IsDB Scholarship FAQ: 28 Real Questions, Answered

For the SPMC program (targeting Muslim communities in non-member countries), yes — you must be Muslim. This is the explicit purpose of the program and you must provide evidence of your faith identity. For the IsDB-ISFD, M.Sc. and MSP programs, the requirement is citizenship of an IsDB member country or LDMC — not religion. A non-Muslim citizen of Bangladesh, Nigeria or Senegal is technically eligible for the member-country programs open to their country. The official booklets don't address this directly, which causes widespread confusion.

No. Eligibility is strictly country-based. If your country does not appear on the eligible list for the current cycle of the program you're targeting, you cannot apply. The SPMC eligible country list rotates annually — your country may have been listed last year but not this year. Always check the current cycle's official booklet before applying. There is no exception or appeal process for country eligibility.

If you're a student (not yet academic staff), your options are very limited. IsDB-ISFD and the M.Sc. are restricted to the Least Developed Member Countries — Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, Malaysia and other middle-income members are not in that group. The MSP (PhD/Postdoc) is available to all 57 member countries, but only if you are currently employed by a research or academic institution. If you're a recent graduate looking for a master's scholarship, IsDB does not currently have a program for you unless your country is on the M.Sc. LDMC list.

Yes, in practice. The SPMC covers undergraduate (bachelor's) study. If you already hold a bachelor's degree, you're not pursuing an undergraduate program and therefore aren't eligible. The program serves students who are yet to complete their first degree.

Yes. All four IsDB scholarship programs are open to both male and female applicants — the booklets describe the target group as academically successful young men and women. There is no gender restriction. IsDB has also noted female participation as a development priority in some program contexts, so strong female applicants from LDMCs may benefit from this emphasis.

No age waivers are available or documented. Age limits are calculated as of the application closing date. If you are 31 before the deadline and the limit is 30, you are not eligible. There is no appeals mechanism for age limits.

No. IsDB scholarships fund STEM and related fields — medicine, engineering, computer science, agriculture and, for MSP, 17 specific high-technology disciplines. Law, economics, business, journalism, arts and social sciences are not covered at degree level by any of the four programs (the IsDB-ISFD technical diploma list includes a few business and trade diplomas). If your intended field falls outside the approved lists, do not apply expecting an exception.

It depends. For SPMC and IsDB-ISFD bachelor's programs, you typically apply before or at the start of your undergraduate study — prior admission to an approved discipline at home is even described as desirable. For the M.Sc., you need a completed bachelor's degree first. For MSP, you must be employed at a research institution — so you could technically be studying part-time while employed. Check the specific program booklet for your cycle, as the wording on current enrollment varies.

Not published yet. As of 6 October 2026, IsDB's scholarships page is still titled Scholarship Programs 2026–2027. That call was open on 31 January 2026 and had closed by 17 February 2026; earlier calls closed on 30 April 2024 and 20 April 2025. We expect the next call to open in early 2027, but that is an estimate — confirm on isdb.org/scholarships before relying on any date.

Not always. Prior admission is desirable for the SPMC and IsDB-ISFD, strongly encouraged for the M.Sc., and gives MSP PhD applicants priority. The booklets do not publish a fixed deadline for securing admission after an offer, so follow your award letter. Apply to universities in parallel rather than waiting for an IsDB offer.

Generally no — apply to the one program you are eligible for and best suited to. IsDB programs target different populations and academic levels; the overlap is minimal (most applicants are only eligible for one). Applying to multiple programs creates inconsistencies in your application and is not the intended use of the system.

Yes, you can apply to multiple scholarships simultaneously. However, the IsDB scholarship may only supplement, not duplicate, other funding, so you cannot hold it alongside another scholarship covering the same expenses. If you receive IsDB and another scholarship in the same cycle, you must choose one and decline the other. IsDB requires you to disclose other sources of funding.

Yes. IsDB's scholarships page says successful awardees are notified by email; it does not mention rejection notices. For the 2024-2025 call, IsDB said awardees would hear by 15 July 2024. If the summer passes without an email, your application most likely did not advance. Check your spam folder once. You can apply again in the next cycle.

Yes — there is no documented restriction on reapplication. You can apply again in the next cycle as long as you still meet the eligibility criteria (particularly age limits). Before reapplying, take an honest look at what likely held your application back — a generic motivation letter, weak financial documentation, missing documents or a field mismatch — and address those specifically.

