Head-to-Head Comparison
Five scholarships that serve overlapping but distinct applicant profiles. The differences matter more than the similarities.
| Factor | ADB-JSP | MEXT | JJ/WBGSP | Chevening | Commonwealth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Funder | Japan (via ADB) | Japan | Japan + World Bank | UK (FCO) | UK (FCDO) |
| Degree level | Master's only | Bachelor's, Master's, PhD, research | Master's only | Master's only | Master's, PhD |
| Who can apply | 38 ADB developing member countries | Almost all nationalities | 78 developing countries + Japan | ~160 countries (excl. UK, USA, Australia) | Commonwealth countries |
| Work experience | Required: 2+ years | Not required (most routes) | Required: 3+ years | Required: 2+ years | Varies by award type |
| Age limit | 35 (45 in special cases) | None (most routes) | 45 | None stated | None stated |
| Study location | 27 inst. across 9 countries (incl. Japan) | Japan only | 44 programs globally (not home country) | UK only | Typically UK |
| Monthly stipend (est.) | JPY 147K (~USD 1,000) in Japan | JPY 143K (~USD 950) | Varies, not published | GBP 1,516/month (~USD 1,900) | GBP 1,236/month (approx.) |
| Annual awards | ~130–140 | ~10,000+ (many routes) | ~200 | ~1,800 | ~800 |
| Residence required | Yes — must be in home country | No | Yes — must be in home country | No formal rule | No formal rule |
| Income criteria | Yes — <USD 25K individual, <USD 50K family preferred | No | No stated threshold | No | No |
| Return obligation | Yes — signed commitment, 2 years | No formal obligation | Yes — signed commitment | Encouraged but not legally binding | Encouraged but not legally binding |
| ADB employment ban | Yes — 2 years post-scholarship | None | Yes — 2 years post-scholarship | None | None |
| Interview | Usually no (some institutions) | Depends on route | No | Yes — mandatory | No formal interview |
Which Scholarship Fits Which Profile
Choose ADB-JSP if:
- →You're based in your home country in Asia-Pacific and have 2–5 years of professional work in a development-related field
- →You want to study in Japan or at a top institution in Asia (Singapore, Thailand, Philippines) rather than the UK
- →Your income falls below the USD 25,000 threshold (this actively helps your application)
- →You are a female applicant (explicit preference — a real advantage)
- →You genuinely plan to return to your home country and are comfortable with a signed legal commitment to do so
- →Your field of study aligns with environmental management, public policy, international development, engineering, or health
Choose MEXT instead if:
- →You're a recent graduate without 2 years of work experience yet — MEXT has no work experience requirement
- →You want to study in Japan specifically and your priority is Japanese language study or immersion
- →You want a PhD rather than a master's — MEXT fully funds doctoral programs
- →You're based abroad but are a citizen of a country with a MEXT bilateral agreement — MEXT doesn't require home country residence
Note: Many ADB-JSP scholars who were first rejected applied to MEXT while strengthening their profile for a subsequent ADB-JSP application.
Choose JJ/WBGSP instead if:
- →You have 3+ years of development work — JJ/WBGSP's work requirement is higher but so is the prestige of the World Bank association
- →You want to study in Europe, North America, or Australia rather than Asia
- →You're from a country outside ADB's 38-country list but inside the JJ/WBGSP's 78-country eligible list
- →You're currently working abroad — JJ/WBGSP has a residency restriction but applies it differently
Choose Chevening instead if:
- →You want to study in the UK and have strong English language skills and leadership experience
- →You are comfortable with — and good at — interview performance, since Chevening requires a mandatory interview
- →Your work is more oriented toward leadership, policy influence, or journalism than technical development fields
- →You want a scholarship with a strong alumni networking emphasis — Chevening's alumni community is one of the most active globally
Can you apply to ADB-JSP and another scholarship at the same time?
Yes — applying to multiple scholarships in the same cycle is common and not prohibited by ADB-JSP. Chevening and Commonwealth explicitly state that simultaneous scholarship applications are allowed. MEXT applications go through a separate government channel and don't conflict with ADB-JSP timing.
The practical constraint is that you're applying to universities at the same time, which multiplies the document preparation workload. Most successful applicants who pursued multiple scholarships in one cycle applied to 2 scholarships at most — beyond that, application quality tends to drop.
If you receive multiple offers, you can accept only one. Declining an ADB-JSP offer after accepting it is not the same as declining before — check the terms of each acceptance letter carefully.