ADB-Japan Scholarship 2027 — LUMS, Pakistan
Fully funded Master scholarship in Pakistan for ADB developing member countries students 2027
The ADB-Japan Scholarship Program's only designated institution in Pakistan: a fully funded MBA at Lahore University of Management Sciences, with Round 1 closing on 27 February 2027. Open to nationals of ADB developing member countries, Afghanistan included.
Eligibility
- Be a national of an ADB borrowing member country that is eligible for Japanese ODA scholarships, including Afghanistan and Pakistan
- Not hold dual citizenship of any developed country
- Have gained admission to the approved MBA programme at Lahore University of Management Sciences
- Hold a bachelor's degree or equivalent with a superior academic record
- Have at least two years of full-time professional work experience acquired after a university degree
- Be proficient in oral and written English, and meet LUMS's own admission requirements
- Be no more than 35 years old at the time of application, unless waived with the express endorsement of the Government of Japan
- Not be living or working in a country other than your home country
- Not already be enrolled in a graduate degree programme
- Agree to return and work in your home country for at least two years after completing the degree
Almost every fully funded MBA a Pakistani or Afghan student can realistically win abroad requires leaving the region, a visa interview in a third country, and eighteen months of uncertainty. There is one exception inside Pakistan itself: Lahore University of Management Sciences is a designated institution of the ADB-Japan Scholarship Program, which means the same award that funds master's degrees in Tokyo and Bangkok also funds an MBA in Lahore.
WHY THIS ONE IS DIFFERENT
Lahore University of Management Sciences is the only Pakistani institution on the ADB-Japan Scholarship Program's designated list, and it is approved for one programme: the Master in Business Administration. That narrowness is useful. There is no ambiguity about which course qualifies, and no competition from a dozen parallel tracks.
The ADB-Japan Scholarship Program itself is large — about 130 graduate scholarships a year, financed by the Government of Japan, across 27 designated institutions in nine countries. The award provides full tuition fees, a monthly subsistence allowance that includes housing, books and instructional materials, medical insurance and travel expenses. For research-based work, a special grant for thesis preparation may be available.
The service condition is explicit and should shape your decision: you agree to return to your home country and work there for at least two years after completing the degree. The programme is development finance, and the panel reads your plans in that light.
WHO CAN APPLY — AND THE SELF-CHECK THAT MATTERS
The eligible nationalities are the ADB's borrowing member countries that are also eligible for Japanese ODA scholarships — which includes Afghanistan and Pakistan, alongside Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Indonesia and others.
Before you start, answer these honestly:
Do you hold only an eligible nationality? Dual citizenship with a developed country disqualifies you outright.
Do you have at least two years of full-time professional work experience after your first university degree? This is a hard requirement. Internships, volunteer roles and part-time work do not satisfy it, and it is the single most common reason a strong applicant is rejected.
Are you 35 or younger at the time of application? Older candidates need the express endorsement of the Government of Japan, which is rare.
Are you living and working in your home country now? The scheme explicitly excludes applicants living or working in another country — a rule that ends many Afghan applications from Pakistan or Iran, and one you should verify against your own situation before investing in the file.
Are you able to meet LUMS's own MBA admission requirements, including English proficiency and any test the school requires? The scholarship attaches to an approved admission, not to a wish.
Are you able to study full-time in Lahore and to commit to returning home afterwards?
THE DEADLINES, AND WHICH ROUND TO TARGET
The approved intake is August. Round 1 closes on 27 February and Round 2 on 13 April; for the August 2027 intake those dates fall on 27 February 2027 and 13 April 2027.
Apply in Round 1 if you can. Two things favour the early round: the scholarship file has to be attached to an admission outcome, and a Round 2 application compresses the whole admission and funding sequence into a few weeks. The ADB's own institution list notes that its deadlines apply year round but that applicants must verify the applicable intake directly with the university — so confirm the dates on LUMS's admissions page before you plan around them.
HOW TO APPLY, AND WHAT TO HAVE READY
The application goes to the institution, not to the Asian Development Bank. You secure admission at LUMS and submit the scholarship documentation, including the ADB-Japan Scholarship Program information sheet, with it.
Your materials checklist:
The completed LUMS admission application for the MBA programme. The ADB-Japan Scholarship Program information sheet. A bachelor's degree certificate and transcripts, certified. Written evidence of at least two years of full-time professional experience, such as employer letters covering dates, role and hours. Two professional or academic references. English proficiency evidence accepted by LUMS. A passport copy showing the eligible nationality. A short statement of what you intend to do in your home country after graduation.
Not sure your file is competitive? Take it to an OEAC advisor before you submit — a second reader on the research proposal is usually the difference between shortlisted and rejected.
OTHER FUNDED ROUTES WORTH HOLDING BESIDE THIS ONE
Türkiye Bursları funds a full master's or PhD at no cost and is open to Afghan and Pakistani applicants:
https://www.oeacnetwork.com/index.php?page=post&id=6
KAUST in Saudi Arabia funds master's and PhD study with a stipend and no tuition:
https://www.oeacnetwork.com/index.php?page=post&id=15
And Qatar's HBKU graduate scholarship covers tuition plus a monthly stipend:
https://www.oeacnetwork.com/index.php?page=post&id=23
COMMON MISTAKES TO AVOID
Applying without the two years of full-time professional experience. It is stated as a requirement, not a preference.
Assuming an application to the ADB is what starts the process. It is not: the institution applies, and you apply to the institution.
Ignoring the residence rule. If you are working in a country other than your home country, you are outside the scheme.
Targeting Round 2 to gain time. The later round does not give you more time; it gives you less, because admission and funding are compressed into the same weeks.
Treating the two-year return commitment as a formality. It is a condition of the award, and your statement is assessed against it.
Source — Asian Development Bank, ADB-Japan Scholarship Program designated institutions: https://www.adb.org/node/41934
Photo: Shyok, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gad_and_Birgit_Library.jpg)
Last updated: 17 October 2026
Always confirm the deadline and eligibility on the official page before you apply. Scholarship dates change between rounds, and this listing is a summary — the provider's own page is the authoritative source. OEAC Network lists scholarships for free and is not an agent for any university or funding body.
