Japan Opens MEXT 2026 Scholarship for Indian Students - Apply Now

The online application for the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) scholarship from the Japanese government is now open for the academic year 2026. The scholarship offers the option to pursue higher education in Japan at zero cost. For Indian students who want to study in Japan, the MEXT scholarship is an opportunity to pursue quality higher education while promoting international exchange and mutual understanding. 

The Japanese government-funded scholarship for foreign students offers multiple options at different levels of the academic system. The scholarship is available for students in undergraduate, masters, doctoral courses, research students, and specialized training. The Embassy of Japan in India has announced MEXT 2025 applications in four categories as of now for admissions in the year 2026.

To qualify for the MEXT Scholarship, all applicants must fulfil several requirements in a general way. First, they must be nationals from a country that has diplomatic relations with Japan. In terms of age for research student applicants, they should be born on or after April 2, 1990. Furthermore, applicants must have the academic qualifications for the program they wish to pursue in Japan, which is usually a bachelor’s degree or equivalent qualification. Additionally, applicants must have good mental and physical health for studies in Japan. Proficiency and fluency in English or Japanese are required (not always, but often, depending on the program applied for).

The application process for the MEXT 2025-2026 Scholarship normally consists of several required steps. First, applicants need to submit the required documents to either the Japanese Embassy or the Consulates in India. When the documents submitted are received, the Embassy screening committee will review the documents in order to shortlist eligible candidates. Once the shortlist is produced, candidates who are eligible may be required to take written exams in the subjects which comprise their proposed study program.

Candidates who succeed in the written tests are invited for interviews conducted by embassy representatives. The candidates who pass the interviews are recommended to MEXT, which liaises with Japanese universities in order to obtain final admission into university. Finally, MEXT makes the final determination and the chosen applicants receive official scholarship offers.