The Scholarship is open to those students who wish to pursue studies in a relevant field of Development or Energy Studies such as: economics of development (poverty reduction, energy and sustainable development), environment (desertification), or other related science and technology fields.

OFID (The OPEC Fund for International Development) Scholarship Award sponsors outstanding young students from developing countries through graduate studies in a development-related discipline.

OFID is pleased to announce that qualified applicants who have obtained or are on the verge of completing their undergraduate degree and who wish to study for a Master’s degree are welcome to apply for the OFID Scholarship 2014. The OFID Scholarship will be awarded to support students or candidates for Master’s degree studies. The applicant must be from a developing country, and he/she must first obtain admission to pursue a Master’s (graduate) degree in any recognized university/college in the world. The Scholarship is open to those students who wish to pursue studies in a relevant field of Development or Energy Studies.

Through its scholarship scheme, OFID aims to help highly motivated, highly-driven individuals overcome one of the biggest challenges to their careers – the cost of graduate studies. The winner of the OFID Scholarship Award will receive a tuition support of up to US$50,000. The funds will be spread over a maximum of one year, toward the completion of a Master’s degree, or its equivalent, at an accredited educational institution, starting in the autumn of the academic year 2014.

Scholarship Offered Since: Not Specified

Scholarship Type: Full masters scholarship

By what Criteria is Selection Made?

Applicants are responsible for gathering and submitting all necessary information. Applications will be evaluated based on the information provided. Therefore, all questions should be answered as thoroughly as possible. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Once an application has been submitted, no changes will be allowed on it.

Who is qualified to apply?

To be eligible to apply for the OFID Masters Scholarship, applicants:

• Must be between the ages of 23-32 at the time of submitting his/her application.
• Must have obtained or be on the verge of completing their undergraduate degree with a Baccalaureate from an accredited college/university, or its equivalent.
• Must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 rating system, or its equivalent.
• Must be matriculated at an accredited university for the upcoming academic year starting August/September 2013, and must maintain full-time status for the duration of the Master’s Degree.
• Must be a national of a developing country (except OFID Member Countries)
• Must select a subject of study that pertains to OFID’s core mission, such as: economics of development (poverty reduction, energy and sustainable development), environment (desertification), or other related science and technology fields.

How Many Scholarship Positions are available? Yet to be confirmed

What are the benefits?

The winners of the OFID Scholarship Award will receive a full tuition scholarship of up to US$50,000. The funds will be spread over a maximum of one year, toward the completion of a Master’s degree, or its equivalent, at an accredited educational institution, starting in the autumn of the academic year 2012

How long will sponsorship last? For the duration of one masters degree programme

Eligible African Countries

See the list of eligible developing countries for OFID Masters scholarship from the link below

To be taken at (country): Any recognized University in any part of the world

What time of year does Application Close?

Application deadline is May 1, 2014

Offered annually? Yes

How can I Apply?

Applicants must complete the online application.

Within the on-line application, applicants must upload the required documents as listed below in Section III. All materials including the on-line application, recommendations, and other required information must be received no later than the deadline date.

Required Documents

• A completed on-line application form.
• A scanned copy of the applicant’s passport.
• A scanned copy of the last university degree or certificate.
• A scanned letter of acceptance from chosen educational institution, confirming your admission, subject of study and duration of the Master’s degree program (must not exceed one year).
• A proof of meeting any prerequisites, including language proficiency.
• A short essay – of about 500 words in English – giving reasons for applying for the OFID scholarship, explaining your educational goals, and clearly describing how you will use the experience gained from your Master’s degree studies to help in the development of your home country.
• Two letters of recommendation from professors and/or lecturers at applicant’s present university.
• Curriculum Vitae (CV).

Application Guidelines

Application Guidelines

• STEP 1: Ensure that you fulfill the OFID Scholarship Award Eligibility Criteria.
• STEP 2: Register within the OFID Scholarship Portal by using your email address. Please note you can log onto the portal as many times as required before finally submitting the application.
• STEP 3: Fill out the application form. Make sure to save data each time you update your application. Once you are logged in, if the page remains inactive for more than two hours, your session will time-out and you may lose unsaved data. Do not submit your application until you have completed the entire application process!
• STEP 4: Upload necessary documents; CV, two recommendation letters, Bachelor’s certificate/transcript, acceptance letter into postgraduate program and essay.
• STEP 5: When your application is complete, and all additional documents are uploaded, your application is ready to be submitted. Once your application is submitted, you can no longer make any changes or upload any more documents.

Only the winner will be notified by June 13, 2014 via OFID website at www.ofid.org.

Visit Scholarship Webpage for more details