It is an important component of the Bank Group’s efforts to promote economic development and shared prosperity through investing in education and developing human resources in the developing world. 

Since 1982, the Program has helped to form a pool of over 6,000 well-trained and experienced development professionals, transforming their countries and positively impacting future generations.

Currently, the World Bank Scholarships Program offers two sources of funding for graduate studies in development-related fields for mid-career professionals and researchers:

• Joint Japan/World Bank Graduate Scholarship Program (JJ/WBGSP) WBGSP Since 1987, JJWBGSP has enabled more than 5,800 mid-career professionals from developing countries and Japan to complete graduate degrees in development-related fields. The 2019 call for scholarship applications is scheduled to open in March 2019. Learn more about possible future calls for applications how to apply for JJWBGSP scholarship for Developing Country Nationals and for Japan Nationals.
• Robert S. McNamara Fellowships Program(RSMFP) Since 1982, this fellowship program has enabled PhD candidates from developing countries to undertake research at institutions abroad. Fellowships are for 6–10 month periods and can be up to $25,000. The RSMFP was established with funding from the World Bank and the governments of Bangladesh, China, India, Kuwait, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, and former Yugoslavia. The call for fellowship applications for 2019 is scheduled to open in March 2019.

Inactive Program

Japan Indonesia Presidential Scholarship Program (JIPS)

This Program is no longer accepting applications. With a one-time $10 million grant from the Government of Japan, this scholarship supported three cohorts (2008–2010) of 43 Indonesian PhDstudents to study abroad under the sponsorship of one of the program’s ten partner Indonesian universities. This window is now closed to new applicants.

The Joint Japan/World Bank Graduate Scholarship Program (JJ/WBGSP) is open to women and men from developing countries with relevant professional experience and a history of supporting their countries’ development efforts who are applying to a master degree program in a development-related topic.   

Subject to available funding, JJWBGSP offers scholarships for over 200 Preferred Programs (.xlsx 49 KB) spanning a wide array of development topics and for 14 Partner Programs (.xlsx 15 KB)  at universities in U.S., Africa and Japan in key areas of development, including economic policy management, tax policy, and infrastructure management. If you are not admitted to one of these programs you are not eligible for a JJWBGSP Scholarship.

After earning their degree, developing country scholars commit to return to their home country to use their new skills and contribute to their countries’ social and economic development.

A JJWBGSP scholarship provides tuition, a monthly living stipend, round-trip airfare, health insurance, and travel allowance. View a detailed list of benefits.

What can an applicant do before the call?
Who is Eligible to Apply?
How to Apply
Selection Process
Scholarship Benefits

What can an applicant do before the call?

• Read information posted on this website and review eligibility criteria carefully.
• Apply to one or more of the JJWBGSP preferred(.xlsx 49 KB) and partnership (.xlsx 15 KB) master degree programs.
• Begin gathering required documentation for the scholarship application, including: your current curriculum vitae (c.v.), proof of employment for each record of employment since earning a Bachelor’s degree, and certified copy of the certificate of your most advanced university degree earned.
• Identify two professional recommenders.

Please note that application guidelines that provide detailed application instructions will be posted on this website during the open call.

Who is Eligible to Apply?

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;
• 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.  The only exception to this criterion is for developing country nationals from a country that will be on the updated list of Fragile and Conflict States provided to applicants in the Application Guidelines for each call for scholarships.
• 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 preferred university 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.

How to Apply

Applicants can apply for scholarships to both Preferred and Partner Programs. The process to apply to a Preferred Program and to a Partner Program differs:

See our Announcements posted on the right side of this website for upcoming calls for scholarship applications for developing country nationals to study at one of our partner master programs, as these calls are announced on a rolling basis throughout the calendar year.

Those seeking a JJ/WBGSP Partner Program scholarship (.xlsx 15 KB) must first apply for admission to one or more of the Partner Master’s Degree Program(s). Inquiries on how to submit an admission application to a partner program should be submitted to the respective university.

After reviewing submitted applications, each Partner Master Degree Program will identify a short list of eligible candidates who will then be invited by the JJWBGSP Secretariat to apply for a JJ/WBGSP scholarship. View the complete list of JJ/WBGSP Partner (.xlsx 15 KB) master degrees offered.

Those seeking a JJ/WBGSP Preferred Program scholarship (.xlsx 49 KB) must apply directly and be admitted unconditionally to one or more of the Preferred Program(s) before submitting a JJWBGSP scholarship through an open call typically announced within the first two months of a calendar year. The next call for applications for a JJWBGSP Scholarship to one of our Preferred Programs is scheduled to open in March 2019.View the complete list of JJ/WBGSP Preferred (.xlsx 49 KB) Master Degrees currently offered.  

When the scholarship applications for the Preferred Program is open, the finalized list of preferred programs, the application guidelines, online application, and a finalized list of eligibility criteria will be available on this site. The scholarship application must be completed online and include two professional references. It must also include an unconditional (except for secured funding) letter of admission from the preferred master’s degree program that the applicant wants JJWBGSP funding. Note that if the applicant is admitted to several master’s degree programs, he/she must choose at the time of submitting the scholarship application which program to attend with JJWBGSP funding. We have requested our preferred master’s degree programs to issue all letters of admission prior to the closing deadline for our scholarship application. Any documents an applicant provides by email, post or any means other than the online application form will not be reviewed.  

Selection Process

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 preferred program scholarship to the JJ/WBG Steering Committee (composed of members of the World Bank Board of Directors and WB management) for approval. The finalists for partnership scholarship are presented for approval on a rolling basis throughout the year, matching the JJWBGSP Partner university’s admission cycle. In all cases, winners are notified soon after the JJWBG Steering Committee approval. 

Scholarship Benefits

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.