World Bank Group Young Professionals Program 2027

The World Bank Group recruits its Young Professionals through one annual round, and the current one is open. It is a hiring programme rather than a study award, aimed at people who already have a graduate degree and a few years of relevant work behind them.

Who the programme wants

You need a graduate-level degree or higher in a relevant field, completed before the September start date, and between two and six years of professional experience in that same area. Doctoral research can count towards the experience requirement if the degree is substantially complete and all written work is submitted before the start date. There is no age limit at all: the bar is the experience, not your birth year.

Nationality is not a filter

This one surprises people. Applicants from countries that are not members of the group are eligible on the same terms as everyone else, provided the rest of the criteria are met. What does block you is being a member of staff in active service at the time you apply.

Choosing a stream

You apply to one stream that matches your background, from a list that spans education, health, social protection, economic policy, institutions, poverty and equity, agriculture, climate, environment, water, energy, transport, urban development and digital transformation. You may name up to two further streams for consideration on the same form. Submitting more than one application disqualifies you outright, so choose carefully rather than broadly.

What happens next

The full applicant list is reviewed in the first half of October and roughly the top tenth move on. Assessments follow in the second half of October, panel interviews and case studies run in December and January, and offers go out in late January. The new group starts work in Washington in September 2027. Excellent spoken and written English is mandatory throughout.

Deadline

Applications close on 30 September 2026 at 11:59 PM UTC. Late applications will not be considered, and the round does not reopen.