The JJ/WBGSP is open to citizens of certain developing countries with relevant professional experience and a history of supporting their country’s development efforts who are applying to a master’s degree program in a development-related topic. JJ/WBGSP offers scholarships for 52 Participating Master’s Programs in 27 universities in the U.S., Europe, Africa, Oceania, and Japan in key areas of development, including economic policy management, tax policy, and infrastructure management. The program has awarded over 5000 scholarships selected from over 65,000 applicants, and disbursed over US$200 million in funding from the Japanese government since its inception.  

About the Scholarship Program

• This scholarship is for applicants from certain developing countries.

• Scholarships are available for pursuing a master’s degree at your Preferred University in the list of Universities.

• Scholarships are awarded for studying only at a master’s program that has been granted “preferred” status by the JJ/WBG Scholarship Program.

Scholarship Award benefit:

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 are usually obtained through the university.

• A monthly subsistence allowance to cover living expenses, 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 study program;
• Expenses related to research, supplementary educational materials, field trips, participation in workshops/seminars, internships; or
• Educational equipment such as computers.
• Resident permit fee

Application timeline 

To accommodate the academic calendar of JJ/WBGSP Participating Programs, the application process will be organized in two rounds:

Application Window 1

• From January 15 to February 29, 2024 at 12:00 noon EST

• JJ/WBGSP Participating Programs accepting applications under Window #1

• Names of selected applicants will be announced by the end of March 2024

Application Window 2

• From March 25 to May 24, 2024 at 12:00 noon EST

• JJ/WBGSP Participating Programs accepting applications under Window #2

• Names of selected applicants will be announced towards the end of June 2024

Participating programs under special application

• For participating programs under a special application procedure, please contact the various institutions.

• JJ/WBGSP Participating Programs under Special Application Procedure 

Eligibility criteria 

• Applicants must hold a Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent university degree) earned before 2023

• Be under 45 years old on the application deadline date

• Have at least 3 years of recent development-related experience since earning a Bachelor’s degree

•  Applicants from outside the home country will often need to meet specific English language/other language requirements to be able to study there.

• Be a national of a World Bank member developing country

• Not hold dual citizenship of any developed country

• Be in good health

• 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 open

• 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

Note: Individuals who have previously been offered a JJ/WBGSP scholarship but declined it, or have previously received a JJ/WBGSP scholarship but did not graduate, are not eligible to apply again.

Eligible countries:

The JJ/WBGSP is open to citizens of the following developing countries listed below:

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, Ivory Coast, 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, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, 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, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Palau,  Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Romania, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Samoa, Sao Tome 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, Vietnam, West Bank and Gaza, Yemen, Zambia and Zimbabwe

Application procedure

Applications are done online and are currently ongoing for window 1

Window 1 application guideline:

• To be considered for a JJ/WBGSP scholarship, you must first apply and be unconditionally accepted for admission to at least one of the Participating Programs.

• Ensure you meet the eligibility criteria before submitting your online application.

• In your application, YOU NEED TO UPLOAD AN UNCONDITIONAL LETTER OF ACCEPTANCE from a participating master’s degree program. Alongside the following documents.

• One completed Application Form
• scanned copies of:

(i)documentation that proves the applicant meets the eligibility requirement 

about the number of years of recent development-related work. 

(ii)the applicant’s Bachelor’s degree diploma, and if applicable, also the diploma 

of the applicant’s most advanced graduate degree. (Do not include a 

transcript, or upload a transcript as a substitute for a diploma).

(iii)CV written in English or the 

language of the master’s degree program for which the applicant is seeking JJWBGSP funding. If the work was not paid, do not include it in your CV. 

Instead, you can create a category “Volunteer Work” in your CV and list under that heading unpaid internships or other unpaid work.

(iv)unconditional Letter of Admission for the upcoming 

academic year to the JJ/WBGSP participating program.

• You can draft but DO NOT SUBMITa JJ/WBGSP Scholarship Application UNTIL YOU 

UPLOAD AN UNCONDITIONAL LETTER OF ACCEPTANCE from a participating master’s 

degree program.

Note: The link to the JJ/WBGSP application form will only be communicated to candidates shortlisted as eligible JJ/WBGSP applicants by participating universities. Potential candidates are invited to reach out to the university offering the JJ/WBGSP participating master program they are targeting to find out if they meet this requirement.

Please check the official website for more details.