East-West CenterScholarship

Fully Funded ADB-Japan Master's Scholarship in Hawaii

Dec 01, 2026 23:59:00 Pacific/Honolulu

Opportunity type

Scholarship

Funding

Fully Funded

Location

Global

Deadline

Dec 01, 2026 23:59:00 Pacific/Honolulu

About this opportunity

The East-West Center in Honolulu is one of the partner institutions of the Asian Development Bank and Japan's graduate scholarship for citizens of ADB developing member countries. Scholars take a master's degree in an approved field at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa and join the Center's educational, residential and leadership development programmes, then return home to put the degree to work for their country's development.

What you get:

Full tuition fees
A monthly subsistence allowance, including housing
Books and instructional materials
Medical insurance
Travel expenses
A possible special grant for thesis preparation, for scholars doing research
One year of funding, extendable to a second year of master's study if your performance is satisfactory

What you'll do:

Study for a master's degree at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa in one of the approved fields: Global Business Administration, Economics, Geography, Natural Resources and Environmental Management, Ocean and Resources Engineering, Oceanography, Pacific Island Studies, Public Administration, Sociology, Tropical Plant and Soil Science, or Urban and Regional Planning
Take part in the East-West Center's educational, residential and leadership development programmes
Return to your home country and work there for at least two years after you finish

Key dates:

Applications to the East-West Center close 1 December (ADB's institution list gives the day, not the year; 1 December 2026 for August 2027 entry)
Study starts in August
University of Hawai'i Fall admission decisions usually arrive by late March or early April

More information:

Apply through the East-West Center and the University of Hawai'i, not to ADB. ADB states no separate application to ADB is needed
You must apply for admission to the master's programme at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa, which charges a non-refundable $100 graduate application fee
Your application must include the ADB-JSP information sheet, your latest income tax return or salary certificate, and a certificate of family income
The scholarship does not cover family members, extra travel during the course, field trips, workshops, internships or equipment such as computers

Who can apply

Citizen of an eligible ADB borrowing member country (40 countries across Central and West Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, East Asia and the Pacific, listed on ADB's page)
Not a dual citizen of any developed country
Living and working in your home country at the time of application
Not more than 35 years old at the time of application, unless waived in exceptional cases with the Government of Japan's endorsement
A bachelor's degree or equivalent with a superior academic record
At least two years of full-time professional work experience after your university degree
Proficient in spoken and written English
Admitted to an approved master's course at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa
Not already enrolled in a graduate degree programme
In good health, and willing to return and work in your home country for at least two years after your studies
Not ADB staff, consultants or their close relatives, and not staff of a designated institution

AI Verification

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Good to know

+Covers full tuition and fees, return travel to Honolulu, housing, a monthly stipend, books, health insurance and visa sponsorship
+Funded by the Government of Japan through the Asian Development Bank since 1988
+A master's at the University of Hawaii in fields such as economics, public administration, urban planning and environmental management
+The university's application fee is refunded if you win, and you can ask the university to waive it

Worth checking yourself

!Only citizens living in an Asian Development Bank developing member country, aged 35 or under, with at least two years of full-time work after your degree
!You cannot apply if you have studied abroad outside those countries or already hold a master's
!This round runs only every other year: apply by 1 December 2026, with references due 15 December
!You also need a separate admission application to the University of Hawaii, which charges its own application fee
!Scholars come alone for the first semester, and you are expected to return home afterwards

Sources checked

ADadb.orgOfficialADadb.orgOfficialADadb.orgOfficialADadb.orgOfficialMAmanoa.hawaii.eduOfficialMAmanoa.hawaii.eduOfficialMAmanoa.hawaii.eduOfficialMAmanoa.hawaii.eduOfficialEAeastwestcenter.submittable.comOfficial

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