StudyDesk Scholarships
About the scholarship
The Hokkaido University MEXT Scholarships 2027 are Japanese Government (MEXT) awards for the October 2027 intake, run through Hokkaido University’s graduate schools. They are fully funded: a full tuition waiver, exemption from admission and application fees, a monthly stipend, and round-trip airfare to Japan plus return airfare after completion. A Master’s runs for 2 years and a PhD for 3 years.
The essential thing to understand is that there are several distinct MEXT tracks, each with its own deadline and its own application route. The Graduate School of Engineering’s e3 programme (University Recommendation) closes 29 October 2026. The Graduate School of Life Science IGP Special Quota needs supervisor contact by 10 November 2026. The Graduate School of Science IGC-DHS special programme takes first-stage documents until 15 November 2026. And the Embassy Recommendation track runs separately through the Japanese embassy in your home country, with timelines that differ by country.
Eligibility
- International (non-Japanese) students residing outside Japan, of all nationalities.
- A bachelor’s degree (or expected completion before October 2027) for a Master’s; a master’s degree for a PhD.
- A strong academic record — the exact GPA threshold is programme-dependent and not confirmed on the official pages fetched, so no single figure is stated.
- Age: born on or after 2 April 1991 (under 35) per secondary sources — same caveat; not confirmed on the official pages fetched.
- English or Japanese proficiency is required; study is full-time.
- Ineligible per the official IGP page: past MEXT recipients, active military personnel, dual citizens unable to renounce Japanese citizenship, applicants holding another government scholarship during the period, and those who cannot arrive in Japan by the designated date.
Benefits
- Full tuition waiver, plus admission and application fee exemption.
- Monthly stipend at the MEXT standard rates as reported: ¥144,000 a month for a Master’s, ¥145,000 a month for a PhD (¥147,000 / ¥148,000 from November to March) — not stated on the official Hokkaido pages fetched, so attributed as reported.
- Round-trip airfare to Japan, and return airfare after completion.
- Duration: Master’s 2 years, PhD 3 years; intake October 2027.
Documents to prepare
- MEXT scholarship application form and Field of Study and Study Program.
- Motivation to Apply and Research Plan (e3 format, maximum 2 pages).
- Abstracts of your graduation thesis (and of publications, if any).
- Official academic transcripts and graduation / expected graduation certificates.
- A recommendation letter and evidence of academic excellence.
- Proof of English proficiency (for example IELTS/TOEFL, or a medium-of-instruction certificate).
- A photocopy of your valid passport, and a summary of your master’s thesis or undergraduate research (IGP).
How to apply
- e3 Engineering (University Recommendation): create an account on the e3 online submission system during the application window only, upload all documents, and click submit before 29 October 2026. Shortlisted candidates are interviewed by a prospective supervisor, then by a nomination committee. Scholarship application and admission screening are separate procedures.
- IGP Life Science (Special Quota): pick a laboratory, contact the prospective supervisor directly (IGP First Step Form), obtain permission to enrol, and hand the document package to the supervisor, who forwards it to the IGP office by 10 December 2026. Contact the supervisor by 10 November 2026.
- IGC-DHS Science (special programme): after supervisor agreement, email the first-stage PDF package to the Graduate School of Science international-support office between 1 October and 15 November 2026 (5 places: 4 doctoral, 1 master’s).
- Embassy Recommendation track: apply through the Japanese embassy in your home country, then obtain an acceptance letter from Hokkaido separately.
FAQs
There is no single deadline — Hokkaido runs several MEXT tracks. The e3 Engineering track closes 29 October 2026 at 23:59:59 JST. The IGP Life Science track needs supervisor contact by 10 November 2026 (supervisor submits by 10 December 2026). The IGC-DHS Science track takes first-stage documents from 1 October to 15 November 2026. The Embassy Recommendation track follows your home country’s embassy timeline.
It is fully funded: full tuition waiver, admission and application fee exemption, round-trip airfare, and a monthly stipend at the MEXT standard rates as reported — ¥144,000 a month for a Master’s and ¥145,000 a month for a PhD (¥147,000 / ¥148,000 from November to March). Those stipend figures were not stated on the official Hokkaido pages fetched, so they are attributed as reported.
