The International University of Japan nominates successful graduate applicants for the Japanese government’s MEXT Scholarship with University Recommendation. Recipients study in person at IUJ in Minamiuonuma, Japan, in an eligible master’s or PhD program.
The award is competitive and MEXT makes the final scholarship decision after IUJ’s nomination. The September 2027 application portal is not yet open; IUJ says it will open during September 2026, without publishing an exact day.
Benefits & funding
- Master’s route in the latest detailed guide: full tuition, ¥144,000 per month and airfare between the recipient’s home country and Japan.
- For the master’s route, the ¥5,000 application fee and the initial ¥50,000 admissions-fee payment are reimbursed after enrollment when the scholarship is awarded.
- The latest master’s guide lists support from September 2026 to August 2027 for one-year programs and through June 2028 for two-year programs.
- PhD route in the latest detailed guide: 100% tuition waiver during the award, ¥145,000 per month and airfare between the recipient’s home country and Japan. IUJ describes its PhD as a three-year program but does not state the award end date in that guide.
Eligibility
- Applicants must first qualify for and gain admission to an eligible IUJ master’s or PhD program; IUJ then selects nominees and MEXT makes the final award decision.
- The latest master’s scholarship guide, for September 2026 entry, limited consideration to international applicants in the first intake who were from a country with diplomatic relations with Japan, would obtain a Japan Student Visa, were born on or after April 2, 1991, had never received a MEXT scholarship, and could attend an online IUJ interview. IUJ has not yet published the corresponding 2027 detailed scholarship guide, so applicants must recheck these cycle-specific gates.
- The latest PhD guide covers IUJ’s Economics, Public Management and International Relations clusters, identifies the route for international applicants, and recommends applying in an early intake; it does not repeat the master’s country or birth-date conditions.
- The latest master’s guide bars simultaneous applications for other Japanese-government scholarships, including through another academic institution.
- Applicants to IUJ’s one-year MBA route must have at least three years of full-time work experience after earning a bachelor’s degree; five or more years is preferred. This gate does not apply to every eligible IUJ degree route.
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Education required
Bachelor · Master
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Application process
- 1Review the IUJ admissions and scholarship guidelines for the intended degree route when the 2027 editions are published.
- 2Create an IUJ online-application account, choose Non-Sponsored as the sponsorship status, and complete the degree application.
- 3Complete Phase 2’s scholarship section by the applicable first-intake deadline.
- 4If nominated by IUJ, submit MEXT’s supplemental materials within the short deadline provided by IUJ and await MEXT’s final decision.
Program timeline
September 2026
IUJ plans to open applications for September 2027 admission; exact day not published
PhD first-intake application deadline
November 16, 2026
Master’s first-intake application deadline for international applicants
December 10, 2026
PhD first-intake admission results
December 18, 2026
Master’s first-intake admission results
January 29, 2027
Degree programs begin; exact day not published
September 2027