JJWBGSP 2024: Fully Funded for Developing Countries

The JJWBGSP 2024 program offers a golden opportunity for aspiring individuals from developing countries to pursue graduate studies with full funding.

Since 1996, the Graduate School of Business and Commerce of Keio University has been training promising tax personnel in the field of tax policy and administration with its Master’s Degree Program in Taxation Policy and Management. This program brings together the cooperation of Keio University, the National Tax Agency of Japan (NTA), and the World Bank in an alliance between public and private institutions.

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 master degree programs in  key areas of development. 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.

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.

Japan/World Bank Graduate Scholarship Program 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.

Japan/World Bank Graduate Scholarship Program Eligibility Criteria.

• Be a national of a Bank member country that is eligible to receive Bank financing and not be a national of any country that is not eligible to receive the Bank financing. For the list of eligible World Bank countries, see eligible country list.
• Not hold dual citizen of any developed country.
• Be in good health with respect to the capacity to be a productive scholar for the duration of the Graduate Program, as certified by a medical doctor.
• Hold a Bachelor’s degree or its equivalent with superior academic achievement earned at least three (3) years  prior to the Scholarship Application Deadline.
• Not received any scholarship funding to earn a Graduate degree or its equivalent from any sources funded by the government of Japan.
• Be employed in a paid and full time position at the time of the Scholarship Application Deadline unless the applicant is from a country identified in the World Bank’s “Harmonized List of Fragile Situations”.
• Have, by  the time of  the Scholarship Application Deadline, at  least three（3）years of recent full time paid professional experience in the field of tax policy and administration at a public body (institution) after a Bachelor’s degree or its equivalent in the applicant’s home country or in another developing country; If the applicant is from a country identified in the World Bank’s “Harmonized List of Fragile Situations” at the time of the Scholarship Application Deadline, the recent professional experience does not have to be full time or paid.
• Not be  an  Executive Director,  his / her alternate, staff of  the World  Bank Group（the  World Bank, International Development Association, International Finance Corporation, Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency, and International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes）, 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.
• Accepted to the University unconditionally or conditionally only upon securing financing.
• Demonstrate proficiency in the English language at the level of a TOEFL score of 79 (iBT) or  better, or an IELTS score of 6.0 or better.
• Meet any other criteria for admission established by Keio University.
• Applicants must not be currently pursuing a Master’s or Ph.D. program in industrialized countries.
• Applicants must not have had one or more years of training / studies and / or residency in an industrialized  country.
• Applicants must not be permanent residents / nationals of industrialized countries.

Japan/World Bank Graduate Scholarship Program 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:

• Quality of Professional Experience (30% weight)
• Quality of Professional Recommendations (30% weight)
• Quality of Commitment to your Home Country (30% weight)
• 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.

How to Apply for Japan/World Bank Graduate Scholarship Program.

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:

Scholarship to attend a preferred program: ATTENTION: The call for applications for a JJWBGSP Scholarship to the Preferred Programs is now open until the deadline of April 23, 2020. Guidance for this call for applications, including this call’s: (i) instructions and requirements to submit an application, the eligibility criteria applicants must meet; and the selection process are provided in the Application Guidelines, FAQs, and the complete list of JJ/WBGSP Preferred (.xlsx) Master Degrees currently offered. Please read these documents before starting your application.

Once you are familiar with the application requirements and processes, click here to apply, and refer to the “Accessing your online application” and “Navigating your online application” to learn how access and navigate the online application.

Scholarship to attend a partnership program:  Those seeking a JJ/WBGSP Partner Program scholarship must first apply for admission to one or more of the Partner Master’s Degree Program(s). Announcements from a JJWBGSP Partner Program on when to apply for admission to their program is often posted on the right-side margin of the official website. 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) master degrees offered.

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