International (non-Japanese) students residing outside Japan, of all nationalities, with a bachelor’s degree (or expected completion before October 2027) for a Master’s or a master’s degree for a PhD, a strong academic record, and English or Japanese proficiency. Past MEXT recipients, active military personnel and holders of another government scholarship during the period are ineligible.
The e3 programme is the Graduate School of Engineering’s English-language programme for the MEXT University Recommendation track. Applications run 20–29 October 2026 online; shortlisted candidates are interviewed by a prospective supervisor and then by a nomination committee; first-screening results come on 24 December 2026.
It depends on the track. For the IGP Life Science Special Quota you must contact a prospective supervisor directly (by 10 November 2026) and obtain permission to enrol. For the IGC-DHS Science programme you also need supervisor agreement before emailing your first-stage documents. For e3 Engineering, shortlisted candidates are interviewed by a prospective supervisor after submission.
Yes — the Embassy Recommendation track is a separate route. You apply through the Japanese embassy in your home country, then obtain an acceptance letter from Hokkaido separately. Timelines differ by country, so there is no single embassy-track date.
5 places: 4 doctoral and 1 master’s, for the October 2027 intake. First-stage documents are accepted from 1 October to 15 November 2026.
October 2027 intake. A Master’s runs for 2 years and a PhD for 3 years.
Verified 28 Oct 2026 against Hokkaido University's own pages — e3 Engineering, University Recommendation (eprogram.eng.hokudai.ac.jp/e3/scholarships/mext: deadlines, documents, schedule), IGP Special Quota (altair.sci.hokudai.ac.jp/grad/igpoverview/special-quota.php: deadlines, documents, ineligibility) and IGC-DHS special programme (www2.sci.hokudai.ac.jp/gs/en/news/5419: deadlines, documents, 5 places) — plus corroboration from Bright Scholarship (documents/eligibility broadly match, but its "November 2026" deadline is too vague and wrong for the e3 track): deadlines track-by-track — e3 Engineering online applications 20-29 October 2026, system closes 23:59:59 JST on 29 October 2026, first-screening results 24 December 2026; IGP Life Science Special Quota — contact prospective supervisor by 10 November 2026, supervisor submits documents to the IGP office by 10 December 2026, recommendation to MEXT in March 2027; IGC-DHS Science — first-stage documents 1 October-15 November 2026, 5 places (4 doctoral, 1 master's); Embassy Recommendation — separate route via the Japanese embassy in the applicant's home country, timelines differ by country; award — full tuition waiver, admission and application fee exemption, round-trip airfare to Japan and return airfare after completion, duration Master's 2 years / PhD 3 years, intake October 2027; eligibility — international (non-Japanese) students residing outside Japan, all nationalities, bachelor's degree (or expected completion before October 2027) for a Master's, master's degree for a PhD, strong academic record, English or Japanese proficiency, full-time study; ineligible per the official IGP page — past MEXT recipients, active military personnel, dual citizens unable to renounce Japanese citizenship, applicants holding another government scholarship during the period, those who cannot arrive by the designated date; documents from the official e3 and IGP pages — MEXT application form, Field of Study and Study Program, Motivation to Apply and Research Plan (e3, max 2 pages), abstracts of graduation thesis (and publications if any), official transcripts, graduation/expected graduation certificates, recommendation letter, evidence of academic excellence, proof of English proficiency (IELTS/TOEFL or medium-of-instruction certificate), passport photocopy, summary of master's thesis or undergraduate research (IGP). CONFLICTS: (1) Bright Scholarship's "November 2026" headline deadline is not used — it is wrong for the e3 track, which closes 29 October 2026. (2) Stipend figures (JPY 144,000/month Master's, JPY 145,000/month PhD; JPY 147,000/148,000 November-March) and the age/GPA thresholds (born on/after 2 April 1991, under 35; GPA 2.30/3.00 or CGPA 3.0/4.0 or 80%) are MEXT-standard figures repeated across secondary sources but were not visible on the official pages fetched — the article attributes them as reported and states only "strong academic record" as confirmed.
