Yokohama National University Scholarships for International Students 2026

Yokohama National University (YNU) scholarships are mainly designed for students who are enrolled (or enrolling) to study in Japan on campus.

Both, but it depends heavily on the program. YNU says most lectures and seminars are offered in Japanese, while it also offers specific degree programs that can be completed in English, and it states that “all courses” at the Graduate School of Engineering Science are taught in English. In the scholarship stories, the experience can be fully English-taught: Anushka says “my master’s program has entirely been in English,” and Mehak Jain similarly had “studied entirely in English” in her profile summary.

It depends on the scholarship. For MEXT (Japanese Government) scholarships, the official eligibility rules include age limits by category (for example, “Research students” must be under 35, and “Undergraduate students” must be under 25). YNU’s internal support  is typically based on academic screening and enrollment status rather than a published age cutoff, so the main “age limit” issue usually comes from external funders (especially MEXT) rather than YNU itself.

Generally, scholarships at YNU can apply across the subjects YNU teaches (and for graduates, across fields where faculty can supervise). This includes STEM and engineering (e.g., chemical/biochemical engineering—both Mehak and Anushka are in chemical/biochemical engineering), business and economics (YNU hosts programs connected to economics and management fields), and humanities/social sciences (YNU lists supervision fields spanning arts/humanities and social sciences, and offers English-capable pathways in several areas).

It varies by scholarship type. For some external and government scholarships, they do publish a list of eligible countries. For most university-specific scholarships, it applies to all nationalities.

Not always, requirements depend on the program, your prior education, and what your advisor/admissions guidelines request. In the recipient stories, both applicants were exempt from English tests because of their English-medium background: Mehak notes “Not applicable (studied entirely in English),” and Anushka says she was exempt because “I had completed all my education in English.”

YNU does not publish one single universal minimum grade across all departments and degrees: requirements vary by program and admissions track. In practice, strong academics help a lot, especially for competitive scholarships. The recipient examples show high academic performance: Mehak lists a master’s CGPA of 8.9/10 (and bachelor’s 8.4/10), and Anushka lists a CGPA of 6.88/7. Also note that some YNU financial support is explicitly performance-ranked, so “minimum” may not be as important as “competitive relative strength.”

A strong academic record plus clear research readiness is especially important for graduate scholarships (like MEXT research-track routes). The two YNU MEXT recipients describe research-driven profiles: Anushka explains her research project “significantly strengthened my application,” and she recommends “building a strong foundation in research.” Mehak emphasizes differentiation and proactive engagement. She advises to “highlight your distinct qualities,” and describes how “every week I send my professor some new ideas” to show momentum and fit. For applicants, that translates to: relevant coursework + strong grades, research experience (projects, thesis, publications if possible), and a focused plan that matches a YNU lab/supervisor.

Exact documents vary by graduate school/department, but commonly include academic records plus a research plan and recommendations. In YNU graduate admissions guidelines, required items include proof of degree completion (or expected completion), transcripts, a recommendation letter, a photo ID (e.g., passport copy), and language score documents only if requested by the advisor; an entrance examination fee payment proof is also required unless you are exempt (e.g., MEXT). The recipient stories add practical detail on what was actually used: Mehak approached her professor “with a research plan” and notes the professor reviewed her “master’s thesis” and “academic record” before issuing acceptance, while Anushka says her professor reviewed her “academic transcripts” and “the abstract of my previously published research article,” along with her proposal.

Often yes, many YNU graduate admissions routes include an entrance examination fee (commonly listed as 30,000 yen in an example YNU graduate admissions guideline), and that same guideline notes MEXT scholarship students are not required to pay it (but must submit proof of MEXT status).