Joint Japan/World Bank Graduate Scholarship Program (JJ/WBGSP)
Offered by World Bank (funded by the Government of Japan)
About this scholarship
The Joint Japan/World Bank Graduate Scholarship Program (JJ/WBGSP), funded by Japan and managed by the World Bank, supports mid-career development professionals from World Bank member developing countries to earn a master's degree related to development at one of 44 participating programmes around the world. The scholarship covers tuition, a monthly subsistence allowance for living costs, round-trip economy airfare with a US$600 travel allowance per trip, and basic medical insurance, for the duration of the programme or two years, whichever is shorter. A distinctive feature is that you must first be admitted to one of the participating master's programmes — the JJ/WBGSP application link is shared only with candidates already admitted (financing aside). Eligibility is aimed at experienced professionals: applicants must be nationals of a World Bank member developing country, must not hold dual citizenship of a developed country, must hold a bachelor's degree earned at least three years before the deadline, and must have at least three years of recent paid development-related work experience while employed full-time in development work at the time of applying. Applications open in two annual windows.
Eligibility
- Be a national of a World Bank member developing country
- Not hold dual citizenship of any developed country
- Hold a bachelor's degree earned at least 3 years before the deadline
- Have 3+ years of recent paid development-related work experience
- Be employed full-time in development-related work at the time of application
- Be admitted to one of the 44 participating master's programmes
This opens the official program page — look for the “Apply” button there. Always verify amounts and deadlines on the official site; they change each cycle.
Last verified by us: 2026-06-01.