Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Scholarship Opportunity 2026-2027 for Bachelor’s, Master’s, PhD, and Postdoctoral Studies | Fully Funded
If you aspire to study at one of the world’s top universities, you can apply for the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Scholarship, offered to international students of all nationalities worldwide who wish to pursue Bachelor’s, Master’s, or PhD studies for the 2026-2027 academic year. These scholarships help you achieve your academic and career goals by removing financial barriers to covering study expenses. The IsDB Scholarship is one of the most unique and valuable opportunities for Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD studies, as the program focuses on uplifting Muslim communities in both member and non-member countries. The IsDB Scholarship aims to attract self-motivated, talented, and enthusiastic students with innovative development ideas, enabling them to reach a high level of competence in achieving their goals. Interestingly, this international scholarship provides equal opportunities for both men and women to grow and contribute to their communities. These fully funded study opportunities are designed to help students contribute to national and global development plans.
An Overview of the Islamic Development Bank Scholarship Program 2026-2027
The Islamic Development Bank Scholarship Program is more than just a scholarship program in the traditional sense of direct financial assistance to outstanding and qualified students. It is also a tool for improving the social and economic conditions of member countries and Muslim communities. Essentially, it is both a scholarship and a development program, providing the scholarship in the form of an interest-free loan (Qard Hasan) to students and as a grant to their communities/countries. Students are required to fulfill the detailed obligations, within the framework of each program, after graduation and securing profitable employment. Furthermore, students are also expected to participate in the development of their communities and countries through various professions. Repaid funds will be used to provide scholarships to other students from the same community and country, thus complementing the Islamic Development Bank program and ensuring its long-term sustainability. The community development services provided by students and graduates contribute to the overall development of their communities and countries. The Islamic Development Bank also expects its students to play a leading role in helping to develop their communities and countries. In other words, the Islamic Development Bank aims to cultivate responsible citizens and competent professionals. All the features and measures mentioned above are interconnected in an integrated manner, forming the core concepts that characterize the Islamic Development Bank Scholarship Program as a “distinguished community-oriented development program.”
Why You Should Apply for the Islamic Development Bank Scholarship 2026-2027 ?
- This program is a key component of the development initiatives led by the Bank since 1983 to promote the exchange of technology and knowledge among its member countries and Muslim communities in non-member countries. It is designed to attract talented students and build the necessary competencies, with a particular focus on sustainability sciences, to empower communities and help them achieve their national and public development plans, including the Sustainable Development Goals. The goal is to develop students/researchers into responsible citizens and competent professionals.
- IsDB scholarships are not limited to grants for international students to pursue postgraduate studies at leading universities in their home countries. Fellow students also receive grants for their startups and small businesses. The Islamic Development Bank also provides interest-free loans to students as a development grant to their home countries. The best part is that the scholarship is always recyclable, as the funds students repay from their work back home are used to provide further loans to future students, thus perpetuating the cycle of international scholarships and interest-free loans.
- Fully funded scholarships for students from the Islamic world serve as an effective tool for improving the socio-economic conditions of member countries and Muslim communities. Since its inception, the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) has been committed to enhancing the living standards of its member states, and these top-tier, fully funded scholarships aim to fulfill its mission of developing students and researchers into responsible citizens and competent professionals (GCCPs). Therefore, these students are expected to play a leading role in contributing to the development of their countries. The overarching concept behind these fully funded undergraduate and graduate scholarships is to build a community-oriented development program. This is why the program is often presented as a “distinguished community development program.”
Details about the Islamic Development Bank grant 2026-2027
| The institution: | Islamic Development Bank (ISDB) |
| Level of study: | Bachelor’s, Master’s, PhD, Postdoctoral Research Program, Professional Training. |
| Scholarship coverage: | Fully funded |
| Eligible nationality: | All Arab and Islamic nationalities |
| country hosting the scholarship | The best universities in the world |
| Deadline : | January 31 |
The IsDB Scholarship Program is actually a collection of six different scholarship programs. These include scholarships for bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees, as well as vocational training grants and scholarships for students from least developed member countries. To achieve its goal of providing the maximum number of scholarships, the Islamic Development Bank has partnered with top-tier universities, ministries of higher education in member countries, and international development institutes. These partnerships have made possible the creation of this platform, which focuses on building students’ capabilities and developing future leaders to achieve the highest development indicators for their countries.
