Culture & Education
2025/4/25
Japanese Government Monbukagakusho (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology/MEXT) Scholarships
Japanese Studies Student Scholarships [2026 applications for Embassy Recommendation being accepted]
The Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) offers Japanese Studies Student Scholarships to Irish undergraduates majoring in fields related to the Japanese language and/or Japanese culture born between 2 April 1996 and 1 April 2008 to study at designated Japanese universities for a period of one year as part of their degree, in order to deepen their understanding of the Japanese language and Japanese culture and affairs.
The scholarship is for one year from September/October 2026 at a university decided by MEXT. However, candidates can state their preference from a selection of universities in their application. MEXT will cover entrance examination, matriculation and university tuition fees, and flights to and from Japan, and provide a monthly allowance of JPY117,000 (subject to change).
Applicants must be undergraduates at the time of arriving in and leaving Japan, and have studied Japanese Studies at a university for a total period of one year or more as of 1 September 2026.
Preferably, successful candidates should have a level of Japanese ability equivalent to Japanese-Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) N2, but this is not an essential requirement.
Guidelines and application materials for the 2026 Japanese Studies Student Scholarships can be downloaded from the Study in Japan website. A full list of application documents and detailed instructions are available on pages 6-7 of the 2026 Application Guidelines.
Study is implemented only in the university study courses listed in the Course Guide of Japanese Studies Program 2026, which provides information on the courses and entry requirements of individual universities. Please note that the Course Guide is divided into 6 separate PDF files.
Applications should be submitted by e-mail to the International Cooperation Unit, Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Marlborough Street, Dublin 1, D01 RC96 at Scholarships@dfheris.gov.ie by Friday, 13 February 2026.
Written Japanese examinations and interviews for shortlisted candidates are expected to take place in person at the Embassy of Japan on Monday, 2 March 2026. This date may change and shortlisted candidates will be notified individually of the date and time of their examinations and interviews. Shortlisted candidates will be required to submit their original paper application documents and 1 set of copies to the Embassy on the day of the examinations and interviews. Submitted documents will not be returned.
Past examination questions for applicants for the Japanese Studies Student Scholarships have not been disclosed by MEXT. Please refer to the Japanese exam papers in the Past Examination Questions for other scholarships.
If you are not an Irish citizen but wish to apply for a MEXT scholarship, please contact the Embassy of Japan in your home country.
For further information, please contact the Information & Culture Section at culture@ir.mofa.go.jp.
The scholarship is for one year from September/October 2026 at a university decided by MEXT. However, candidates can state their preference from a selection of universities in their application. MEXT will cover entrance examination, matriculation and university tuition fees, and flights to and from Japan, and provide a monthly allowance of JPY117,000 (subject to change).
Applicants must be undergraduates at the time of arriving in and leaving Japan, and have studied Japanese Studies at a university for a total period of one year or more as of 1 September 2026.
Preferably, successful candidates should have a level of Japanese ability equivalent to Japanese-Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) N2, but this is not an essential requirement.
Guidelines and application materials for the 2026 Japanese Studies Student Scholarships can be downloaded from the Study in Japan website. A full list of application documents and detailed instructions are available on pages 6-7 of the 2026 Application Guidelines.
Study is implemented only in the university study courses listed in the Course Guide of Japanese Studies Program 2026, which provides information on the courses and entry requirements of individual universities. Please note that the Course Guide is divided into 6 separate PDF files.
Applications should be submitted by e-mail to the International Cooperation Unit, Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Marlborough Street, Dublin 1, D01 RC96 at Scholarships@dfheris.gov.ie by Friday, 13 February 2026.
- Please make sure to include your name and “2026 MEXT Japanese Studies Student Scholarship application” in the subject line of your e-mail.
- Please also combine your application documents as PDFs in the numerical order listed in the 2026 Application Guidelines and keep the total file size per PDF file less than 10MB. If your files are larger than this, they should be sent in separate e-mails.
Written Japanese examinations and interviews for shortlisted candidates are expected to take place in person at the Embassy of Japan on Monday, 2 March 2026. This date may change and shortlisted candidates will be notified individually of the date and time of their examinations and interviews. Shortlisted candidates will be required to submit their original paper application documents and 1 set of copies to the Embassy on the day of the examinations and interviews. Submitted documents will not be returned.
