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Joint Japan/World Bank Graduate Scholarship Program | How to Apply!

April 3, 2024

The Joint Japan/World Bank Graduate Scholarship Program (JJ/WBGSP) is available to citizens of selected developing countries with relevant professional experience and a proven track record of contributing to their nations’ development.

This scholarship is specifically for those pursuing a master’s degree in a development-related field.

The JJ/WBGSP offers scholarships for 53 Participating Master’s Programs across 27 universities worldwide, including the United States, Europe, Africa, Oceania, and Japan. These programs cover key areas such as economic policy management, tax policy, and infrastructure management.

Benefits of the Joint Japan scholarship

Benefits of the scholarship include:

Economy class air travel from your home country to the host university at the beginning and end of your program, with a US $600 travel allowance for each trip.
Tuition coverage for your graduate program and basic medical insurance are provided by the university.
Monthly subsistence allowance during your scholarship period to cover living expenses like accommodations, food, and books. The amount varies by the host country.
Coverage for the duration of your graduate program or up to two years, whichever is less.

What the scholarship does not cover

The JJ/WBGSP scholarship does not cover your:

Visa application costs
Expenses for family members
Extra-curricular courses or training
Courses not meeting minimum credit requirements for the degree
Language training not provided by the program
Additional travel during the study period
Research expenses, supplementary materials, field trips, workshops/seminars, or internships
Educational equipment such as computers
Resident permit fees

Eligibility requirements

To be eligible, you must:

Must be a citizen of a developing country according to World Bank (refer to the list here).
Cannot have dual citizenship from any developed country.
Must be in good health.
Should possess a bachelor’s degree or its equivalent obtained at least three years before the Application Deadline.
Must be employed in full-time development-related work, with a minimum of three years of paid experience in this field since earning a bachelor’s degree, acquired within the past six years from the application deadline. Note: Part-time employment can count towards this requirement.
Must have unconditional admission (excluding funding) to at least one of the participating master’s programs of JJ/WBGSP located outside the applicant’s country of citizenship and residence, before the scholarship application deadline. The letter of admission must be uploaded during the scholarship application process.
Cannot be an Executive Director, their alternate, or staff member of any appointment within the World Bank Group, or a close relative as defined by blood or adoption (Mother, Father, Sister, Half-sister, Brother, Half-brother, Son, Daughter, Aunt, Uncle, Niece, or Nephew).
Applicants who previously declined a JJ/WBGSP scholarship or did not complete a prior scholarship are not eligible to reapply.

You should know that all eligibility criteria are strictly enforced, and no exceptions are made. These criteria remain unchanged during the application period, although they may be subject to change between the close and opening of subsequent application cycles.

Selection process

The Joint Japan/World Bank Graduate Scholarship Program (JJ/WBGSP) employs a thorough selection process to evaluate eligible scholarship applications from nationals of developing countries. The goal is to identify candidates with the highest potential to contribute significantly to their countries’ development after completing their graduate studies.

Here’s how the selection process works:

Independent Assessment :Two qualified assessors independently review each eligible application. They score the application on a scale of 1 to 10, considering four main factors and the coherence among them:

- Quality of Professional Experience (30% weight)
- Quality of Professional Recommendations (30% weight)
- Quality of Commitment to your Home Country (30% weight)
- Quality of Education Background (10% weight)
- Finalist Selection :The JJ/WBGSP Secretariat calculates the average score given by the two assessors. Based on this average score and other criteria, finalists are selected. The selection criteria include:
  - Maintaining a wide geographical distribution of awards
  - Ensuring a balanced distribution of awards across genders
  - Considering unusual circumstances or hardships faced by applicants, especially related to employment experience
  - Prioritizing applicants with limited access to financial resources for graduate studies abroad, all other factors being equal.

This rigorous selection process ensures that the scholarship is awarded to only those who not only demonstrate academic excellence but also show a strong commitment to their home countries’ development and possess the potential to make a significant impact in their fields upon completion of their studies.