Foreign Scholarships and Grants Offered by HEC: A Comprehensive Guide

Onsa MustafaLast Updated: Nov 8, 2023

The Higher Education Commission (HEC) allows eligible individuals from all across Pakistan to apply for scholarships and grants in a wide range of disciplines at both public and private sector universities. HEC also provides foreign scholarships to students who want to study abroad.

There are two main types of HEC scholarships that students in Pakistan can apply for:

National Scholarships
Foreign Scholarships

National Scholarships allow students to pursue higher studies in Pakistan whereas foreign scholarships allow them to enrol in university degree programs abroad. In this article, we will only cover the foreign scholarships and grants offered by HEC.

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HEC Foreign Scholarships

HEC offers several foreign scholarships to Pakistani students. We will discuss the top foreign-funded international scholarships here.

Fulbright Scholarships for Masters
Stipendium Hungaricum Scholarship Program
Commonwealth Scholarship Programme for PhD

Let’s take a detailed look at these scholarships based on their eligibility criteria, the application process, financial provisions, admission cycle and more.

Fulbright Scholarships For Masters and PhD

Host Country: United States of America

The Fulbright Scholarship Program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State. This award is offered in 150 countries. In Pakistan, Fulbright works in collaboration with HEC. The Fulbright Programme allows deserving and qualified individuals a chance to complete their Master’s and PhD studies at prestigious universities in the United States. All fields of study are eligible for this scholarship except for clinical medicine.

Furthermore, Fulbright encourages women, people with disabilities, and individuals from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Northern Sindh, Southern Punjab, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan, and FATA to apply for its scholarship programmes.

Eligibility Criteria

The applicant must be a citizen and permanent resident of Pakistan or Azad Jammu and Kashmir
Those applying for the Master’s programme must have 16 years of formal education from an accredited university
Those applying for PhD programmes must have 18 years of formal education along with work experience in teaching and public sector
The candidate must have the minimum score of 138 in the verbal and 136 in the quantitative sections of their Graduate Record Examination (GRE)
S. citizens and those with dual nationalities are not eligible to apply for the Fulbright Degree Programme
Individuals who are employees or associated with HEC or USAID are also ineligible to apply
Pakistani students already studying in the U.S. are ineligible as well

How to Apply for the Fulbright Degree Programme

Aspiring candidates need to complete their Fulbright applications online.
All you need to do is visit the official website for the Fulbright Degree Program and start an application. Once you complete and submit your online application form, the system will send an auto-generated email to your referees asking for your recommendation letters. You will also have to submit your TOEFL results.
The HEC may conduct interviews to shortlist the candidates. However, all the applications will be processed by the United States embassy in Islamabad.

What Does It Cover?

Fulbright scholarship provides the following facilities to the students.

Airfare
Tuition fees
Textbooks
Living stipend
Health insurance
Visa fees
Computer
Settling-in allowance

Stipendium Hungaricum Scholarship Programme

Host Country: Hungary

This scholarship offers students in Pakistan an opportunity to pursue higher studies in Hungary.

The Stipendium Hungaricum Scholarship Programme offers Bachelor, One-Tier Master, Master and PhD scholarships at Hungarian universities for students in Pakistan. The programme only awards scholarships to individuals based on merit.

The applications are managed by HEC in Pakistan and the Tempus Public Foundation in Hungary.

Eligibility Criteria

The applicant must be a citizen and permanent resident of Pakistan or Azad Jammu and Kashmir
The applicant must be between 18 and 22 years old to qualify for the Undergraduate Programme (12 years)
Candidates applying for the Masters Programme (18 years) must not be older than 35 years
For PhD programs, the maximum age for candidates is 40 years
The applicant must have completed Intermediate or equivalent to apply for the Undergraduate Program or One-Tier Master’s degree
The candidate must have completed 16 years Bachelors or equivalent degree to apply for a Master’s program
The applicant must have completed 18 years of MS/MPhil or equivalent degree to apply for PhD programme
Applicants must fulfil all requirements set by the host Hungarian university
Hungarian citizens are not eligible for the scholarship
IELTS/TOEFL scores may also be required by the host Hungarian university

