Japan-IMF Scholarship Program for ASIA 2011-2012

The Japan-IMF Scholarship Program for Asia (JISPA) was first introduced in 1993. It is funded by the Government of Japan, administered by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and conducted at various graduate schools in Japan. Its objective is to contribute to institutional capacity building in economic policymaking to promote the sustainable growth of emerging and developing economies in Asia and the Pacific. By training future macroeconomic managers in these countries, the JISPA aims to enable them to better formulate sound economic and financial stability policies needed for sustainable growth and development.

Currently, the JISPA is open to qualified candidates from the following countries:

Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Lao P.D.R., Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pacific Island Countries, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam.

The program comprises two tracks: the partnership track and the open track. Because of the strong competition for scholarships, the JISPA is highly selective. In 2011-2012, a total of 35-40 new scholarships are available to candidates for the partnership track. There is no fixed limit on new scholarships for the open track, but generally only a small number of scholarships are awarded.

Fields of Study

Macroeconomic and Financial Management

Eligibility

i) Target countries: Under current program guidelines, candidates must be a national of one of the following countries:

Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Lao P.D.R., Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pacific Island Countries, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam.

ii) Work: Candidates should also currently work for employment from one of the following or related government agencies:

central bank, ministry of economy, ministry of finance, ministry of planning/development, ministry of trade/commerce, tax administration, national statistics bureau, or financial regulatory agencies. The program will also consider officials working in other areas of government that have a significant impact on the formulation or implementation of macroeconomic policy.

iii)Education background: Candidates must have a Bachelor’s degree or an equivalent with at least 16 years of formal education. Names of schools and attending dates beginning from primary school must be listed in the application. In some cases, 15 years of formal education may be accepted if there is an official explanation (a country’s particular educational system or other exceptional circumstances).

iv) English proficiency: Applicants must have an English language proficiency, which needs to be demonstrated as equivalent to or more than an official TOEFL score of 550, CBT213, or iBT79-80. If TOEFL scores are not available, then an overall IELTS score of at least 6.0 can be substituted.

Value of Scholarship

The scholarship covers tuition-related costs and most living expenses for the scholar herself/himself. Officials who receive the JISPA scholarship cannot accept other scholarships. Scholars are expected to devote full time to their studies while in Japan.

Deadline

Partnership track: 10 December 2010

Open track: There is no application deadline. Applications are accepted and reviewed year-round

For more information, please visit

http://www.imf.org/external/oap/jispa.htm