Women’s Access Schemes

The Maldives National University (MNU) works to remove the financial, geographic and confidence barriers that can keep women from entering and succeeding in higher education. Its scholarships, mentoring and student development programmes are open to all students, and women are the majority of those who take part.

Mentoring

• School of Medicine mentoring programme. Every student enrolled in the School of Medicine has a mentor through the School’s mentoring programme. In 2025, this covered all 174 medical students, 135 of them women (77.6%).
• Clinical mentoring for nursing students. MNU trains the hospital nurses who mentor its nursing students on clinical placement. Women make up 93.7% of nursing students (1,427 of 1,523 in 2025), so these mentors mainly support women. In February 2025, the Thinadhoo and Hithadhoo campuses ran mentoring workshops for these nurses:
  • Dr Abdul Samad Memorial Hospital (Thinadhoo Campus, 23 February): 22 nurses, 20 of them women
  • Addu Equatorial Hospital (Hithadhoo Campus, 18 February): 30 nurses, all women
• Role models in leadership. On 10 November 2025, Ms Ayesha Nurain Janah, Chair of the Maldives Airports Company Limited Board, headlined the Fahi Musthagbal Speaker Series with “Strengthening Your Inner Compass”. She spoke to students and the community about resilience and ethical leadership.

Scholarships

MNU-funded scholarships. MNU funds undergraduate and postgraduate full scholarships, tuition fee scholarships, the Shaheed Awards and special scholarships in national needs areas. Awards are made on academic merit under the Student Scholarship Scheme. In 2025, women made up 70.8% of applicants (75 of 106) and 60.0% of recipients (15 of 25).

Partner scholarships coordinated by MNU. MNU also works with partners to fund students in priority fields. MNU coordinates selection, awards and student support for these schemes.

• ENDhERI scholarships support students studying climate change at Gan Campus, at diploma and degree level. MNU coordinated selection and presented the awards at a ceremony on 21 April 2025. Women received 8 of the 14 awards (57.1%): 5 of the 9 diploma scholarships and 3 of the 5 degree scholarships.

Guidance on other funding

• The Term 2, 2025 orientation (10 August 2025) gave 380 new students guidance on funding for tertiary study. The Ministry of Higher Education presented the Government scholarship and free first-degree schemes.
• Fahi MNU One Stop Admission events in Malé, Kulhudhuffushi, Gan, Hithadhoo and Thinadhoo, and atoll visits reaching about 450 students, took the same advice to students outside Malé.

Explore MNU scholarships

Other provisions

• Raasthaa Leadership Programme (13–16 February 2025, with the Maldives Police Service). Student leaders took part in leadership workshops, team-building and self-defence. 52 of the 76 participants (68.4%) were women.
• Psychological First Aid training (with the Maldives Red Crescent). Students were trained to support peers in distress. 97 of the 113 participants (85.8%) were women.
• Empowering Women in the Maritime Industry (17 April 2025). This Ilmee Foavahi forum, attended by 80 people, set out pathways for women into a male-dominated sector. See also Women in Under-represented Subjects.

Key evidence, 2025