What Is the IsDB Scholarship Programme 2027-28?
The IsDB Scholarship Programme 2027-28 is the Islamic Development Bank's annual scholarship offer for students from its 57 member countries and for Muslim communities in non-member countries. It funds undergraduate, master's, PhD and postdoctoral study, plus technical and vocational training, through four separate programmes, with tuition, a monthly stipend, medical cover and travel support for approved study abroad.
Important status note, verified 26 October 2026: the 2027-28 call has not yet been published. The official IsDB scholarships pages still present the 2026-27 programmes, and that call had closed by mid-February 2026. This article is therefore an application prep guide. The expected timing below is an estimate based on past cycles, which have varied widely — one call closed in April, another in February — so treat no date in this guide as confirmed until IsDB publishes the 2027-28 call.
The Four IsDB Scholarship Programmes Compared
| Programme | Level | Who it is for | Funding type | Max age |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SPMC — Scholarship Programme for Muslim Communities | Bachelor's | Muslim students in listed non-member countries | Interest-free loan (Qard Hasan) | 24 |
| IsDB-ISFD | Bachelor's / TVET diploma | Students from 21 least developed member countries | Interest-free loan (Qard Hasan) | 24 |
| M.Sc. Scholarship Programme | Master's | Students from 20 least developed member countries | Full grant | 30 |
| MSP — Merit Scholarship Programme for High Technology | PhD / postdoctoral research | Academic staff from all 57 member countries | Full grant | 35 (PhD) / 40 (postdoc) |
Read that funding column carefully, because it is the detail most aggregator posts get wrong. The two undergraduate programmes are interest-free loans, not grants: beneficiaries repay the loan after graduation under the Qard Hasan model. The master's and merit programmes are full grants. All four carry a return obligation — scholars are expected to return and contribute to their home country or community, and the grant programmes typically require service of twice the study period.
What Does the Scholarship Cover?
Coverage varies by programme and by whether you study at home or abroad, but the official programme booklets commonly include:
- Full tuition fees, paid directly to the institution.
- Monthly living stipend, set according to the cost of living in the country of study.
- Medical treatment and insurance for the duration of the programme.
- Books and clothing allowances in some tracks.
- Return economy airfare and a settling-in allowance for approved study abroad.
- Thesis preparation allowance for research students.
IsDB charges no application fee at any stage. The Bank states this explicitly, and it is worth repeating: any person or website asking for money for IsDB "enrolment" or "application processing" is a scam. The only official application portal is isdbscholarships.smartsimple.com, and questions about the call go to the IsDB scholarship team at scholar@isdb.org.
Who Can Apply?
- SPMC: academically strong, financially needy Muslim students from the listed non-member countries, applying through a local partner organisation (the Counterpart Organization) in their country.
- IsDB-ISFD: students from the 21 least developed member countries, also endorsed through a local partner organisation, for bachelor's or technical diploma study in science, technology and related fields.
- M.Sc.: students from 20 least developed member countries, nominated by a scientific, academic or research institution in their country, for master's study in science, engineering, technology or medicine.
- MSP: academic staff from any of the 57 member countries, nominated by their employer, for PhD or postdoctoral research in 17 high-technology fields.
In every track you must be medically fit, and you must meet the admission requirements of the university or institution where you will study. Prior admission is desirable for the undergraduate tracks and strongly encouraged for the master's track, and it gives MSP PhD applicants priority — so apply to universities in parallel instead of waiting for an IsDB offer first. You apply to only one IsDB programme, the one you are actually eligible for.
How to Apply: Step by Step
- Identify your one eligible programme from the table above, and confirm your country is listed for it in the current programme booklet.
- Secure your nomination or endorsement early. For SPMC and IsDB-ISFD this means your country's local partner organisation; for the M.Sc. it means a nominating institution; for MSP it means your employer. This step takes the longest, so start it before the call opens.
- Prepare documents: passport or national ID, transcripts and degree certificates (with certified English or French translations where needed), language test certificate, CV, motivation letter, recommendation letters, and — for MSP — a research proposal endorsed by your institution.
- When the 2027-28 call opens, apply on the official portal (isdbscholarships.smartsimple.com) and upload everything before the closing date in the call.
- Wait for the outcome by email. IsDB notifies successful awardees by email; if the summer passes without an email, your application most likely did not advance, and you may apply again in the next cycle.
Why the IsDB Programme Matters for Development
IsDB has run scholarship programmes since 1983, when it launched the programme for Muslim communities, and added the merit programme in 1992 and the master's programme in 1998. The design is deliberate: the Bank funds people in fields its member countries need — science, technology, medicine, agriculture and high-technology research — and then expects them to return and strengthen their own institutions. For applicants, that means your application should show not only strong grades but a credible plan for what you will do with the qualification at home. Selection panels notice that.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the IsDB Scholarship Programme 2027-28 open now? No. As of 26 October 2026 the 2027-28 call has not been published, and the official pages still show the 2026-27 programmes. Expect the next call in early 2027, but confirm on isdb.org/scholarships.
Is it really fully funded? Tuition, stipend, medical cover and travel are covered, but note the loan point: the two undergraduate tracks are interest-free loans to be repaid after graduation, while the master's and merit tracks are grants.
Can I apply to more than one IsDB programme? No — apply to the single programme you are eligible for. Applying to several creates inconsistencies and is not how the programmes are designed.
Does IsDB charge an application fee? Never. Any fee request connected to IsDB is a scam.
Do I need university admission before applying? It is not always compulsory, but it is desirable or encouraged in every track and gives MSP applicants priority. Apply to universities in parallel.
Official Links
Apply only through the official IsDB scholarship portal (isdbscholarships.smartsimple.com) once the 2027-28 call is published.
Conclusion
The IsDB Scholarship Programme 2027-28 is one of the few schemes that funds students from least developed countries all the way from bachelor's to postdoctoral research — but its four tracks have very different rules, and the undergraduate tracks are loans, not grants. Work out your single eligible track now, secure your nomination early, and you will be ready the day the call opens. For other fully funded government scholarships, see our Brunei Darussalam Government Scholarship 2027-28 guide and our Global Korea Scholarship (GKS) 2027 graduate guide.
By Opportunity Wave — 26 October 2026. Facts checked against the official IsDB scholarships pages and the published programme booklets on 26 October 2026. The 2027-28 call dates are not yet published; timing in this guide is an estimate from past cycles.
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