Japan Opens GRIPS 2027-28 Scholarships for Indian Students

Japan's GRIPS opens 2027–28 admissions for master's and PhD programmes, with MEXT, ADB-JSP and other scholarship opportunities. Selected applications close November 20, 2026.

The National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS) in Tokyo, Japan, has opened applications for its 2027–28 academic session, offering international students opportunities to pursue master's and doctoral programmes through various scholarship schemes. Indian applicants can explore funding options, including the Japanese Government's MEXT Scholarship, the Asian Development Bank-Japan Scholarship Programme (ADB-JSP), and other externally funded opportunities, subject to individual eligibility requirements.

The institute offers postgraduate programmes in public policy, governance, public finance, macroeconomic policy, maritime safety and security, and science, technology and innovation policy. The available doctoral programmes include the five-year GRIPS Global Governance Programme and Policy Analysis Programme, along with the three-year Science, Technology and Innovation Policy Programme.

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GRIPS provides several scholarship routes for eligible international students. The MEXT Scholarship through university recommendation is available for selected master's and doctoral programmes, while ADB-JSP supports eligible candidates applying to the one-year and two-year master's programmes in public policy. Other funding opportunities include the Joint Japan/World Bank Graduate Scholarship Programme, Japan-WCO Human Resource Development Programme and JICA scholarships.

Scholarship benefits depend on the funding provider and programme. Eligible awards may cover tuition fees, admission costs, monthly stipends and other study-related expenses. Applicants should review the respective scholarship conditions before applying, as some schemes require nomination or sponsorship through an organisation.

The institute's scholarship information also specifies that, for the 2027 intake, MEXT university-recommended scholarships are available to students in the GRIPS Global Governance and Policy Analysis doctoral programmes and the one-year and two-year master's programmes in public policy.

Candidates applying to master's programmes and five-year PhD programmes must hold a bachelor's degree or an equivalent qualification. Applicants seeking admission to three-year doctoral programmes must possess a master's degree or equivalent.

Scholarship eligibility involves additional conditions, which may include nationality, age, professional experience and academic qualifications. For instance, the ADB-JSP has specific requirements for applicants from eligible developing member countries, including professional experience. Meeting the institute's academic admission criteria does not automatically guarantee scholarship selection.

Applicants must download the relevant application guide and forms from the official GRIPS website, complete the online registration form and submit the required supporting documents to the institute's Admissions Office by post.

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For the MEXT university-recommended scholarship, ADB-JSP and externally funded or self-financed applications to selected programmes, the online registration deadline is November 20, 2026, at 5 pm Japan Standard Time. Supporting documents must reach the institute by November 27, 2026, at 5 pm JST.

Other funding routes have separate deadlines. Applications under the Joint Japan/World Bank and Japan-WCO scholarship programmes are due in February 2027, while certain JICA-funded and self-financed applications have April 2027 deadlines.

Indian students can review programme-specific eligibility, scholarship conditions and application instructions through the official GRIPS website at before submitting their applications.