Wednesday, December 10, 2008

What is Monbukagakusho Scholarship?

Monbukagakusho Scholarship (formerly known as Monbusho Scholarship) is a scholarship offered by the Monbukagakusho. To date, some 65,000 students from approximately 160 countries and regions around the world have studied in Japan under the Japanese Government (Monbukagakusho) Scholarship program established in 1954. As of May 1, 2005, there were 9,891 foreign students studying in Japan as Japanese government scholarship students.


What types of Japanese Government (Monbukagakusho) Scholarships are there?
As can be seen in the chart below, there are seven types of Japanese government-sponsored scholarships available under the Japanese Government (Monbukagakusho) Scholarship program: those for research students, teacher training students, undergraduate university students, Japanese studies students, college of technology students, special training students and YLP students.
Those wishing to apply for a scholarship should meet one of the criteria listed below:
1. Recommended by a Japanese embassy or consulate general (Embassy Recommendation).
2. Recommended by the Japanese university which will accept you (University Recommendation).
3. Selected by the Japanese university in which you are currently enrolled if you are a privately-financed student already studying in Japan (Domestic Selection).
What are the qualifications needed to apply for a Japanese Government Scholarships?
1)Research studentsYou must be under 35 years of age and a college graduate (includes prospective graduates). Or you must have completed 16 years of schooling.
2)Teacher training studentsYou must be under 35 years of age and a graduate of a college or teacher training college. You must have at least five years of active experience as a teacher in a primary, secondary or teacher training college in your country. (Please note that college and university teachers currently in active service are not considered for this scholarship).
3)Undergraduate university studentsYou must be at least 17 and under 22 years of age and have completed 12 years of school education or have completed courses in a school comparable to a high school (includes prospective graduates).
4)Japanese studies studentsApplicants must be from 18 to 30 years old. Applicants must be enrolled as undergraduate students in faculties or schools which major in Japanese language or Japanese culture in a university outside Japan at the time when they come to Japan and must be enrolled in the home institution at the time when they return to their home countries. Students majoring in the fields other than Japanese language or Japanese culture who wish to study various aspects of Japan( engineering, economy, agriculture, architecture, art, etc.)as part of their major studies should apply to the JASSO for admission to the Short-term Student Exchange Promotion Program.
5)College of technology studentsYou must be at least 17 and under 22 years of age and have completed school education comparable to a high school (a minimum of 11 years beginning in primary school) education (includes prospective graduates).
6)Special training college studentsYou must be at least 17 and under 22 years of age and have completed 12 years of schooling or have completed school education comparable to a Japanese high school (includes prospective graduates).
7)Young Leaders' Program(YLP) studentsApplicants must be young public administrators and so on, from Asian and other countries participating in the YLP who are expected to play active roles as future national leaders in their respective countries. The participants must be university or college graduates, who have at least 3-5 years' work experiences in public administration or enterprises and so on(*). The screening of the participants is based on recommendations of the recommending authorities.(*)There are five different YLP courses, each of which has different qualifications in work experience and affiliation, and the recommending authorities.
How are government-sponsored scholarships recipients recruited and selected ?

Japanese government scholarship students are recruited and selected in three ways:
i)Embassy recommendation (for those outside of Japan)
ii)University recommendation (for those outside of Japan)
iii)Domestic Selection (for those already in Japan)
1)Embassy recommendation
In this type of scholarship, scholarship recipients are recruited and initially screened by an Japanese embassy (or consulate general, depending on the country).
Because the application process differs according to the country in which the Japanese embassy is located, please inquire at the Japanese embassy or consulate general in your country for details.(http://www.mofa.go.jp/about/emb_cons/mofaserv.html)
(1)Research student, Undergraduate student, College of technology student, and Special training college studentRecruitment for the next fiscal year (April, October) is made between March and May. The initial screening (documentary examination, written test and interview) is made at the embassy between June and August. The embassy then recommends the selected candidates to the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs by the beginning of September.
(2)Teacher training and Japanese studies studentRecruitment for the next fiscal year (for those arriving in Japan in October) is made between December of the previous year and the following February. Screening is conducted between Mid-February and March. Selected candidates are recommended to the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs by end of April. See the schedule
* The deadline of the applications differ according to the country. Please contact with Japanese embassy or consulate general in your country.
2)University recommendation
i)Research students and Japanese studies students who will be studying in Japan as an exchange student based on inter-university student exchange agreements can be screened through the national, public or private Japanese university involved as a candidate for a Japanese Government Scholarship. The university directly recommends the selected candidates to the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.
ii)Research students recommended by a university for study in Japan as government-sponsored scholarship recipients basically arrive in Japan in October.
Japanese studies students basically arrive in Japan in October according to the university program. Universities recommend candidates to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology by mid-April.
3)Domestic Selection
i)Privately financed, full-time postgraduate foreign students, prospective postgraduate students, and full-time, prospective fourth-year undergraduate university students (prospective sixth-year students in the case of medical schools, etc.) are granted domestic selection scholarships that begin in April. Recruitment is conducted through national, public and private universities with the exception of junior colleges.
ii)Universities carefully screen academically and individually excellent students and recommend them by mid-December as government-sponsored scholarship candidates to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.

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