The Four IsDB Programs — Explained Clearly

Grant vs Qard Hasan: The Difference That Matters Most

Qard Hasan (SPMC & IsDB-ISFD)

An interest-free Islamic loan. You receive full funding during your studies, but after you gain employment, you repay the principal (no interest, no penalties) in easy instalments to a local IsDB Education Trust. That money is then recycled to fund the next student from your community. Think of it as a revolving community fund — you're not just a recipient, you're a steward.

Full Grant (M.Sc. & MSP)

No repayment of the funding itself. You receive tuition, stipend and allowances as a grant. You still have a return-to-home obligation and a service commitment, but you don't pay back the scholarship funds. This is what most people mean when they say “fully funded scholarship.”

1. SPMC — Scholarship Program for Muslim Communities in Non-Member Countries

Since 1983 · Loan-based

The SPMC was the first IsDB scholarship program. Its original purpose was to support Muslim minority communities in countries where the national government is not an IsDB member — places like India, the Philippines, Thailand or South Africa, where Muslim students often face economic barriers to higher education but lack access to the bilateral scholarship programs that Muslim-majority countries typically provide.

The list of eligible non-member countries changes every academic year. For example, the downloadable SPMC booklet lists 31 countries, while the 2025-26 list on isdb.org names 28. Always check the current year's official booklet before assuming your country qualifies.

Requirements

• Must be Muslim (religion verification required)
• Citizen of a non-member country on the current eligible list, and not living in a country other than your home country
• Maximum age: 24 years
• Completed senior secondary education (about 12 years) with good grades in major science subjects (a 70% minimum is commonly cited; confirm in the current booklet)
• Financial need (income documentation required)
• Medically fit and willing to undergo a medical examination after selection

What it covers

• Full tuition fees (paid to the institution)
• Monthly living stipend (locally calibrated)
• Annual book and clothing allowance (three months' stipend, once a year)
• Medical treatment (university or state hospital)
• All amounts are loans — repaid after employment
• Return airfare and an installation allowance only if IsDB places you abroad (study is normally at home)

Approved fields of study

Medicine, engineering, computer science, agriculture, dentistry, pharmacy, veterinary science, nursing, nutrition, forestry and fishery. Arts, business, law and social sciences are not included. Applications in unapproved fields are typically screened out before review.

Study location: in your own home country, at a recognized government university. The booklet does mention airfare for students “selected to study abroad”, but this is a domestic education scholarship, not an international mobility grant.

2. IsDB-ISFD — Scholarship for Least Developed Member Countries

Since 2019 · Loan-based

This program specifically targets students from the 21 Least Developed Member Countries (LDMCs) on its list. It was introduced in 2019 as a partnership between IsDB and the Islamic Solidarity Fund for Development (ISFD), a separate fund within the IsDB Group focused on poverty reduction and human development.

Like the SPMC, it is designed for study at recognized government universities and technical institutes in your own country. But for students who cannot secure admission at home, IsDB may facilitate placement at partner universities in Malaysia, Morocco or Türkiye. The TVET track is significant here: this is one of the only major international scholarship programs that funds technical diplomas and vocational qualifications alongside conventional bachelor's degrees.

Requirements

• Citizen of one of the 21 LDMCs, living in your home country
• Maximum age 24 at the closing date of applications
• Good grades in senior secondary science subjects — cited as min 70% (Bachelor's track) or 50% (TVET track)
• Financial need demonstrated
• Endorsement by the local NGO partner through the IsDB selection procedure

The 21 IsDB-ISFD countries

Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, Comoros, Djibouti, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Niger, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Togo, Uganda and Yemen.

TVET track — 48 technical diplomas

This is unique among major international scholarships. The TVET track funds technical and vocational qualifications — not just university degrees — and the lower 50% minimum grade threshold applies. The current booklet lists 48 approved diploma fields, including:

3. M.Sc. Scholarship Program

Since 1998 · Full grant

The M.Sc. program is a true full grant — no repayment. It targets students from the Least Developed Member Countries who have already completed their bachelor's degree and want a two-year Master's in science, engineering, technology or medicine. Think of it as the next step up from IsDB-ISFD, with stricter academic requirements and a requirement to study at a genuinely competitive university.

Note that the M.Sc. booklet uses its own list of 20 LDMCs: Afghanistan, Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, Comoros, Djibouti, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Niger, Palestine, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Togo, Uganda and Yemen.

