Scholarships Information

The International Open University (IOU) has spent more than a decade educating students who are motivated to seek an education to better their lives and uplift their communities. Deeply rooted in the ethos of “Changing the Nation through Education”, IOU is committed to breaking down the barriers to education that exist in our world for disadvantaged students and transcending all borders.
IOU Chancellor, Dr. Bilal Philips, remains a driving force to make higher education available to the masses and has spent decades putting it within the grasp of most students. For this reason, IOU offers a multitude of scholarships to further help students achieve success on their educational journeys.

General Scholarships

The general scholarships are available for anyone who is in need of financial assistance in order to pursue their higher studies. Anyone from any corner of the globe can take advantage of this scholarship, although it is only available for Bachelor degree programs and the Intensive Arabic Program (IAP).
Alhamdulillah, IOU began giving out general scholarships since the fall semester of 2011 and as of today, hundreds of students from more than 35 countries have benefited from it.

Criteria:

• The applicant must be able to prove that he/she is not able to afford the program fee structure.
  The applicant must provide a letter of recommendation from a local Imam or from IOU’s local Representative.
• The applicant must have a high school certificate or its equivalent, if taking a bachelor’s degree program.
  The applicant must have a good grasp of the English language.
• The applicant must create an account in the Free Diploma campus and score a minimum of 80 marks in the “Foundations of Islamic Studies” Part 1 (IIS 011) and Part 2 (IIS 014) (free access for the prerequisite courses shall be given to the applicants)
• The applicant must create an account in the Degree campus and complete the admission process into their desired program. (the application fee waiver of $10 shall be given to the eligible candidates)

Existing IOU students, who have previously studied a semester at IOU are also eligible to apply for a scholarship and the performance of their last enrolled semester will be taken into consideration. The applicant must have passed at least five out of six subjects in order to be eligible for a scholarship.

To apply for a scholarship, please fill in the Bursary Application Form or email the Bursary department at bursary@iou.edu.gm.

1 Million African Scholarships (1MAS)

The International Open University (IOU) endeavors to strengthen the capabilities of African youth through the provision of quality higher education. Earning a university degree helps disadvantaged students create a beneficial livelihood for themselves and in turn others, as well as empowers them adequately to work towards the eradication of poverty in their communities.

In 2017, IOU launched the African scholarships project with the aim of educating one million African students. Alhamdulillaah, within 6 years we have reached 20 countries and have offered scholarships to almost 4,500 students. The criteria for enrollment into the 1MAS are like that of the General scholarships as mentioned above, however, you must be a resident of an African country to be able to apply for the 1MAS scholarship.

To apply for a 1MAS scholarship, please fill in the Bursary Application Form or email the Bursary department at bursary@iou.edu.gm.

Master Scholarships

To get support for your post-graduate studies, you can now apply for financial aid for the Master’s Degree in Islamic Studies (MAIS) program. In general, it will be given to those who have successfully completed Bachelor’s Degree in Islamic Studies (BAIS) or Bachelor’s Degree in Arabic Language on scholarship and obtained an A or B grade.

To apply for a scholarship, please fill in the Bursary Application Form or email the Bursary department at bursary@iou.edu.gm.