About ADB-JSP and Ritsumeikan’s MPED

The ADB–Japan Scholarship Program is funded by the Government of Japan and run by the Asian Development Bank. It brings mid-career professionals from ADB’s developing member countries to study development-related subjects at selected universities in Asia and the Pacific. Scholars are expected to return home after graduating and use what they’ve learned in their country’s development.

At Ritsumeikan University, one of Japan’s leading private universities, ADB-JSP scholars join the Master’s Program in Economic Development (MPED) at the Graduate School of Economics. MPED trains students in development economics, quantitative methods and policy analysis, and everything is taught in English. The Graduate School is on the Biwako-Kusatsu Campus in Shiga, a short train ride from Kyoto.

Don’t confuse it with APU. Ritsumeikan University (Kyoto/Shiga) and Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University (APU, in Beppu) are different institutions with separate ADB calls, deadlines and programmes. This guide is only about Ritsumeikan University’s Graduate School of Economics. (For APU’s government-funded route, see our MEXT APU guide.)

How it compares: MEXT, Japan’s government scholarship, is open to fresh graduates, but you usually need a research plan and a Japanese supervisor. ADB-JSP is built for working professionals: it requires work experience, looks at your income and family background, and asks you to commit to returning home. It’s close in spirit to JISPA (Japan-IMF), but JISPA is limited to government macroeconomic officials, while ADB-JSP is open to a wider range of professionals.

📄 Required Documents (all sent together by post)

1. Graduate School Application Sheet (Form GS) with a colour photo (3 × 2.4 cm, taken within 3 months, no background)
2. Application Sheet for Non-Japanese Applicants (Form GS1)
3. Passport copy (name and date-of-birth page, in colour)
4. Application Questionnaire
5. Research Proposal (A4, in English, about 800 words): your name, “Master’s Program in Economic Development (MPED)”, the research title, and your research plan
6. Optional: an original recommendation letter from your dean (or someone of equal or higher rank), addressed to the “President of Ritsumeikan University, Japan”
7. Graduation certificate (original, in an envelope sealed by your university)
8. Official transcript (original, sealed), showing your GPA or class rank
9. Economics thesis from your last degree, in English (a term paper is accepted if you have no thesis)
10. Thesis abstract (200–300 words, in English)
11. English test score (TOEFL, IELTS or TOEIC; copies accepted), or an original university English-ability letter
12. Information Sheet
13. Certificate of Employment and Compensation on company letterhead, signed, showing your employment dates and income (plus your previous employer’s certificate if you’ve been in your current job less than 2 years). Convert local currency using ADB’s income-to-USD form
14. Certificate of Family Income: your parents’ income if you’re single, or your spouse’s if married (or an official document explaining why it isn’t available)
15. Documents Checklist (Form GS3)

Also email your research proposal, thesis and abstract as PDF or Word files to gs-ec@st.ritsumei.ac.jp, with the subject line “ADB Admissions: Research Proposal, Thesis and abstract of Thesis”.

Pakistan notes: ask your university’s examination department for your degree and transcript in a sealed, stamped envelope. Many Pakistani universities offer this for foreign applications. Keep HEC-attested copies for later visa steps. Income certificates must be signed by an authorised officer, because computer-generated slips without a signature are rejected. Convert your salary from PKR using ADB’s USD conversion form.

🪜 Step-by-Step: How to Apply

1. Check you’re eligible: nationality, 16-year degree, 2+ years of full-time work, age 35 or under, and no master’s degree.
2. Download the 2027 forms and guidelines from the Ritsumeikan ADB-JSP page.
3. Request sealed documents now: your graduation certificate and transcript from your university, and signed employment, income and family-income certificates.
4. Write your research proposal (about 800 words) on a development economics question. Pakistani examples could include fiscal decentralisation, informal-sector productivity, remittances or energy subsidies.
5. Prepare your English proof: IELTS 5.5, TOEFL 68, TOEIC 650, or a university English letter.
6. Post everything together by EMS, DHL or FedEx to: Administrative Office, College of Economics, Ritsumeikan University (Biwako-Kusatsu Campus), 1-1-1 Nojihigashi, Kusatsu, Shiga 525-8577, Japan. It must arrive by 10 December 2026, so send it by around 25 November to be safe.
7. Email your proposal, thesis and abstract to gs-ec@st.ritsumei.ac.jp.
8. Primary screening (4 February 2027): document review, and possibly an online interview in English. If you pass, you get a Letter of Conditional Acceptance and the university recommends you to ADB.
9. ADB selection: ADB runs its own screening. Final results are scheduled for 20 May 2027. If ADB doesn’t select you, you won’t be admitted.

🌍 Why Apply

ADB-JSP alumni hold senior roles in finance ministries, central banks, planning commissions and development agencies across Asia. For a Pakistani professional, an English-taught development economics master’s in Japan, fully funded and with the ADB name on your CV, can lead to promotion at home or to careers with ADB, the World Bank, UNDP and donor-funded projects. Living near Kyoto, one of Asia’s most liveable regions, is a bonus.

🔗 Official Sources

• Ritsumeikan ADB-JSP Admissions
• Application Guidelines, September 2027 (PDF)
• Application Documents (PDF)
• Master’s Program in Economic Development (MPED)
• ADB–Japan Scholarship Program
• Email: gs-ec@st.ritsumei.ac.jp · Tel: +81-77-561-3940