Description:
The Aga Khan Foundation’s International Scholarship Programme (ISP) aims to support gifted, outstanding students from developing countries to pursue full-time postgraduate studies at reputable higher education institutions of their choice.
The foundation provides a limited number of scholarships each year to students from select developing countries who have no other means of financing their studies, in order to develop effective scholars and leaders and to prepare them for employment, primarily within the foundation.
The programme gives priority to master’s degree courses but also considers applications for Ph.D. studies.
Deadline: 17 March 2023
Benefits:
– Financial Assistance: The foundation assists students with tuition fees and living expenses only. The cost of travel is not included.
– Loan Conditions: Half of the scholarship amount is considered as a loan, which must be reimbursed with an annual service charge of 5%. A guarantor is required to co-sign the loan agreement. The payback period is five years, starting six months after the study period funded by the foundation.
Eligibility:
Applicants must meet the following criteria:
– Be from an eligible country. In the Arab region, Egypt and Syria are included.
– Have excellent academic records.
– Have genuine financial need. 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 contributions 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.
– Be admitted to a reputable postgraduate institution of higher learning. Local/regional universities and distance-learning programmes are acceptable for ISP funding, if the quality of the courses is maintained.
– Have strong professional experience, extracurricular achievements, volunteer contributions and leadership skills.
How to Apply:
Students may obtain application forms from 1st January each year from AKF offices or Aga Khan Education Services boards in their countries of residence. Completed applications should be returned to the agency from which the form was obtained. They should not be sent to Geneva.