International Scholarship Program
The Aga Khan Foundation’s International Scholarship
Program (ISP) was established by His Highness the Aga Khan. The ISP aims to
support gifted, outstanding students from developing countries, who have no
other means of financing their studies, to pursue full-time postgraduate
studies at reputable higher education institutions of their choice.
Selection Criteria
Applicants must meet the following criteria in order to
apply for the program:
- Excellent academic records.
- Genuine financial need. Financial assistance is provided according to the needs of students, but the ISP must be considered a resource of last resort. Applicants must demonstrate that they have explored and secured multiple sources of funding. The award funding need is determined individually, by deducting from the eligible student expenses, the total of other grants, loans (if any), parental contribution and student employment income. All students are encouraged to try to reduce the amount requested from the Foundation by applying to other sources of assistance as well.
- Admission to a reputable postgraduate institution of higher learning. The programme gives priority to Master's degree courses but also considers applications for PhD studies. Local/regional universities and distance learning programmes are acceptable for ISP funding, if the quality of the courses is maintained.
- Strong professional experience, extracurricular achievements, volunteer contributions and leadership skills.
Application Process
Award recipients are selected through an annual competitive
application process. At present, the ISP is available in: Afghanistan,
Bangladesh, Canada*, Egypt, France*, India, Kenya, Kyrgyz Republic, Madagascar,
Mozambique, Pakistan, Portugal*, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Uganda and the
USA*. [*Note: in Canada, France, Portugal and the USA, applications are
accepted from those who are originally from one of the above developing
countries, are interested in development-related studies and who have no other
means of financing their education.]
Applicants must be a national residing in of one of the
aforementioned countries. As applications are handled by local entities, interested
individuals must liaise with the appropriate country-based unit (contact
details provided below). E.g. applicants residing in India must apply via the
local office in India, while those residing in Kenya must apply via the local
office in Kenya, and so on. The Foundation only accepts applications of
eligible nationals listed above who are residing in one of the countries where
there are local Aga Khan Foundation (AKF), Aga Khan Education Services (AKES),
or Aga Khan Education Board (AKEB) offices that process applications and
interview candidates.
As the ISP must be considered a lender of last resort,
preference is given to those who have been able to secure funding from
alternative sources. Applicants are requested to make every effort to obtain
funding from other sources, so that the amount requested from the Foundation
can be reduced to a minimum. While not exhaustive, the following list of other
scholarships and financial assistance programmes may be of interest to
applicants.
Preference is given to young professionals under 30 years of
age.
Applications for short-term courses are not considered;
neither are applications from students who have already commenced their
postgraduate studies or who are enrolled in part-time programmes.
Application Timelines
The next application cycle will open in January 2023. The
deadline for the submission of completed applications is 17 March 2023.
Interested students must contact the local office for application forms,
deadline dates and application requirements, as these may vary by country.
Completed applications must be submitted to the agency from
which the ISP application form was obtained. Late or incomplete applications
will not be accepted.
Local scholarship committees may interview applicants about
their financial situation, academic performance, extra-curricular achievements
and career plans.
As this is a global, competitive award, final decisions are made by an international selection panel in July. Students who are part of the final, global round will be informed of the outcome of their application shortly thereafter.
Award Conditions
The ISP awards are structured as a half grant and half loan
(i.e. 50 percent of the award amount needs to be paid back by the applicant).
Scholarships for Master’s studies are granted for the entire duration of the
degree course. For PhD students, scholarships are awarded for the first two
years, after which students are expected to find funding from alternative
sources.
A cumulative service charge of five percent per annum is
levied on the amount of the loan. The student's head of family or another
guarantor is required to co-sign the loan agreement.
The repayment period is five years, starting six months
after the earlier of the following events: a) graduation, b) termination of
studies or c) the withdrawal of support following failure to meet the academic
standards expected of ISP students. Those who pursue further education after
completion of an ISP-funded program are also eligible for a moratorium.
Graduates who return to work in a developing country, and remain there, are
eligible for a moratorium of two years.
The award covers tuition fees and living expenses for the
student. The award does not cover living expenses for family members or the
cost of international travel.
Please use the email or mailing address for the country
where you currently live. If an email address is not available for the country
where you live, then the program is not available there.
- Afghanistan: nabi.badakhsh@akdn.org, tel: 0093-790-022-125
- Bangladesh: motilal.hazra@akdn.org, akf.bangladesh@akdn.org, tel: (+880) 9606111000
- Canada: akf.isp@iicanada.net, info@akfc.ca, tel: (613) 2372532
- Egypt: iman.zaki@akdn.org, tel: (2) 02 2506 1570
- France: akeb@franceinstitutions.org
- India: scholarship.esc@djtrust.org, 2023.akfispindia@gmail.com, tel: (11) 47399700
- Kenya: scholarships@akfea.org, tel: + 254 730 717 000
- Kyrgyz Republic: akf.hr.kg@akdn.org, tel: +996 312 97 62 47
- Madagascar: osdrm.akfmg@akdn.org
- Mozambique: akf.mozambique@akdn.org, tel: (21) 490 515/519
- Pakistan: akfisp.pak@akdn.org, tel: (51) 111-253-254
- Portugal: akfportugal@akdn.org, tel: (21) 3949110
- Syria: akeb.syria@gmail.com, tel: (11) 3343610/11
- Tajikistan: scholarship.akftjk@akdn.org, tel: (37) 2277650
- Tanzania: info.afktz@akdn.org, tel: (22) 2668651
- Uganda: akf.uganda@akdn.org
- United States of America: akfisp@usaji.org, scholarships.akfusa@akdn.org, tel: (202) 2932537
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