MEXT scholarship allowance

How much money does a MEXT student receive and is it enough for daily life?

Receiving the MEXT scholarship (Japanese government scholarship) is an excellent accomplishment that we should be proud of. But is the monthly allowance truly sufficient for our daily life in Japan? We dream of going to Japan so that we can experience the Japanese culture first hand, travel, taste the traditional foods or visit Japanese museums and attractions such as Tokyo Disney Land or JoyPolice.

A MEXT undergrad student receives a little more than 1000 US dollars, whereas a MEXT research student receives around 1200 US dollars. So maybe the money we receive through the MEXT scholarship is not enough to enable us to enjoy all these things.

My monthly expenses were as follows:

• rent in a dormitory room 300 USD, utilities included
• rent in a small studio apartment 550 USD, utilities and internet 130 USD (in total 680 USD)
• transportation 80-170 USD
• food 350-500 USD

These expenses were larger than my scholarship, especially after moving into my own apartment. Also, notice I didn’t include any traveling, museums or even school admission tax (about 300 USD) that I had to pay when I applied for the master.

Managing savings

Some students I talked to, managed their costs much better than I did. They found cheaper accommodation or they went by bicycle to school so that they could save on transportation. They could even save money on food. I talked to a girl who told me she spent 2500-3000 yen (20-25 USD) on food in a week. It is a little extreme though. I always spent about 12.000-15.000 yen per week (100-130 USD). But for me the food was always important, I love food, I love going to restaurants, and I love Japanese dishes.

So all the money that I did manage to save (actually by putting a lot of restrains on myself) was used when I moved from my dorm room to my apartment. This procedure was costlier than I had imagined. I still have the receipt, and it is about 260,000 yen (2300 USD). My family helped me with half of this sum.

My mother also helped me in the beginning during the first month in Japan. I actually left with only 350 USD, which is not much. And because of some mistake at the International student’s office, I received my scholarship in mid-May, instead of the end of April. And I didn’t know at that time, but when you move in the dorm, the first rent is double. One rent covers the month of April, and the second rent is a gift you offer them for having you. And, yeah, you have to pay it, it is not a matter of wanting to do so or not.

MEXT says in the guideline application paper that you should come to Japan with about 2000 USD. This is a much larger sum than I had in the beginning, but it is true, it can make your life a lot comfortable. However, I believe a little less, like 700 or 1000 USD can also be enough, because you can talk at your dorm and ask them to let you pay the rent when you receive your first scholarship. This is what I did, and they were ok with it.

Conclusion

MEXT scholarship can cover your daily expenses in Japan, but it is a little small so you have to be careful with your money, try to save either for emergencies, tax admission and for the time you will move out of the dorm and into your own apartment. They have a rule that you can only stay for two years in a student’s dormitory. In the end, I think the easiest thing is to get a part-time job or do some freelance money-making activities.

But you shouldn’t lose your spirit now. There are plenty of ways to increase your income and to enjoy Japan. Just being in Japan in itself is an amazing feat and it is well worth it. The rest is up to you, to focus on the best parts instead of problems. Find solutions.

More about how to increase your income while on the MEXT scholarship, coming up soon!