World Bank Group (WBG) has been offering scholarship programs jointly with the Japanese Government (JJWBGS) since 1987 for students from developing countries to pursue their graduate studies in different countries.

Application deadline:

• First application round: January 17- February 28, 2023
• Second Application round: March 27– May 26, 2023

Awarding organization: World Bank Group and the Japanese Government

Targeted regions: developing countries and Japan

Fields of study: Subject to available funding, JJWBGSP offers scholarships for 26 Participating Programs at universities in U.S., Europe, Africa, Oceania and Japan in key areas of development, including economic policy management, tax policy, and infrastructure management

Fields of study of the WBG

Location:

• US
• Africa
• Japan
• France
• Thailand
• Australia
• Costa Rica
• Netherlands
• Belgium
• Chile
• Argentina
• Canada
• United Kingdom

Benefits of World Bank scholarships

• A round-trip Economic class travel cost
• Allowance of US $500 for each travel
• Full tuition fee
• Basic health insurance
• Monthly stipend for living expenses such as accommodations, food, etc.

Applicants must pay visa costs, family member expenses, extra courses fee, language training and travel during the study, resident permit fees and educational equipment such as a computer.

Who is eligible for the JJ/WBGSP program?

The applicants should meet the following eligibility criteria to apply to  JJ/WBGSP Program :

• Be a national of a developing country that is World Bank member
• Applicant should not have dual citizenship of any developed country
• Be healthy
• Have obtained a university degree at least 3 years prior to the application deadline.
• Have working experience of at least 3 years
• Be currently employed in development-related work full-time paid position. (exception will be given to the nationals of a country fragile and conflict states
• Applied and obtained an unconditional offer from a minimum on of JJ/WBGSP preferred university master program outside applicants’ home country or the country of residence.
• Not be World Bank staff or family members of World Bank staff.
• Return back to their home country after completion of the program

You may apply to: 

• International Media Studies Scholarship in Germany, 2023-2024
• Chinese Government Scholarships for International Students CQUPT, 2023-24
• Think Big Postgraduate Scholarships Program in the UK, 2023
• Bangchak Doctoral Scholarships 2022 at Asian Institute of Technology (AIT)- Thailand [fully-funded]
• Bangchak Master Scholarships 2022 at Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), Thailand
• 60 Government of Ireland International Education Scholarships (GOI-IES) 2023-24

UNIVERSITY PROGRAMS

1. Asian Institute of Technology
   1. Sustainable Energy Transition at
   2. Water Engineering and Management at Asian Institute of Technology
2. Australian National University:
   1. Climate Change
   2.  Environmental and Resource Economics
   3.  Environmental Management and Development
   4.  Public Administration
   5. Public Policy
3. Brandeis University
   1. Master of Arts in Sustainable International Development
   2. Conflict Resolution and Coexistence
   3. Global Health Policy and Management
4. Carinthia University
   1. Management of Conservation Areas
5. Columbia University:
   1.  Economic Policy Management
   2.  Public Policy
   3.  Development Practice
6. Cornell University
   1. Professional Studies in Global Development
7. Erasmus University Rotterdam
   1. Urban Management and Development
8. Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government
   1. Public Administration in International Development
9. IHE Delft Institute
   1. Environmental Science and Technology
   2.  Sanitation
   3.  Water Management and Governance
10. International Christian University
    1. Public Economics
11. Johns Hopkins University
    1. Master of Public Health – International Health and Epidemiology
12. Keio University
    1. Business and Commerce & Taxation Policy and Management
13. Kobe Institute of Computing
    1. Information Systems
14. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    1. Data, Economics and Development Policy
15. Meiji University
    1. Public Policy
16. National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS)
    1. Tax Course of the Public Finance Program
17. Pennsylvania State University
    1. Architectural Engineering
18. Saitama University
    1. International Graduate Program on Civil and Environmental Engineering
19. SOAS University of London
    1. International Finance and Development
20. University of Birmingham
    1. Conflict, State Building, and Development
21. University of British Columbia
    1. International Forestry
22. University of California-Berkeley
    1. Master of Development Practice
23. Université Clermont-Auvergne FERDI
    1. Master in Economic Policy Management
24. Université Félix Houphouët Boigny
    1. Economic Policy Management Program
25. University of Hong Kong
    1. Urban Design (MUD)
26. University for Peace
    1. Peace Education
27. University of Reading
    1. Agriculture and Development
    2. Climate Change and Development
    3.  Development Finance
28. University of Tokyo,
    1. Graduate School of Public Policy (GraSPP) Master of Public Policy, International Program
    2.  International Program on Agricultural Development Studies (Global Agricultural Sciences)
29. University of Tsukuba
    1. Master’s Program in Economic and Public Policy
30. University of Wisconsin-Madison
    1. Educational Policy Studies
31. University of Wollongong
    1. Education (TESOL)
32. Vrije Universiteit
    1. Health Systems Policy and Management
33. Williams College
    1. Master of Arts in Policy Economics
34. Yokohama National University
    1. Infrastructure Management Program

Eligible countries:

Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Rep. Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Dem. Rep. of Congo, Rep. of Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Croatia, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Rep. Ecuador, Egypt, Arab Rep. El Salvador, Equatorial, Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, The Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haití, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Iran, Islamic Rep. of Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kosovo, Republic of Kyrgyz, Republic Lao, People’s D.R. Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Macedonia, FYR of Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Marshall, Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, F.S. Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua, New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Samoa São, Tomé and Principe Senegal Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra, Leone, Solomon Islands Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia St.Vincent & the Grenadines, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Syrian Arab, Republic Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste Togo, Tonga, Trinidad & Tobago,  Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Rep. Bol. de Vietnam, Yemen, Republic of Zambia, Zimbabwe

Application procedures

Please read the eligibility criteria, and follow the steps below:

• Apply to one or more of the JJWBGSP programs
• Prepare Required documents
• Applicants of jj/wbgsp partner program scholarships should apply to one or more of the Partner programs. Submit your application to the university. When your application is reviewed, the partner master program shortlists eligible candidates and invites them to apply for the scholarship.
• Applicants of the preferred program can apply directly to the program.

Application for JJ/WBGSP will be available during the application period.

Required Documents:

• CV
• Proof employment
• certificate of most advanced university degree earned
• two professional recommenders

Application link for window #1 open in the following universities and programs:

Application Window #1: January 16 to February 28, 2023

1.   Johns Hopkins: Master of Public Health
2. University of Birmingham: MSc Conflict, State Building and Development
3. University of California-Berkeley: Master of Development Practice
4.  University of Hong Kong: Master of Urban Design (MUD)
5. University of Wisconsin-Madison: Educational Policy Studies
6. Vrije Universiteit – KIT: Health Systems Policy and Management

Window 1 will close on February 28, 2023.

The link to the online Application Form for Window 2 will be accessible on  27 March 2023 to May 26, 2023 at 12:00 noon EST.

Selection criteria:

The application will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• Professional experience (30 %)
• Professional recommendations (30 %)
• Commitment to your home country (30 %)
• Education background (10%)

You may Check

• Friedrich Ebert Foundation: DAAD Scholarship for International Students
• DAAD Scholarship for Master’s Program Infrastructure Planning (MIP) in Germany
• Master Helmut-Schmidt Scholarship Program for Public Policy and Good Governance (DAAD PPGG)
• Edinburgh Global Online Learning Scholarships for Master degree
• World Bank Scholarship at Tsukuba University Japan 
• Joint Japan/World Bank Graduate Scholarship at Asia Pacific University in Japan

Please read the guideline here, and you can visit the FAQ  and the World bank website