East Asia
Japan
MEXT support depends on the student category and award terms.
Intake Check the programme’s current admissions calendar
- Master’s length
- Generally 2 yrs
- Master’s tuition
- See the tuition section
- PhD length
- Usually 3 yrs after a master’s
- PhD funding
- See the award or contract terms Scholarship example
Degree length
Master’s
Generally 2 yrs
PhD
Usually 3 yrs after a master’s
Course length does not tell you how much research it includes.
Sources: JASSO: Graduate schools; JASSO: International student support programmes.
How admission works
- Department admission Funding for a class
- Supervisor admission An academic agrees to work with you
- Advertised position A salary tied to a project
- Programme-specific Check official admissions instructions Applies to this country.
Use the institution’s official admissions instructions for your chosen degree. Check academic eligibility, supervisor requirements and funding selection separately.
Master’s tuition
Use the institution’s current programme fee schedule. No verified national fee estimate is quoted here.
Sources: JASSO: Graduate schools.
PhD funding
- Employment example
- Stipend example
- Scholarship example Applies to this country.
- Fee rate
- Check funding terms
MEXT has separate support rates for research, master’s and doctoral students. JASSO’s official support page sets out the categories; use the current award terms and your university’s guidance.
Sources: JASSO: International student support programmes; JASSO: Graduate schools.
Graduate visa status
Eligible graduates can change to Designated Activities to continue job hunting, normally for up to 1 year. Additional local-government programmes have separate conditions.
Sources: JASSO: Job-hunting guide 2027.
Feature and warning
What this offers
MEXT support depends on the student category and award terms.
Check before applying
The standard graduate job-hunting route and specialist routes such as J-Find have different eligibility rules. Do not treat them as interchangeable.
Fees, funding, and visa rules change. Confirm current terms with the university or the government source before you apply.
Sources: JASSO: International student support programmes; Job Hunting Guide for International Students 2027 (All pages, Single page view).
Official sources
- JASSO: Graduate schools
www.studyinjapan.go.jp. Checked 2026-10-30. - JASSO: International student support programmes
www.studyinjapan.go.jp. Checked 2026-10-30. - JASSO: Job-hunting guide 2027
www.jasso.go.jp. Checked 2026-10-30. - Job Hunting Guide for International Students 2027 (All pages, Single page view)
www.jasso.go.jp. Checked 2026-10-30.