Fully Funded Master’s in Japan| ADB-Japan Scholarship 2027

The ADB-Japan Scholarship Program (ADB-JSP) at Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University (APU) is a fully funded master's award in Japan. The Asian Development Bank runs the program with funding from the Government of Japan, and APU hosts the scholars at its Graduate School of Asia Pacific Studies.

It is open to citizens of eligible developing member countries of the Asian Development Bank who seek a master's in development-related fields. The award covers full admission and tuition fees, a monthly subsistence allowance, books, medical insurance and airfare. The deadline is 5 November 2026. Read the sections below for eligibility, benefits and how to apply.

The ADB-JSP at APU provides comprehensive financial support, including:

• Full admission fee
• Full tuition fees
• JPY 144,000 per month subsistence allowance, including housing, subject to change
• Allowance for books and instructional materials
• Medical insurance
• Economy-class airfare between the scholar's home country and APU at the beginning and end of the program
• Potential research or thesis-related support under applicable ADB-JSP provisions

The ADB's general scholarship information confirms that the program covers full tuition, monthly subsistence and housing support, books and instructional materials, medical insurance and travel expenses.

Is the ADB-JSP at APU Fully Funded?

Yes. The ADB-JSP is a fully funded master's scholarship that covers tuition and provides living, housing, medical insurance, book and travel support.

At APU, the current scholarship information specifically lists full admission and tuition fees, a monthly subsistence allowance of JPY 144,000 including housing, books and instructional materials, medical insurance and economy-class travel between the scholar's home country and APU.

The monthly allowance is subject to change, and applicants should rely on the latest APU and ADB information when preparing their financial plans.

The ADB-JSP supports graduate studies in development-related areas. The broader ADB-JSP program includes fields such as:

• Economics
• Business and management
• Science and technology
• Health
• Education
• Agriculture
• Environment
• Natural resource management
• Development studies
• Public policy
• Other development-related fields

At APU, the scholarship is associated with eligible master's study in the Graduate School of Asia Pacific Studies. Applicants should check the current APU graduate programs and approved ADB-JSP fields before applying.

The ADB-JSP is available to nationals of ADB borrowing member countries that are also eligible for Japanese Official Development Assistance scholarships.

The current ADB eligibility information includes countries and areas such as:

Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kiribati, Kyrgyz Republic, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nauru, Nepal, Niue, Pakistan, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, and Viet Nam.

Applicants should always verify the latest ADB country list because eligibility can change.

To be considered for the ADB-JSP at APU, applicants must generally:

• Be a national of an ADB borrowing member country and a Japanese ODA scholarship-eligible country.
• Not hold dual citizenship of a developed country.
• Have at least two years of full-time professional work experience after obtaining a bachelor's degree.
• Demonstrate sufficient oral and written English proficiency for graduate study.
• Be 35 years old or younger at the time of application.
• Have gained admission to an approved master's course at a designated institution.
• Not already be enrolled in a graduate degree program.
• Hold a bachelor's degree or equivalent with a superior academic record.
• Not be pursuing a second master's degree.
• Not be currently living or working outside their home country.
• Agree to return to their home country after completing the program and work there for at least two years.
• Meet APU's additional scholarship requirements, including the applicable income requirements.

APU additionally states that, in principle, applicants should not have obtained a bachelor's or master's degree outside their home country. Applicants should review the APU-specific requirements carefully because they can be more specific than the general ADB-JSP criteria.

Income Requirements:

APU's current ADB-JSP information states that:

• Applicant's family income should not exceed US$50,000 per year.
• Applicant's individual income should not exceed US$25,000 per year.

Selected scholarship candidates must submit a Certificate of Income as evidence.

This is an APU-specific requirement listed on its current ADB-JSP page, so applicants should check the latest APU instructions before submitting their application.

Work Experience Requirement:

Applicants must have at least two years of full-time professional work experience acquired after completing their bachelor's degree by the time of application.

APU requires evidence of employment. Its current scholarship page states that the Certificate of Employment should be issued on company letterhead or include the company logo, be signed by an authorized person, and state employment dates, position and monthly or annual income.

If the applicant's current job is less than two years, APU asks the applicant to also submit an employment certificate from the previous company.

Step 1: Choose an Eligible APU Master's Program

Review APU's Graduate School of Asia Pacific Studies programs and identify an eligible master's program that matches your academic background and career goals.

Step 2: Check ADB-JSP Eligibility

Confirm that you satisfy the ADB and APU requirements, including nationality, age, work experience, academic background, income and return-home requirements.