How to Apply for the Stipendium Hungaricum Scholarship Programme

Visit the official Stipendium Hungaricum Scholarship Programme website and click on the ‘Apply’ tab on the right-hand navigation panel to fill out the scholarship application form
Visit the HEC portal. After registering and filling out your profile, fill out the HEC scholarship application form. Make sure all columns and fields are filled accurately
Attached are relevant transcripts and degrees. All of the educational documents must be attested by IBCC and HEC. If you don’t know how to attest your documents through HEC, click Here
Attach relevant technical and professional certificates. Make sure they have been accredited by respective councils and governing bodies.
Shortlisted candidates will have to submit a medical certificate as proof of satisfactory health condition
Successful applicants will have to submit a bond on a legal paper to HEC stating they will not change their discipline after the final award of the scholarship, and immediately return to Pakistan after the completion of their degree. The award-holders will have to stay in Pakistan for a certain period as specified by the HEC following their return

What Does It Cover?

The scholarship covers the following financial expenses:

Tuition fees
Monthly stipend
Accommodation
Medical insurance

Commonwealth Scholarship Programme

Host Country: United Kingdom

The Commonwealth Scholarship Programme is considered one of the best scholarships to apply for through HEC. It is funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID). It offers talented individuals an opportunity to pursue higher studies in the UK.

This scholarship is for deserving candidates from low and middle-income Commonwealth countries for Masters and PhD programs.

Eligibility Criteria

The applicant must be a citizen and permanent resident of Pakistan or Azad Jammu and Kashmir
The applicant must not have any third division throughout their academic career. A maximum of two-second divisions is allowed, but the candidate must not have a second division in the last degree
Candidates applying for a master’s Scholarship must hold a first-class/first-division degree in the relevant field of study by the closing date of applications. The degree must be complete in all aspects of graduate qualification and must be equivalent to 16 years of education
Candidates applying for PhD scholarships must hold a first-class degree in relevant postgraduate qualification (18 years MS/MPhil degree) by the closing date of applications
Students applying for this scholarship must be unable to afford to study in the United Kingdom without this programme
The applicant must not already be registered for a Master’s, PhD, or an MPhil leading to a PhD, at a UK university or have studied in the UK at the same level before

The candidate must apply under one of the following six themes:

Science and Technology for Development
Strengthening Health Systems and Capacity
Promoting Global Prosperity
Strengthening Global Peace, Security and Governance
Strengthening Resilience and Response to Crises
Access, Inclusion and Opportunity

How to Apply for the Commonwealth Scholarship

Visit the official website for Commonwealth Scholarships and apply online through the Electronic Application System (EAS) form for Masters or PhD
Visit the HEC portal and click on ‘Register’. After registering yourself, fill out your personal and academic profile. If you don’t know how to do it, click Here
Click on the ‘Learning Opportunities Abroad’ tab under the ‘Scholarship and Grant’ menu in the left-hand side panel of the online HEC portal
Submit your application for the Commonwealth Scholarship
Since all nominations from Pakistan are routed through HEC, the commission may conduct tests, interviews or both to shortlist candidates
Shortlisted candidates will have to submit hard copies of their HEC application form along with relevant documents and transcripts

Please note that applicants have to submit both the EAS Application form and the online HEC form to qualify for this scholarship. The donor organization will make the final decision.

What Does It Cover?

The Commonwealth Scholarships cover the following expenses:

Airfare from Pakistan to the UK and vice versa at the end of the award
Tuition fees
Living allowance
Study travel grants
Warm clothing allowance, if applicable
Airfare for a mid-term visit to Pakistan, if applicable
Family allowances, if applicable

Other Foreign-Funded Scholarships

Some other foreign-funded international scholarships that require HEC nomination from Pakistan include:

IDB Merit Scholarships Programme for PhD and Postdoc
Government of Brunei Darussalam Scholarships
Scholarships from CRBC China for Masters at SEU
Morocco Scholarship Programme
Azerbaijan (AIDA) Scholarship Programme
Cuban Government Scholarship for Medicine
Airlangga Development Program
The Xi’an Jiaotong University Scholarships for Master’s and PhD Programme
Chulabhorn Graduate Institute-Post Graduate Scholarship programme
Mexican Government Scholarship Program for International Students

Almost all foreign HEC scholarships for PhD studies and Masters also require a language proficiency certificate, with IELTS being the most common option. Furthermore, HEC has signed an MoU with many international educational agencies and institutes for the selection of students, placement, funds disbursement etc.

HEC awards partial or full scholarships in partnership with select universities located in the following countries.