Students from developing countries as well as other eligible countries who wish to undertake Masters or PhD programs at The National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS) for AY 2020-2021 may apply to one of several scholarships or fellowships allocated to GRIPS by various sponsoring organizations.
The scholarship and fellowship programs available through direct application to GRIPS are The Japanese Government Scholarship (MEXT), Asian Development Bank-Japan Scholarship Program (ADB-JSP), Joint Japan/World Bank Graduate Scholarship Program (JJ/WBGSP), Japan–WCO Human Resource Development Program Scholarship, G-cube Fellowship, GRIPS Fellowship, and the ICHARM Research Assistantship.
The scholarships available when applying through a sponsoring organization are the Japanese Government-YLP-MEXT Scholarship, Japan-IMF Scholarship Program for Asia, Indonesian Government Scholarship for Linkage Master’s Program, JICA/Building Research Institute (BRI), JICA/Public Works Research Institute (PWRI), and Japan International Cooperation Agency.
Course level: Master’s and Doctoral
Fields of study: Public Policy, Public Finance, Macroeconomic Policy, Economics, Planning and Public Policy, Disaster Management Policy, Maritime Safety and Security Policy, Japanese Culture
Institution and country: The National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS), Japan
Sponsor: Various organizations and institutions
Scholarship inclusions:
- Full tuition fees
- Monthly stipend for living expenses such as food, clothing, and other daily expenses, as well as accommodation, transportation, medical treatment, insurance, and various miscellaneous expenses
- Application fee
- Admission fee
- Economy-class air tickets between the home country and Japan upon enrollment and upon completion of studies
Over 90% of GRIPS students receive full scholarships. Allowances and rules differ slightly for each scholarship. For further details, see the 2020 GRIPS Scholarship Summary Page.
Eligibility criteria for the GRIPS Japanese Government Scholarships:
The scholarship sponsors impose varying eligibility requirements. But generally, GRIPS targets students who are mid-career public officials with strong leadership and managerial potential as well as individuals with strong academic capabilities who desire to be professional policy analysts or to pursue an academic career.
Candidates applying for Masters Programs and 5-year Ph.D. Programs must possess a Bachelor’s degree or its equivalent. Candidates applying for a 3-year Ph.D. Programs must possess a Master’s degree or its equivalent. See the 2021 GRIPS Scholarship Summary Page for eligibility criteria for each scholarship.
Application deadline and procedure:
For candidates who wish to be considered for a scholarship who are residing outside Japan, the application deadlines for those applying directly to GRIPS are:
- 27 November 2020 for the 1-year Masters in Program of Public Policy (MP1); the 2-year Master’s Program of Public Policy (MP2);
- 13 January 2021 for the PhD programs in Policy Analysis (PA), GRIPS Global Governance (G-cube), Security and International Studies Program (SISP), and Science, Technology and Innovation Policy Program (STI); and the Masters in Economics, Planning, and Public Policy Program (EPP);
- 26 February 2021 for the Masters in Public Finance Program (PF)
For those applying through sponsoring organizations (JICA, IMF, or Japanese embassies), the deadlines vary and applicants have to contact these organizations.
It is important to visit the official website (link found below) for detailed information on how to apply for this scholarship.
Other useful links:
The National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS) Scholarships
