Applications for MSc Program 2025 Intake Round One for Joint-Japan/World Bank Graduate Scholarship Program (JJWBGSP) is has been closed. The Round Two will be opened before Jan. 2025.
IPADS MSc_JJWBGSP Official Rules of Admission for October 2025 intake
IPADS has been chosen as one of the participating MSc programs (2023-2025) for the Joint Japan/World Bank Graduate Scholarship Program (JJWBGSP).
Applicants for IPADS MSc seeking for funding opportunities by Joint-Japan/World Bank Graduate Scholarship Program (JJWBGSP) should fulfill the application criteria stipulated by JJWBGSP (for details check: https://www.worldbank.org/en/programs/scholarships#3), including minimum three-years employment record in the development fields, as well as holding an outstanding academic records.
Selection processes for IPADS admission and JJWBGSP are conducted separately, the former by IPADS and the latter by the World Bank. Those seeking the scholarship are required to pass the screening for admission for IPADS first and obtain a Certificate of Admission (unconditional admission offer) from IPADS which is mandatory for applying for JJWBGSP.
Please note that being admitted in IPADS DOES NOT guarantee any spot in the JJWBGSP.
Those who are admitted in IPADS but fail for JJWBGSP selection can still enroll in IPADS as self-financed students.
IPADS Application timetable for October 2025 intake (all times JST)
Selection is carried out in two separate rounds as per the timetable below.
| Round One | Round Two | |
|---|---|---|
| JJWBGSP |
JJWBGSP |
|
| Online application (pre-screening) closes | 21 October 2024 | 16 February 2025 |
| Shortlist announced | by 18 November 2024 | by 7 March 2025 |
| Document submission for shortlisted applicants closes | 11 December 2024 | 28 March 2025 |
| Video/Telephone Interview | Early to Mid January 2025 | Late April 2025 |
| Final results announced | by 10 February 2025 | by 13 May 2025 |
Those who apply for JJWBGSP with a certificate of admission in IPADS MSc must apply to the World Bank in Application Window #2.
Please check the detail at the World Bank website >>
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Applicants who is unsuccessful in Round One screening can apply again in Round Two screening if they wish to do so.
Following the pre-screening based on the information submitted online, those who meet the eligibility criteria and are considered suitable for consideration for admission (shortlisted applicants) will be invited to submit the additional documents listed at the bottom of this page.
Shortlisted applicants will be announced at https://ipads.a.u-tokyo.ac.jp.
We will not notify the result of the pre-screening to each applicant separately or respond to inquiries about the result of the pre-screening.
Shortlisted applicants will be given about three weeks to submit the additional documents. An interview may be conducted to the limited number of applicants via online as part of the selection process. Applicants will be notified if this is the case. The final selection result will be informed by email.
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IPADS accepts all the application documents in digital format for screening process. However, on being admitted, prospective students will be asked to submit original copy of official transcript and diploma at enrollment registration. If any of the details given in these original documents diverge from the information provided during application process for admission to IPADS, admission will be canceled at any time even after the enrollment.
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Questions we ask during the online application process
Be sure that you have all necessary information before starting the application as our online application form does not have a function to “save and resume”
＊ Documents need to be uploaded at online application
Personal Data:
・Name
・Birth date
・Nationality
・Address
・Phone number
・Email addresses
For degrees attained (or expected to be attained on or before 30 April 2022):
・Name of institution
・Country of institution
・Degree attained
・Year and month commenced and graduated
・Language(s) used in the program
・Grade point average (GPA) of the coursework component, for coursework and coursework/research degrees
・Summary of the thesis for research and coursework/research degrees or summary of coursework subject for coursework only (300 words or less) [PDF format]
・Name of the principal supervisor, for research and coursework/research degrees
・Scholarships, awards, medals and prizes awarded during the program
・Scanned official transcript (PDF format) ＊
・Scanned certificate of graduation or diploma (PDF format) ＊
For recent working experience (s) :
Mandatory for those intending to apply for the JJWBGSP Scholarship
・Name of institution/company
・Country of institution/company
・Position
・Year and month commenced and resigned
・Language(s) used
・Description of the job duties in detail (Special characters such as “! & $ * @ # /” are prohibited to use.)
