Aga Khan Foundation International Scholarship Programme

The Aga Khan Foundation’s International Scholarship Programme (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.

Applicants must meet the following criteria in order to apply for the programme:

1. Excellent academic records.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. Strong professional experience, extracurricular achievements, volunteer contributions and leadership skills.

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.]

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.

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 (see below).