Japanese Government Scholarship Programs

The Japanese Government is now offering fully funded scholarships to Icelandic college graduates and graduate students who wish to obtain postgraduate degrees at Japanese universities under the Japanese Government (MEXT) Scholarship Program for 2026.

Only Icelandic citizens are eligible to apply through Embassy of Japan in Iceland. 
 

1. Applicants must hold Icelandic citizenship.
2. Applicants must have been born on or after April 2, 1991.
3. Applicants must be a university graduate at the time of participation on the program.
4. Applicants must be able to arrive in Japan between April 1st and April 7th, 2026 OR within two weeks of the date set by the receiving university for the beginning of the semester for October term (in principle in September or October).
5. Applicants must in principle apply in the field that they previously studied as an undergraduate.

Application guidelines, forms, and instructions are available from the MEXT website, “Study in Japan”.
 

(1) Application Deadline

All applications must be received by 4:00 PM, Monday, June 30, 2025.
Please email your completed applications and scanned required documents to:

Culture and Public Affairs Section
Embassy of Japan in Iceland
Email: japan@rk.mofa.go.jp

Note: Please send one set of required digital documents (you don’t have to duplicate files). Please keep total file size per e-mail less than 10MB. If your files are larger than this, please send in sequential e-mails.

Note: Once we have received your application documents, we will reply to your email. If you do not receive an acknowledgement of receipt within 3 business days, please call the Embassy or separate email.

(2) First Screening

Those candidates who pass the initial application screening will be invited to take in-person written examinations (Japanese and English) at Embassy of Japan in Iceland on Tuesday, July 8, 2025.

Applicants who receive a passing grade on the tests will be invited to participate in interviews scheduled for Wednesday, August 6, 2025.

Note: Applicants must attend a written test and interview at the Embassy on the date and time specified by the Embassy. If the applicant fails to attend, he/she will be disqualified and his/her application will be considered unsuccessful. No exceptions will be granted.

Note: You can find the past examination questions in the MEXT website, “Study in Japan”.

Note: While Japanese language ability is not a requirement for participation, some study of Japanese language prior to applying is highly encouraged. Applicants must also be willing to learn Japanese if selected for participation.
 

(3) Request a provisional acceptance to Japanese universities

Those who pass the First Screening (test and interview) will receive a recommendation from our embassy and be directed to apply to the Japanese universities they wish to enter (maximum of 2) to obtain a letter of provisional acceptance from the university(s) of their choice.
 

(4) Notification of final results

Candidates will receive notification of acceptance by Fall 2025. Those selected will begin their studies in Japan from April or October 2026.

Q1 Letter of Recommendation: 
     Please ask your recommender to email the PDF to us directly.

Q2 Medical Certificate: 
     If it is difficult for you to submit your medical certificate by the application deadline, please let us know.
     We can extend the due date of the medical certificate until the announcement of the results of first screening.

Q3 Useful Links: 

• Planning studies in Japan Provided by the Japan Student Services Organization (JASSO). This link contains information on applying to universities in Japan as well as a list of university degree courses offered in English.
• Researchmap Provided by the Japan Science and Technology Agency. ​This ”research map” is a multifunctional platform and database containing a directory of researchers and records of research in Japan
• The MEXT Scholar Experience

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