The IDB Scholarship Program is more than just a scholarship program in the traditional sense, i.e. as a straight financial assistance to needy and qualified students. It is also a tool for the improvement of the social and economic conditions of the Muslim community as a whole. It is a scholarship program and a community development program at the same time, since the scholarship is given as an interest-free loan (qardh-e-hasna) to the students but as a grant to the community to which they belong to in the shape of its refunds.
Besides, the students are also required to take part in the development of their community through their respective profession. The repaid fund is recycled, to provide scholarships for other deserving students, to complement the IDB Scholarship Program and to ensure continuity of the Program in the long run, while the community development services rendered by the students will contribute to the overall development of the community and the country.