Government scholarship opportunity

MEXT University Recommendation Scholarship, Special Selection

 

The MEXT University Recommendation Scholarship, Special Selection is a highly competitive and prestigious comprehensive "full-ride" scholarship sponsored by the government of Japan. As indicated by the name, an applicant must be recommended by Ritsumeikan University to MEXT, or as it's formally known, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan (known as the "Monbukagakusho" in Japanese), in order to be considered for the scholarship. 

Overview

Target Person:

 Program of Enrollment College of Global Liberal Arts (GLA) Community and Regional Policy Studies Major (CRPS)  Global Studies Major (GS)
 Nationality Southeast Asian countries Southeast and Southwest Asian countries
 Enrollment Years 2025​ 2025, 2026 2025​, 2026, 2027
 Enrollment Period September
Number of Places 6 6 6

 

Eligibility​:

  • Age: Born on or after April 2, 2000
  • Academic records: GPA of 2.30 or higher out of 3.0
    *Applicants not currently enrolled in a formal academic program (i.e. high school, bachelor's degree program, etc.) should have a final GPA of 2.30/3.00 or higher at their most recently enrolled formal academic program, while applicants currently enrolled in a formal academic program should have a GPA of 2.30/3.00 or higher in their currently enrolled academic program, and both are expected to maintain the same academic standards during the course of the scholarship program.
    *Grade points shall be calculated according to a formula specified by MEXT.
 
NOTE:
  • For students newly arriving from abroad: Applicants must be entering Japan with the resident status of "Student", having obtained the visa anew prior to traveling to Japan.
  • For those already residing in Japan: Those whose current status of residence is not "Student" must change their status to "Student" prior to the first day of the semester of enrollment (by September 25th).
 

Scholarship​ Benefits:

  • Tuition and admission fees waived
  • Living Stipend: 120,000 JPY per month
  • Travel Costs: Round-trip flight tickets

 

Duration: 4 Years*

*Recipients must maintain a GPA of 2.3/3.0 or higher, otherwise, the scholarship will be revoked. Grade points shall be calculated according to a formula specified by MEXT.
*The amount of the stipend is subject to change annually according to budgetary constraints and cost of goods.
 
>Applicants to the College of Global Liberal Arts (GLA)
*Living stipend is not available for the period when the student is physically residing outside Japan studying at the Australian National University (ANU). During that period, however, the student may receive scholarships offered by Ritsumeikan University granted to support students during their study abroad outside Japan (i.e. a total of 1,000,000 JPY from the GLA Scholarship for Study Abroad & the RU Study Abroad Challenge Scholarship, etc.).

 

How to Apply

For application dates and information on how to apply, please visit our Admissions Overview and How To Apply page. No separate application is needed for this scholarship.

For Reference Application Periods for September 2025 Enrollment

Application Periods Applicable Programs for this Scholarship
① Oct. 2, 2024 – Oct. 22, 2024 GLA
② Dec. 4, 2024 – Jan. 14, 2025 GLA, GS, CRPS
③ Feb. 12, 2025 – Mar. 4, 2025 GLA, GS

*For the Community and Regional Policy Studies Major (CRPS), applications submitted during the 3rd application period are not eligible for this scholarship.

 

Learn More about Programs

College of Global Liberal Arts (GLA)
Community and Regional Policy Studies Major (CRPS)
Global Studies Major(GS)

 

Contact Information

International Admissions Office
 
ASEAN Office (Cambodia/Vietnam/Myanmar/Laos)
 
India Office
 
Indonesia Admissions Advisor