Crown Prince's International Scholarship Program

What Crown Prince's International Scholarship Program does

The Crown Prince's International Scholarship Program (CPISP) is a non-profit, government-affiliated scholarship program established in 1999 by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Bahrain. Operating under the Court of the Crown Prince from Riffa, Bahrain, CPISP identifies Bahrain's highest-achieving Grade 11 students (97%+ GPA, or 90%+ since the 2023 expansion) through direct school outreach and an online application portal, short-lists approximately 100 candidates annually, and trains them through a structured Candidacy Program before selecting scholarship recipients. The program funds fully paid undergraduate and postgraduate education at prestigious international universities including Cambridge, Oxford, MIT, Stanford, Columbia, and LSE, with pre-university boarding school placement and a CMI Level 3 Certificate in Team Leading embedded in the candidacy phase.

The program operates as a single integrated scholarship rather than a multi-product platform, with supporting components: an online application portal, a Candidacy Program for pre-selection training, a Current Scholars Program for ongoing support (internships, career guidance, job placement), and the CPISP Alumni Association (CPISPAA) for mentorship and graduate networking. CPISP is not a technology company; its digital footprint is limited to a standard website, an online application system, and Instagram content. Since 1999, it has produced 266+ scholars, with 130+ alumni currently employed at 180+ companies across 10+ countries.

CPISP is privately funded through HRH Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa and a structured endowment fund established in May 2006. Corporate sponsors participate at Platinum (BD 1M+), Gold (BD 500K+), Silver (BD 250K+), and Friends (under BD 250K) tiers, holding six reserved seats on the 13-member Board of Directors. Major sponsors include Alba, Al Salam Bank, BBK, GFH, Investcorp, NBB, Bapco Energies, and Batelco. The program operated with a 12-person team and as of May 2023 doubled annual scholarship capacity from 10 to 20 recipients, with the 27th intake confirmed for 2026.

Name

Crown Prince's International Scholarship Program

Legal name

Crown Prince's International Scholarship Program

Website

https://cpisp.bh

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Crown Prince's International Scholarship Program (CPISP), established in 1999 under the patronage of the Crown Prince of Bahrain, provides fully funded international undergraduate and postgraduate scholarships to Bahrain's top-performing high school students, funded through HRH patronage and tiered corporate sponsorships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Educational Scholarship Programs

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Government-Sponsored Scholarships & Exchange Funding (EDAIAOAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Merit-Based Scholarships (Academic Excellence) (EDAIAOAA), Degree-Level Scholarships (Undergrad/Masters/PhD/Postdoc) (EDAIAOAE), Corporate & Employer-Sponsored Scholarships (EDAIAOAI)

Keywords

• International scholarship program
• Merit-based scholarships
• Higher education funding
• University placement services
• Student scholarship fund

Headquarters

HQ city

Riffa / Alrowdha

HQ country

Bahrain

HQ region

Middle East

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Others, Personnel, Operations

Revenue model

1. Sponsorship Funding: The program is privately funded by HRH Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa and various local and international sponsoring organizations. Sponsors contribute at various tiers (Platinum BD 1M+, Gold BD 500K+, Silver BD 250K+) to support scholarship recipients' education at international universities.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Crown Prince's International Scholarship Program (CPISP) is a privately funded, merit-based scholarship program that selects Bahraini high school students and sponsors their undergraduate and graduate studies at accredited international universities. Established in 1999 under the patronage of HRH Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa and administered from Riffa, the program covers tuition, travel, and living expenses for its scholars and supports them through a structured Candidacy Program, a Current Scholars Program, and a post-graduation Alumni Association (CPISPAA), supplemented by an Endowment Fund.

