Joint Japan/World Bank Graduate Scholarship Program 2026 – Window 2

The Joint Japan/World Bank Graduate Scholarship Program (JJ/WBGSP) is offered by the World Bank's Development Economics Vice Presidency (DEC) to students and young researchers from developing countries. The program aims to foster economic development and shared prosperity by investing in education, capacity building, and human resources in the developing world.

This is a fully-funded scholarship. It provides economy class air travel between your home country and the host university at the start and end of your study program, along with a US $600 travel allowance for each trip. It covers tuition for your graduate program and the cost of basic medical insurance obtained through the university. While on campus, scholars receive a monthly subsistence allowance to cover all living expenses, including accommodation, food, and books. The amount of this allowance varies depending on the host country.

To be eligible, you must be a national of a World Bank member developing country (Ethiopia is on this list). You must not hold dual citizenship of any developed country and be in good health. You need to hold a bachelor’s (or equivalent) degree earned at least 3 years prior to the application deadline. Additionally, you must be employed in development-related work in a paid, full-time position at the time of submitting the scholarship application, with at least 3 years of paid development-related employment acquired within the past 6 years from the application deadline. You must also 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 your country of citizenship and country of residence. The letter of admission must be uploaded before submitting the scholarship application. Individuals who are Executive Directors, their alternates, or staff of the World Bank Group, or their close relatives, are not eligible. Those who have previously been offered a JJ/WBGSP scholarship but declined it, or received one but did not graduate, are also ineligible to apply again.

Key requirements include a bachelor's degree (earned at least 3 years prior to the deadline), at least 3 years of recent paid full-time development-related work experience, and an unconditional admission letter to a JJ/WBGSP participating master’s program outside your home country.

Visit the official Joint Japan/World Bank Graduate Scholarship website for detailed application instructions and to access the application portal. Ensure you meet all eligibility criteria and have secured an unconditional admission letter to a participating master's program before starting your scholarship application.

The application deadline for Window 2 is May 29, 2026. Please note that there is a separate application window for Japanese nationals with a different deadline (April 17, 2026).