Timetable
Each year, the program is officially announced (through the IsDB Scholarship Platform) in December, with applications being accepted in September/October of the following year. The implementation of the program results follows the next cycle:
Financing provided in the Islamic Development Bank grant
- Students will be given a monthly stipend.
- Tuition fees will be paid by the Islamic Development Bank.
- Instead of preparing scientific papers;
- Round-trip economy class airfare (once upon enrollment and once upon completion of studies) and a settling-in allowance for students selected to study abroad in partner universities and countries.
- Medical insurance will be provided to students until the completion of their studies.
- Graduation thesis preparation allowance.
Programs offered by the Islamic Development Bank grant:
Academic programs for bachelor’s degrees
Areas of study
Applicants for a bachelor’s degree scholarship must choose one of the fields of study shown in the left-hand column of the following table:
| Areas of study | Potential specializations in graduate studies |
| Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy, Nursing, Medical Laboratories, Microbiology, Public Health, Nutrition, Health Services Management, Biomedicine, Medical Technology, Veterinary Medicine, Chemistry, Biology and Biotechnology. | health |
| Engineering: Civil, Mechanical, Chemical, Electrical, Surveying, and Urban Planning | Sustainable cities: innovation and infrastructure development ; waste management |
| Agriculture and Forestry | Sustainable agriculture |
| Industrial technologies | Plastic and microplastic pollution, green chemistry, responsible growth |
| Physics and Geology | Energy |
| Computer Science, Information Technology, Communications and Electronics | Information and communication technologies for development |
| Natural resources and marine sciences | Biodiversity, climate change, water and hygiene |
| Law, Media, Journalism, Political Science, Entrepreneurship, and Business | Social sciences related to development |
| economics | Islamic Economics, Finance and Banking |
| Statistics, demographic econometrics, and social studies | population growth |
| Education, Psychology, Learning, Education Policy, and International Development | Education for Sustainable Development |
Academic programs within the framework of Master’s scholarships
| Sustainable agriculture | Food security, crops that are adaptable, and post-harvest techniques |
| education | Teaching quality, student/teacher ratio, high-level training |
| Education for Sustainable Development | Integrating sustainability issues into national curricula and teaching materials |
| climate change | Strategies for reducing carbon dioxide emissions. Climate change mitigation. Carbon sequestration methods. |
| Energy | Renewable energy, green technologies, solar energy potential, hydrogen fuel cells , biogas and biodiesel |
| Sustainable cities | Insulation techniques, transportation methods, urban planning |
| responsible growth | Reducing waste , serving communities, and ethical growth. |
| Waste management | Recycling reduces the carbon footprint and converts waste into energy technologies. |
| population growth | Urban sprawl, population density, epidemics, and overexploitation of natural resources |
| Green Chemistry | Alternative technologies, advanced research, pollution reduction |
| biodiversity | Loss of biodiversity, ecosystem services, mass extinction, agricultural biodiversity |
| Plastic and microplastic pollution | Integrating plastics into the food chain; biodegradable plastics; recycling possibilities |
| Water and hygiene | Water purity, availability, sanitation, and quality |
| health | Medicine and Medical Sciences, Pharmacy, Nutrition |
| Information and communication technologies for development | Computer science, lasers and fiber optics, communications, electronics |
| Innovation and infrastructure development | Building a resilient infrastructure, fostering innovation and industrial development, developing technological infrastructure , and creating products. |
| Islamic Economics, Finance and Banking | Islamic banking and finance products and services, Sharia standards for international financial institutions, Islamic insurance and takaful, Islamic capital market, Sharia and operational aspects of sukuk, Islamic microfinance, zakat management, endowment management |
| Social sciences related to development | International Economics, Journalism, Law , Intellectual Property, Political Science, Entrepreneurship , Commerce |
Academic programs within the framework of doctoral and postdoctoral grants
| Sustainable agriculture | Food security, resilient crops, post-harvest technologies |
| education | Teaching quality, student/teacher ratio, high-level training |
| Education for Sustainable Development | Integrating sustainability issues into national curricula and teaching materials |
