StudyDesk Scholarships
About the scholarship
The Asian Development Bank–Japan Scholarship Program (ADB-JSP), financed by the Government of Japan through the Asian Development Bank, funds postgraduate study at 27 partner institutions across Asia and the Pacific. The National University of Singapore (NUS) is the programme’s Singapore partner institution, listed in ADB’s official ADB-JSP brochure.
There is no branded “NUS ADB Scholarship 2026” with its own cycle — this is the standing ADB-JSP, open every year and administered per institution. A “2026” NUS intake would have been the July/August 2026 round, whose window has closed; the live window is the 2027 intake. Multiple independent guides point to the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy’s Master in Public Policy as the NUS ADB-JSP track, though the ADB brochure itself does not publish per-institution approved programme lists.
Eligibility
- Citizen of an ADB borrowing member country eligible for Japanese ODA scholarships (a developing member country); not a dual citizen of a developed country.
- Gained admission to an approved master’s course at the designated institution.
- Bachelor’s degree or equivalent with a superior academic record.
- At least 2 years of full-time professional work experience after the degree.
- English proficiency and good health.
- No more than 35 years old at the time of application.
- Agree to return and work in the home country for at least 2 years after completing the studies.
Benefits
- Full tuition fees.
- Monthly subsistence allowance including housing.
- Books and instructional-materials allowance.
- Medical insurance.
- Travel expenses — economy-class return airfare between the home country and the institution.
- A special thesis-preparation grant may be available for research scholars.
- Note what it does not cover: family expenses, extra-curricular courses, additional travel during the course, or computers/equipment.
Documents required
- Completed institution + ADB-JSP application forms.
- Latest income-tax return or salary certification, plus certification of family income (parents’ income).
- Standard admission documents per the institution: transcripts, CV, English test proof, recommendation letters, work-experience certificates.
How to apply
- Apply for admission to NUSApply to the relevant NUS programme (third-party guides point to the Lee Kuan Yew MPP) and indicate interest in the ADB-JSP.
- Submit the ADB-JSP formsSend the completed institution forms, the ADB-JSP application form and all required documents to the university.
- Institution shortlistingNUS evaluates and ranks its ADB-JSP applicants; ADB gives priority to the order the institution proposes.
- Final selectionADB selects the scholars in consultation with the Government of Japan and informs the institution, which notifies the scholars. Until the institution confirms your award, treat nothing as final — ADB’s own guidance says not to act on employment or travel plans before then.
FAQs
No. ADB instructs applicants to apply through the partner institution at least six months before the intended intake; each institution sets its own date. For the LKY MPP, guides cite 15 December — confirm it on NUS’s own admissions page.
Multiple independent guides list it as the NUS ADB-JSP track, but the official ADB brochure names only “National University of Singapore” and does not publish per-institution approved programme lists — treat the track designation as third-party consensus.
No more than 35 years old at the time of application.
Yes — scholars agree to return and work in their home country for at least 2 years after completing their studies.
No — family expenses are not covered, and the ADB-JSP is master’s-level only, not PhD.
Verified 21 Oct 2026 via the official ADB–Japan Scholarship Program brochure (adb.org, Publication Stock No. ARM250108-2: NUS as Singapore partner institution, award coverage, eligibility, documents, institution-route application, final selection by ADB) + two agreeing third-party guides for the 15 December LKY MPP figure and the LKY MPP track designation — both flagged as not published in the official notification. Subsistence amounts for the NUS track are not published — Japan-track figures deliberately excluded.