Product overview

The Crown Prince's International Scholarship Program (CPISP) is a single, unified scholarship program rather than a multi-module platform. The core offering consists of the CPISP scholarship itself, which is supported by several integrated components: the Online Application Portal for student submissions, the Candidacy Program for pre-selection training and evaluation, Current Scholars Program for ongoing support, and the Alumni Association (CPISPAA) for graduate networking and mentorship. Additionally, the Endowment Fund provides a sponsorship mechanism for corporate partners to contribute financially to the program.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CPISP Scholarship Award A fully funded scholarship covering tuition, travel, and living expenses for Bahraini high school and university students selected to study at accredited universities abroad. Intended for academically distinguished Bahraini applicants.
• Candidacy Program Pre-award program supporting Bahraini student applicants through the selection, testing, and university placement process prior to receiving the CPISP scholarship.
• Current Scholars Program Ongoing support program for students currently studying abroad under CPISP funding, providing academic, logistical, and community support through graduation.
• CPISP Alumni Association (CPISPAA) Post-graduation alumni network for former CPISP scholars, providing community engagement and continued affiliation with the program.
• CPISP Endowment Fund Endowment fund supporting the long-term financial sustainability of the CPISP scholarship program.

Quantifiable outcome

• 266+ scholars graduated and contributing globally since 1999
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Bahrain Institute of Banking and Finance (BIBF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBIBF hosts CPISP candidacy orientation sessions at its headquarters, providing facilities and support for training scholarship candidates.
• Chartered Management Institute (CMI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUK-based institution providing Level 3 Certificate in Team Leading qualification that all CPISP candidates complete during the candidacy program.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Bahrain Institute of Banking and Finance (BIBF): Bahrain-based professional education and training institution that hosts CPISP candidacy sessions; an emerging adjacent player in Bahrain's education ecosystem with overlapping national-talent development mission and formal CPISP partnership.

Broad incumbents

• Investcorp (as sponsor/board): Bahrain-headquartered global alternative investment manager with a Gold-tier sponsorship of CPISP and active board representation; not a scholarship operator itself but a key financial sponsor and adjacent ecosystem participant in Bahrain's education and talent pipeline.

Direct peers

• Qatar Foundation: Qatar's national foundation funding education and scholarships at top global institutions for Qatari nationals, including the Education Above All foundation and various scholarship arms. Operates with similar Gulf-state patronage and selectivity to CPISP.
• Fulbright Program: US government-funded international scholarship and exchange program offering fully funded study and research opportunities for exceptional international students — a globally recognized analog to CPISP's fully funded international scholarship model.
• Abu Dhabi Government Scholarship (Department of Education and Knowledge): UAE federal and Abu Dhabi emirate-level scholarship programs sending high-achieving national students to international universities, comparable in structure to CPISP's government-sponsored scholarship model for Gulf nationals.
• Aga Khan Foundation: International development foundation providing scholarships and educational support across multiple countries, including significant programs for students from Muslim-majority countries; comparable to CPISP in mission alignment and scholarship-administration focus.
• Rhodes Scholarship: Premier global postgraduate scholarship for exceptional students from select countries to study at Oxford; directly comparable to CPISP in selectivity, prestige orientation, and full-funding model, though with broader geographic reach.
• Chevening Scholarship (UK Foreign Office): UK government-funded international scholarship for emerging global leaders; a direct peer to CPISP in terms of fully funded postgraduate international scholarships, with comparable selectivity and prestige orientation.
• Kuwait Ministry of Higher Education Overseas Scholarships: Kuwaiti government scholarship program funding Kuwaiti nationals to study abroad at top universities; structurally similar to CPISP as a Gulf-state government scholarship administrator.
• King Abdullah Scholarship Program (Saudi Arabia): Saudi Arabia's flagship government-funded international scholarship program, comparable in structure to CPISP as a Gulf-state merit-based scholarship sending top national students to leading global universities. Closest structural analog: same regional operating model, government sponsorship, and international university placement focus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/cpisp_bh?igsh=MXNtbm0wb25lcmhjZw==
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/crown-prince-s-international-scholarship-program

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Crown Prince's International Scholarship Program