You need a certified translation into English or French (whichever is the language of your application and study destination). A certified translation must be done by a recognized translation service or your institution, not a self-translation or a Google Translate printout. For Arabic speakers applying to French-medium programs in Morocco, an Arabic-to-French certified translation is also accepted.

No. IsDB charges absolutely nothing for the scholarship application. If any individual, agent or website asks for payment in connection with an IsDB scholarship application — processing fee, application fee, selection fee or anything else — it is a scam. The official portal is isdbscholarships.smartsimple.com, and it is free to register and apply.

Any change to the study program, institution or field after receiving an offer must be approved by IsDB. Do not change programs or universities without written approval — unapproved changes can result in withdrawal of the scholarship. Contact the IsDB scholarship team at scholar@isdb.org before making any changes.

IsDB does not publish a public stipend table. Stipends are calibrated to local living costs in the country of study. Unofficial figures reported by scholars: Malaysia approximately MYR 1,500–2,000/month (roughly USD 330–440); Morocco approximately MAD 3,000–4,500/month (roughly USD 300–450); Turkey approximately TRY 8,000–12,000/month (subject to ongoing inflation — real purchasing power has declined). These are estimates and vary by program and cycle.

It is a Qard Hasan — an interest-free Islamic loan. You receive full funding during your studies (tuition, stipend, allowances), but after you gain employment, you repay the principal to a local IsDB Education Trust in easy instalments. There is no interest or penalty, and the repaid funds are recycled to fund the next student from your community. Think of it as a community revolving fund. The M.Sc. and MSP programs are true grants — no repayment.

No. IsDB scholarship funding covers the scholar only. There is no provision for spouses, children or other dependents. If you bring family, all costs for them — accommodation, food, schooling, visa, health insurance — come entirely from your personal resources. Budget for this independently of your stipend.

No. For scholars studying abroad, IsDB covers one economy-class trip at the start of the scholarship and one at the end. Any travel home during the scholarship period — for semester breaks, family events or emergencies — is your personal expense. Plan accordingly.

IsDB does not publish a payment timetable, and scholars report that the first payment can take a few weeks after enrollment is confirmed. So you need personal funds to cover at least your first month — accommodation deposit, food, local transport, and the bank account setup process, which can also take weeks. Arrive with accessible cash equivalent to at least one full month of living expenses.

You must return to your home country upon completing your studies and work in a field related to your scholarship. For the M.Sc. and MSP, the booklets set this at least twice the duration of your scholarship: if your scholarship was 2 years, you serve 4 years; if 3 years, then 6. For the SPMC and IsDB-ISFD, you commit to return and take part in development through your profession, and to repay the loan. This is a legal commitment — you sign a surety bond before your scholarship begins.

You would be in breach of the surety bond you signed. The public booklets do not spell out the penalty; surety bonds of this kind usually let the sponsor recover what it spent on you, so expect to be asked to repay some or all of the scholarship costs. For SPMC and IsDB-ISFD scholars, the Qard Hasan loan is owed in any case. Read the bond before you sign it.

Any deviation from the return obligation requires prior written approval from IsDB. IsDB considers exceptions case by case — there is no automatic right to defer. If you want to do a postdoc or a year of work abroad before returning, contact the IsDB scholarship team before making any plans. Doing so without approval puts you in breach of the surety bond.

Yes. IsDB maintains an alumni network. Upon graduation, scholars are expected to register with the network and keep IsDB updated on their professional activities. The alumni community spans 57+ countries and decades of cohorts. However, the network is more of a reporting and tracking mechanism than an active career-support community — don't expect the IsDB alumni brand to open doors the way a Chevening or Fulbright alumni tag might in Western career contexts. In development-sector contexts within member countries, it carries real credibility.

Repayment begins after graduation and gainful employment, in easy instalments, to the local IsDB Education Trust, according to the booklets. They do not publish a fixed start date or schedule, so agree the terms with the Trust.

The IsDB scholarship is intended to support full-time study. The booklets oblige scholars not to seek or accept remunerated work that may interfere with their studies or obligations unless IsDB approves it in writing — so taking paid employment without IsDB's knowledge may breach the scholarship terms. Student visa rules in Malaysia, Morocco and Turkey also have their own restrictions on international student employment. Check both IsDB's terms and your study country's immigration rules.