The Fully-Funded MEXT Scholarship Awarded to Jagreet, an Indian Student Pursuing His Master's at the University of Tokyo in Japan

I’m Jagreet Dasgupta, a MEXT Scholar from India and I’m currently pursuing my research on Graph Theory at the University of Tokyo. I did my bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering but always had my passion for Computer Science so when I received the scholarship to pursue higher education in the same field in Japan nonetheless, it was a dream come true!

MEXT Scholarship Details

I am a recipient of the Japanese Government Monbukagakushou (MEXT) Scholarship at the University of Tokyo. It is a program under which a limited number of students from many countries over the world are given the chance by the Japanese Government to pursue their education in Japan with their tuition fee covered in addition to being given a stipend of around 100k-150k yen (depending on your program) for your transport and living expenses.

Educational Background

I have done my bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering and maintained a GPA of 8-8.5 across all my semesters. While this would be enough for meeting the eligibility for the scholarship, I believe my publishing a research paper on graph theory in my first year is what really got me the scholarship as it not only guaranteed my command over the subject even though it not being my major but also established my interest in research and passion for academics. I believe it also helped me a lot to prepare for the scholarship as I had a better understanding and structure of my future research plans.

How Did You Prepare to Apply for MEXT Scholarships and the University of Tokyo?

There are no prerequisites for being eligible for the scholarship except having the necessary educational qualifications with a certain GPA before the program you are applying for (for example, a Bachelor’s Degree before applying for a Master’s course). Hence I did not have to explicitly prepare for any standardized tests like GRE/TOEFL but applicants are expected to possess a certain level of mastery over their subject of choice and English as those will be tested in the exams and interviews for the scholarship. Personally, I did not have to study extensively for either as I had recently graduated and just needed to brush up on my concepts a bit.

What Would You Have Done Differently if You Were Going Through the Process Again?

I would probably try to publish more Research Papers in various journals to increase my credibility and my research potential which are very highly valued in this scholarship especially if you are going for graduate programs.

What Advice Would You Give to Those Looking to Apply for a Similar Scholarship?

I would advise MEXT aspirants to focus more on publishing research papers and building a strong research portfolio in addition to having a strong command of English and maintaining a strong GPA throughout their undergraduate degree. These are of the utmost importance if you are looking to apply for graduate programs.