1. What is the Asian Development Bank – Japan Scholarship Program (ADB-JSP)
ADB-JSP, financed by the Government of Japan and organized by the Asian Development Bank, aims to provide an opportunity citizens of ADB’s developing member countries to pursue postgraduate studies. The Division of Environmental Studies which is consisted of six departments, and the Graduate Program in Sustainability Science at the Graduate School of Frontier Sciences (GSFS) have been designated by ADB to receive allocation with the ADB-JSP scholarship since 2000. The following departments are accepting ADB-JSP students.
- Department of Natural Environmental Studies
- Department of Ocean Technology, Policy, and Environment
- Department of Environment Systems
- Department of Human and Engineered Environmental Studies
- Department of Socio-Cultual Environment Studies
You will be conferred a Master of Environmental Studies if you finish a master course at any of the above mentioned departments. - Department of International Studies
You will be conferred a Master of International Studies if you finish a master course at the Department of International Studies. - Graduate Program in Sustainability Science – Global Leadership Initiative
You will be conferred a Master of Sustainability Science if you finish a master course at the Graduate Program in Sustainability Science
2. Eligibility
2-1 Designated eligibility by ADB-JSP
If you are interested in ADB-JSP, please check your eligibility first at the ADB-JSP website.
2-2 Designated eligibility by GSFS
Applicants for a master course must hold a bachelor degree from an accredited educational institution comparable to a bachelor degree offered at the University of Tokyo.
Note that ADB-JSP provides their scholarships only for students pursuing a master’s degree.
3. Application procedures
| Step 1 | Check your eligibility set by ADB-JSP https://www.adb.org/work-with-us/careers/japan-scholarship-program |
|---|---|
| Step 2 | Search for faculty members who you wish to be supervised To search for a supervisor, you check the relevant department website, or GSFS website. https://www.k.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/gsfs/faculty/ |
| Step 3 | Upload application materials to a designated URL (December 10) |
| Step 4 | Only successful candidates will be required to submit documents for ADB scholarship application (Mid February). GSFS will nominate successful candidates who have submitted all the required documents to ADB (last March). |
| Step 5 | ADB-JSP notifies us of the selection result (May) |
| Step 6 | Procedures on admission and immigration (May to September) |
| Step 7 | Enter Japan with a student visa and enroll in GSFS (late September) . The autumn semester starts on October 1 |
5. FAQs
- I am over 35 years old. Has your institution been designated by ADB to accept seniors who are over 35 years old?
- No. GSFS is not allowed to recommend any candidates who are over 35 years old to ADB.
- I would like to enroll in a doctoral course. May I apply for ADB-JSP?
- No. ADB-JSP has decided not to provide their scholarships to doctoral course students. If you would like to pursue a Ph. D. degree, we recommend you apply for a MEXT scholarship of Embassy Recommendation. The first contact is the Japanese Embassy in your country.
- Does the ADB-JSP also cover my dependents?
- No. The ADB-JSP scholarship covers the scholar only.
- Should I contact ADB-JSP directly and send a set of application forms?
- No. ADB-JSP accepts applications from the designated institutions only.
- I worked as a research assistant and get paid by my professor while studying my undergraduate course. Can I include it as an “Professional experience” required by ADB-JSP?
- No. Professional experience must be what you did after you graduated from the undergraduate program. And the work you did must be related to the field you studied in your undergraduate program.
- What are the lectures that are taught in English?
- Lectures that GSFS offer in English can be referred to at the following link.
https://www.k.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/campuslife/kougi/
Departments sometimes allow you to take courses outside your department program that may be applied as a part of the required units to satisfy the graduation requirements of your program. Please refer to “COURSE REGISTRATION AND OTHER PROCEDURES” on the above link. - Do I have to obtain an agreement about my application from a GSFS professor prior to my application?
- No, but we strongly suggest you contact the GSFS researcher whom you would like to be supervised under to discuss your research plan and obtain an official agreement for application. Choosing a supervisor is very important because writing a master’s thesis is mandatory to complete your master’s program.
