IMF Postgraduate Scholarship Program
for Asian Government Officials
in Macroeconomics or Realated Field
This program concentrates on graduate-level study in macroeconomics or a related field.
Nationals from any of the following countries are eligible to apply: Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Lao PDR, Mongolia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, and Pacific Island Countries. Nationals of other countries in the region may also be considered on a case-by-case basis. If you are not sure whether you are eligible to apply, please contact the IMF Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (see address below).
Candidates must be nominated by a senior government official from their country’s ministry of finance, economy, central bank, or equivalent agency.
Admission requirements include a bachelor’s degree from a reputable university and an outstanding academic record, appropriate work experience, and proven proficiency in English. Candidates must also pass a mathematics/statistics test, administered to those who have been successful in the initial prescreening stage.
The program offers a full scholarship for one academic year covering cost of tuition, roundtrip airfare (subject to conditions), a monthly stipend to cover housing and subsistence costs, medical insurance, and other scholar expenses.
The partnership trackThere are about 40 scholarships available under the partnership track of the program, held at four partner universities:
Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS)
Hitotsubashi University
International University of Japan
Yokohama National University.
These universities offer a specially tailored course for Japan-IMF scholars in English. Degrees awarded are: Master of Policy Studies, Master of Public Policy, Master of International Development, and Master of Business Administration (Transition Economy Course).
The deadline for partnership track applications is December 14, 2007, for the 2008-2009 academic year. Courses begin in September/October. Applications must include an essay describing what the applicant hopes to gain from the program, a research proposal, and reference letters. For more information, including an application form, see the Japan-IMF Scholarship Program For Asia brochure (1.5MB pdf file). [Note: For technical reasons, online application is currently unavailable. Therefore, applicants are encouraged to submit a print application.]
The open trackThe open track of the program is available to candidates who have already been accepted to a graduate-level program in macroeconomics or a related field at any leading university in Japan. The program can be either in English or Japanese, but must include a thesis component. Doctoral candidates may also be considered.
There is no fixed limit on new scholarships for the open track, but they are generally a small number. Applications are reviewed and awarded on a rolling basis throughout the year. So while there is no specific application deadline, applicants should apply as early in the calendar year as possible, when there are still scholarships available. Applications must be submitted together with a letter of admission from the university. In Japan, the academic year usually starts in April.
For further information on the Japan program and to obtain an application, contact the IMF resident representative offices in the relevant countries,
or contact:
Scholarship ProgramIMF Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific
21 Fl., Fukoku-Seimei Building
2-2-2 Uchisaiwai-cho
Chiyoda-ku,
Tokyo 100-0011JAPANTel.: +81 3 3597-6708Fax: +81 3 3597-6705
e-mail: jisais@imf.org
website: http://www.imf.org/