The university ranking requirement

M.Sc. scholars must study at a university in an IsDB member country ranked within the top 1,000 globally by Times Higher Education (THE). This is a frequently missed requirement — and it creates a practical challenge: many LDMC home countries don't have universities in the top 1,000. So many M.Sc. scholars end up at the partner universities in Malaysia, Morocco or Turkey, which get priority, or at Makerere University in Uganda.

Requirements

• Citizen of one of the 20 LDMCs on the M.Sc. list
• B.Sc. or equivalent in science and technology
• Above-average academic standing or grades
• Maximum age 30 at the closing date of applications
• Nomination by a scientific, academic or research institution in your country
• Good command of the language of instruction; provisional or full admission at a qualifying university is strongly encouraged

What it covers (grant — no repayment)

• Full tuition
• Monthly stipend (country-specific rate)
• Medical treatment (university or local state hospital)
• Thesis preparation allowance
• Return air ticket (start and end of study) for students studying abroad
• Installation allowance for students studying abroad

STEM only — no social sciences, no business, no law, no humanities. The M.Sc. is specifically oriented toward technical capacity building in the development context: engineering (all branches), medical sciences, computer science and IT, natural sciences, agriculture and food technology, and environmental science.

4. MSP — Merit Scholarship for High Technology

Since 1992 · Full grant

The MSP is not a student scholarship in the conventional sense. It is a capacity-building program for working academics and researchers — people already attached to universities, research institutes or government science bodies. If you're a lecturer, research assistant or STEM faculty member in any of the 57 member countries and want to pursue a PhD (36 months) or a 6–12 month Postdoctoral placement in a high-technology field, this is the program for you.

You cannot apply to the MSP as an individual. Your employing institution must formally nominate you.

The application goes from your institution to IsDB — not from you directly. If you've just finished your bachelor's or master's but aren't employed by a research institution, this program is not accessible to you yet. Come back when you have a faculty or research staff position.

PhD track requirements

• Citizen of any of the 57 IsDB member countries
• Employed at a research/academic institution in your home country
• Minimum 2 years of work and/or research experience in the related field
• M.Sc. degree in a relevant high-tech field, with a record of publications or research
• Maximum age 35
• “Very Good” academic record
• Institutional nomination and a research proposal endorsed by the nominating institution (mandatory)

Postdoctoral track requirements

• PhD in a relevant high-tech field
• Minimum 5 years of work and/or research experience in the field
• Maximum age 40
• Published research record
• 6–12 month placement at a center of excellence in a member country
• Not eligible if you have done a postdoc outside your country within the past two years
• Institutional nomination letter (mandatory)

For the PhD, priority goes to applicants admitted in countries and universities with an IsDB cooperation agreement — Malaysia, Turkey, Queen Mary University of London and Makerere University — or at a member-country university in the THE or QS top 1,000.

The 17 approved high-technology fields

1. Laser and Fiber Optics
2. Conductors / Semiconductors
3. Polymer Science
4. Genetic Engineering / Biotechnology
5. Nuclear Science / Engineering
6. Electronics / Micro-Electronics / Telecom
7. Computer Science (incl. CAD/CAM)
8. Renewable Energy / Fuel Technology
9. Hydrology / Water Resources
10. Metallurgy
11. Chemical Engineering / Material Sciences
12. Medicine / Pharmaceutical
13. Agriculture / Food Technology
14. System Engineering
15. Space Science / Technology
16. Environmental Preservation Technology
17. Technology Management and Innovation (Postdoc only)

IsDB-TWAS Programme

Joint program · For researchers with a PhD

This is a joint program between IsDB and the World Academy of Sciences (TWAS). It is not a student scholarship — it is aimed at scientists who want to do sustainability-focused research, often with a partner team or host centre in another country.

Research grants

Joint research projects between groups in different member countries, focused on the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Grant sizes of up to USD 50,000 per group are often cited, but we could not confirm a current call or amount on the TWAS website — treat them as unconfirmed.

Postdoctoral fellowships

For early-career researchers from the 21 IsDB LDMCs who hold a PhD, are aged 45 or under and work at an institution at home: 3 to 6 months at a centre of excellence in another developing country, focused on sustainability science. TWAS lists a monthly living allowance, up to USD 2,600 for bench fees and up to USD 1,000 for a return flight. Check current calls on the TWAS website.