Step 3: Prepare Your Application

Prepare the documents required for APU's graduate admission application. These can include academic records, English-language proficiency evidence, personal statements, research or study plans and other program-specific materials.

Step 4: Apply to APU Online

Create an account through the APU Online Application System and submit your graduate admission application. APU's 2027 graduate admissions process is conducted online.

Step 5: Request ADB-JSP Consideration

Within the APU online application, request consideration for the ADB-JSP. You must apply to APU first; the university then selects eligible candidates to recommend to the scholarship organization.

Step 6: Submit Required Employment Evidence

If selected as an ADB-JSP candidate, prepare the required employment and income documents, including the Certificate of Employment and Certificate of Income requested by APU.

Step 7: APU Screening

APU reviews applications and selects suitable candidates to recommend to the ADB-JSP.

Step 8: ADB-JSP Final Selection

Candidates recommended by APU must provide any additional documents requested by the ADB-JSP. The final scholarship decision is made by the ADB-JSP.

Required Documents:

Applicants should prepare the documents required for APU graduate admission and the additional documents required for ADB-JSP consideration.

These may include:

• Bachelor's degree certificate or equivalent

• Academic transcripts

• English-language proficiency evidence

• Personal statement

• Research proposal or study plan, where required

• Letters of recommendation, where required

• Passport or identification documents

• Certificate of Employment

• Employment certificate from a previous employer if the current employment period is less than two years

• Certificate of Income if selected as a scholarship candidate

• Other documents requested by APU or ADB-JSP

APU notes that further scholarship-specific documents may be requested individually from applicants selected as scholarship candidates.

Application Deadline:

The APU page currently lists the ADB-JSP application for September 2026 enrollment and states that applicants can request scholarship consideration within the APU online application and submit by November 5, 2026, or January 8, 2027.

The scholarship page also states that APU selects suitable candidates for recommendation around mid-March and that final ADB-JSP scholarship results are expected around the end of June, although the timing can change.

Because APU's general graduate admissions page now states that applications for 2027 enrollment opened on September 1, 2026, applicants should check the latest APU application schedule and the scholarship page before submitting.

Scholarship Duration:

The initial ADB-JSP scholarship period is one year.

An extension for a second year may be granted depending on the student's academic performance at APU. The ADB's general program information states that the maximum scholarship duration for a master's program is two years.

Return-to-Home-Country Requirement:

ADB-JSP scholars are expected to return to their home country after completing their studies.

Applicants must agree to return and work in their home country for at least two years after completing the program in order to contribute to its socioeconomic development.

This is an important condition of the scholarship and should be considered before applying.

Selection Process:

The ADB-JSP at APU follows a two-level selection process.

First, applicants apply for admission to APU and request consideration for the scholarship. APU reviews eligible applications and selects candidates to recommend to the ADB-JSP.

The ADB-JSP then makes the final scholarship decision from among the candidates recommended by designated institutions.

The broader ADB-JSP selection process considers the candidate's qualifications, institutional ranking, development potential, financial circumstances, diversity and the relevance of the proposed field of study to development priorities.

Participating Institution:

Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University is one of the designated institutions participating in the ADB-JSP.

APU was selected as an ADB designated institution in 2010 and provides the scholarship each year to a small number of eligible Graduate School of Asia Pacific Studies applicants.

Important Points:

Applicants should remember:

• The ADB-JSP at APU is a master's-level scholarship.

• APU is an official ADB-JSP designated institution.

• Applicants must first apply for admission to APU.

• Scholarship consideration is requested within the APU application.

• APU recommends selected candidates to ADB-JSP.

• Final scholarship selection is made by the ADB-JSP.

• The scholarship provides full tuition and admission fee coverage.

• The monthly allowance is currently JPY 144,000 including housing, subject to change.

• Books and instructional materials are covered.

• Medical insurance is included.

• Economy-class travel between the home country and APU is included.

• Applicants generally need at least two years of post-bachelor's full-time work experience.

• The maximum age is generally 35.

• Applicants must meet ADB nationality requirements.

• Applicants must normally be living and working in their home country.

• Applicants cannot already be enrolled in a graduate degree program.

• Applicants cannot pursue a second master's degree under the program.

• APU has additional income requirements.

• Scholars must agree to return to their home country after graduation.

• The initial scholarship period is one year.

• A second year may be granted based on satisfactory academic performance.

• The scholarship is highly competitive and only a limited number of APU applicants are recommended each year.