“Ignorance is bliss” might be a popular saying, but I personally believe that higher education can be an invaluable asset both in opening professional doors and broadening intellectual horizons.
In an ideal society, everyone should be allowed to obtain a higher education degree a reasonable cost if they are qualified and so wish. I’ve been incredibly lucky to have been able to graduate from a four year college in the United States with no outstanding student loans. However, I know that few are as fortunate as I am. As of 2005, only 27.7% of Americans had earned a bachelor’s degree and only around 30% had earned an associates’. The lack of money for tuition and other related costs can be a major factor in the decision not to pursue or complete a degree. Also, people who do graduate from college often do so with expensive student loans, forcing them to devote a sometimes significant portion of their future earnings to payments.
Over the next week, I’d like to outline one method of obtaining a degree for free that doesn’t get as much detailed exposure as it should: Japanese Government Scholarships, otherwise known as Monbusho Scholarships or MEXT Scholarships. My posts will be aimed at North Americans in general and citizens of the United States in particular, but some of the information will apply to those from other countries as well.
Where I’m from in the United States, the Japanese Ministry of Education’s scholarships for research students are fairly well-known among Asian Studies and Japanese Language students. What many people don’t know is that there are many types of Monbusho Scholarships available, including Undergraduate and Professional Training College Scholarships. With a Monbusho Undergraduate Scholarship, students will attend language school for a year in order to attain a level of Japanese adequate for college studies and proceed to a four year university. Recipients of the Professional Training College Scholarship attend Japanese language school for a year and then continue on to an assigned professional training college (senshuu gakkou) where they will earn the equivalent of an associates degree.
As a Monbusho Scholarship student, the Japanese government will pay all of your tuition and grant you a living stipend for the duration of your studies.
Living and studying in Japan has its highs and lows. Speaking from experience, this scholarship is not for everyone. On the other hand, if you can handle it, the opportunity to attend school in a foreign country on someone else’s dime and create the memories of a lifetime is worth all the stress and struggles.
