In 1987, the World Bank, with funding from the Government of Japan, established the World Bank Graduate Scholarship Program for mid-career professionals to receive master’s degrees in development-related topics at renowned universities around the world. The Program awards between 230 and 300 scholarships annually and has awarded over 5,000 scholarships since 1987. We place priority on public sector employees, women, and people of disadvantaged backgrounds. Recipients must have several years of work experience and must commit to returning to their home country upon completion of their degree to apply their new skills to their country’s development. Because the purpose of the program is to build capacity in the countries, recipients are barred from working at the World Bank or IMF for three years following graduation from their programs. Please note, the program is policy-focused, and does not support technical degrees, MBA, or law degrees.
The scholarship is fully funded by the Government of Japan, and it provides full tuition and fees, a monthly living stipend, and round-trip air tickets and travel allowance for a 1- or 2-year master’s program.
The application is currently open, and the deadline is March 31, 2013. All of the eligibility requirements, selection criteria, suggested universities, and the PDF application form may be found on our website:www.worldbank.org/scholarships