The Aga Khan Foundation International Scholarship Programme (AKF ISP) funds postgraduate study, mainly master’s degrees, for outstanding students from a short list of developing countries who have no other way to pay. It covers tuition and living costs. Half of the award is a grant and half is a loan that you repay with a service charge after you finish. Eligible nationalities include Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Mozambique, Madagascar and Egypt in Africa, plus Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Syria, Tajikistan and the Kyrgyz Republic.
The 2026 to 2027 cycle has closed; its final deadline was 31 March 2026. The Foundation says the next cycle opens in early 2027, so the deadline to plan for is 31 March 2027, and some countries set earlier internal dates. This guide explains who qualifies, how the loan works, what the award will not pay for, and how to put together the funding plan that decides most applications.
Aga Khan Foundation International Scholarship at a glance
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Funder | Aga Khan Foundation, part of the Aga Khan Development Network |
| Running since | 1969; more than 1,500 students supported |
| Where you study | Reputable universities worldwide, except in the UK and Russia for now |
| Levels | Full-time postgraduate; master’s has priority, PhD considered |
| Award | Tuition and living expenses, half grant and half loan |
| Age preference | Young professionals under 30 |
| How to apply | Through the AKF contact in your country, not the Geneva office |
| Application fee | Free |
| Deadline | 31 March 2027 (some countries close earlier) |
Eligible countries for the Aga Khan Foundation scholarship
The programme runs only where the Foundation has a local team to take applications. The current official list differs from the one most listing sites copy:
| Group | Countries | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| Africa | Egypt, Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Tanzania, Uganda | Citizens applying through the local AKF team |
| Asia and the Middle East | Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Kyrgyz Republic, Pakistan, Syria, Tajikistan | Citizens applying through the local AKF team |
| Australia and New Zealand | Australia, New Zealand | Listed on the official eligibility tool; confirm your status with the local contact |
| Canada, Portugal, United States | Applicants living there | Only if originally from one of the countries above, with no other means of funding |
Two changes matter if you have read older guides. France no longer appears on the official list of diaspora countries, and the programme says it is not currently available for study in the United Kingdom or Russia. If your country is not here (Nigeria, Ghana, Ethiopia and Zambia are examples), you cannot apply, and the alternatives table below is a better use of your time.
How the grant and loan split works
Every award is 50% grant and 50% loan. The loan half has these terms:
- Service charge: the loan carries a service charge. Earlier programme notices set it at 5% a year; the current official page does not state the rate, so confirm it with your local office.
- Guarantor: someone must co-sign the award agreement with you.
- When repayment starts: six months after the earliest of graduation, ending your studies, or losing support for poor academic results.
- Repayment period: earlier notices gave five years. Check the figure in your award agreement.
To picture it, take an example award of US$30,000 over a two-year master’s. You would receive the full US$30,000 for fees and living costs, and owe back US$15,000 plus the service charge, starting six months after graduation. The real amount depends on your budget and the other funding you bring.
What the scholarship covers and what it doesn’t
| Covered | Not covered |
|---|---|
| Tuition fees | International travel |
| Student living expenses | Clothing and furniture |
| Whole master’s degree | Family members’ living costs |
| First two years of a PhD | PhD years three onwards |
The Foundation calls the programme a resource of last resort. It expects you to bring money from other places (savings, family, an employer, a partial university scholarship) and ask AKF only for the gap. You also have to keep showing financial need and good grades every year to keep the award.
Aga Khan Foundation scholarship eligibility
- Academic record: excellent grades in your bachelor’s degree, or equivalent training and professional experience.
- Financial need: genuine need that you can document.
- Funding plan: a reliable, multi-source plan that covers every year of the programme.
- Admission: admission to a reputable postgraduate institution.
- Leadership and service: professional experience, extracurricular or entrepreneurial achievements, and volunteering.
- First year only: you must be entering the first year of the programme. Anyone already enrolled in postgraduate study is not eligible.
- Full-time study: part-time programmes and short courses are not considered. Local or regional universities and distance learning are accepted if the course quality holds up.
Preference goes to applicants under 30. There is no stated age limit, so older applicants can still apply, though a 34-year-old should expect to need an especially strong case.
Eligibility edge cases
- Diaspora applicants: a Kenyan-born applicant living in Canada can apply, but only by showing roots in an eligible country, a development focus and no other way to pay.
- Studying close to home: local and regional universities are allowed, so a Ugandan applicant could use the award at a reputable university in East Africa if the course quality is there.
- Online degrees: distance learning is accepted, but only full-time programmes count.
- Already admitted and started: once you have enrolled in or begun the programme, you can no longer apply for it, so apply in the cycle before your first year.
