Scholarships for International Students　

The Japanese Government (MEXT) Scholarship is a program that provides outstanding international students with opportunities to study at Japanese universities and other educational institutions.

The scholarship covers application fee, admission fee, and tuition fee, a monthly Stipend, and travel expenses to and from Japan.

The MEXT Scholarship offers two selection pathways:

University Recommendation, in which applicants are nominated by a Japanese university,

Embassy Recommendation, in which applicants are selected through a Japanese embassy or consulate abroad.

Scholarship Overview (external link)

■Monthly Scholarship (for Sendai City)

	Student Category	Monthly Stipend (JPY)
Undergraduate level	Undergraduate student	119,000
Graduate level	Research student	145,000
	Master's student	146,000
	Ph.D. student	147,000

University Recommendation *October entrance only

The University Recommendation system allows universities to apply to MEXT for scholarships on behalf of outstanding international students who are newly arriving in Japan from countries that maintain diplomatic relations with the Japanese government. There are two main types of university recommendation scheme: General Selection and Special Selection.

*University Recommendation is for October enrollment only.

■Typical Selection Timeline

■How to Apply

Application procedures and schedules vary among graduate schools or programs.

Therefore, before applying, you should first contact the academic affairs office of the graduate school or our program office to which you wish to apply to and indicate your interest in applying through the University Recommendation.

Please include the following information in your inquiry email:

・Your field of study

・Your intended year of enrollment *October enrollment only

・The graduate school to which you wish to apply

If applicable, please also include:

・The name of the faculty member you have contacted or wish to contact

・The specific degree program you are interested in

NOTE:

・If you are looking for a prospective academic supervisor, please refer to the researcher database and the faculty webpages of the relevant graduate school.

・The University is not available to make any recommendations; applicants are responsible for selecting their academic advisors based on their own research interests.

・Please note that the University Recommendation (General Selection) may not be available every year.

Contact

*Please check the graduate school website for information on the entrance examination schedule and requirements, which must be taken separately.

Graduate Schools Courses Taught in English Researcher Database

General Selection※only to graduate-level students

The University Recommendation (General Selection) is highly competitive, as a small number of MEXT scholarship nominations are allocated to the university each year and candidates compete university-wide for these limited places. If you have any questions, please contact the graduate school you are interested in.

NOTE:　Please note that the University Recommendation (General Selection) may not be available every year.

Contact

Graduate Schools Courses Taught in English Researcher Database

Special Selection

The following English programs at Tohoku University have been designated as 'Special Programs' with priority placement for MEXT scholarship students. Please visit the program website below for further details. If you have any questions, please contact the program office you are interested in.

NOTE：Availability of MEXT scholarship slots for undergraduate applicants is still undecided. Any updates will be added to this page. Please check back regularly for the latest information.

Contact

Graduate Schools Courses Taught in English Researcher Database

	Faculty/Graduate School	Special Program	Website	Degree Course
Undergraduate	Science, Engineering and Agriculture	~~Future Global Leadership Program~~ ※Recruitment for the third-year intake concludes with admissions for October 2026, and there will be no new recruitment thereafter.	Gateway ※To be determined	Bachelor's
Graduate	Science	International Graduate Program for Advanced Science	IGPAS	Master's
	Dentistry	Multimodal Global Leader Development Program in Dentistry Contributes to Realization of Society 5.0	IOHS	Ph.D.
	Engineering	Social Infrastructure Management Course ※Recruitment for the third-year intake concludes with admissions for October 2026, and there will be no new recruitment thereafter.	SIM	Master's /Ph.D.
	Information Sciences	Fostering Human Resources in New Interdisciplinary Fields in the Society 5.0 era	NIFS	Master's /Ph.D.
	Education	International Graduate Program in Global Education Studies	I-GES	Ph.D.
	Environmental Studies	Extended International Environmental Security Leadership Program	ExIESLP	Master's /Ph.D.

Embassy Recommendation

The Embassy Recommendation is a primary pathway for the MEXT Scholarship, where Japanese diplomatic missions abroad handle the recruitment and initial screening.

It is widely open to international students from countries with diplomatic relations with Japan, covering various levels from undergraduate to research (graduate) studies.

Undergraduate Level

Embassy recommendation selections for undergraduate level are conducted by the Japanese diplomatic missions in each country and MEXT. For details, please contact a embassy or consulate in your country.

NOTE：Deadlines vary by embassy, typically around April.

A List of Japanese Diplomatic Missions (external link)

Graduate Level

■Intensive Japanese Language Program ※only to graduate-level students

MEXT students have two options for studying Japanese upon arriving in Japan. First, students may participate in a six-month Intensive Japanese Language Program as research students, prior to beginning their research activities in their respective labs. During this period, students are required to focus exclusively on learning Japanese; if they do not pass the program, they will not be admitted to the graduate school.

The other option is to enroll as degree course students or research students and engage in laboratory activities while taking some Japanese language courses. After obtaining permission for a provisional acceptance letter, students can consult with their prospective supervisor whether the six-month Japanese program is necessary for them.

