The Regular Program offers the greatest flexibility of all the JJ/WBGSP Programs. The Program awards scholarships to individuals from World Bank member countries to undertake graduate studies at any university located in a World Bank member country except their own. The applicants can propose a program of study in a wide variety of academic fields related to public policy making.

Who has applied?

54,019 individuals have applied for scholarships since the Regular Program's inception. With a few exceptions, the number of applicants from each region has increased steadily, with the largest number of applicants from the Africa region.

Who has won awards?

To date, the JJ/WBGSP has awarded 2,707 scholarships in its regular program to applicants from over 150 World Bank member countries. The number of scholarships awarded annually has generally increased during the 21 years of the Program's operation.

Demographic breakdown:

While women have submitted 25.6% of total applications, the percentage of women awarded scholarships in 2007 reached 45%.

Africa. 69.7% of the applications have come from the African Region in the year 2007. This relatively high percentage has been considered appropriate in view of Program's policy of awarding scholarships where need is greatest. The majority of applicants come from countries such as Nigeria, Ethiopia, Uganda, Tanzania, and Ghana.

South Asia. Applications from this region have also been high (10.9 % in 2007). Significant numbers of applications have come from such countries as India, Pakistan, Nepal, and Bangladesh.

East Asia and the Pacific, and Latin America and the Caribbean. The number of applications from these two regions represents 6.3% and 8.2% respectively.

The Middle East and North Africa. The applications received from this region have reached 2.9%.

Europe and Central Asia (ECA).While the number of applications from member-countries of Eastern Europe has been adequate, the number of applications from ECA countries has not reached expectations. These countries were not Bank members until July 1992 and thus were not included in the annual selections held each year in May in the years from 1987 through 1992. However, in the selections made since 1992, the number of applications has remained far below that needed for the Program to reach a wider range of the population. 

Where have award winners studied?

The highest number of 2007 scholarship recipients, 64%, chose to pursue their studies in Europe, followed by North America with 22%. Most scholarship recipients studying in North America chose to study in the United States, while those in Europe were concentrated in the United Kingdom, followed by the Netherlands and France.

What are scholars doing after their studies?

The JJ/WBGSP Secretariat has completed seven Tracer Studies on the classes of 1987-2007. The findings of these studies are as follows:

• 98.7% of scholars attained the degree for which the scholarship was granted.
• 84.5% of scholars are working in either their home country, or another developing country.

The Program requires that all scholars return to their home country or to another developing country after finishing their academic Program. There is three years employment restriction at the World Bank and at the IMF for the JJ/WBG scholars after the completion of their academic program.