Past examination questions for applicants for the Japanese Studies Student Scholarships have not been disclosed by MEXT. Please refer to the Japanese exam papers in the Past Examination Questions for other scholarships.
If you are not an Irish citizen but wish to apply for a MEXT scholarship, please contact the Embassy of Japan in your home country.
For further information, please contact the Information & Culture Section at culture@ir.mofa.go.jp.
Undergraduate Student Scholarships [2026 applications for Embassy recommendation CLOSED]
The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) of Japan offers Undergraduate Student Scholarships to students who wish to study Social Sciences and Humanities OR Natural Sciences at university in Japan under the Japanese Government (MEXT) Scholarship Programme for 2026.
MEXT will cover entrance examination, matriculation and university tuition fees, and flights to and from Japan, and provide a monthly allowance of JPY117,000 (subject to change).
Applicants must be Irish nationals and secondary school graduates or equivalent, and in principle, have been born on or after 2 April 2001. The term of the scholarship is between 4 and 7 years, depending on the field of study, including one year of preparatory education in the Japanese language and other subjects, if required, provided upon arrival in Japan. Successful applicants will depart for Japan in April OR September/October 2026.
Guidelines and application materials for the 2026 Undergraduate Student Scholarships can be downloaded from the Study in Japan website. A full list of the required Application Documents is available on pages 7-8 of the 2026 Application Guidelines.
Applications should be submitted by e-mail to the International Cooperation Unit, Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Marlborough Street, Dublin 1, D01 RC96 at Scholarships@dfheris.gov.ie by Tuesday, 03 June 2025.
- Please make sure to include your name and “2026 MEXT Undergraduate Student Scholarship application” in the subject line of your e-mail.
- Please combine your application documents as PDFs in the numerical order from 1 to 9 listed on pages 7-8 of the 2026 Application Guidelines and keep the total file size per PDF file less than 10MB. If your files are larger than this, they should be sent in separate e-mails.
Written examinations and interviews for shortlisted candidates are scheduled to take place in person at the Embassy of Japan in late June. These dates may change and shortlisted candidates will be notified individually of the date and time of their examinations and interviews. Shortlisted candidates will be required to submit their original paper application documents and 1 set of copies to the Embassy on the day of the examinations. Submitted documents will not be returned.
Past examination papers from 2014 to 2019 can be viewed here. There is no textbook or syllabus for the exam but the EJU syllabus can be used for reference.
For further information, please contact the Information & Culture Section at culture@ir.mofa.go.jp.
If you are not an Irish citizen and wish to apply for a MEXT scholarship, please contact the Embassy of Japan in your home country.
A report by Sean McLaverty on his experiences as an Undergraduate Student in Yokohama is available on the Embassy website.
Timeline
| 03 June (Tue) 2025 | Application deadline |
| 26 June (Thur) 2025 | In-person examinations |
| 30 June (Mon) 2025 | In-person interviews |
| July 2025 | Notification of results of First Screening conducted by Embassy |
| December 2025 – February 2026 | Notification of final results of Second Screening conducted by MEXT |
| February/March 2026 OR August/September 2026 | Student Visa issued, Pre-Departure Orientation |
| April 2026 OR September/October 2026 |
Departure for Japan |
Research Student Scholarships [2026 applications for Embassy recommendation CLOSED]
The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) of Japan offers Research Student Scholarships to students with a minimum of a bachelor’s degree who wish to study in graduate courses at Japanese universities as Research Students (either as regular students or non-regular students) under the Japanese Government (MEXT) Scholarship Programme for 2026. In principle, applicants must have been born on or after 2 April 1991.
MEXT will cover entrance examination, matriculation and university tuition fees, and flights to and from Japan, and provide a monthly allowance of between JPY143,000 and JPY145,000 (subject to change). Successful applicants will depart for Japan in April or September/October 2026.
Guidelines and application materials for the 2026 Research Student Scholarships can be downloaded from the Study in Japan website. A full list of application documents is available on page 6 of the 2026 Application Guidelines.
