The M.Sc. Scholarship Programme is one of several scholarship schemes run by the Islamic Development Bank, launched in 1998 specifically for citizens of the Bank's Least Developed Member Countries (LDMCs), a list of 21 countries that includes Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Uganda, Yemen and Sudan among others. It funds a full master of science degree completed through coursework, research or a combination of both, within a maximum of two years, at a university nominated as part of the program rather than a university the applicant selects freely. The programme targets science, technology and engineering fields that IsDB considers priorities for strengthening research and technological capacity in member countries. Applicants must be citizens of one of the eligible LDMCs and, per IsDB's general scholarship rules, are typically expected to be no older than 30 at the application closing date, hold a strong first degree in a relevant technical field, and commit to returning to contribute to their home country after the degree. Funding covers tuition fees and a monthly stipend for living costs, with the exact allowance amounts set out in the annual scholarship booklet published on IsDB's site rather than fixed publicly as a single figure. Applications are submitted through the IsDB Scholarships online portal linked from isdb.org/scholarships. The round covering the 2026-27 academic year closed on 31 January 2026, and on past form the next round is expected to open later in 2026 with a similar deadline near the end of January 2027.
Eligible nationalities
Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, Comoros, Djibouti, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Niger, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Togo, Uganda, Yemen