Scholarships India

INTRODUCTION TO AGA KHAN SCHOLARSHIP:

The AKDN ( Aga Khan Development Network ) provides scholarships to the limited number of students for post graduate studies. This Aga Khan scholarship is for the students belonging to the selected developing countries with no other means of financing their studies.This scholarship is based on 50% grant : 50% loan in order to develop effective scholars and leaders and to make them ready for employment, primarily within the AKDN.

ELIGIBILITY:

• Nationality

Applicant must have the nationality from one of the following developing countries: Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Syria, Egypt, Tanzania, Kenya, Madagascar, Uganda and Mozambique. Applications from France, Portugal, UK, USA and Canada are acceptable in case applicant is originally from one of the above developing countries, interested in development-related studies and have no other means of financing his/her education.

• Requirement for Residency

Applicant with one of the above given nationality should be the resident of the country where there are offices of local Aga Khan Foundation (AKF), Aga Khan Education Services (AKES), or Aga Khan Education Board (AKEB). Which process applications and interview applicants.

• Age Criteria

Applicants under 30 years of age have been given priority.

Aga Khan Scholarship SELECTION CRITERIA:

Scholars are selected on the basis of the following criteria:

• financially needy
• uniform excellent academic records
• admission to a highly reputable university or programme of study and
• relevance of the field of study to AKDN’s focus areas.

In addition, Applicants are also assessed against thoughtful and coherent educational and career plans, potential to achieve goals and likelihood to succeed in a foreign academic environment, extra-curricular interests and achievements. Applicants are also expected to have some years of work experience in their field of interest.

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE:

Students are assisted with tuition fees and living expenses only with no cost of travel allowance by the Foundation. For PhD programmes funding is provided for the first two years of study only, after which the students have to find alternative sources of assistance. Financial assistance is provided according to the needs of students, but the ISP must be considered a lender of last resort. To reduce the amount requested from the Foundation to a minimum, Applicants are requested to make every effort to obtain funding from other sources as well. Students who are able to secure some funding from alternative sources have been given preference.

LOAN CONDITIONS:

Half of the scholarship amount is considered as a loan, which must be reimbursed with an annual service charge of 5%. A guarantor is required to co-sign the loan agreement. The payback period is five years, starting six months after the study period funded by the Aga Khan Foundation.

APPLICATION PROCEDURES:

Application forms are available from January 1st each year at AKF-Offices or Aga Khan Education Services / Boards in their countries of current residence as the application procedures of AKF’s International Scholarship Programme are decentralised. Completed applications should get returned to the agency from where the form was obtained. They should not be sent to Geneva.