Nationality — the 78 Eligible Countries
You must be a national of one of the 78 eligible World Bank member developing countries listed below. Not all developing countries qualify — only these 78 specifically. No dual citizenship with a developed country is permitted. The burden is on the applicant to self-assess — the Secretariat will not make individual eligibility determinations.
78 Eligible Countries
Important: Always verify the current official list on the World Bank JJ/WBGSP website before applying — the list of eligible countries can change between cycles.
Work Experience — the Most Important Requirement
This is where most applicants either qualify or don't. Read each sub-requirement carefully — they are cumulative, not interchangeable.
The Three-Year Minimum
You must have at least 3 years of paid, development-related employment. This work must have been earned within the past 6 years — work from more than 6 years ago does not count toward the total.
Part-time work can contribute to the 3-year total under certain conditions. But this is assessed case-by-case. If significant portions of your experience are part-time, contact the Secretariat directly for clarification.
Currently Employed — Not Formerly
You must be currently employed full-time in development work at the time you submit the scholarship application. People who resigned their jobs to apply are not eligible.
This is a meaningful constraint. If you're considering leaving your job to focus on applications and studying full-time before you have an offer — don't. You'll disqualify yourself.
What Counts as "Development-Related"
The official guidelines reference an Annex 2 with the full list. The categories that clearly qualify include:
Academic Background
Bachelor's Degree Requirement
You must hold a bachelor's degree that was earned at least 3 years before the application deadline. This is a separate requirement from the work experience — don't conflate them.
For Window 1 (deadline expected late February 2027 — official dates not yet published): your bachelor's must have been conferred roughly three years before the deadline (e.g., by late February 2024 or earlier). For Window 2 (deadline expected late May 2027 — to be confirmed): by roughly late May 2024 or earlier. Confirm the exact cutoffs against the official guidelines once the 2027 cycle opens.
No GRE/GMAT Required
The JJ/WBGSP itself does not require standardized test scores. Individual participating universities may require them as part of the university admission process — but that's separate from the scholarship criteria.
Academic background is assessed contextually, relative to the educational system of your home country.
University Admission — Secured Before Applying
You must hold unconditional admission to one of the 44 participating JJ/WBGSP programs before you can submit the scholarship application. "Unconditional" means admission offered regardless of funding — some universities offer a letter that explicitly states "admission conditional on funding secured," and this does qualify. What doesn't qualify: being on a waitlist, having only a conditional offer tied to academic results you haven't yet received, or having applied but not yet received a decision.
The Location Rule
The program must be located outside your country of citizenship AND outside your current country of residence. Both conditions apply simultaneously. A Nigerian national currently living in Nigeria applying to a UK program — fine. A Nigerian national currently living in the UK applying to a UK program — not eligible. A Nigerian national currently living in the UK applying to a Dutch program — fine.
The Residency Trap
If You Live in a Developed Country
This catches diaspora professionals completely off guard. If you currently live and work in a developed country — the UK, Germany, France, the US, Canada, Australia, Japan — you cannot apply for programs located in that country. Even if it's a country with multiple JJ/WBGSP-affiliated universities.
What you can do: apply for eligible programs in other qualifying countries. For example, a Kenyan living in the UK can still apply to programs in the Netherlands, Japan, Italy, the US, etc. But the constraint is real and narrows your program options considerably.
If your plan was to stay near where you currently live while on the scholarship — this program is not structured for that.
Who Is Excluded
These groups are ineligible regardless of how strong their application would otherwise be.
World Bank Group Staff
Anyone currently employed by the World Bank Group — including the IFC and MIGA — is ineligible. This also applies to spouses, domestic partners, and immediate family members (mother, father, sister, half-sister, brother, half-brother, son, daughter). Extended family — cousins, aunts, uncles, in-laws — are not excluded under this rule.
Previous Offer Declines
If you received a JJ/WBGSP scholarship offer in any previous cycle and declined it, you are permanently ineligible. There is no appeal and no exception to this rule. This is stated explicitly in the program guidelines.
Previous Recipients Who Did Not Graduate
If you received the scholarship in a previous cycle but did not complete your degree, you are ineligible to apply again. Successfully completed previous scholars are not excluded from the program in future cycles under a different program — though re-application is uncommon.
Already Enrolled Students
You cannot apply for the scholarship if you have already started the program you're seeking funding for. The scholarship is awarded before enrollment, not as a reimbursement.
Japanese Nationals — Separate Window
Japanese nationals apply through a separate window with different timelines. The core eligibility requirements are similar — bachelor's degree from at least 3 years prior, development-related work experience, commitment to development work — but the application period typically runs February 16 – April 17 (2027 cycle dates to be confirmed — official dates not yet announced), distinct from the two developing-country windows.
Japanese nationals must hold Japanese nationality only — dual citizenship with another developed country disqualifies them. The notification timeline for Japanese nationals differs from the developing-country track.
Quick Eligibility Self-Check
All 8 must be true for you to be eligible. Check as you go.
/8 requirements confirmed. You appear to meet the basic eligibility requirements. Complete all 8 to confirm basic eligibility.
Confirmed you're eligible?
Next: understand the full application process — the two-stage structure that trips up most applicants.
How to Apply →