Fully Funded Scholarships in Japan 2026

Japan funds international students through a mix of government scholarships and university awards. The MEXT scholarship is the best known, but there are alternatives worth applying for in the same cycle.

1. Japanese Government (MEXT) Scholarship. The Ministry of Education's main award covers tuition, monthly allowance and return airfare for undergraduate, master's, PhD and research students. Applications run through the Japanese embassy in your home country.

2. MEXT at Kyoto University. Kyoto administers the MEXT award for its own graduate students, with the same full funding.

3. JASSO Honors Scholarship for Privately Financed International Students. A monthly stipend for international students already studying in Japan, funded by the Japan Student Services Organization.

4. Asian Future Leaders Scholarship Program at Kyoto University. Full funding for Asian students pursuing a degree at Kyoto, covering tuition, accommodation and a living stipend.

5. Waseda University Scholarships. Waseda runs internal scholarships for international students across undergraduate and graduate programmes.

6. MEXT scholarship slots at partner institutions. Several Japanese universities allocate MEXT-funded places directly, separate from the embassy route.

The embassy route for MEXT opens once a year, usually in spring, with a tight application window. University-specific awards have their own deadlines and often require an admission offer first. Start by choosing your university and programme, then map the funding routes that apply to it.