| Nationality | Citizens of Sri Lanka |
| Age | Below the age of 40 as of April 1st, 2027 (in principle) |
| Academic Background | Possess a Bachelor's Degree (Undergraduate level of education) |
| Target Group |
*Priority will be given to officials whose responsibilities relate to public policy, economic policy formulation, fiscal management, public financial management, trade and investment promotion, international economic cooperation, trade negotiations, and related matters.
*For officials serving All-Island Services in technical nature, nominations shall be restricted to those holding managerial positions in policy formulation, strategic planning, institutional management, and organizational decision-making processes.
*State-Owned Enterprise (SOEs) are not eligible; however, they are encouraged to apply for the thematic courses under the JICA Development Studies Program. *For all applicants, Study Topics that are highly relevant to applicants' career development & beneficial to their organization will be given highest priority |
| English Proficienc | Have a good command of both written and spoken English for study at graduate schools |
| Health Condition | A person of sound mind and body Applicants need to take and pass all medical check-up priority to the technical interview, arranged by JDS Project Office. Applicants who cannot take or pass all medical check-up will be disqualified from JDS scholarship.
|
| Pre-condition |
|
| Ineligibility |
A person falls under any of the following items is NOT eligible to apply:
|
Online and Face to Face Promotion Seminars are scheduled to provide more detailed information on JDS Project and how to prepare application documents for prospective applicants as follows:
| Online: | ||
| 16th October (Fri) | 14:00-15:00 | Sinhala Medium |
| 23rd October (Fri) | 14:00-15:00 | English Medium |
| 30th October (Fri) | 14:00-15:00 | Sinhala Medium |
| 5th November (Thu) | 14:00-15:00 | Sinhala Medium |
| 12th November (Thu) | 14:00-15:00 | Sinhala Medium |
Face to Face: The schedule is subject to change
Please contact us to join the program! 
Application documents will not be returned for any reason.
Application documents must be submitted to ERD from your Ministry or Organization by deadline.
Late submission and incomplete application documents shall NOT be accepted.
(NOTE: Only if the eligible and complete number of applications received is less than 60, the application deadline will be extended for 10 working days automatically. It will be announced on JDS Website soon after the original deadline.)
| Schedule | Steps | Description |
| Oct- Nov, 2026 | Application |
Closing Date: 4:30 p.m. on November 20th (Fri), 2026 To Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, Department of External Resources through the ministry or organization to which you belong. Further details → P6 "Application Guideline" |
| Dec, 2026 | IELTS Registration | The instructions will be given in the application confirmation email from JICE JDS Project Office. Please inform the Registration Number to JICE within 3 days after completing the online registration. |
| Dec, 2026 | Academic aptitude test |
IELTS and Math tests. The test results will be reviewed by the Japanese universities in later selection stages. * Applicants who have IELTS score valid until May 31st, 2027/have 6.0 mark or more from 2025 JDS IELTS TEST are exempted from IELTS test. |
| Dec, 2026- Jan, 2027 | 1st Selection | Document Screening: Application Documents and research plan will be examined by the Japanese universities. |
| Jan, 2027 | Health Checkup | The health checkup will be arranged at a hospital in Colombo. |
| Feb, 2027 | 2nd Selection | Technical Interview: Faculty members of the Japanese Universities will visit to Colombo to conduct their interview exams. |
| March, 2027 | 3rd Selection | Comprehensive Interview: The Operating Committee members will conduct the interview exams."Recommendation letter"will be required. |
| Early March, 2027 | Approval by the OC | Successful candidates will be approved and notified |
| Mar - Apr, 2027 | Admission Procedure | JICE will support admission procedures for each university |
| Apr - Jul, 2027 | Japanese Language Training | Provided to successful candidates in Colombo. (3 months) |
| Jul, 2027 | Orientations | Provided by JICA and JICE |
| Aug, 2027 | Departure for Japan | JICE will arrange air-ticket, visa, and also support after the arrival in Japan |
* Above schedule is subject to change
Please refer to the Application Guideline and submit a full set of application documents by the deadline.
Download
In the JDS selections, each candidate will be evaluated on his or her academic abilities enough to pursue the master's program in Japan as well as the potential of the future contribution to the country. Thus, it is highly recommended to explain that the objective of your research plan be in connection with the development issues under applying Component, and to rationalize how the study will be addressed in accordance with the career path, corresponding to the current position and responsibility in the belonging organization.
It is also recommended to study your applying university to make sure if the curriculums of the university and fields of specialization of faculty members are relevant to your research.
Remember that plagiarizing from somebody's work or websites are strongly prohibited.
Please refer to 'Tips on Application and Selection (Reference)' and 'Guideline for Writing a Research Plan' in the Application Guideline for more information.
Every qualified applicant will be required to take English proficiency test (IELTS) as well as math test in Colombo in December 2026.
* Applicants who have IELTS score valid until May 31st, 2027 or over 6.0 mark from 2025 JDS IELTS TEST may be exempted from IELTS test.
The scores will be reviewed on the 1st selection by the accepting universities. The universities may require applicants to have a good command of English skill and numeracy skills. Please be well prepared for the exams.
