Aga Khan Foundation International Scholarship

Should you apply for the Aga Khan Foundation International Scholarship?

Apply if you are entering postgraduate study, have strong academics and leadership evidence, and still face a genuine funding gap after arranging other sources. The Aga Khan Foundation’s current rules make this a last-resort award, with 50% as a grant and 50% as a repayable loan.

Two things are genuinely hard here. The applicant must prove financial need while also showing a reliable plan for every year, so an unfunded gap and a vague plan both weaken the case. The obligation is the other. A guarantor co-signs the agreement, and the loan carries a service charge whose public rate and term are not published.

Awards are provided according to need, but please consider the AKF ISP a resource of last resort and secure multiple sources of funding to reduce the amount you request.Aga Khan Foundation, International Scholarship Programme, checked November 3, 2026

How much is the Aga Khan Foundation International Scholarship worth?

AKF doesn’t publish a fixed amount or universal cap. The current award conditions say support is based on individual need and can cover tuition plus the student’s living expenses. Whatever amount is approved is divided equally, with 50% given as a grant and 50% treated as a loan.

No fixed award amount, service-charge rate, repayment term or payment currency was published on November 3, 2026.

For a Python-checked illustration, a INR 40.0 lakh award divides into a INR 20.0 lakh grant and INR 20.0 lakh of loan principal. Those are planning figures, not published award bands. The final amount due is higher than principal because the agreement includes a service charge.

International travel, clothing, furniture and living costs for family members are outside the award. A Master’s award can run for the entire degree, while PhD funding stops after 2 years. An Indian household should budget every excluded cost and all later PhD years before accepting the agreement.

Who is eligible for the Aga Khan Scholarship from India?

India is on the current participating-country list. AKF’s eligibility criteria require a Bachelor’s degree or equivalent preparation. Applicants also need excellent academics, genuine financial need, a multi-source funding plan, postgraduate admission and entry into the first year. Young professionals under 30 receive preference, not an absolute guarantee.

Four things that cost Indian applicants the award

1. Starting the course before applying

   The programme is for first-year entrants. A student who has already enrolled or begun postgraduate study cannot repair that condition later.

2. Treating AKF as the only funding source

   AKF calls itself a last-resort resource and asks for a multi-source plan. The file needs other funding routes for every study year.

3. Choosing an excluded course or destination

   Part-time and short courses are excluded, and the UK and Russia are not currently funded. Distance learning is considered only where course quality is maintained.

4. Ignoring the guarantor and loan

   A guarantor must co-sign the agreement, and 50% of the award is repayable with a service charge. Both need household agreement before acceptance.

Eligibility rules and the 30-year preference were checked on November 3, 2026.

How hard is it to win the Aga Khan Scholarship from India?

An honest success rate can’t be calculated. AKF publishes neither applications nor awards from India for the 2026-2027 cycle, and it gives no global annual total. The only published scale figure is historical: more than 1,500 students have received support since the programme began in 1969.

Applicant and scholar figures were checked on November 3, 2026. The 1,500 figure is cumulative, not a 2026-2027 award count.

The phrase limited number signals competition but cannot be converted into odds. Selection is global and annual, while the published criteria combine academic strength, need, funding reliability, admission quality, leadership and contribution. Any percentage attached to this programme without both an applicant count and an award count is invented.

When does the Aga Khan Scholarship open for the 2027 cycle?

The 2026-2027 cycle is closed, and AKF says the next cycle will open in early 2027. It hasn’t published the exact opening or closing date for India. Every older March date remains historical until the owner page and India contact publish the new cycle instructions.

The 2026-2027 status and early-2027 opening were checked on November 3, 2026.

The practical start date is the day AKF changes the closed notice and the eligibility route exposes the India contact. Before then, an applicant can prepare academic, admission, leadership and household-finance evidence. They should not reuse an old form, email address or closing date from a third-party listing.

How do you apply for the Aga Khan Foundation Scholarship?

Applications run through contacts in participating countries, not one permanent global form. When the next cycle opens, begin with AKF’s eligibility route, answer for India and follow the local instructions it returns. The public page does not currently publish an India form, fixed document checklist or interview timetable.

Six steps, in order

1. Wait for the live cycle

   Use the next-cycle notice on the owner page. The 2026-2027 round is closed, and an old form is not a current application route.

2. Run the eligibility route

   The route uses truthful India, study and residence answers to direct each applicant to the right local contact.

3. Secure postgraduate admission

   The programme requires admission to a reputable institution and entry into the first year. Master’s study receives priority.

4. Build the full funding plan

   List family resources, university aid, other scholarships and borrowing for every year, then show the residual need requested from AKF.

5. Evidence the whole profile

   Prepare proof of academics, professional experience, leadership, extracurricular or entrepreneurial achievement and volunteer contribution as the local instructions require.

6. Read the agreement before accepting

   The signed agreement needs to state the amount, service charge, repayment term, payment currency, guarantor duty and excluded costs. The public page does not supply those contract details.

The owner page describes the criteria, not a scoring grid. A strong file therefore connects the chosen course to earlier work, shows measurable contribution and explains why the remaining gap survives after other funding. It shouldn’t claim a published minimum mark, fixed India quota or guaranteed response date, because AKF lists none.

Who has won the Aga Khan Scholarship from India?

A public funder profile identifies Tarik Currimbhoy as an ISP scholar from 1976-1979, while a gallery biography states that he was born in Mumbai. No newer Indian recipient with the same public country and award evidence was found, so this is not presented as a complete alumni list.

Recipient and India evidence were checked on November 3, 2026. The logged search is in the award’s r3 dossier.

Sources

These owner pages and public profiles support the programme rules, cycle status, scale and named scholar on this record.

Sources checked on November 3, 2026. This record covers the closed 2026-2027 cycle and the announced early-2027 opening.