Hokkaido University currently has two verified university-recommended MEXT Special Quota routes for international students entering Master’s and doctoral programmes in October 2027. Together, the Graduate School of Life Science IGP and Graduate School of Science IGC-DHS advertise 13 fully funded places, but each route has its own research fields, supervisor process and deadline.
Hokkaido University MEXT Scholarship 2027
The current opportunities are university-recommended MEXT scholarships tied to specific international graduate programmes. Applicants do not submit a generic Hokkaido University MEXT form. Instead, they first identify the relevant programme and prospective supervisor, complete the programme-level screening, and successful nominees are then recommended by Hokkaido University to MEXT.
| Host | Hokkaido University, Japan |
|---|---|
| Scholarship | Japanese Government (MEXT) Scholarship — University Recommendation / Special Quota |
| Entry | October 2027 |
| Degree levels | Master’s and doctoral programmes |
| Verified programmes | Graduate School of Life Science IGP and Graduate School of Science IGC-DHS |
| Combined verified allocation | 13 scholarships across the two routes |
Two Separate MEXT Routes for 2027
| Life Science IGP | 8 scholarships: 5 doctoral + 3 Master’s. Programme: Life Science Researcher Training Program for Solving Global Issues. First step: identify a participating laboratory and contact the prospective supervisor. Candidate-side target: discuss suitability by 10 November 2026; supervisor submits documents to the IGP office by 10 December 2026. |
|---|---|
| Science IGC-DHS | 5 scholarships: 4 doctoral + 1 Master’s. Programme: International Graduate Course for Data-driven & Hypothesis-driven Science. First step: identify and contact a prospective supervisor. After supervisor agreement, first-stage application documents must be submitted between 1 October and 15 November 2026. |
MEXT Funding and Benefits
Hokkaido University’s current international-student information lists the standard MEXT graduate stipend rates below. Final scholarship conditions remain subject to MEXT rules in force when the award begins.
| Master’s stipend | ¥144,000 per month under the current published graduate-student MEXT rate. |
|---|---|
| Doctoral stipend | ¥145,000 per month under the current published graduate-student MEXT rate. |
| University fees | MEXT scholarship routes normally include exemption from applicable admission and tuition fees under the programme rules. |
| International travel | MEXT support normally includes qualifying international travel under the scholarship regulations. |
| Scholarship period | Typically aligned with the standard programme duration: 2 years for Master’s and 3 years for doctoral study in these advertised routes. |
Applicants should not assume housing is automatically free. Accommodation and local living arrangements should be checked separately with Hokkaido University.
Research Fields
| Life Science IGP | Transdisciplinary Life Science, Biosystems Science and Soft Matter through participating laboratories in the Graduate School of Life Science. |
|---|---|
| Science IGC-DHS | Mathematics, Condensed Matter Physics, Cosmosciences, Earth & Planetary Dynamics, Earth & Planetary System Sciences, Seismology & Volcanology, Biodiversity and Science Communication. |
Research fit should determine the route. Applicants should select the programme and supervisor whose laboratory or department genuinely matches their intended research.
Eligibility
Eligibility is programme-specific. Applicants must read the current programme instructions rather than assuming every MEXT Special Quota uses identical rules.
- Applicants must satisfy the academic entry requirements for the intended Master’s or doctoral programme.
- Prospective-supervisor agreement is a critical preliminary requirement for both verified routes.
- The Science IGC-DHS 2027 call requires applicants to hold a nationality of a country with which Japan has diplomatic relations and, under its current rules, to have been born on or after 2 April 1992, subject to the stated exceptions.
- Applicants must satisfy the relevant English-language and academic-record requirements of the selected programme.
- Successful nominees must meet MEXT’s arrival, visa, degree and other scholarship conditions.
Hokkaido University MEXT 2027 Deadlines
| Life Science IGP — prospective supervisor contact | By 10 November 2026; early contact is strongly recommended. |
|---|---|
| Life Science IGP — supervisor submission to IGP office | By 10 December 2026. |
| Science IGC-DHS — first-stage submission | 1 October–15 November 2026 after prospective-supervisor agreement. |
| Science IGC-DHS — final programme screening | Tentatively January 2027. |
| University recommendation to MEXT | March 2027 for successful nominees under the current programme timelines. |
| IGC-DHS result notification | Tentatively June 2027. |
How to Apply
Life Science IGP
- Review the participating IGP laboratories.
- Identify a laboratory that matches your research goals.
- Contact the prospective supervisor as early as possible and discuss suitability for the MEXT Special Quota.
- Obtain permission to enroll in the laboratory.
- Prepare the required MEXT and programme documents.
- Submit documents to the supervisor as instructed.
- The supervisor forwards the package to the IGP office by the programme deadline.
Science IGC-DHS
- Confirm that your research field is within the current IGC-DHS areas.
- Identify and contact a prospective supervisor.
- Obtain the supervisor’s agreement to support your scholarship application.
- Prepare the first-stage documents, including application form, study/research plan, transcript, English-proficiency evidence, checklist and passport copy.
- Submit the first-stage PDF package to the Graduate School of Science international-support office between 1 October and 15 November 2026.
- If shortlisted, submit the additional official documents requested for final screening.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Hokkaido University MEXT Scholarship 2027 open?
Yes. The current Life Science IGP route is open, and the Science IGC-DHS first-stage application window runs from 1 October to 15 November 2026.
How many scholarships are available?
The two verified programmes covered here advertise 13 places in total: 8 through Life Science IGP and 5 through Science IGC-DHS. This should not be interpreted as the total number of all MEXT awards across Hokkaido University.
What is the application deadline?
There is no single deadline. Life Science IGP asks candidates to contact prospective supervisors by 10 November 2026, while Science IGC-DHS accepts first-stage applications until 15 November 2026.
Do I need a supervisor before applying?
Yes. Prospective-supervisor or laboratory agreement is an essential preliminary step for both verified routes.
How much is the MEXT monthly stipend?
Hokkaido University’s current published graduate-student MEXT rates are ¥144,000 per month for Master’s students and ¥145,000 per month for doctoral students, subject to future MEXT changes.
Official Hokkaido University Sources
| Life Science IGP | Official MEXT Scholarship: IGP Special Quota page for October 2027 admission. |
|---|---|
| Science IGC-DHS | Official 2027 MEXT Scholarship call published by the Graduate School of Science on 1 October 2026. |
| University scholarship information | Hokkaido University Scholarships for Prospective Students and current International Student Prospectus. |
| Last verified | 4 October 2026 |
