Japanese Government Scholarships (MEXT: Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology)

2018/6/25

1. Research Students

  • Tenable in principle for 2 years.
  • Applicants must be Lao nationals and graduates under 35 years of age.
  • Applicants need to achieve a certain level in one of the two language exams: English or Japanese. Those who are short-listed as candidates will be invited to attend an interview in June. The examinations and interviews will be held at the Embassy of Japan in the Lao PDR.
  • Applicants who wish to pursue Japanese studies, such as: Language; linguistics; Literature; History; Law or any other related subjects, are expected to have appropriate proficiency in the Japanese language.

2. Undergraduate Students

  • Tenable in principle for 5 years, including one preliminary year of Japanese language studies.
  • There are opportunities for studying Social sciences, Humanities and Natural science. Upon completion of their courses, students will be awarded a Bachelor's degree.
  • Applicants must be between the ages of 16 and 21. Applicants must be Lao nationals and must have completed 12 years of study.
  • Applicants for a major in Social sciences and Humanities must sit for a Mathematics, English and Japanese exam. Applicants for a major in Natural sciences must sit for Mathematics and English, as well as an additional 2 subjects selected from Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Japanese (5 Subjects in total).
  • There will also be a mandatory interview for short-listed applicants in July. The examinations will be held at the National University of Laos and the interviews will be conducted at the Embassy of Japan in the Lao PDR. 
  • Successful students will depart for Japan in April.

3. Students attending Technical Colleges & Specialized Training Colleges

Technical Colleges:
  • Tenable in principle for 4 years, including one preliminary year of Japanese language studies.
  • There are opportunities for studying Mechanical Engineering; Electrical and Electronic engineering; Information, Communication, and Network engineering; Materials engineering; and others. Upon completion, students will be awarded a diploma.
  • Applicants must be between the ages of 16 and 21. Applicants must be Lao nationals and must have completed 12 years of study. Applicants must also be willing to study the Japanese language and to receive instruction in that language.
  • Applicants must sit for Mathematics and Chemistry or Physics exams, according to the major. There will also be mandatory English and Japanese exams, but these are for reference purposes only. The examinations will be held at the National University of Laos, and the interviews will be conducted at the Embassy of Japan, Vientiane Capital. 
  • Successful students will depart for Japan in April.

Specialized Training Colleges:
  • Tenable in principle for 3 years, including one preliminary year of Japanese language studies.
  • There are opportunities studying in Civil engineering; Architecture; Electronics; Nutrition; Infant education; Secretarial studies; Tourism; Hotel management; Fashion; Design; and Photography. Upon completion, students will be awarded a diploma.
  • Applicants must be between the ages of 16 and 21. Applicants must be Lao nationals and must have completed 12 years of study. Applicants must also be willing to study the Japanese language and to receive instruction in that language.
  • Applicants must sit for Mathematics and English exams. There will also be a mandatory Japanese exam, but this is for reference purposes only.
  • The examinations will be held at the National University of Laos and the interviews will be conducted at the Embassy of Japan, Vientiane Capital. 
  • Successful students will depart for Japan in April.

4. Young Leaders' Program (YLP)

  • This is a one-year master’s course for those who are expected to become national leaders in the future.
  • Applicants must be Lao nationals and be graduates under 40 years of age, with 3 to 5 years of work experience in relevant fields.
  • Fields of study: Governance; Local Governance; Health administration; Business studies; and Law.
  • Applicants must be recommended by the government department for which they work.

5. Japanese Studies Students & Teacher Training Students

Japanese Studies Students:
Scholarships offered to foreign students who wish to receive an education at a Japanese University for enhancing their Japanese language abilities and understanding of Japan, and Japanese Culture.
  • Tenable for 1 year from October.
  • Academic Background: Applicants must be an undergraduate at a foreign (non-Japanese) university majoring in fields related to Japanese language or Japanese culture at the time of arriving and leaving Japan.
  • Age: Applicants must be between the ages of 18 and 30.
  • Applicants must be Lao nationals.
  • Applicants will be required to take a compulsory examination in Japanese language.
  • Examination will be conducted at the Embassy of Japan, Vientiane Capital.

​Teacher Training Students:
Scholarships offered to foreign students who wish to receive an education at a Japanese university for enhancing their Japanese language abilities and understanding of Japan, and Japanese culture.
  • Tenable for 1 year from October.
  • Academic Background: Applicants must be an undergraduate at a foreign (non-Japanese) university majoring in fields related to Japanese language or Japanese culture at the time of arriving and leaving Japan.
  • Age: Applicants must be between the ages of 18 and 30.
  • Applicants must be Lao nationals.
  • Applicants will be required to take a compulsory examination in Japanese language.
  • Examinations will be conducted at the Embassy of Japan, Vientiane Capital.