The Higher Education Commission of Pakistan has announced that applications are open for fully funded doctoral scholarships under the US-Pakistan Knowledge Corridor Project, giving Pakistani students and researchers the opportunity to pursue PhD programmes at some of the most prestigious universities in the United States. The scholarship portal at scholarship.hec.gov.pk is currently accepting applications for the Fall 2026 intake, with a deadline of April 30, 2026, beyond which late submissions will not be entertained.
The scholarships are available for admission to United States universities ranked among the top 100 in the QS World University Rankings, with candidates selected for universities in the top 50 receiving full financial support including tuition fee coverage, monthly stipend, and health insurance, while applicants admitted to institutions ranked between 51 and 100 will be provided tuition support of up to United States Dollars 12,000 per year along with stipend and health insurance. The Higher Education Commission prioritises applicants in fields including Engineering and Technology, Computer Science and Information Technology, Natural Sciences, Agriculture and Food Security, Management Sciences, Social Sciences, Health and Biomedical Sciences, and Climate and Environmental Sciences. Eligibility requires applicants to be Pakistani or Azad Jammu and Kashmir nationals holding a minimum four-year bachelor’s degree, with no second or third divisions in their academic record, and a minimum Graduate Record Examination general score of 300 or a Higher Education Commission Aptitude Test score of at least 60 percent. Applicants must not be availing any other scholarship simultaneously, and crucially, admission to an eligible United States university must be secured before the scholarship is granted.
The programme is aimed at improving research capacity and higher education standards in Pakistan by giving scholars access to internationally ranked academic institutions, and sits within a broader bilateral framework that has been in place for several years to strengthen academic and research collaboration between the two countries. The programme aims to send 10,000 Pakistani scholars to the United States, with Phase 1 targeting 1,500 fully funded PhD scholarships for students in key fields, with scholars engaging in research, leadership training, and international collaboration across disciplines such as engineering, computer science, public policy, emerging technologies, and health sciences. Pakistani doctoral candidates who have secured or are in the process of securing admissions at eligible institutions are strongly encouraged to submit their applications through the official portal well ahead of the April 30 deadline, as selection is merit-based and the commission is not bound to award scholarships to all applicants.
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