Joint Japan/World Bank Graduate Scholarship Program (JJ/WBGSP) 2027/2028

About this scholarship

A fully funded master's scholarship for citizens of listed developing countries, including West Bank and Gaza, who have development work experience and are admitted to a participating master's programme. Applications are made in two windows in 2027.

Funding type

Covers: tuition for the programme, basic medical insurance through the university, a monthly living allowance, and economy-class air travel from your home country to the university and back after the scholarship, with USD 600 travel allowance for each trip. The scholarship lasts for the length of the master's programme or two years, whichever is less. The monthly allowance depends on the host country and its amount is not stated on the page. Does not cover: visa application costs, resident permit fees, family members, extra travel during the programme, research costs, field trips, workshops and internships, equipment such as computers, courses not needed for the degree, and language training the programme does not provide. The scholarship adds to other funding and does not duplicate it. You must tell the Secretariat about any other scholarship.

Tuition fees

Covered

Living costs

Covered

Travel

Covered

Insurance

Covered

Eligibility requirements

Nationalities

Listed nationalities only — Afghanistan, Angola, Bangladesh, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo - Kinshasa, Congo - Brazzaville, Côte d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Dominica, Egypt, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Honduras, India, Iraq, Kenya, Kiribati, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Maldives, Mali, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar (Burma), Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Rwanda, São Tomé & Príncipe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Sudan, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & Grenadines, Sudan, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Tunisia, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Palestinian Territories, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Suriname, Samoa

Residence condition

No residence condition

A citizen of a country on the 2027 list. West Bank and Gaza is on the list The country list differs slightly between the windows: Namibia and Suriname appear on the Window 1 list and Samoa on the Window 2 list, so check the list for your window Not a dual citizen of any developed country A bachelor's degree earned at least 3 years before the application deadline In a paid full-time development-related job when you apply, with at least 3 years of paid development-related work since the degree, within the past 6 years. For citizens of fragile and conflict-affected countries the limited job opportunities are taken into account, and West Bank and Gaza is on that list Admitted unconditionally, except for funding, to a participating master's programme for the upcoming academic year, in a country that is neither your country of citizenship nor your country of residence Not currently studying in a participating programme, and not a World Bank Group staff member or a close relative of one Has not previously declined, or received and not completed, a JJ/WBGSP scholarship In good health Scholars commit to return to their home country after the degree to contribute to its development; the FAQ says an intention to do otherwise does not stop you applying

Minimum grade

Not stated

Work experience asked for

Not stated

Return condition

Return home after the award

How to apply

Straight to the provider

Language requirements and exemptions

Language test not mentioned

The scholarship does not set a language test. Each participating programme has its own English requirement. The scholarship application may be in English or in the language of the master's programme, and the recommendation letters are written in English.

University admission details

Required before applying?

Apply first to a participating master's programme and get an unconditional admission letter. You cannot submit the scholarship application without it. The link to the scholarship form is sent only by the participating programme, to applicants it has admitted and shortlisted as eligible. There are two windows. Window 1 is 18 January to 26 February 2027 and Window 2 is 29 March to 21 May 2027. The closing date shown here, 21 May 2027, is the end of Window 2. Programmes in Window 1 close on 26 February 2027. Window 1 runs from 18 January to 26 February 2027. It covers the programmes at Brandeis, Columbia (two MPAs at SIPA), Johns Hopkins (Bloomberg), KIT with Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, UC Berkeley (Goldman), Tsukuba, Williams and Yale. The closing time is not stated for this window. Window 2 runs from 29 March to 21 May 2027, with a deadline of 12:00 noon EST on 21 May as the page writes it. It covers the other programmes, including ANU, Erasmus (IHS and ISS), IHE Delft, Keio, LSE, GRIPS, Saitama, SOAS, Stanford, Clermont-Auvergne, Leeds, Oxford, Tokyo and Yokohama. Check which window your programme is in. Applications are scored on professional experience, professional recommendations and commitment to your home country, 30% each, and education background, 10%. Both recommenders must have worked with you in paid employment, unless you are a citizen of a fragile country. A recommendation from a professor who taught you does not count. Submit one application only. Anyone who submits more than one is disqualified. Scholars admitted to a US university must travel to the US on a J-1 visa. The scholarship is withdrawn if they enter by any other means. Window 1: the FAQ says successful applicants will likely hear by the end of March 2027. No result date is given for Window 2.

Required documents

Unconditional admission letter, except for funding, from a participating master's programme Documents showing 3 years of paid development-related work Bachelor's diploma, and your most advanced diploma if different (not a transcript) CV in the World Bank format Two professional recommendation letters, sent by your recommenders through the portal Application form with its signature page English translations of documents in other languages, which need not be certified If selected: the ID page of your passport (or a birth or marriage certificate if you have no valid passport) and a medical certificate

Application steps

Read the 2027 country list and the work-experience rule in the guidelines for your window. Choose a participating master's programme, apply to it and ask the programme about the scholarship. Get the unconditional admission letter and ask your two recommenders. Use the form link the programme sends you and submit one application before the deadline of your window.

Requirement checklist

Scholarship contacts

Applicant enquiries (English or French): [email protected]Copy

Universities and contacts