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Call for Applications: Japanese Government (MEXT) Scholarship (Research Students) for the 2027 academic year

The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan (MEXT) will be offering a scholarship program for Research students to Maltese and Gozitan citizens (must be graduated before the departure for Japan; also, must be born on/after 2 April 1992), starting from April or September/October 2027.

Application Procedure

For information about qualifications and conditions, the terms of the scholarship and other details, kindly refer to the “Application Guidelines” .

Prepare the documents as listed under  item 9 "Application Documents" in the Application Guidelines (Application Form, and other forms can be downloaded from the above link), and send them via e-mail by Sunday, 24 May 2026, 17:00 (CEST).

The subject title of the e-mail should be named as “Application Research Students 2027”, using the same e-mail address provided in the “Application Form” (and which will be used during the whole selection procedure). The original documents are to be provided on the day of the written exam and interview.

First Screening

The Embassy will select preliminary candidates by reviewing of the submitted documents. Shortlisted candidates will be informed of the details of the written examination (English and Japanese proficiency exams*) and interview via e-mail by Tuesday, 9 June 2026. The exam and interview are to be scheduled in the beginning of July 2026. 

*Japanese language proficiency is not a pre-requisite in the scholarship selection process for most categories. However, all candidates should be motivated to learn Japanese.

Previous examination questions for applicants are available for download .

Request of Provisional Acceptance by Japanese University

Applicants who have passed the First Screening will receive a notification via e-mail, along with a “Passing Certificate of the First Screening” and a copy of the documents submitted by the applicants verified by the Embassy. These documents are necessary to contact the Japanese Universities.

Applicants must ensure to contact the Japanese Universities of their preference to request a Letter of Provisional Acceptance by Tuesday, 1 September 2026 (JST) (please, read carefully the “Application Guidelines”, p. 8). The Letters of Acceptance you receive from Japanese universities will need to be submitted to the Embassy of Japan in Malta

Second Screening and University Placement

From November 2026, the MEXT selection committee will carry on the Second Screening to select the applicants as MEXT Scholarship Students. Between January and March 2027, the Embassy will inform the applicants of the results of selection and will inform them of the University placement.

Preparations for Departure

Scholarship grantees will be informed of the flight details and date of arrival to Japan via e-mail. The departure for Japan should be in April 2027 or September/October 2027, at a date decided by the Japanese University.

Timetable for the MEXT Scholarship 2027