Applications should be submitted by e-mail to the International Cooperation Unit, Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (DFHERIS), Marlborough Street, Dublin 1, D01 RC96 at Scholarships@dfheris.gov.ie by Tuesday, 03 June 2025.
A written Japanese language examination and interviews for shortlisted candidates are scheduled to take place in person at the Embassy of Japan on Thursday, 26 June and Monday, 30 June. These dates may change and shortlisted candidates will be notified individually of the date and time of the examination and interview. Shortlisted candidates will be required to submit their original paper application documents and 2 sets of copies to the Embassy on the day of the examination and interviews. Submitted documents will not be returned.
Past examination papers from 2014 to 2019 can be viewed here.
For further information, please contact the Information & Culture Section at culture@ir.mofa.go.jp.
If you are not an Irish citizen and wish to apply for a MEXT scholarship, please contact the Embassy of Japan in your home country.
For information to help with the selection of universities and courses in Japan, please see the following websites:
A report by Amy Metcalfe on her experiences as a Research Student in Tokyo is available on the Embassy website.
Timeline
MEXT will cover entrance examination, matriculation and university tuition fees, and flights to and from Japan, and provide a monthly allowance of between JPY143,000 and JPY145,000 (subject to change). Successful applicants will depart for Japan in April or September/October 2026.
Guidelines and application materials for the 2026 Research Student Scholarships can be downloaded from the Study in Japan website. A full list of application documents is available on page 6 of the 2026 Application Guidelines.
Applications should be submitted by e-mail to the International Cooperation Unit, Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (DFHERIS), Marlborough Street, Dublin 1, D01 RC96 at Scholarships@dfheris.gov.ie by Tuesday, 03 June 2025.
- Please make sure to include your name and “2026 MEXT Research Student Scholarship application” in the subject line of your e-mail.
- Please combine your application documents as PDFs in the numerical order from 1 to 11 listed on page 6 of the Application Guidelines and keep the total file size per PDF file less than 10MB. If your files are larger than this, they should be sent in separate e-mails.
- Recommendation letters from universities and employers can be e-mailed directly to DFHERIS at Scholarships@dfheris.gov.ie.
A written Japanese language examination and interviews for shortlisted candidates are scheduled to take place in person at the Embassy of Japan on Thursday, 26 June and Monday, 30 June. These dates may change and shortlisted candidates will be notified individually of the date and time of the examination and interview. Shortlisted candidates will be required to submit their original paper application documents and 2 sets of copies to the Embassy on the day of the examination and interviews. Submitted documents will not be returned.
Past examination papers from 2014 to 2019 can be viewed here.
For further information, please contact the Information & Culture Section at culture@ir.mofa.go.jp.
If you are not an Irish citizen and wish to apply for a MEXT scholarship, please contact the Embassy of Japan in your home country.
For information to help with the selection of universities and courses in Japan, please see the following websites:
- researchmap – a database of researcher information launched by the National Institute of Informatics in 2009
- Study in Japan – information on types of third level institutions in Japan, including lists of degree courses offered in English
- Japanese College and University Portraits (JPCUP) – a data portal for the publication of educational information on national, public and private universities and colleges
A report by Amy Metcalfe on her experiences as a Research Student in Tokyo is available on the Embassy website.
Timeline
| 03 June (Tue) 2025 | Application deadline |
| 26 June (Thur) 2025 | In-person examination |
| 30 June (Mon) 2025 | In-person interviews |
| July 2025 | Notification of results of First Screening conducted by Embassy |
| Until 22 August (Fri) 2025 | Period for applicants who pass First Screening to contact preferred universities to request provisional acceptance |
| Early September 2025 | Deadline for applicants who pass First Screening to submit a completed Placement Preference Application Form and up to two Letters of Provisional Acceptance to Embassy |
| From October 2025 | Second Screening and university placement conducted by MEXT |
| January – February 2026 | Notification of final selection results and university placement |
| February/March 2026 OR August/September 2026 | Student Visa issued, Pre-Departure Orientation held at Embassy |
| April 2026 OR September/October 2026 |
Departure for Japan |