World
Bank Scholarships Program for Developing Country International Students (Fully-funded)
The Joint Japan/World Bank Graduate Scholarship Program (JJ/WBGSP) is open to citizens of certain developing countries with relevant professional experience and a history of supporting their countries’ development efforts who are applying to a master’s degree program in a development-related topic.
Subject to available funding,
JJWBGSP offers scholarships for 45 Participating Master’s Programs in 27
universities in U.S., Europe, Africa, Oceania, and Japan in key areas of development,
including economic policy management, tax policy, and infrastructure
management.
Please
note that if you are not admitted to one of these 45 Participating Master’s
Programs, you are not eligible to apply for a JJWBGSP Scholarship in 2023.
To accommodate
the academic calendar of JJWBGSP Participating Programs, the next application
process will be organized in two rounds:
- Application Window#1
From January 16 to February 28, 2023 at noon Washington time
JJWBGSP Participating Programs accepting applications under Window #1 - Application Widow #2
From March 27 to May 26, 2023 at noon Washington time
JJWBGSP Participating Programs accepting applications under Window #2
Please
note that special application procedures will need to be followed for 3 Participating
Programs in 2023.
After
earning their degree, developing country scholars commit to returning to
their home country to use their new skills and contribute to their country's
social and economic development.
A JJWBGSP
scholarship provides tuition, a monthly living stipend, round-trip airfare,
health insurance, and a travel allowance. View a detailed list of benefits.
Details
on Eligibility Criteria for each call for applications are provided in that
call’s Application Guidelines, and these detailed eligibility criteria are
strictly adhered to. No exceptions are made.
Broadly
speaking, Developing Country nationals must:
- Be a national of a World Bank member developing
country on this list;
- Not hold dual citizenship of any developed
country;
- Be in good health;
- Hold a Bachelor’s (or equivalent) degree earned
at least 3 years prior to the Application Deadline date;
- Have 3 years or more of recent
development-related work experience after earning a Bachelor’s (or
equivalent) degree;
- Be employed in development-related work in a
paid full-time position at the time of submitting the scholarship
application. Have at least 3 years of paid development-related employment
since earning a Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent university degree) and
acquired within the past 6 years from the date of the Application
Deadline. Please see FAQs—Window 1 on how to
count qualified part-time employment toward this 3-year requirement.
Please see Annex 2 of the Application Guidelines for a suggested list of
development-related topics. The only exception to this criterion is for
developing country nationals from a country that is on the list of Fragile
and Conflict States featured in Annex 3 of the Application Guidelines. In
these exceptional cases, we do take into consideration the limited
employment opportunities in those countries listed in Annex 3.
- On or before the Scholarship Application
Deadline date, be admitted unconditionally (except for funding) for the
upcoming academic year to at least one of the JJ/WBGSP participating master’s programs located
outside of the applicant’s country of citizenship and country of residence
listed at the time the call for scholarship applications opens. The
letter of admission must be uploaded before submitting your application.
For details, see “How to Apply”.
- Not be an Executive Director, his/her alternate,
and/or staff of any type of appointment of the World Bank Group or a close
relative of the aforementioned by blood or adoption with the term “close
relative” defined as: Mother, Father, Sister, Half-sister, Brother,
Half-brother, Son, Daughter, Aunt, Uncle, Niece, or Nephew.
Please
note: All eligibility criteria are strictly adhered to. No exceptions are made.
Eligibility criteria WILL NOT change during an open call for applications.
However, this information is subject to change between the close of one
application process and the opening of the next.
The
JJ/WBGSP uses the following process to review eligible scholarship applications
from developing country nationals, with the aim of identifying the candidates
with the highest potential, after completion of their graduate studies, to
impact the development of their countries.
Two
qualified assessors independently review each eligible application and score
the application on a scale of 1 to 10, taking into account four main factors
and the degree of cohesion among them:
1. Quality of Professional Experience (30% weight)
2. Quality of Professional Recommendations (30% weight)
3. Quality of Commitment to your Home Country (30%
weight)
4. Quality of Education Background (10% weight)
The
JJ/WBGSP Secretariat uses the average score of the two assessors and the
following criteria to select the finalists:
- Maintaining a reasonably wide geographical
distribution of awards
- Maintaining a reasonable distribution of awards
across gender
- Unusual circumstances/hardships, when assessing
the employment experience and other aspects of an application;
- Giving scholarships to those applicants who,
other things being equal, have limited access to financial resources for
graduate studies abroad.
The JJWBGSP
Secretariat presents the finalists for the Participating Program scholarship to
the JJ/WBG Steering Committee (composed of members of the World Bank Board of
Directors and WB management) for approval. Winners are notified soon after the
JJWBG Steering Committee approval.
The
JJ/WBGSP scholarship provides the recipient with the following benefits:
- Economy class air travel between your home
country and the host university at the start of your study program and
immediately following the end of the scholarship period. In addition to
the two-way air travel, scholars will receive a US $500 travel allowance
for each trip;
- Tuition for your graduate program and the cost
of basic medical insurance obtained through the university.
- While on campus during the scholarship period, a
monthly subsistence allowance to cover all living expenses
(accommodations, food, etc., including books). The amount of the allowance
varies depending on the host country.
Please
note all JJ/WBGSP scholarships cover the duration of the graduate program or
two years, whichever is less.
The
JJ/WBGSP scholarship does not cover:
- VISA application(s) costs
- Expenses to bring and/or support a scholar’s
family members;
- Extra-curricular courses or training;
- Courses that do not meet the minimum credits
required to earn the graduate degree;
- Language training not provided by the graduate
program;
- Additional travel during the course of the study
program;
- Expenses related to research, supplementary
educational materials, field trips, participation in workshops/seminars,
or internships; or
- Educational equipment such as computers.
- Resident permit fee
Note: The
JJ/WBGSP scholarship may only supplement, and does not duplicate, any other
source of financial support/fellowship you might have. If you are notified to
be a semi-finalist or if you are awarded a scholarship, you must inform and
document to the JJ/WBGSP at that time if you have other sources of scholarship
funds.
For
more info visit: https://www.worldbank.org/en/programs/scholarships#3
For regular updates on Scholarship publications and Tech tutorials, Join our social media handles below.