Japanese Government (MEXT) Scholarship Program for Undergraduates 2026 for Bachelor

Eligibility Criteria

MEXT accepts applications from international students for study in Japan who satisfy the following qualifications and conditions. MEXT’s aim is to foster human resources who will become bridges of friendship between the grantee’s country and Japan through study in Japan and who will contribute to the development of both countries and the wider world. 

• Nationality: Applicants must have the nationality of a country that has diplomatic relations with Japan. An applicant who has Japanese nationality at the time of application is not eligible. However, persons with dual nationality who hold Japanese nationality and whose place of residence at the time of application is outside of Japan are eligible to apply as long as they choose the nationality of the other country and renounce their Japanese nationality by the date of their arrival in Japan (the acquisition of student status). The First Screening must be conducted at the Japanese diplomatic mission in the country whose nationality the applicant chooses.
• Age: Applicants, in principle, must have been born on or after April 2, 2001. However, applicants who satisfy the conditions for Academic Background stipulated in ? below must be 18 years of age or older at the time of admission to a university in Japan.
• Academic Background: Applicants must satisfy any one of the following conditions. However, applicants desiring direct placement must satisfy condition 1, or condition 2, or condition 4.

1. Applicants who have completed 12 years of schooling in countries other than Japan. (Applicants who will meet the above condition by March 2026 are eligible. However, applicants wishing to enroll from the autumn term through direct placement must be expected to complete 12 years of schooling by August 2026.)
2. Applicants who have completed their studies at a school equivalent to a Japanese upper secondary school in countries other than Japan. (Applicants who will meet the above condition by March 2026 are eligible.)
3. Applicants who have successfully passed an academic qualification examination showing equivalency to the completion of 12 years of schooling in countries other than Japan. (Applicants who will meet the above condition by March 2026 are eligible.)
4. Other than the above 1,2 and 3 conditions, applicants who are eligible for enrollment in a Japanese university at the time of application.

• Japanese Language: Applicants must be willing to learn Japanese. Applicants must be interested in Japan and be willing to deepen their understanding of Japan before and after arriving in Japan. In addition, in principle, applicants must be willing to carry out their academic studies in Japan in Japanese.
• Health: Applicants must submit a health certificate in the prescribed format signed by a physician attesting that the applicant has no physical or mental conditions hindering the applicant’s study in Japan.
• Arrival in Japan: In principle, applicants must be able to arrive in Japan between April 1, 2026, and April 7, 2026. Departure from the home residence should be on or after April 1, 2026. If an applicant is to enroll in his/her university from the fall semester through direct placement, he/she must be able to arrive in Japan during the period specified by the accepting university, normally within two weeks before and after the starting date of - 4 - the university’s relevant academic term for that year

For requirements and guidelines on application, please visit the following link:

Undergraduate students
https://www.studyinjapan.go.jp/en/smap-stopj-applications-undergraduate.html?fbclid=IwY2xjawJts2pleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHtQs4z_8lgDQx1TKYdToufhYI0rK8IiYXSCMk4nrZ-iJCt2w87ik6CbzbIic_aem_OPy3nQds0GkyJxVbfq5juQ

Application Process

Required Documents:

The Embassy of Japan in Nigeria is now accepting applications for the MEXT (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology) scholarship program in Japan.
Please send your application through a post office/courier service or submit in person to us at the Embassy of Japan, No. 9 Bobo Street, off Gana Street, Maitama, Abuja, on or before Friday, 30th May. Only hard copy is acceptable.