Archive for Paying for SIPA – Page 34

World Bank Graduate Scholarship Program

As shared in a previous entry SIPA does partner with a number of organizations to provide scholarship funding.  The process is always competitive and we cannot guarantee funding to all applicants who are affiliated with partner organizations or specific scholarship programs.

We identify most candidates through a mechanism on the the admission application.  In the fellowship portion of the application each applicant has the chance to choose from a drop down list of organizations or scholarship programs they might be affiliated with or for which they have submitted an application for funding.

SIPA does partner with the World Bank to provide scholarships and we highly encourage eligible applicants to apply.   The scholarship selection process involves both an application to SIPA and an application for the World Bank scholarship program. Below is a brief description of the program from their Web site:

The Joint Japan/ World Bank Graduate Scholarship Program (JJ/WBGSP), is in its 23d year. The Program awards scholarships to individuals from World Bank member countries to undertake graduate studies at universities renowned for their development research and teaching. In its Regular Program, the JJ/WBGSP has awarded scholarships to 3,153 scholars chosen from a total of 58,944 applicants.

To apply for a JJ/WBGSP scholarship under the Regular Program, an applicant must:
* Be a national of a World Bank member country eligible to borrow.
* Be born after March 31, 1970.
* Have, by March 31, 2010, at least 2, preferably 4 to 5, years of recent full time professional experience acquired after a university degree, in the applicant’s home country or in another developing country.
* Hold a bachelor’s degree or its equivalent.
* Be in good health.
* Be of good character.
* Not be a permanent resident or a national of any industrialized country.
* Not be residing in an industrialized country for more than one year.
* Not be an Executive Director, his/her alternate, staff of the World Bank Group (the World Bank, International Finance Corporation, International Development Association, Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency, and International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes), consultant, or relative of the aforementioned.

Full details and the application can be found by clicking hereThe deadline to apply is March 31st, 2010.  Again, to be considered an admission application to SIPA must be submitted and a separate application for the World Bank Fellowship must be submitted.  After admission selections are made SIPA then works with the World Bank to review qualified candidates for consideration.

Good luck and please remember that the SIPA Fellowship Database is a great place to look for additional funding opportunities.

External Fellowship/Scholarship Relationships at SIPA

Each year SIPA is proud to provide funding for some of our admitted applicants with ties to certain professional or academic organizations. For example, SIPA agrees to provide fellowships to a minimum number of Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, and Teach for America alumni each year. The process is competitive and we cannot award funding to every admitted applicant with such experience, but we value the experience applicants to our program gain by working for such organizations.

When filling out the admission application applicants have the opportunity to list experience with specific organizations via a drop down list. To be considered for fellowships with ties to particular organizations simply indicate your affiliation in the appropriate place on the application site. This will alert the Admissions Committee and applicants who are admitted will be considered for such awards.

Using RSS to Help with Applying for Admission and Scholarships

The Internet has become a daily staple for most applicants to SIPA and obtaining pertinent information about our program and available financial aid is something that is best done on a consistent basis. RSS, or Really Simple Syndication, is an easy and convenient way to have news and information delivered to you without having to repeat searches over and over every time you want to look for new news.

RSS feeds are most commonly used through either an RSS reader or through a news feed that provides new information to you in the form of email. RSS readers are free and many email providers (such as Google’s Gmail) build RSS readers into their user interface.

All you need to do to receive news as it is updated is to add an RSS enabled Web site to your reader. Each time you visit your RSS reader you will be able to see if new information has been posted. There is no need to visit every site over and over to find out if there is new news or updates.

You can subscribe to this blog by both email and through your reader. To subscribe by email simply add your email to the FeedBurner subscription box in the right margin near the top of the page.

If you are not familiar with RSS technology the following short YouTube video is a great introduction (length of video, 3:44).

Direct YouTube link here.

Applying for SIPA First-Year Funding

At SIPA all first-year applicants for the two-year, full-time MIA and MPA programs are considered for institutional fellowships. All that is required to apply for first-year fellowship is to submit an admission application. We do not require a separate application to apply for first-year fellowship.

Due to the fact that we receive admission applications from citizens of over 100 countries each year we do not conduct admission interviews. We rely upon the information in each application to make both admission and fellowship decisions. The Admissions Committee awards institutional fellowships to approximately 15% of the incoming class each year.

Every student who is admitted to SIPA is eligible to apply for second-year fellowship. In the spring of 2009 approximately 75% of second-year students chose to apply for funding through SIPA. Of that 75%, approximately 70% received funding and the average award was just over $19,000. Some students choose not to apply for SIPA funding because they have outside awards that cover their educational costs.

Many students are able to combine external fellowships with institutional funds from SIPA. We highly encourage all applicants to pursue external funding opportunities and the sooner you begin the process, the more likely you are to find out about opportunities that fit your profile. If you have not already, we highly encourage all applicants to explore our external fellowship database.

Humane Studies Fellowships

Our office was recently made aware of a fellowship opportunity that may apply to some of our applicants.  The description and contact information are below.  Good luck!

Institute for Humane Studies

Humane Studies Fellowships are awarded by the Institute for Humane Studies (IHS) to students interested in exploring the principles, practices, and institutions necessary for a free society through their academic work. IHS began the program in 1983 as the Claude R. Lambe Fellowships and in 2009 awarded more than 165 fellowships ranging from $2,000 to $12,000.

IHS considers applications from those who will be full-time graduate students, including law and journalism students, or undergraduate juniors or seniors during the 2010-11 academic year and who have a clearly demonstrated research interest in the intellectual and institutional foundations of a free society.

The application deadline is December 31st.  For more information on this program, click here.


"The most global public policy school, where an international community of students and faculty address world challenges."

—Merit E. Janow, Dean, SIPA, Professor of Practice, International and Economic Law and International Affairs

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