Islamic Development Bank Scholarships for ASEAN Students

Two Separate Scholarship Tracks

The Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) runs different scholarship programs depending on whether your country is an IsDB member state, according to the official IsDB scholarships page . Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei are IsDB member states, since IsDB membership follows Organisation of Islamic Cooperation lines. Students from these three countries can apply for the bank's member-country Merit Scholarship Programme, which funds PhD and postdoctoral research. The separate M.Sc. Scholarship Programme is reserved for IsDB's Least Developed Member Countries and does not cover Indonesia, Malaysia or Brunei.

Muslim students in ASEAN countries that are not IsDB members, most commonly cited are the Philippines, Thailand and Singapore, can instead apply through the Scholarship Programme for Muslim Communities, which is open to Muslim minority communities outside the bank's member states.

M.Sc. Scholarship Programme and Merit Scholarship Programme

For nationals of IsDB's Least Developed Member Countries specifically, IsDB runs a Master of Science Scholarship Programme, launched in 1998, that funds postgraduate study. Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei are not Least Developed Member Countries and are not eligible for this track. IsDB also runs the Merit Scholarship Programme (MSP), aimed at PhD studies and postdoctoral research in applied science, engineering and technology, and open to nationals of IsDB member countries generally, including Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei.

Both tracks are competitive and prioritize fields tied to national development needs, such as engineering, medicine, agriculture and technology, over general humanities subjects.

Scholarship Programme for Muslim Communities (SPMC)

SPMC is IsDB's oldest scholarship, launched in 1983, and it funds undergraduate study for Muslim students living as minorities in non-member countries. It exists to support access to higher education where Muslim communities do not have the same access to state-funded scholarships as the majority population.

If you are a Muslim student holding citizenship in an ASEAN country that is not an IsDB member, check the SPMC eligibility rules on the IsDB portal directly, since eligible countries and quotas can change between cycles and were not fully listed on the page available during research for this article.

What's Covered and How to Apply

IsDB scholarships generally include tuition, a stipend and support toward accommodation, though exact amounts differ by program and by cycle, so confirm current figures on the portal before you plan your budget around them. You apply directly through the IsDB scholarship portal rather than through your target university, and application windows open and close on a fixed annual cycle tied to the academic year you are applying for.

Start your application early, gather your academic transcripts, proof of citizenship or community status, and any language test scores your target program requires, then submit everything through the official portal rather than through a third-party agent.

Why IsDB Runs Education Programs

The Islamic Development Bank was founded in 1975 and is headquartered in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Its shareholders are Muslim-majority and Organisation of Islamic Cooperation member states, and human capital development, including higher education scholarships, sits alongside infrastructure and trade financing as one of its core mandates. This is why its scholarship structure splits sharply between member-country programs and a separate track for Muslim communities living outside the shareholder countries.

Building a Strong Application

Prepare your academic transcripts, a clear statement of purpose connecting your intended field to a development need in your home country or community, and recommendation letters from people who can speak directly to your academic ability and character. For MSP applications in applied science and technology, a concrete research proposal or area of focus strengthens your file more than a general interest statement.

If you are applying under SPMC, be ready to document your community's minority status where the portal asks for it, since this track exists specifically to widen access for Muslim students who do not have the same access to state scholarships as the majority population in their country.

Other IsDB Support Beyond Scholarships

IsDB also runs broader capacity-building initiatives for member countries through its transformation and technical assistance programs, separate from the individual scholarship tracks covered here. These typically target institutions rather than individual students, so if you do not qualify for MSP, the M.Sc. programme or SPMC directly, check whether your university or ministry has an active IsDB institutional partnership you could benefit from indirectly.

Timing Your Application

IsDB scholarship cycles follow the academic year of your target country and close well ahead of the intake you are applying for, so check the portal early rather than waiting for a specific announcement. Missing the transcript submission or reference deadline is one of the most common reasons applications get rejected before they reach review, so build in buffer time for documents that depend on your university's own processing speed.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Do not apply to the wrong track for your citizenship status. Applicants from member countries sometimes mistakenly submit under SPMC, which is reserved for non-member country Muslim communities, and this leads to automatic rejection regardless of how strong the rest of the application is. Double check which track matches your country before you start filling out forms.

Combining IsDB Funding With Other Sources

Some applicants combine a partial IsDB award with university-level funding or a scholarship from their home government, particularly for expensive fields such as medicine or engineering. Ask your target university's financial aid office whether it accepts combined funding before you assume IsDB support alone needs to cover every cost.