Eligibility and Selection Process
Eligibility
An applicant must:
● Be a national of an ASEAN country (Note: Japanese citizens with dual nationality are not eligible).
● Have been born on or after April 2, 1999.
● Not currently be enrolled in other universities in Japan as an international student.
● Not enroll in other universities in Japan as an international student, starting from October, 2024.
● Not have received a scholarship from the Japanese government previously.
● Not receive other scholarships from the Japanese government, starting from October, 2024.
● Have passed the CEFR B2 level (for *all* components) in English or the JLPT N2 level in Japanese.
● Have the willingness to contribute to promoting mutual understanding and friendly relations between Japan and the applicant’s country during university and after graduation.
Selection Process
Those who want to be considered for the MEXT full scholarship should first apply to the Discovery Program through the international admissions system.
Nominees for this scholarship will be selected from applicants who are successfully admitted to GDP for October, 2024 admission.
1. Apply to the Discovery Program via International Admissions
| Application Period 1 April or October 2024 Admission |
Application Period 2 October 2024 Admission only |
|
| Application period | October 2, 2023 – October 31, 2023 | December 1, 2023 – January 19, 2024 |
| Results of first screening announced | November 17, 2023 | February 20, 2024 |
| Interview | December 2, 2023 | March 2, 2024 |
| Results of accepted applicants announced | December 18, 2023 | March 22, 2024 |
2. Internal Screening for Nomination to MEXT
GDP will select nominees for the MEXT full scholarship from among accepted applicants who are nationals of ASEAN countries, and contact them to ask if they would like to be nominated as scholarship recipients.
Eligible students will be contacted by the Selection Committee with further details about the internal screening process and required documents.
| Tentative Schedule | Process for Nomination |
| December, 2023 | Results of successful GDP applicants announced (Application Period 1), recruitment of eligible students the MEXT scholarship |
| January, 2024 | Selection Committee reviews application documents, conducts interviews, and selects nominee candidates |
| March, 2024 | Results of successful GDP applicants announced (Application Period 2), recruitment of eligible students the MEXT scholarship |
| April, 2024 | Selection Committee reviews application documents, conducts interviews, and selects nominee candidates |
| May, 2024 | Nominee candidates submit required documents to GDP; GDP recommends four nominees to MEXT |
| August, 2024 | MEXT notifies Okayama University of the result, GDP notifies the nominees |
