JDS Japan Master's Scholarships 2027/2028 for Sri Lankan Public Sector Officers: Eligibility and How to Apply
The Japanese Grant Aid scholarship known as JDS, the Project for Human Resource Development Scholarship, is open for Master's degrees in Japan for the 2027/2028 academic year. It is for Sri Lankan public sector officers, and it has tight conditions on rank, age and service category, so many officers will not qualify and some will qualify only through a thematic alternative. This guide sets out who is eligible, what the scholarship covers, the selection timeline and how to apply by 20 November 2026.
Key Facts
What JDS Is For
The brochure says JDS supports human resource development in Sri Lanka by targeting young government officials who are expected to become leaders. They are expected to help formulate and implement social and economic development policies after they return, and JDS fellows are expected to contribute to a stronger base for relations between Sri Lanka and Japan.
Who Can Apply
- A citizen of Sri Lanka.
- A good command of both written and spoken English.
- Below the age of 40 as of 1 April 2027.
- One of the following kinds of officer:
- An "Executive" or "Senior Executive" as mentioned in Public Administration Circular No. 06/2006, Annexure II, page 2, IV Senior Level, and page 5, items 3.10 and 3.11.
- An officer of the Sri Lanka All-Island Services (as per PSC rules No. 2310/29 dated 14 December 2022) or of the Sri Lanka Foreign Service who has completed the probation period and been confirmed in service.
- An official in a managerial position or function at the Central Bank of Sri Lanka.
- The brochure also expects applicants to have a special interest in studying in Japan and to be motivated to use the experience and human network gained through JDS in their careers.
State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs): Officers of SOEs are not eligible for this scholarship. The brochure encourages them to apply for the thematic courses under the JICA Development Studies Program instead.
Fields of Study
Priority areas include:
- Public Policy Studies
- International Relations and International Development
- Macroeconomics Studies
- Public Finance and Investment Management
- Industry Development Policy and Investment Promotion
The brochure's framework table links each field to degrees, graduate schools and accepting universities, including the International University of Japan, Meiji University, the University of Tsukuba, Nagoya University, Kobe University and Hiroshima University. The scan we read is rotated and small, so check the exact programme, university and degree in the brochure and the University Information on the JDS website.
What the Scholarship Covers
- One round-trip airfare between Sri Lanka and Japan
- A monthly living allowance
- Full tuition fees at the accepting university
- Other designated allowances, such as an outfit (arrival) allowance, an accommodation allowance, a travelling and seminar allowance and overseas travel insurance
How to Apply
- Open the JDS Sri Lanka website using the button above.
- Download the Application Form (AF) and the other designated forms, along with the Application Guideline (AG) and University Information.
- Complete the Application Form and gather all the required documents.
- Submit the application documents through your ministry or organisation to ERD.
The deadline is 20 November 2026.
Selection Timeline
| Stage | When |
|---|---|
| Application closing date | 20 November 2026 |
| Document screening and English and Math test | December 2026 |
| Medical check | January 2027 |
| Technical interview | February 2027 |
| Comprehensive interview | March 2027 |
| Selection result | End of March 2027 |
| Study in Japan | From September 2027 |
The brochure scan shows the document screening and the English and Math test together under December 2026, so we have not assumed which comes first.
Promotion Seminars
Online promotion seminars are held from 14:00 to 15:00:
| Date | Language |
|---|---|
| 16 October 2026 (Friday) | Sinhala medium (already held) |
| 23 October 2026 (Friday) | English medium (already held) |
| 30 October 2026 (Friday) | Sinhala medium |
| 5 November 2026 (Thursday) | Sinhala medium |
| 12 November 2026 (Thursday) | Sinhala medium |
Face-to-face seminars are also held in the provinces. The brochure lists Galle, Kandy, Jaffna, Ratnapura, Badulla, Trincomalee and Anuradhapura, and says the places are subject to change. To join a seminar, email jds.srilanka@jice.org.
Applicant Guide
From the notice
- The closing date is 20 November 2026, and applications go through your ministry or organisation to ERD.
- Eligibility depends on both rank or service category and age: the age limit is below 40 as of 1 April 2027.
- SOE officers are not eligible for this scholarship but may apply for the JICA Development Studies Program's thematic courses.
- The selection stages run from document screening in December 2026 to results at the end of March 2027, with study starting from September 2027.
Editor's guidance (general advice, not part of the notice)
The points below are general guidance by GovInfo.lk, not part of the official notice.
- Check your category first. Look up the circular references and the All-Island Service and confirmation conditions before you invest time in the application.