■Typical Selection Timeline

■How to Apply

STEP１　Apply through the Japanese Embassy

　　　　Embassy recommendation selections are conducted by the Japanese diplomatic missions in each country and MEXT. For details, please contact a embassy or consulate in your country.

　　　　A List of Japanese Diplomatic Missions (external link)

STEP２　Initial Screening by the Japanese Embassy

STEP３　Obtain a Letter of Provisional Acceptance from Tohoku U

Please carefully review the MEXT Application Guidelines and the Guide to Obtaining a Letter of Provisional Acceptance below before completing the application procedures.

・Application Guidelines Published by MEXT (external links)

　　Application Guidelines for AY2027 (English)　Application Guidelines for AY2027 (Japanese)

・How to obtain a Letter of Provisional Acceptance from Tohoku University

　　Instructions (English)　Instructions (Japanese)

NOTE:

・Be aware that the university does not issue provisional acceptance letters to candidates before they have passed the first screening.

・If you are looking for a prospective academic supervisor, please refer to the researcher database and webpages of the relevant graduate school by yourself.

・The University is not available to make any recommendations; applicants are responsible for selecting their academic advisors based on their own research interests.

STEP４　MEXT Final Screening

STEP５　Selection Results Notification

STEP６　Arriving in Japan

STEP７　Enrollment in Tohoku University　

Useful Links

Monbukagakusho Honors Scholarship
for Privately-Financed International Students

Self-financed international students may be eligible for scholarships Monbukagakusho Honors Scholarship by Japan Student Services Organization (JASSO).

Scholarship Overview (external link)

Monthly Scholarship

Undergraduate/Graduate Student:

JPY 48,000/month for 12months (April-March) or 6 months (October-March)

Application Types

- Reservation Program (EJU)

*This program is for privately financed international students who have achieved excellent results on the Examination for Japanese University Admission for International Students (EJU) and plan to enroll as a regular student in a Japanese university undergraduate school.

- Reservation Program by Pre-arrival Admission

*This program is intended for privately financed international students seeking admission to a program that conducts the selection process and grants admission without requiring the applicant to visit Japan prior to enrollment. Whether or not this system is carried out depends on the graduate school. Please refer to the school list on the website to check which programs offer this option.

The Custodian of The Two Holy Mosques’ External Scholarship Program

Tohoku University may issue a conditional acceptance letter to Saudi students who meet the university's criteria. The application procedure is available below. Please research the entrance examination details, as well as the exact names of the faculty/graduate school and major/department, on the university's website. Incomplete or incorrect information may result in your request not being processed. Please note that Tohoku University does not provide preparatory Japanese language education for the Scholarship students.

Please be aware that the university may not be able to reply to emails without a subject line.

Instruction

Undergraduate Admissions Graduate Schools

University Scholarship and Other Financial Aid

University Scholarship

‣　Financial Support for For undergraduate, master's programs, professional degree students

Tohoku University will establish a new scholarship program, the Tohoku University International Excellence Scholarship, beginning in the 2027 academic year.

This scholarship program is designed to provide focused financial support to outstanding international students enrolled in undergraduate programs, master’s programs, and professional degree programs. Recipients will be selected based on entrance examination results or academic performance after enrollment, together with other relevant criteria. Approximately the top one-third of eligible students in each program are expected to receive support.

Please visit here for further details.

‣　Financial Support for PhD Students
Tohoku University newly established LEAP Program to improve PhD students’ research environment and to dispel the anxieties about the economic conditions, by offering the monthly stipend and research grant. Please visit here for further details.

Fee Waivers

Students enrolled in degree programs with outstanding academic records may be eligible to apply for exemption from the admission fee and tuition. Please note that not all applicants will qualify for these exemptions.

* Non-degree students are not eligible for the waivers.

Please visit here for further details.

Scholarships Provided by Private Foundations in Japan

Some private foundations or other organization in Japan offer scholarships for international students. These scholarships vary with regards to recruitment procedures, eligible fields of study and amount. Some may be granted before admission, but in many cases, application shall be made through Tohoku University after admission.

Please refer to the following brochure for the detail of scholarship by private foundations etc.

Scholarship Leaflet 2026-2027 (external link)

Scholarships for International Students

Find Your Scholarship

Japanese Government (MEXT) Scholarship 日本政府（文部科学省）奨学金（国費）留学生制度

Overview of the MEXT Scholarship Program

University Recommendation *October entrance only

General Selection※only to graduate-level students

Special Selection

Embassy Recommendation

Undergraduate Level

Graduate Level

Useful Links

Monbukagakusho Honors Scholarship for Privately-Financed International Students

The Custodian of The Two Holy Mosques’ External Scholarship Program

University Scholarship and Other Financial Aid

Scholarships for International Students　

Japanese Government (MEXT) Scholarship
日本政府（文部科学省）奨学金（国費）留学生制度

Monbukagakusho Honors Scholarship
for Privately-Financed International Students