Asian Development Bank, funded by the Government of Japan
ADB-Japan Scholarship Program (ADB-JSP)
A master's scholarship for nationals of ADB's borrowing member countries, including Thailand, in development-related fields such as economics, management, science and technology. You apply to one of the designated institutions, most of them in Japan, and the institution puts you forward to ADB.
Application round
There is no application to ADB itself. You request the ADB-JSP information sheet and forms from your chosen institution and submit everything with your admission application, at least six months before the intake. Each institution has its own deadline: for example Ritsumeikan APU (September intake) closes in January, Tohoku University (October intake) in early January, Keio University's Graduate School of Economics (April intake) in November, and NUS Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (July/August intake) on 15 December.
The IELTS requirement
ADB's own criterion is just "proficiency in oral and written English". What decides it is the admission requirement of the institution you choose, and you need to meet it when you apply, because the scholarship application travels with the admission application. Master's programmes at the designated universities commonly ask for IELTS 6.5 overall (Ritsumeikan APU's graduate schools, for example, ask 6.5 or TOEFL iBT 85), so treat 6.5 as your target and check the exact score of your programme.
Where is your IELTS score now?
Your university sets the IELTS score for this scholarship. Take the free level test to get an estimated band for each skill before you apply.
What it covers
- Full tuition fees
- A monthly subsistence allowance, including housing
- Books and instructional materials, and medical insurance
- Travel expenses, and in some cases a thesis-preparation grant or preparatory courses
- One year of funding, extendable to a second year on satisfactory progress (two years maximum)
Who can apply
- Thai citizen (Thailand is on the list of eligible countries), without dual citizenship of a developed country
- A bachelor's degree with a superior academic record
- At least two years' full-time professional work experience after your degree, at the time of application
- Under 35 at the time of application (older applicants only with an exceptional waiver)
- Living and working in Thailand when you apply, and committed to returning to work in Thailand for at least two years afterwards
- Admitted to an approved master's course at a designated institution; Thai applicants cannot be selected for the two institutions in Thailand (AIT and Thammasat)
- Not an ADB staff member or consultant, or a close relative of one, and not staff of a designated institution
Key facts
- Provider
- Asian Development Bank, funded by the Government of Japan
- Where you study
- Asia
- Study level
- Master's
- Funding
- Fully funded
- Application round
- Open now; the deadline depends on the course or institution (see below)
Already know your score?
Build an IELTS plan for this scholarship
We've preselected 6.5, a typical requirement for this scholarship's courses. Check your own course and press Next to keep it, or choose a different score.
Step 1 of 6
What band do you need?
Your overall IELTS target.
We checked these details against the provider's official page on November 1, 2026. Rules and dates change every round, so confirm them there before you apply.
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