StudyDesk Scholarships
About the scholarship
The Asian Development Bank–Japan Scholarship Program (ADB-JSP) funds postgraduate study for citizens of ADB borrowing member countries, and Keio University — Japan's oldest private university, based in Tokyo — is one of its designated host institutions. The award is aimed squarely at working professionals: it wants people with a degree, a strong academic record, and at least two years of full-time professional experience, who will return home after the master's and put the training to work for their country's development. Four Keio graduate schools take ADB-JSP scholars: Science and Technology, Economics, System Design and Management, and Business and Commerce.
How the route works: you do not apply for the scholarship as a standalone award. You apply for admission to a Keio master's programme in one of the eligible schools during the application window (roughly September–November), and admitted candidates are considered for the ADB-JSP nomination through the admission process. An application fee applies to the admission application and cannot be waived.
Eligibility
- A national of an ADB borrowing member country (nationals of countries that no longer borrow from ADB are not eligible).
- A bachelor’s degree or equivalent with an outstanding academic record.
- At least 2 years of full-time professional working experience acquired after the university degree.
- Proficiency in oral and written English — mandatory.
- No more than 35 years old at the time of application.
- In good health, and willing to return to the home country after completing studies and contribute to its development.
- Excluded: ADB executive directors, alternate directors, management and staff, consultants and their relatives; applicants living or working outside their home country (applicants from another ADB developing member country may still be considered).
- The scholarship does not sponsor undergraduate study, distance learning, short-term training, conferences, seminars, thesis writing or research projects.
Benefits
- Full remission of tuition fees for the programme.
- Full remission of the admission/entrance fee.
- Monthly stipend at the Japanese Government Scholarship rate, plus allowances for study materials and research.
- Health insurance.
- Round-trip economy-class airfare between the home country and Japan.
Documents required
The list below is the standard set cited consistently across the published guides for this award — confirm the current checklist on Keio's admissions pages before uploading.
- Online application form (Keio graduate admission)
- Academic transcripts
- Degree certificate
- Up-to-date CV/resume
- Two recommendation letters
- Valid passport or ID
- Proof of professional work experience
- English-language documentation where required; ADB-JSP application form where applicable
How to apply
- Choose one of the four eligible Keio graduate schoolsand check its programme page for the 2027 admission guide.
- Submit the Keio graduate admission application onlineduring the application window (published guides place the 2027-intake closing date at 1 November 2026). There is an application fee that cannot be waived.
- Signal your ADB-JSP interestthrough the admission process — admitted candidates are the pool from which scholars are nominated.
- Prepare the return-home narrative early: the programme's development mission means your post-study contribution plan matters; generic study plans undersell the application.
FAQs
No standalone route is published. You apply for admission to Keio's graduate programme first, and scholarship consideration runs through the admission process — admitted candidates form the nomination pool.
Published guides describe it as a monthly allowance at the Japanese Government Scholarship rate. No exact yen figure was confirmed in two verified sources for this cycle, so none is quoted here — check Keio's current admissions pages.
The official eligibility caps applicants at 35 years old at the time of application. Above that, this award is closed to you.
No — applicants living or working outside their home country are not eligible, though applications from another ADB developing member country may be considered.
Verified 17 Oct 2026 via the official Keio University ADB-JSP page (full eligibility list: ADB borrowing-country national, bachelor’s + outstanding record, ≥2 yrs post-degree experience, English mandatory, ≤35, good health, return-home commitment, ADB-staff exclusion) and multiple independent guides on the 1 Nov 2026 closing date, the four eligible graduate schools and the benefit package. The exact yen stipend figure is one-source only and is not quoted.
