Which Countries Are Eligible for the AKF Scholarship in 2027
Country eligibility is the first thing to verify — and also where the most confusion lives. This page covers the eligible home countries, what diaspora eligibility actually means, which countries people ask about but are not on the list, and which study destinations AKF will not fund.
ScholarshipUnion Editorial
8 min read
Updated Oct 6, 2026
The 13 Eligible Developing Home Countries
These 13 developing countries form the core of the programme. Confirm yours before investing time in the application.
The current official AKDN scholarship page lists the ISP as available in Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, Egypt, India, Kenya, the Kyrgyz Republic, Madagascar, Mozambique, New Zealand, Pakistan, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania and Uganda. Australia and New Zealand are new additions; the page does not say whether applicants there must originally come from one of the developing countries, as in Canada, Portugal and the USA. AKDN also introduces the list with “for example”, so it may not be complete. If you live in Australia or New Zealand, or in a country not named here, use the AKDN eligibility tool to confirm before you apply.
Apply via the local AKF office. Conflict-affected applicant status is acknowledged — contact the office directly to confirm the current process for your situation.
Apply through the local AKF Bangladesh office. Confirm the current-year internal deadline directly with the office in January of the application year.
Apply through the AKF Egypt office. Verify the local internal deadline — it may fall before the historical late-March global close.
No online portal is published; forms come from the India office. In 2022 the India office set its own earlier deadlines (forms by 14 March, completed applications by 21 March). Contact it from January. Detailed notes below.
The internal deadline typically falls before late March. Apply through the local AKES or AKF Kenya office, and contact it in January to confirm the exact date for the current cycle.
Apply through the local AKF office. AKF has a strong institutional presence in Central Asia. Contact the office directly in January to confirm current-year procedures.
Apply through AKF Madagascar. An internal deadline applies and typically precedes late March. Contact the office in January to confirm.
Apply through the local AKF office. The internal deadline may fall before the global close. Missing the local deadline means missing the cycle entirely.
Apply through AKF Pakistan. AKF and AKES Pakistan have handled applications. In 2022 they asked for pre-application forms by 16 March and completed applications by 31 March; confirm this cycle’s dates in January.
Eligible despite ongoing conflict. Contact AKF directly to confirm the current application process for Syrian nationals, as logistics may vary depending on where you are located.
Apply through the AKF Tajikistan office. AKF maintains strong operations in Tajikistan. Contact the local office in January to verify the current-year process and deadline.
Apply through AKES or AKF Tanzania. The internal deadline typically precedes late March. Confirm with the local office in January — do not rely on a global date.
Apply through the AKF Uganda office and confirm the internal deadline in January. As with other African countries, the local deadline precedes any global date.
Diaspora Eligibility: Canada, USA, Portugal
This route has additional requirements that applicants from home countries do not face.
Nationals of the eligible developing countries who currently live in Canada, the United States or Portugal may also apply. AKDN states that in these countries applications are accepted from people who are originally from one of the listed countries. The route is explicitly provided for — but it carries conditions that do not apply to applicants submitting through their home-country offices.
What the diaspora route requires
- You must be originally from one of the eligible developing countries — that is AKDN’s wording. Ask the local office what proof of origin it needs.
- You must currently live in Canada, the USA or Portugal at the time of application.
- Your intended programme should be development-related. AKDN’s 2023–24 page made this a condition for diaspora applicants; the current page does not repeat it, so confirm locally.
- You apply through the AKF office or designated agency in Canada, the USA or Portugal — not through the home-country office.
Common mistakes on the diaspora route
- Applying for a programme that is not clearly development-related — AKDN has treated this as a requirement for diaspora applicants.
- Applying through the home-country office while living in the USA, Canada or Portugal. The process is different and goes through the residence country.
AKDN listings up to the 2025–26 cycle included France as a diaspora residence country alongside Canada, Portugal and the USA. The current official page no longer lists France. If you live in France and are a national of an eligible country, contact AKF directly to confirm your eligibility before starting the application.
