JICA Knowledge Co-Creation and JDS Scholarships
The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) sponsors a number of scholarships, sometimes with an accompanying follow-up internship after graduation, for those interested in pursuing higher studies in Japan. The information on this page describes JICA's Knowledge Co-Creation Program (Long-Term; comprised of the African Business Education Initiative for Youth ("ABE Initiative"), SDGs Global Leaders Course, and the Long-term Career Development Program for Myanmar Private Sector, as well as JICA's Project for Human Resource Development Scholarship (JDS). This page also describes the Ritsumeikan University admissions procedures which prospective applicants should follow if they wish to enroll via any of these scholarship programs. For information on other JICA scholarships available at Ritsumeikan, please see our Other Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Scholarships page.
Jump to:
- About Each Scholarship
- Basic Eligibility Criteria
- Overall Scholarship Application and University Admissions Schedule
- ABE Initiative for Youth; SDGs Global Leaders Course; Long-term Career Development Program for Myanmar Private Sector; and JDS Admissions
About Each JICA Knowledge Co-Creation Program Scholarship
African Business Education Initiative for Youth
The ABE Initiative is a program offered for young Africans in both the public and private sectors with the goal of developing human resources to support the development of the private sector in Africa, and to promote cooperation and collaboration with Japan and Japan's private sector. The program supports participants by sponsoring their enrollment in a Master's degree program at a high level Japanese university followed by a possible 6 month internship at a Japanese organization. For further specific details and for information about the scholarship’s objectives, benefits, eligibility criteria and conditions, and to learn about how to apply for this excellent opportunity, please refer to JICA’s ABE Initiative homepage.
About the SDGs Global Leaders Course
The SDGs Global Leaders Course is a program for government employees, university professors, etc... from the countries of ASEAN, Oceania, South, East, and Central Asia, South America and Africa. The goal of the program is to raise the potential leaders of the future, and to develop their capacity to assist their countries in meeting their Sustainable Development Goals by allowing participants to earn either a Master's or Doctoral degree at a high-level Japanese university. Further details can be found on JICA's webpage by navigating to the individual homepage for your country from the link below.
JICA Countries and Regions Homepage: https://www.jica.go.jp/english/countries/index.html
About the Long-term Career Development Program for Myanmar Private Sector
The Long-term Career Development Program for Myanmar Private Sector is a program for private sector employees, etc. from Myanmar meant to help promising young individuals to earn a Master's Degree, contributing to their own personal growth and beyond.
About the Project for Human Resource Development Scholarship (JDS)
The Project for Human Resource Development Scholarship (JDS) is a scholarship geared towards highly skilled young professionals (mainly government officials) of countries receiving Japanese Grant Aid who are expected to become future leaders formulating and implementing social and economic development initiatives in their home countries. More detailed information can be found on the official JDS homepage at the link below.
Project for Human Resource Development Scholarship (JDS): https://jds-scholarship.org/
Basic Eligibility Criteria
Regardless of scholarship program, all applicants must:
- In general, have sufficient English language ability to complete graduate study in English (CEFR B2 level or greater).
- In general, be under 40 years of age as of April 1st of the year of scholarship application.
- Meet all other eligibility requirements as designated by JICA and the JICA Regional Office responsible for your region.
Overall Scholarship Application and University Admissions Schedule
To apply for admission to the university via any of these scholarships, prospective students must first apply to the local JICA Regional Office responsible for their country or region for scholarship, and subsequentially pass JICA's initial screening rounds. Afterwards, those recommended by JICA who meet the criteria in our application guidelines (posted further down this page) may submit an application for enrollment to the university.
Timeframe | Activity | |||||||||
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Aug- Sep | Prospective students apply to the JICA Regional Office responsible for their country/region for scholarship. | |||||||||
Sep - Oct | First Selection at JICA Regional Office (document screening). Those who pass will be allowed to move to the next stage. | |||||||||
Oct - Nov | Second Selection at JICA Regional Office (interview screening). Those who pass will be allowed to move to the next stage. | |||||||||
Dec - Jan | Third Selection. JICA forwards applicants' scholarship application paperwork to their top 3 preferred universities for informal admissions decisions, and to match applicants with supervisors. If Ritsumeikan was included as one of your 3 preferences, the university will then reply to JICA with an informal Yes or No admissions decision for you. | |||||||||
Jan - Feb | JICA notifies applicants of whether they passed the Third Selection and of the informal Yes No admissions decisions from their 3 preferred universities. | |||||||||
Apr - May | Fourth Selection (Final Selection) - formal university admissions. If RU gave you an informal Yes decision during the Third Selection, you may now formally apply for admission to the university via the procedures described in the guidelines further down this page. | |||||||||
Jun | Admissions results are finalized, and RU will forward them to JICA. Applicants will not receive a separate notification from RU regarding their results. | |||||||||
Jun - Jul | JICA will notify applicants of their official scholarship award results, and university placement for those successful. | |||||||||
Sep 26 | The Fall Semester begins at RU and successful scholars placed with us begin their formal studies. |
Project for Human Resource Development Scholarship (JDS) Admissions for International Relations' Doctoral Program applicants from Vietnam
JDS Vietnam application information will be released at a later date.
Project for Human Resource Development Scholarship (JDS) Admissions for International Relations' Master's Program applicants from Vietnam
JDS Vietnam application information will be released at a later date.
JICA Knowledge Co-Creation Program (Long-Term) Scholarships (African Business Education (ABE) Initiative for Youth; SDGs Global Leaders Course; Long-term Career Development Program for Myanmar Private Sector, the Project for Human Resource Development Scholarship (JDS)
Application Deadline: Thursday, May 8, 2025
1. Application Guidelines and Forms
Fill follow the directions in the application guidelines below in order to apply for JICA ABE, SDGs, Long-term Career Development Program for Myanmar Private Sector, or Project for Human Resource Development Scholarship (JDS) sponsored admissions. A link to the online application form can be found within the application guidelines themselves.
- Application Guidelines
- Please review our Researcher Database to assist with finding potential research supervisors.
- For more information about the Japan International Cooperation Agency, please visit their home page: https://www.jica.go.jp/english/index.html
- For more information about our English and Japanese language graduate programs, please see our admissions page: https://en.ritsumei.ac.jp/admissions/
- For inquiries, please contact the International Center at BKC:
cger-bkc@st.ritsumei.ac.jp
*Your JICA Regional Office may be willing to post your application to the university on your behalf. If interested, contact them directly for details.
3. Deadline
Application Deadline: Thursday, May 8, 2025
Additional Supporting Information
Other Scholarship Opportunities
- MEXT Scholarship: University Recommendation
- MEXT Scholarship: Embassy Recommendation
- Asian Development Bank - Japan Scholarship Program
- Japan-IMF Scholarship Program for Asia
- China Scholarship Council
- JICA ABE Initiative and SDGs Global Leaders Course Scholarships
- Other Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Scholarships