- Your ministry's deadline may be earlier than 20 November. Because the application must pass through your organisation to ERD, ask your establishments division when it needs your documents. ERD stands for the External Resources Department.
- Calculate your age for 1 April 2027, not today's date.
- Go to a remaining seminar. The Sinhala sessions on 30 October, 5 November and 12 November are still ahead. The English session was on 23 October, so if you need English-language help, write to the JDS office at jds.srilanka@jice.org.
- Pick your field and university early. Read the University Information and match your career and research interest to the programme, because the programmes differ in field and degree.
- Prepare for the English and Math test, and plan for the medical check, as both are stages of the selection process.
- Download documents only from the JDS website or the JDS office, and be careful with unofficial sources that ask for payment.
Contact
JICE JDS Project Office in Sri Lanka: No. 93A 2/1, 2nd Floor, Thimbirigasyaya Road, Colombo 05. Email: jds.srilanka@jice.org. Telephone: 011 259 3331. Office hours given in the brochure: Monday to Friday, 8:30 to 17:00.
Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education (Higher Education Division): No. 18, Ward Place, Colombo 07.
🇱🇰 සිංහල සාරාංශය
- ජපානයේ 2027/2028 අධ්යයන වර්ෂය සඳහා රාජ්ය අංශයේ නිලධාරීන්ට මාස්ටර්ස් උපාධි ශිෂ්යත්ව (JDS) සඳහා අයදුම් කළ හැක. ශිෂ්යත්ව 15 කි.
- සුදුසුකම්: ශ්රී ලාංකික පුරවැසියෙකු වීම, ඉංග්රීසි ලිඛිත සහ කථන හැකියාව, 2027 අප්රේල් 1 දිනට වයස 40ට අඩු වීම, නිශ්චිත ජ්යෙෂ්ඨ නිලධාරී කාණ්ඩවලට අයත් වීම.
- ප්රතිලාභ: ගුවන් ටිකට්පත, මාසික ජීවන දීමනාව, සම්පූර්ණ ගාස්තු සහ අනෙකුත් දීමනා.
- අයදුම්පත් ඔබේ අමාත්යාංශය හෝ ආයතනය හරහා ERD වෙත ඉදිරිපත් කළ යුතුය. අවසාන දිනය 2026 නොවැම්බර් 20.
- ප්රවර්ධන සම්මන්ත්රණ: 2026 ඔක්තෝබර් 30, නොවැම්බර් 5 සහ 12 (සිංහල මාධ්ය), ප.ව. 2.00 සිට 3.00 දක්වා.
🇱🇰 தமிழ் சுருக்கம்
- ஜப்பானில் 2027/2028 கல்வியாண்டுக்கான முதுமாணிப் பட்டப் புலமைப்பரிசில்களுக்கு (JDS) அரசதுறை அலுவலர்கள் விண்ணப்பிக்கலாம். புலமைப்பரிசில்கள் 15.
- தகைமைகள்: இலங்கைப் பிரஜை, ஆங்கிலத்தில் எழுத்து மற்றும் பேச்சுத் திறன், 2027 ஏப்ரல் 1 அன்று 40 வயதுக்குக் குறைவு, குறிப்பிட்ட மூத்த அலுவலர் வகைகளைச் சேர்ந்தவர்.
- நன்மைகள்: விமானப் பயணச்சீட்டு, மாதாந்த வாழ்க்கைப்படி, முழுமையான கல்விக் கட்டணம் மற்றும் ஏனைய கொடுப்பனவுகள்.
- விண்ணப்பங்களை உங்கள் அமைச்சு அல்லது நிறுவனம் ஊடாக ERD க்குச் சமர்ப்பிக்க வேண்டும். இறுதித் திகதி 2026 நவம்பர் 20.
- ஊக்குவிப்புக் கருத்தரங்குகள்: 2026 ஒக்டோபர் 30, நவம்பர் 5 மற்றும் 12 (சிங்கள மொழிமூலம்), பிற்பகல் 2.00 முதல் 3.00 வரை.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Source and Updates
Source: Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education (Higher Education Division), notice "JDS Scholarships for Public Sector Officers", and the JDS 2026 brochure from the JICE JDS Project Office in Sri Lanka. The number of scholarships comes from the Ministry's web notice. [EDITOR: add the link to the Ministry notice and the date checked]
Prepared by: GovInfo.lk Editorial Team
Last reviewed: [EDITOR: add date]
Found an error or a change in the original notice? Contact us through the Contact page and we will review and correct this post.
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