many reasons, but i didn't really have a choice and it's too late to change universities.
Anyway, as of my goals... I want to get into a master's program for sure. My plan as of right now is to save up money while i'm in Japan and after i come back to my country and ideally get into a master's program in Japan. MEXT is an option too, but its an unreliable choice. I'll try it if i get the chance, but getting into a program as a self funded student is far easier. As of i want to study, i think i'll decide when i'm in Japan again. I tend to change my mind a lot and planning my future research right now doesn't make any sense since i'll probably find something that interests me more. Short answer, but i really have no idea right now ahaha
Pellegrini
Registered
- 10 Jun 2025
- 1
- 0
Puis-je avoir des informations sur la bourse MEXT
anssssus
後輩
- 4 Mar 2025
- 15
- 40
- Thread starter
- #22
Hi everyone! Bringing good news today. I just received an email from the embassy in my country saying that i passed the second screening and MEXT will now look for a university to place me at. It was very unexpected to be honest, it's 4 pm and usually my embassy emailed/called me in the morning to deliver news, so when i didn't get anything this morning i (as usually lol) assumed there won't be anything today. Anyways, i'm very happy that the wait is over and now i'm curious what university i'll be placed at. I hope my first choice (Saitama) picks me, but tbh i would be happy about anything.
anssssus
後輩
- 4 Mar 2025
- 15
- 40
- Thread starter
- #24
Well, i chose 2 universities that i would like to be placed at. The first one is Saitama university and the second one is Tokyo university of foreign studies (or something like that). I think (and hope) that i will be placed at Saitama, their requirements are pretty light and not many people apply so there is no competitionCongratulations! I'm curious to know which uni picked you.
malijiart
Registered
- 23 Jul 2025
- 3
- 3
I also passed both screenings and received a letter on June 16 confirming that I passed. However, I haven't received any further updates since then. It's almost the end of July now, and although I know they won't reject me at this stage, I'm starting to feel a bit nervous.
Cam you please let me know when you received your acceptance letter and CoE? I previously studied in Japan as a Nikkensei at Hokkaido University, and back then they sent all documents really quickly. This time, I selected universities that are in the top 4-5, so I'm a bit worried that maybe they rejected me.
Cam you please let me know when you received your acceptance letter and CoE? I previously studied in Japan as a Nikkensei at Hokkaido University, and back then they sent all documents really quickly. This time, I selected universities that are in the top 4-5, so I'm a bit worried that maybe they rejected me.
