How to Apply for the IsDB Scholarship 2027-28 — Start to Finish

One Portal for All Programs

The IsDB scholarship portal is hosted on SmartSimple, a third-party grant management platform. The URL is isdbscholarships.smartsimple.com. All four programs (SPMC, IsDB-ISFD, M.Sc. and MSP) are managed through this same portal — you select your program type during registration.

Use a personal email address that you check regularly. All status updates, shortlisting notices and scholarship offers are sent to this email. If you miss a time-sensitive email, your application can lapse.

7 Steps from Start to Enrolled

1. 1
   Download the current program booklet

   Before touching the portal, download the booklet for your specific program from the official IsDB website. Booklets are updated each academic cycle. The one from two years ago may have different country lists, age limits or document requirements. Read it fully before proceeding. Each program has its own booklet — SPMC, IsDB-ISFD, M.Sc. and MSP. Download the right one.

2. 2
   Create your account on the portal

   Register at isdbscholarships.smartsimple.com with a valid email. Use your personal email — not a university email that could expire. Fill in your personal profile accurately. Errors at this stage cause delays later because all downstream documents must match.

3. 3
   Gather your documents before starting the form

   Do not start filling in the application form until you have every document ready to upload. The portal session can time out and you risk losing progress. Have everything scanned and in PDF format first. The full document list is below.

4. 4
   Complete and submit the application form

   Fill in the online form, attach all documents in PDF format (check the file size limit shown for each upload), and submit before the deadline. After submission you will receive a confirmation email. Save it.

5. 5
   After the call closes

   Wait for the results

   IsDB does not publish a review timetable. Its scholarships page says successful awardees are notified by email; for the 2024-2025 call it promised that by 15 July 2024. If you are not selected, do not expect a rejection email. No correspondence means your application did not advance. This is IsDB's standard practice — frustrating, but the norm. Do not interpret silence as a system error.

6. 6
   Summer

   Receive the scholarship offer and secure university admission

   Successful applicants receive an offer from IsDB by email. If you do not yet hold admission, you will need to secure it at a qualifying university. The booklets do not publish a fixed deadline for this, so follow the dates in your award letter.

7. 7
   Sign the surety bond and complete pre-departure steps

   Before your scholarship is activated, you sign a legal surety bond committing to complete your studies, and return to your home country after graduation. For the M.Sc. and MSP, you also commit to serve for at least twice the scholarship period; for the SPMC and IsDB-ISFD, you commit to community or national development and to repaying the loan. Read it carefully — it is a legal commitment. Only then does the scholarship formally begin and payments commence.

Documents You Need

Core documents across all programs

• Valid passport or national ID (clear scan, all pages)
• All academic transcripts and degree certificates (certified English or French translations if originals are in another language)
• Language proficiency certificate (IELTS, TOEFL, DALF or equivalent — depending on study language)
• Medical fitness: the SPMC and IsDB-ISFD booklets ask you to be medically fit and to accept a medical examination after selection
• CV or resume
• Motivation letter / personal statement
• Recommendation letters, if the portal asks for them (academic supervisors or professional references)

Additional by program

• SPMC only: proof of Muslim identity, financial need documentation (family income statements).
• IsDB-ISFD only: financial need documentation, endorsement from the local NGO partner.
• MSP only: institutional nomination letter from your employer, research proposal endorsed by that institution, work experience letters, publications list.
• M.Sc. only: nomination from a scientific, academic or research institution in your country.

Deadlines: What Is Known — and What Is Not

IsDB runs one call a year. The last published call, for the 2026-2027 programs, was shown as open on 31 January 2026 and had closed by 17 February 2026. The next call is the 2027-2028 cycle, and as of 6 October 2026 its dates are not yet published on isdb.org/scholarships — the official pages are still titled Scholarship Programs 2026–2027. Timing has varied: the 2024-2025 call closed on 30 April 2024 and the 2025-2026 call on 20 April 2025, after an extension. We expect the 2027-2028 call to open in early 2027, but that is an estimate, not a date. For the SPMC and IsDB-ISFD, the local partner organization announces the call in each country, so check with it too.

Questions about the call go to IsDB's scholarship team at scholar@isdb.org.

Four Mistakes That End Applications Early

Untranslated or uncertified transcripts

Transcripts in Arabic, Urdu, Bengali or any language other than English or French must be accompanied by a certified official translation. A Google Translate print-out is not accepted. Get certified translations from a recognized translation service or your academic institution.

Applying for a disqualifying field

Applications for business, law, economics, journalism or arts degrees are screened out during initial processing. If your bachelor's is in a non-approved field and you want to switch to an approved field for your master's, this may or may not be accepted — clarify with IsDB before applying.

Leaving university admission until after the offer

Admission is not always required to apply, but it helps, and an offer is no use without a place. Start the university admission process before your IsDB application is submitted, not after you receive an offer.

MSP applications without institutional nomination

Every year, people submit MSP applications as individuals, without an employer nomination letter. These are not reviewed — the portal requires an institutional nomination as a prerequisite. Without it, the application cannot be submitted or will be immediately rejected.