- PhD funding gap: a three- or four-year doctorate needs a separate plan for the years after AKF support ends.
How to apply for the Aga Khan Foundation International Scholarship
- Use the eligibility tool: on the AKDN scholarship page, select your country to confirm eligibility and get your local team’s contact.
- Request the form early in 2027: the local office issues the form and tells you its own deadline, which may be earlier than 31 March.
- Apply for admission in parallel: AKF does not admit you. Apply to your universities and their own scholarships at the same time.
- Build the budget: list tuition, living costs and every other source of money, year by year.
- Collect documents: transcripts and certificates, admission letters or proof of application, references, evidence of income, and your guarantor’s details. Your local office will give the exact list.
- Return the form locally: send it back to the office that issued it. Applications sent to the Geneva office are not processed.
- Wait for the outcome: selection is a global, annual and competitive process with a limited number of new awards, and your local office tells you the result.
Keeping the award once you have it
Winning is the start of an agreement that runs for years. You and your guarantor sign the award agreement before the money is released. During the course you must keep good academic standing and keep showing that you still need the support, so expect the Foundation to ask about your finances again each year. If support is withdrawn because your results fall below the standard, the repayment clock starts six months later, the same as if you had graduated. After you finish, the loan half becomes a debt you service from your salary, which is worth weighing against the job you plan to take.
Writing the essays and funding plan
Because the award is need-based and comes last, two parts carry the application: your case for the course and your money plan. For the essays:
- Open with your work or service: one concrete thing you did and what changed.
- Explain the course choice: why this programme and this university in particular.
- Show where it leads: the job or project you plan for afterwards, and how it serves your community.
An opening that works might be: “In 2024 I set up a weekend maths clinic for 60 girls in Mwanza, and our pass rate in Form Four mathematics doubled in two years.” For the funding plan, show numbers. A plan that says “family will help” is weak; a plan showing a 40% university fee waiver, US$4,000 of savings and the remaining gap requested from AKF is much stronger.
Common mistakes
- Treating it as a free scholarship and not planning for loan repayment.
- Asking AKF for the full cost with no other funding sources.
- Choosing a UK course while the programme excludes UK study.
- Applying after starting the programme, which makes you ineligible.
- Missing the local deadline because you went by 31 March.
Aga Khan scholarship compared with similar awards
| Scholarship | Repay anything? | Countries | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aga Khan Foundation ISP | Yes, 50% loan | 15 listed countries plus diaspora | Master’s, PhD (two years) |
| Joint Japan/World Bank Graduate Scholarship | No | Developing World Bank members | Master’s |
| Australia Awards Scholarships | No | Asia, Pacific and about two dozen African countries | Master’s for Africa |
| Commonwealth Scholarship | No | Commonwealth countries, including Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, India and Pakistan | Master’s, PhD in the UK |
If you qualify for a full grant elsewhere, take that first and use AKF to fill whatever gap remains, which matches the Foundation’s description of the programme as a last resort.
Who should apply and who shouldn’t
Apply if you are a citizen of one of the listed countries, you have strong grades and a record of service, you have some other funding lined up, and you can find a guarantor. Skip it if you want a scholarship you never repay, if you plan to study in the UK, if you are already in your programme, or if you need part-time or short-course funding.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Aga Khan Foundation scholarship fully funded?
It covers tuition and living costs, but half is a loan you repay with a service charge starting six months after you finish. Travel is not covered.
Can Nigerians apply for the Aga Khan Foundation International Scholarship?
No. In Africa only citizens of Egypt, Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Tanzania and Uganda are eligible, applying through the local AKF office.
Does the Aga Khan scholarship fund PhD study?
Yes, but only the first two years. Master’s applications get priority.
When is the Aga Khan Foundation scholarship deadline?
31 March 2027 is the final deadline, based on the last cycle, and some countries close earlier. The next cycle opens in early 2027.
Sources and updates
Checked on 25 October 2026 against the Aga Khan Development Network’s International Scholarships page (eligible countries, UK and Russia exclusion, levels, grant and loan terms, coverage, cycle status). The 31 March 2026 deadline, the 5% service charge and the five-year repayment period come from the previous call as summarised on scholars4dev; the current official page does not repeat those figures. The deadline above is based on this year’s date; confirm on the official page when the call opens. This post will be updated when the 2027 cycle opens.
I am Jude Chinecherem, a final-year MBBS student at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. I know what it feels like to want an education your family cannot afford. When my parents could not pay for my schooling, I had to learn how to find scholarships and work the system out on my own, with nobody to guide me. I came out the other side, and now I share everything I learned so the next student does not have to figure it out alone. This is the advice I wish someone had given me back then.
