FAQs for Robert S. McNamara Fellowship Applicants
HOST INSTITUTIONS AND PHD STUDIES
Can I go to any host institution in the world to conduct research?
Yes – your fellowship can take place at any host institution in the world, as long as it is outside
of your home country and inside a World Bank member country.
Can I get this fellowship for full PhD studies, or to support my masters degree?
No – this fellowship only covers a doctoral research period of 6 to 10 months.
Can my fellowship be deferred until next year?
No – your fellowship must start between July and December 2015, and cannot be deferred.
Will RSM finance travel to and/or research activities in my home country?
No
I have been accepted by a National Research Institute as my host institution. Am I still
eligible to apply?
Yes – your host institution does not have to be a university.
Can I split my fellowship between two host institutions?
No - we do not allow the fellowship to be split across institutions or countries. Fellows must
spend the duration in the same host institution.
Will the fellowship fund me to go back to my home country for data collection during the
fellowship period?
The fellowship does not support field trips for data collection back in your home country. If you
wish to do this during your fellowship you can, but we would not pay fellowship benefits for that
time, and we only provide one round trip air ticket to and from your home country and host
institution – at the beginning of your fellowship, and at the end of your fellowship period.
Does a host institution have to be in a World Bank member country that was an initial
donor for the RSM Fellowship?
No – your host institution can be in any World Bank member country outside of your home
country.
ELIGIBILITY
Am I eligible to apply even though I don’t have a Master’s degree but I an enrolled in a
PhD program?
Yes - but you should get an official letter from your university (e.g. from your program director
or admissions office) stating that your academic credentials are at a minimum equivalent to a
person with a master’s degree. This letter should be scanned together into one pdf with the
document from your institution that states you are currently enrolled as a Ph.D student and
uploaded under ‘Required Documents Item #3’.
The Application Guidelines have been duly modified to reflect this clarification.
What are the eligibility requirements?
The eligibility requirements are listed in the application guidelines.
Do you make exceptions regarding the age limit, or employment requirements if my PhD is
outside of my home country?
No. ALL eligibility criteria are strictly adhered to. No exceptions are made for any reason.
Can I apply for the Fellowship if I am from a developing country and currently pursuing a
PhD in a developed country?
Yes - if you are currently employed by an organization or institution in your home country. For
example, you might be on leave from work to pursue your PhD abroad, but you are still
employed in your home country.
Can I apply for the Fellowship if I am from a developing country and currently pusing a
PhD in another developing country?
Yes - if you are currently employed by an organization or institution in your home country. For
example, you might be on leave from work to pursue your PhD abroad, but you are still
employed in your home country.
I am about to start my PhD program – can I apply for the RSM Fellowship for support in
my first year?
To apply for the RSM Fellowship you must have already completed all coursework and exam
requirements for your doctoral program.
I have already obtained my PhD degree. Can I still apply for this fellowship for postdoctoral research?
No – to be eligible you must be currently enrolled in a PhD program.
I fulfill all the requirements except for the age requirement, can I still apply?
Given the volume of competitive applications we receive, we cannot make any exceptions
regarding the eligibility requirements.
I have just enrolled in my PhD program and have not completed my coursework or taken
my qualifying exam. Am I still eligible?
No – we ask that applicants have completed their core coursework and any required exams, if
their PhD program has these requirements. For example many PhD candidates in US institutions
who apply have completed their qualifying exam which enables them to go on to the doctoral
dissertation stage.
I had to take a leave without pay from my work in my home country in order to be able to
start my degree abroad. Am I still eligible? And what should I answer to the question ‘are
you currently a paid employee’ in the application form.
Yes you are still eligible. If your PhD program is abroad, we require you to have employment
ties back home, but this can include leave without pay.
In this instance please answer ‘yes’ to being a paid employee in the application form.
REFERENCES
How do I submit letters of reference?
You must submit the email addresses of your referees in the on-line application and we will send
them emails with directions on how to submit their reference. Please refer to the document
'Navigating your Online Application' posted on the website.
Can I give a personal email address for my referees?
Yes, you can submit the referee’s gmail, yahoo or other personal email address. But if a
institutional email address is available, please use the institutional email address.
Can a person providing a professional reference for me write in any language?
No. Recommenders must write their reference in either English, Spanish or French. However,
please note that the questions we ask will be written in English.
My host institution research advisor and my PhD thesis supervisor are the same person. Do
they have to submit 2 references?
Yes – we have two different reference forms for PhD thesis supervisors and Host Institution
research advisors, and require that both forms are completed. If your PhD thesis supervisor and
Host Institution Research Advisor are the same person then you should enter his/her name and
contact twice in the Reference Request Form, selecting his/her relationship to you as your PhD
thesis supervisor, and then selecting his/her relationship to you as your Host Institution research
advisor. Once you have sent these reference requests, your referee will receive two emails from
us (with two different URLs taking him/her to the reference forms). He/she must login to the
system using each URL, and complete both reference forms (selecting the PhD thesis supervisor
option on using one URL, and the research advisor option on using the other).
My recommender says that they have not received the email sent from the Robert S.
McNamara Fellowship Program with my reference request. What should I do?
Firstly please verify that the email address for your referee that you inputted in your application
is correct, and that you entered the email alone in the response field, without any other text, extra
email addresses, or other characters.