| climate change | Strategies for reducing carbon dioxide emissions; climate mitigation; carbon sequestration methods |
| energy | Renewable energy and green technologies: the potential of solar energy and hydrogen fuel cells, biogas and biodiesel |
| Sustainable cities | Insulation techniques, transportation methods, urban planning |
| responsible growth | Reducing waste, serving communities, and promoting ethical growth. |
| Waste management | Recycling, reducing carbon footprint, converting waste into energy technologies |
| population growth | Urban sprawl, density, and epidemics exceeding |
| Green Chemistry | Alternative technologies, advanced research, pollution reduction |
| biodiversity | Loss of biodiversity, ecosystem services, mass extinction, agricultural biodiversity |
| Plastic pollution and microplastics | Integrating plastics into the food chain; biodegradable plastics; recycling possibilities |
| Water and hygiene | Water purity and availability, sanitation and quality |
| health | Medicine versus nutrition. |
| Information and communication technologies for development | Computer science, lasers and optical fibers, communications, electronics |
| Innovation and infrastructure development | Building a resilient infrastructure, innovation and industrial development, technological infrastructure, product innovation |
| Islamic economics, finance and banking | Methods and services of Islamic banking and finance, Sharia standards for international financial institutions, Islamic insurance and Takaful, Islamic capital market, Sharia and operational aspects of Sukuk, Islamic microfinance, Zakat management, Waqf and Zakat management. |
| Social sciences related to development | Global economy, journalism, intellectual property (IP) law, political science, entrepreneurship, trade and commerce |
Application requirements for the Islamic Development Bank grant
- Eligible Arab countries : All Arab nationalities: (United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Djibouti, Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Comoros, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Mauritania, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Somalia, Syria, Tunisia, Yemen)
- Candidates must be from Islamic countries.
- Citizens of any of the member countries of the Islamic Development Bank or Muslim communities in non-member countries .
- If the candidates are from non-Islamic countries, they must be Muslims.
- Candidates must be from the Muslim community of member states.
- If the candidates are from non-member states, they must be from the Muslim community.
- Candidates must have a high school diploma or be enrolled in one of the top public universities in their home countries.
- Candidates must have a minimum grade of 70% in their high school or bachelor’s degree when applying for a bachelor’s or master’s degree program.
- A certified translation into English or French must be provided for all documents if the original is in another language.
- Candidates must hold a relevant degree from the specified list of degree programs when applying for a master’s degree program.
- The candidate must have a relevant PhD and two years of relevant research experience while applying for the Post-Doc program.
- The applicant must not be receiving any other scholarship at the time of application and during the course of study.
- He must be medically fit and willing to undergo medical examinations after selection.
- PhD studies
- The candidate must have a master’s degree in one of the fields of study covered by the program;
- To have received a rating of at least “very good”;
- It is preferable that he has professional/research experience;
- He must have a research proposal in one of the study areas covered by the program, in which he demonstrates the scientific and developmental importance of his research to the community/country;
- To be medically fit and willing to undergo medical examinations after selection.
- Postdoctoral research
- The candidate must hold a PhD in one of the program’s approved fields;
- To have received a rating of at least “very good”;
- To have a record of publications/research in the same field;
- To have a research proposal in one of the program’s fields of study that demonstrates the scientific and developmental importance of his research to the community/country;
- To be medically fit and willing to undergo medical examinations after the test.
How do I apply for an Islamic Development Bank grant?
- Candidates must apply online.
- Candidates must create their online application accounts through the official website.
- Make sure to provide all relevant documents and contact details, including your email address, accurately.
- Candidates are not required to pay any application fees.
- Candidates must enroll themselves in one of the best public universities in the country.
