World Bank Scholarships Program

Scholarship Sponsored by World Bank Group

Here’s a clearer, teacher-friendly version of the information—organized so a motivated student (or applicant) can read it, understand the essentials, and know what to do next.

What is the JJ/WBGSP?
- The Japan-World Bank Scholarship Program (JJ/WBGSP) funds master’s degrees in development-related fields for professionals from eligible developing countries who have already been working to support their country’s development.

Where you can study and what’s covered
- Subject to funding, JJ/WBGSP supports 44 participating master’s programs across 24 universities in the U.S., Europe, Africa, Oceania, and Japan. Programs are focused on development topics like economic policy management, tax policy, and infrastructure management.
- A scholarship typically covers tuition, a monthly living stipend, round-trip airfare, health insurance, and a travel allowance.

Important eligibility and admission rules (short version)
- You must already have unconditional admission (except for funding) to at least one of the 44 participating master’s programs to be eligible to apply for a JJ/WBGSP scholarship. If you are not admitted to one of those programs, you cannot apply for the scholarship in 2026.
- The application form link is only sent to candidates who meet two conditions: (1) they have unconditional admission to a participating program, and (2) the participating university has shortlisted them as eligible JJ/WBGSP applicants. Contact the university offering your target program to confirm both points.

Application timing
- The process follows two windows to match participating programs’ calendars:
- Window 1: January 15 – February 27, 2026
- Window 2: March 30 – May 29, 2026

Who can apply: the rules (read carefully)
- Detailed eligibility criteria for each call are in that call’s Application Guidelines and are applied strictly—no exceptions.
- Broadly, applicants must:
- Be a national of a World Bank member developing country.
- Not hold dual citizenship of a developed country.
- Be in good health.
- Hold a bachelor’s (or equivalent) degree obtained at least 3 years before the application deadline.
- Be employed in development-related work in a paid full-time position when you apply, and have at least 3 years of paid development-related employment since earning your degree, work that was acquired within the six years before the application deadline. (There is guidance on counting qualified part-time work in the FAQs—Window 1. Annex 2 in the Application Guidelines lists suggested development-related topics.)
- Exception: Applicants from countries listed as Fragile and Conflict States (see Annex 3) are considered with local employment constraints in mind.
- Be admitted unconditionally (except for funding) to at least one participating master’s program outside your country of citizenship and residence at the time the call opens. Upload the admission letter before submitting your scholarship application.
- Not be an Executive Director, their alternate, or staff of the World Bank Group (or a close relative of any of the above). “Close relative” is defined as mother, father, sister, half-sister, brother, half-brother, son, daughter, aunt, uncle, niece, or nephew.
- Not have previously been offered the JJ/WBGSP and declined, or have previously received it and then failed to graduate. Such individuals are ineligible to reapply.

A few final points your teacher would emphasize
- All eligibility criteria are enforced without exception. They will not change during an open call, though they may change between calls.
- After graduation, scholars are expected to return to their home country and apply their new skills to contribute to social and economic development.
- If you want to apply: secure your unconditional admission to a participating program, confirm with the university that you’re shortlisted for JJ/WBGSP consideration, upload your admission letter, and submit your scholarship application during the correct window.

If you want, I can help you turn this into a checklist you can follow step-by-step.