Secondly, please contact your referee to ensure that the email (from
Donotreply_fellowships@worldbank.org or from recommendations@wizehive.com) has not
gone to their junk mail and that these two emails are on their 'safe sender' lists.
If they still can't find the email please try sending the reference request again. You will find
instructions on how to do this in 'Navigating your Online Application' under the heading 'To
remind your referee to send his/her email'. This will resend the email to them.
Finally, if they have an alternate email address, you may like to try sending the request again to
their alternate email.
If none of the steps above work, please send an email to rsm_fellowships@worldbank.org
explaining the issue and include your complete name and the name and email of your referee.
Can my referees share the email requesting their reference with other referees?
No – each referee will receive an individual email with a unique link to an online reference form
they must complete. Only their reference can be submitted using this link. If they share the link
with other referees, their reference may be overridden.
My host institution research advisor and my PhD thesis supervisor are the same person.
Are 2 references as host institution research advisor and PhD thesis supervisor enough
from one person?
If your Host Institution research advisor and your PhD thesis supervisor are the same person then
presumably your host institution is outside of your home country. In this case you must have
employment ties back home and also provide us with a professional reference.
I have a query regarding the deadline for submitting the recommendation by the referees.
Is it also 11th Feb 2015?
Yes – we must receive your references by 12pm Eastern (Washington DC) time on February 11,
2015.
APPLICATION PROCESS
How do I apply?
The online application is now closed. Selected RSMFP applicants will be notified by email in
May 2015. Unsuccessful applicants will not be notified.
Is the application available in other languages?
No – the application is only available in English. However, applicants will be given the option of
completing the form in English, French or Spanish.
Can I send my required documents (proof of current PhD enrollment and completion of
required coursework and exams for PhD, official diploma of your highest degree earned,
proposed RSM budget, proof of employment if applicable, and optional list of your publications)
to The World Bank / RSMFP Secretariat via email or postal mail?
No. We require that applicants upload their required documents using the on-line application
form. We will not review ANY documents an applicant provides by email, post or any other
means other than the on-line application form.
What is the deadline for submitting a completed application?
Noon, Washington DC time (Eastern Standard Time EST) Wednesday, February 11, 2015.
What makes an application complete?
An application is complete if:
(i) It is submitted by the application deadline
(ii) It includes a completed application form and two references (or three if you are
employed) that adhere to the application guidelines
(iii)The application is submitted either in English or in French or Spanish (ENG/FR/ES) as
detailed in the application guidelines. The application form itself is only available in
English.
Individuals who submit more than one application will be disqualified.
Besides a completed application, are there other requirements I have to fulfill to get the
fellowship?
Yes, if applicants are notified that they are finalists of the fellowship (in April) they will be
required to submit a copy of their identification document within 5 business days of receiving the
email from the program. This identification must be a scanned copy of their passport or other
legal document (birth or marriage ertificate). Finalists will not receive the official fellowship
award if this document is not produced on time. Please refer to the section “Selection” of the
application guidelines.
How will I find out if I was awarded the scholarship? How will I find out if I was not
awarded the fellowship?
All successful applicants will hear from the Robert S. McNamara Program by end of May, 2015.
On or before May 31, 2015, we will post an announcement on the RSMFP website when all
selected fellows have been informed. The program will not be informing unsuccessful applicants.
Can I apply again at the next call for fellows?
Yes: unsuccessful applicants can apply in a future call. They must meet all eligibility criteria as
specified in that call.
QUESTIONS SPECIFIC TO THE APPLICATION FORM
How can I upload my signature onto the Signature Page?
Applicants only have to type their name in the field for the Signature. You should NOT try to
upload an electronic signature.
Do I have to get a certified translation for documents required to be translated?
No.
What does “*” preceding a question mean?
A “*” next to a question in the application indicates that this information is required to complete
and submit the application form.
Do I have to complete each question of the application form?
No, only those questions preceded by a “*”
Can I put down an address different than my permanent address?
No. Use your permanent address. Do not put down an address of a relative or a friend. Do not
worry about the reliability of postal correspondence from us to you. If we need to communicate
with you, we will do so only by email. We do not communicate with applicants by postal service.
The country I am looking for isn’t in the drop down menu, what should I do?
If you are answering a question which asks you to select a country, you must select the country
from a dropdown menu. If your country is not listed specifically in the dropdown menu you
should select ‘other’ at the end of the menu.
I tried to pick ‘United States’ as my host institution country, but it would not show up in
the dropdown list. What should I do?
The initial list of countries does not include World Bank member developed countries, and so
you should pick ‘other’ in this list. Once you select ‘other’ a further dropdown list of countries
will appear, which contains the World Bank member developed countries. United States is in this
list. Host Institutions can be in any World Bank member country.
Should the proposal I wrote for the fellowship be uploaded as a document or am I only
expected to fill the boxes on the section “proposed research for RSMFP funding” in the
online application?
You should only fill in the boxes on the section “proposed research for RSMFP funding”.
Does the ‘Financing’ section where it asks for an tuition and fees estimation of my highest
degree refer to my Masters degree or the PhD degree I am currently pursuing?
It relates to your Masters degree – your highest earned degree so far.
In the budget request are the living costs calculated using my home country or my host
country?
The living costs are calculated using your host country – for example, if you are planning to
conduct your RSMFP research in the US, you would estimate living costs of $1,500 a month.