Countries People Ask About (But Are NOT Eligible)
AKDN presence does not equal scholarship eligibility. These countries come up often.
| Country | Why people think it's eligible |
|---|---|
| Nigeria | A large applicant pool for other scholarships, so people assume AKF covers it too. Nigeria is not named on the AKDN list. |
| Ghana | Same reason as Nigeria. Ghana is not named on the AKDN list. |
| Sri Lanka | Regional proximity to eligible South Asian countries (Bangladesh, India, Pakistan) leads to confusion. Sri Lanka is not on the list. |
| Nepal | Often mentally grouped with the eligible South Asian countries. Not eligible. |
| Ethiopia | Often grouped with the eligible East African countries. Ethiopia is not named on the AKDN list. |
| South Africa | A common study and work hub in Africa. Not named as an eligible home country for the ISP. |
| Iran | Historical links with the Ismaili community create an association. Iran is not named on the AKDN list. |
| Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Turkey | None of these are eligible home countries, regardless of community ties or AKDN activity in the region. |
The eligible list reflects where AKF has determined that its development impact and local office infrastructure can support both the selection process and the follow-through after scholars return. AKDN doing development work in a country does not automatically make that country's nationals eligible for ISP funding. When in doubt, check directly with an AKF office rather than relying on secondhand accounts online.
Study Destination Exclusions
Your home country determines whether you can apply. Your study destination determines whether the award can be used.
United Kingdom: not eligible
The UK is not an eligible study destination, and the exclusion has been in place for several recent cycles. Nationals of AKF-eligible countries admitted to UK universities cannot use AKF funding for those programmes, regardless of programme quality or the institution's reputation.
Applicants spend months pursuing admission at Oxford, UCL, LSE or Edinburgh, then realise after acceptance that AKF will not fund those programmes. If AKF is part of your funding strategy, do not apply exclusively to UK universities.
Russia: not eligible
Russian universities are excluded from AKF funding, regardless of programme relevance or institutional standing. Some Central Asian and South Asian applicants consider Russian universities because of lower costs and historical ties. If AKF funding is on your radar, factor this exclusion into your university shortlist from the start.
All other destinations
There is no other official exclusion list. All destinations beyond the UK and Russia are eligible, subject to the university being “reputable” in AKF's assessment. No ranking threshold or accreditation standard is published.
AKDN publishes no destination statistics. Options open to AKF scholars include, for example, the USA, Canada, Australia, Germany, France, Japan, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland and others. The relevant question is not “which country is best?” but “does this specific university and programme credibly serve the development purpose stated in my application?”
Country-Specific Application Notes
Details that matter and are rarely surfaced in the official materials.
India: highest complexity
AKDN publishes no online application portal for India. Forms come from, and go back to, the India office. In 2022 the office set a separate deadline for distributing forms, so expect to request a form rather than apply online, and confirm the current format.
- 1Get the form
Request the form from the India office. Its address has been given as AKF New Delhi, Sarojini House, 2nd Floor, 6 Bhagwan Dass Road, New Delhi 110001 (unconfirmed on the AKDN page; check the eligibility tool). AKDN cycles open in January.
- 2Submit to the same office
The completed application goes back to the office that issued the form, which is AKDN’s rule for every country.
- 3Confirm the India deadline
The India deadline has been earlier than the global close (21 March in 2022). Contact the office in January to confirm the exact date for the current cycle, and do not assume 31 March is your deadline.
- 4Prepare for an interview
AKDN says local committees may interview applicants; ask the India office where interviews take place. AKF India alumni on LinkedIn are a practical resource for current-cycle insights and interview preparation.
- 5Allow for travel and post
If you are outside Delhi, account for travel time and postal delays. Receiving the form by mail and submitting it by mail means starting early in January.
Africa: Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Mozambique, Madagascar
All African applications go through local AKF, AKES (Aga Khan Education Services) or AKEB offices. The institutional contact varies by country, so check which entity handles ISP applications in yours.
AKDN does not publish African internal deadlines, and they may fall before the global close. Missing the internal deadline is equivalent to missing the cycle entirely; the global date is not a safety net.
Contact the local office in January to confirm the current year's internal deadline. Do not wait until February to start this enquiry: offices can be slow to respond during busy periods, and you need confirmed dates before you can plan your application.
Pakistan
AKF Pakistan and AKES Pakistan have handled applications from Pakistani nationals. In 2022 they asked for pre-application forms by 16 March and completed applications by 31 March, so the first step can close weeks before the final one.
Contact AKF Pakistan directly in January to confirm the current-year deadline and form availability. Competition from Pakistan is intense; your profile needs to be genuinely strong across all criteria — academic record, development focus, financial need and return plan.
Central Asia: Kyrgyz Republic and Tajikistan
AKF has a strong, well-established presence in both the Kyrgyz Republic and Tajikistan, and applications go through the local AKF offices. That infrastructure means the process tends to be more organised than in some other eligible countries.
Contact the local offices in January to verify the current year's process, deadline and any documentation changes. Year-to-year consistency is generally good, but confirming directly is always better than assuming last year's information still applies.
Next: once you have confirmed your country, check the full eligibility requirements.