World Bank Scholarship

Students who reside in member countries of the World Bank and who are interested in studying and researching ways to solve problems of development in their countries, may be eligible for the Robert S. McNamara Fellowships Program, one of the World Bank Scholarship programs. Scholars will study in Princeton, New Jersey, at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University. The course of study will be towards a Master of Public Policy degree. Approximately 16 fellowships are granted per year, depending on funding: as a program of the World Bank Scholarship, the Roberts S. McNamara Fellowship is sponsored by the World Bank and donations from eight countries. Princeton University also contributes to the cost of tuition and living expenses.

Through the Fellowship, post graduates receive $10,000 for tuition and a stipend of $10,000, with the remaining tuition being paid by Princeton. The Woodrow Wilson School covers the expenses of traveling to and from the United States. Fellowship participants are obligated to go back to their home countries when the fellowship is finished as a provision of the World Bank Scholarship. While at Princeton, students will study and research areas of socio-economic interest, such as reducing poverty and making advances in areas of healthcare. They will be asked to contribute their findings and knowledge to promote further development upon return to their countries. Also, as a stipulation of the World Bank Scholarship and the Robert S. McNamara Fellowships Program, participants must apply for a J-1 exchange visitor visa. This requires that they reside in their country for two years following the completion of the fellowship. The purpose is to insure that the information learned during the fellowship is used to service that developing country. Princeton University provides applications and paperwork needed for the fellowship and the visa.