Japan-IMF Scholarship Program for Asia (JISPA) - PhD Track

Japan-IMF Master’s, PhD Degree Deadline: 1 Jun 2027 (PhD Track); Master’s Track closed 20 Oct 2026 Study in: Japan PhD starts Sept/Oct 2027 or April 2028 Brief description: The Japan-IMF Scholarship Program for Asia (JISPA) is funded by the Government of Japan and run by the IMF Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific. It helps young government officials from emerging and developing economies in Asia and the Pacific to take a graduate degree in economics or public policy in Japan, so that they can contribute to economic policymaking in their home countries. JISPA has two tracks. The Master’s Track, the main part of the programme, funds a specially designed Master’s degree at one of four IMF partner universities in Japan, together with an Orientation Program before the course starts. The PhD Track funds doctoral study in economics or a related field at any accredited university in Japan. Host Institution(s): Master’s Track partner universities: • National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS): Macroeconomic Policy Program, with a one-year Master of Public Policy or Master of Public Economics, or a two-year Master of Arts in Public Economics • Hitotsubashi University: Asian Public Policy Program, two-year Master of Public Policy (Public Economics) • International University of Japan: Macroeconomic Policy Program, two-year Master of Arts in Economics • The University of Tokyo: Master of Public Policy, International Program (two years) PhD Track: any accredited university in Japan. Field of study: Economics and public policy, with a focus on macroeconomic policy, finance and development. Number of Awards: About 35 new Master’s Track scholarships each year, and a small number of PhD Track scholarships. Target group: Government officials who are nationals of Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Lao P.D.R., Malaysia, the Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal, the Pacific Island countries, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Vietnam. Scholarship value/inclusions: The scholarship covers: • admission and tuition fees; • a monthly stipend; • an allowance for one round-trip economy airfare; • for the Master’s Track, Orientation Program fees, a pre-arrival allowance for visa fees and a medical exam, and fees for field trips arranged by the university; • for the PhD Track, research-related fees. The partner universities also help Master’s Track scholars with visas, dormitories and insurance. The scholarship covers the scholar only, not accompanying family members, and scholars may not hold another scholarship at the same time. Eligibility: To be considered, applicants must: • be a national of one of the eligible countries; • be employed and nominated by a central bank, a ministry of economy, finance, planning/development or trade/commerce, a tax administration, a national statistics bureau, a financial regulatory agency or a similar government agency; • hold a Bachelor’s degree with at least 16 years of formal education (Master’s Track), or a Master’s degree with at least 17 years of formal education (PhD Track); • be fluent in English, for example with a TOEFL iBT score of 79-80 or an IELTS overall score of 6.0 (candidates from India, the Philippines and some Pacific Island countries do not need to submit a test score for the Master’s Track); • be committed to returning to their agency after their studies to contribute to their country’s development. Priority is given to applicants with at least two years of work experience in the public sector who are under 36 years old and do not already have a Master’s degree from outside their own country (Master’s Track), or who are under 38 years old (PhD Track). PhD Track applicants must secure admission to a graduate programme in Japan themselves. Application instructions: Applications are currently closed. PhD Track: the application window is 1 May to 1 June 2027 (23:59 Japan time), for admission in September/October 2027 or April 2028. The application guidelines for 2027-28 will be posted by early March 2027. Master’s Track: applications are made online. The window for 2027-28 entry ran from 15 September to 20 October 2026, so the next chance is the round for 2028-29 entry. It is important to visit the official website (link found below) for the application guidelines and detailed information on how to apply for this scholarship. Website: Official Scholarship Website: https://www.imf.org/en/countries/resrep/oap-home/jispa-home The post Japan-IMF Scholarship Program for Asia (JISPA) first appeared on Scholars4DeV.