・Scanned certificate of employment or employment contract (PDF format) ＊
For English Proficiency and others :
・Scanned TOEFL, IELTS or Duolingo (alternative English test) scores (PDF format) ＊
for a test taken on or after 1 January 2023. While IPADS does not have the official cut-off scores for English proficiency tests, we welcome applicants who meet the following criteria: TOEFL iBT – 98 and above, IELTS – 7.0 and above.
Exemptions from submitting the English test scores or alternative English test are granted to applicants who meet our criteria only. For detail >>>
IPADS Office reserves the right to request a proof of English proficiency from all applicants, regardless of their nationalities and educational background. For TOEFL, applicants must arrange for the ETS to forward the report to University of Tokyo, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences – IPADS (DI Code: C351).
・If you want to use your Duolingo score, please confirm the criteria (in the link for English proficiency) first. If you are eligible to use your Duolingo score, please prepare an official letter proofing English as solo instruction/official language in your study/work place, with a hand-written signature of the head of the department or equivalent from universities / your supervisor from organization/company. Applicants must arrange to forward the test result electronically to IPADS, the University of Tokyo through duolingo English test system.
・Scholarship or funding source for your study in Tokyo
・Names and affiliations of three referees. (Two recommendation letters should be written by university academics who are familiar with the applicant’s academic achievement such as supervisor for the Bachelor’s/Master’s thesis and the third one should be written by applicant’s supervisor at current or previous workplace
・Disciplines of interest
・Essay in word or PDF format ＊
“What do you want to study and achieve through the IPADS? How would you like to contribute to the society after graduation?” (800-1000 words)
IMPORTANT: Your essay should be written based on your academic background and your past or current professional experience and achievement in the field of development.
Documents to be submitted by shortlisted applicants
Detailed instructions on the additional documents to be submitted will be given to those who pass the pre-screening and become shortlisted.
The brief information on the documents are:
・Application form with face photo and signature
・Research work conducted by the applicant, such as a Bachelor’s thesis, Honor’s thesis or equivalent (graduates of Bachelor’s programs with no research component are required to submit essay assignments undertaken for a university course, original essays on agricultural development or any other academic report as a substitute for their thesis)
・Proof of citizenship (Passport copy)
・Three letters of recommendation from three referees nominated at online application (Two from academia and one from your supervisor at your current or previous work place)
・Proof of Examination Fee payment (the details regarding Examination Fee will be sent out at the time of shortlisting)
NOTE: Applicants are strongly advised to prepare them well in advance of the deadline, prior to the announcement of the shortlist if necessary, as late submissions will not be accepted.
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Who is Eligible to Apply for JJWBGSP? (The information below come from this website)
According to the World Bank website as of September 8, 2024, followings are the eligibility criteria;
- Be a national of a World Bank member developing country on this list;
- Not hold dual citizenship of any developed country;
- Be in good health;
- Hold a Bachelor’s (or equivalent) degree earned at least 3 years prior to the Application Deadline date;
- Be employed in development-related work in a paid full- time position at the time of submitting the scholarship application. Have at least 3 years of paid development-related employment since earning a Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent university degree) and acquired within the past 6 years from the date of the Application Deadline. Please see FAQs on how to count qualified part time employment toward this 3-year requirement. Please see Annex 2 of the Application Guidelines for a suggested list of development-related topics. The only exception to this criterion is for developing country nationals from a country that is on the list of Fragile and Conflict States featured in Annex 3 of the Application Guidelines. In such cases, we do take into consideration the limited employment opportunities in those countries.
- On or before the Scholarship Application Deadline date, 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 of the applicant’s country of citizenship and country of residence listed at the time the call for scholarship applications opens. The letter of admission must be uploaded before submitting your application. For details, see “How to Apply”.
- Not be an Executive Director, his/her alternate, and/or staff of any type of appointment of the World Bank Group 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.
- Individuals who have previously been offered a JJ/WBGSP scholarship but declined it, or have previously received a JJ/WBGSP scholarship but did not graduate, are not eligible to apply again.