Aga Khan Foundation Scholarship 2023: Overview, Eligibility & Process

Today’s education is nothing like before. Competition has peaked, and there is a constant tussle among students to find a spot in universities and colleges across the globe. To make matters worse, the tuition fee in most colleges have hit the roof. Especially foreign education seems to be totally inaccessible for people from lower-income and middle-income backgrounds. Thankfully, numerous colleges and non-profit organisations have started offering scholarships and financial aid to help such students achieve their dreams. One such really popular non-profit foundation that is making waves in the education sector is the Aga Khan Foundation Scholarships.

Overview of Aga Khan Foundation Scholarships

Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, the Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) is a not-for-profit organisation that was developed with the sole intention of helping out students in the poorest and marginalised communities of the world. This mainly covered students from parts of Central Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. The foundation has successfully changed the life of many families and got them out of poverty, illiteracy, and hunger by giving them access to quality education. The Aga Khan Foundation in India has a long-rooted history and has been highly vocal in voicing out the problems faced by people in rural areas and has provided them with a good lifestyle and a proper education for their children. The AKES started the Rural Education Advancement Programme, which provides nursery and primary education to children in the rural areas of Gujarat and Maharashtra. The AKES has been working in close coordination with government schools across the country and has been the backbone for the education of many students in India. Apart from such initiatives, the foundation offers one of the most popular scholarship programmes in the world – the International Scholarship Programme.

About Aga Khan Foundation International Scholarship Programme

The Aga Khan Foundation International Scholarship Programme is the flagship scholarship programme of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN). It is offered to deserving students from various developing countries who wish to pursue their postgraduate studies in foreign universities but have no means of financing their education. The main goal of this initiative is to develop highly qualified scholars and help them with their employment, especially within the AKDN. The scholarships are awarded on a 50-50 basis (grants and loans) every year during the month of June or July. It is awarded through a competitive selection process. Though the scholarship is meant only for master’s degrees, it may be extended to doctorate courses as well in special cases.

Eligibility Criteria

To get the grant and loan from the AKDN, you must satisfy the following eligibility criteria. The eligibility is evaluated based on three aspects – location of the applicant, residency requirement, and age limit.

Location of the Application

Since the Aga Khan Foundation International Scholarship Programme is awarded only to students from developing countries, this is an important eligibility criterion. The foundation accepts applications only from those candidates who are a citizen of the following 13 countries.

• India
• Bangladesh
• Pakistan
• Afghanistan
• Tajikistan
• Kyrgyzstan
• Syria
• Egypt
• Kenya
• Tanzania
• Uganda
• Madagascar; and
• Mozambique

These are the developing countries listed by the AKDN. Applications from candidates in countries like France, Portugal, the UK, the USA, Canada, and others will also be accepted, provided the applicant is a national of the above-mentioned countries and wishes to pursue higher education in a developed country.

Residency Requirement

This requirement states that the student should be a resident of any one of the above-mentioned 13 countries where there is a local office of either the Aga Khan Foundation (AKF), Aga Khan Education Services (AKES), or the Aga Khan Education Board (AKEB) to process the applications and provide the grants.

Age Limit

The applicants should not be more than 30 years of age at the time of application.

Selection Process

The application process is completely decentralised and consists of submitting the application form to the AKF agencies situated in the countries of the students’ residence. The forms will be available at the AKF offices from January every year. The deadline to submit the applications at the AKF offices is in March, after which applications will not be accepted. The AKDN selects applicants for scholarships based on the following criteria –

• Excellent academic records
• Genuinely in need of financial assistance
• Admission to a highly reputed university for postgraduate studies
• Relevancy of AKDN’s focus areas

Candidates are asked to submit their career plans and future goals. It is also important for the applicants to have some years of work experience in their relevant field. This will be an added advantage for individuals during times of conflict. All eligible applicants will be interviewed by the local scholarship committees about their financial status, academic excellence, and their other activities. The results of the selected candidates will be released by the Aga Khan Foundation in early June or July. They will be evaluated based on their plans and demonstration of thoughtful ideas during the interview. They are also evaluated based on their extra-curricular interests, potential to achieve goals, and ability to survive in a foreign environment.

Financial Assistance & Loan Condition

The scholarship covers only the tuition and living expenses of the student during the time of the study. The travel expenses and other incurred costs should be borne by the student. Financial assistance is provided as per the needs of the student. In the case of PhD programmes, the scholarship is provided only for the first two years, after which the student has to look for other alternative sources of assistance. As mentioned earlier, 50% of the scholarship will be provided on a loan basis. Like every other loan, this loan also has to be repaid with an annual service charge of 5%. The loan agreement must be signed by a guarantor. The payback period for the loan is five years, starting after 6 months of study in a university under the Aga Khan funding.

Tips to Clear the Interview for Aga Khan Foundation Scholarships

The interview for Aga Khan Foundation Scholarships is a highly competitive one, and students from many developing countries apart from India are competing to get a grant from the foundation for their higher education. Here are some simple tips that can be handy for you to clear the interview and become an AKF-funded member.

• Review the application for Aga Khan Foundation Scholarships thoroughly. The majority of the questions asked in the interview will circle around the information furnished in the application form.
• Have a brief idea about the Aga Khan Foundation and the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN).
• Be clear about your choice of course and your ability to excel in that course.
• Be confident and have clear language.
• Interact with the interviewers by asking questions about the scholarship and the foundation.
• Have a proper dress code. Though insignificant, the way you present yourselves in the interview can itself increase your chances of winning the Aga Khan Scholarship.
• Highlight your characteristics and personality traits that could ignite a spark in the minds of the interviewer to award you the scholarship.

Apart from the above-mentioned, have a clear idea about why you need the scholarship and a practical explanation that reasons your statement. To aid this, it is better to prepare an approximate monthly expense report about the country where you are going to study. This helps you, as well as the interviewers, to have an understanding of your expenses and convince them to give you the scholarship.

Conclusion

And that is all about the famous Aga Khan Foundation International Scholarship Programme. The Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) has become a boon for many poor students from developing nations like India who cannot afford international colleges. This post might have given you a basic idea about how to apply to this scholarship programme. However, due to the competitive nature of this scholarship, you might need help in applying to it. This is where LeapScholar steps in. We are a study abroad consultant who helps students study at their preferred colleges and also get access to funding and scholarships. To know more about us, click here.

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