Other than government scholarships, and university scholarships, various global organizations appreciate the importance of furthering education, and one is the World Bank. It offers graduate students from developing countries an opportunity to study in Japan, focusing on disciplines related to development, with full tuition and living expenses.
Table of Contents
- The World Bank Scholarships Program
- Joint Japan/World Bank Graduate Program
- Qualifications for Joint Japan World Bank Scholarship
- Summary
The World Bank Scholarships Program
World Bank was organized in 1944 as a financial institution that focuses on the development of developing countries. Formerly known as the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the institution has been giving loans to governments and other organizations to combat the threat of poverty and deal with issues concerning post-war development.
For more than 70 years, the World Bank has had a tangible effect on 180 countries around the world. Aside from its commitment to eradicate poverty, the institution also invested in capacity building through education. This initiated the World Bank Scholarships Program that focuses on developing graduate students from different countries to study in some of the leading universities to hone their expertise in the fields.
※ The World Bank, "History"
World Bank Scholarships Program established in 1982 upon the premise of promoting the development of countries through their professionals. World Bank believes that investment in education is an advantageous path towards stable development. These scholarship programs were able to support and sustain the academic endeavors of thousands of students around the world. Academics and scholars from different countries could make a difference in their home country by excelling within their fields.
Currently, there is two scholarship offered by the World Bank Scholarship Program:
1. Robert S. McNamara Fellowships Program or RSMFP: founded in 1982, the scholarship program is exclusive for Ph.D. students, allowing them to execute research projects with international institutions.
2. Joint Japan/World Bank Graduate Program or JJWGSP: founded in 1987, this scholarship program provides support for graduate students to pursue studies abroad with partner institutions. The funding for this particular scholarship program comes from the Japanese Government.
※ The World Bank, "World Bank Scholarships Program"
Writer's Pick
Joint Japan/World Bank Graduate Program
As RSMFP isn't available as of this date due to its reconstruction, we will focus on JJWGSP.
The partnership between the World Bank and the Japanese government for JJWGSP allows students to continue studies in universities around the world. In Japan, there are five universities that the scholarship program is partnered with. Here are the universities and their respective degree programs that are eligible to covered by the scholarship:
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National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies: Public Finance Program
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Saitama University: Graduate Program on Civil and Environmental Engineering
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University of Tokyo: Master of Public Policy
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University of Tsukuba: Master in Economic and Public Policy
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Yokohama National University: Infrastructure Management Program
It can be seen that the programs offered by the universities share similarities in their focus on infrastructure, finance, or policy development. This is because the scholarship program intends to support students who are willing to take responsibility for their countries upon graduation meaning the practice of their expertise in their disciplines must be allotted to the overall progress of the country.
The scholarship programs also provide support for students who intend to pursue preferred programs from 23 universities, such as Austria, Australia, Costa Rica, Hong Kong, Japan, The Netherlands, United Kingdom, and the United States. These preferred programs differentiate from the partner programs on how applications for the World Bank scholarship are submitted. In Japan, there are also five universities from which students can get a master's degree through the preferred program.
· International Christian University: Public Economics
· Keio University: Business and Commerce; Taxation Policy and Management
· Kobe Institute of Computing: Information Systems
· Meiji University: Public Policy
· University of Tokyo: Agricultural Development Studies
Benefits of Joint Japan World Bank Scholarship
Recipients of JJWBGSP are guaranteed of the following benefits:
- Two-way airfare (moving in and moving out) and $500 travel allowance each
- Tuition fee coverage throughout the graduate program
- Medical insurance coverage
- Monthly allowance that covers all basic necessities such as accommodation, food and other materials needed while studying (the amount will depend upon the location of the school)
※ The World Bank, "JJ/WBGSP"
These scholarship benefits shall be given to the students provided that they will accomplish the graduate program in the given period of study. There is no exact value provided on how much the scholarship may provide, as it depends on the program and each case-by-case situation.
Furthermore, the scholarship does not cover expenses beyond the aforementioned components. Students will need to cover things like visa application fees, slot reservation fees, supplementary materials such as language courses and educational materials, and family-related costs on their own.
Qualifications for Joint Japan World Bank Scholarship
Here are the basic eligibility requirements for JJWBGPS:
· Bonafide citizen of a World Bank member country
· Bachelor degree holder
· Acquired a 3-year working experience relevant to the development
· Qualified and admitted for a preferred or partnered program in the university of choice
· Should not have a close relative working for the World Bank group
The application process begins with the application for admission to one of the preferred or partnered programs. This is a prerequisite for the scholarship program. For both partner and preferred programs, applicants must first obtain confirmation from their choice of university.
For partner programs, the institution will select the eligible students for World Bank scholarship. To put is simply, this is an invitational application. Students under partner programs are selected by their schools with respect to their eligibility status.
On the other hand, students under the preferred programs must apply for the scholarship at their own cost alongside their university application. This means that their application status for the scholarship is conditional to the decision of the board.
Selection process of this scholarship is quite competitive. Assessors use a certain set of criteria to determine the worth of every eligible application. The criteria are applied for both methods of application.
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Commitment to Home country (30%)
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Professional Experience (30%)
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Professional Recommendations (30%)
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Educational background (10%)
Furthermore, the assessment for finalists may use considerations such as the geographical and gender distribution of recipients and other circumstances that may affect the access of potential recipients. On the latter note, applicants with such hardships are more likely to be accepted as finalists for the grant.
※ The World Bank Public Documents, "Application Guidelines for JJ/WBGSP 2020 Scholarship," p.1-2
Summary
Receiving the Joint Japan/World Bank Graduate Scholarship ensures a route for pursuing academic studies abroad, including Japan. The goal of the World Bank is to simply connect people and give them a sense of responsibility for the future development of their country and the world in general. And this is all possible through the direct participation of the Japanese Government and its educational institutions.
