USAID-FUNDED MERIT AND NEEDS-BASED SCHOLARSHIP 

USAID has expressed its willingness to assist a scholarship programme for academically capable Pakistani students who wish to pursue higher education but are unable to do so owing to a lack of financial means. Since 2004, it has offered scholarships for deserving but financially disadvantaged students under the USAID-funded Merit and Needs-Based Scholarship Program (MNBSP) Phase-I to help the government of Pakistan reach international standards by increasing enrolment in Pakistani institutions. The program’s first phase, which cost $10.63 million, was implemented at 11 of Pakistan’s leading public and private colleges, with 1,807 scholarships awarded in the disciplines of agriculture and business. Many of the MNBSP (Phase-I) alumni were the first in their families to finish the programme higher education degree and nearly half now support their families through respectable jobs.

n 2013, USAID launched second phase of the program at a total estimated cost of US$23.1 million. Under Phase-II, 3000 scholarships are added whereas 50 percent of the scholarships are reserved for the female students. In addition to eleven existing partner universities, 19 additional public sector institutions are also included, bringing the total to 30 partner universities across Pakistan. To emphasize on girls’ education, four female universities i.e. Lahore College for Women University, Fatima Jinnah Women University Rawalpindi, Sardar Bahadur Khan Women Quetta, and Shaheed Benzair Bhutto Women University Peshawar have also been included under the program. Overall, ten universities from Punjab, five from Khyber Pakthukhwa, three from Balochistan, four from Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), six from Sindh, one from Gilgit- Baltistan and Azad Jammu & Kashmir are implementing MNBSP Phase-II making it a nationwide program.

New disciplines such as Engineering and Technology, Medicine, Nursing and Social Sciences have also been included under the gamut of the program. New component of Phase-II is the Capacity Building Trainings and Workshops, which has been incorporated to enhance and build capacity of the officials of the participating institutions and HEC for the operational and financial management of MNBSP. Selected students under the program are also trained through career path workshops to prepare them for future job challenges and make them aware of market trends. The program also works on strengthening its alumni network. ​

Scholarships are offered for:

• Females only,  for the Academic Session 2021 in  30 public and private participating institutions
• Master’s/MBA/MS/MPhil/ Education Teaching degree programs in selected disciplines allowed under the scholarship program
• Female students who fulfilled criteria of need and provided all the information sought for under the rules

Eligibility for USAID Scholarship

• Females only,  for the Academic Session 2021 in  30 public and private participating institutions
• Master’s/MBA/MS/MPhil/ Education Teaching degree programs in selected disciplines allowed under the scholarship program
• Female students who fulfilled criteria of need and provided all the information sought for under the rules

How to apply for USAID Scholarship

• Students are required to apply through following HEC Online Application System:  
• Submit printout of application form along with supporting documents to the student financial aid offices of the  university;
• Please DONOT send hard copy of the  application form to  HEC;
• For more details please contact Financial Aid Offices of University

Deadline: 3rd April, 2023

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