Higher Education Commission

Pak-USAID Merit and Needs Based

Scholarship Program
Programs Brief
Brief History:
The Pak-USAID Merit and Needs based Scholarship Program Phase-II is focused on
providing opportunities for access to higher education especially to under privileged
candidates who, despite possessing academic merit, are unable to finance their
education. The scholarship is not restricted to tuition only, but extends to
accommodation and living expenses.
The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) has approved
the program at a total cost of Rs. 2,954.808 million in its meeting held on 6th
September 2013. The Project is funded by Government of United States of America
as Grant in Aid.
The Phase-I of the program was initiated in 2004 at eleven (11) universities with
scope of 1807 scholarships. It is the pride of the program that all the scholarships
are awarded, 94 percent of the scholarship recipients had graduated in the
semester they expected to graduate.

Program Objectives:

To enable the academically qualified, yet financially needy, Pakistani students to

continue university studies in selected private and public universities of Pakistan in
the fields of Agriculture, Medical, Business, Social Science and Engineering

To enhance the institutional capacity of the Higher Education Commission of the

Government of Pakistan and local public and private sector universities in designing
and implementing MNBSP Phase II

Eligibility Criteria for Scholarships:

1. The applicant must be a Pakistani/AJK National
2. Financial assistance & scholarships are available for study at undergraduate &
graduate level in the following disciplines at the selected 29 Pakistani universities
and degree awarding institutions.

a.
b.
c.
d.
e.

Agricultural & Veterinary Sciences

Business Administration
Social Sciences
Engineering & Tech.
Medical

Note:
I.
II.
III.

Agricultural (incl. Veterinary Sciences and Bio Technology)

Social Sciences includes (Peace &Conflict Studies, Anthropology, Archaeology,
Economics, Linguistics, Law, Communication and Media studies, International
Relations, and Psychology)
50% Female Seats: Womens participation in the education sector is very
low. This activity will ensure that at least 50% of the awarded scholarships go
to women, especially those coming from remote and vulnerable areas of
Pakistan, who are financially needy, and meet admission criteria of the
selected 29 partner universities

University / Institute

Province

Status

University of Agriculture, Faisalabad

Punjab

Public

Discipline
Agricultural
&
Veterinary Sciences

KP Agricultural University, Peshawar

KP

Public

Agricultural
&
Veterinary Sciences

Sindh
Agriculture
Tandojam

Sindh

Public

Agricultural
&
Veterinary Sciences

Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture

University, Rawalpindi

Public

Agricultural
&
Veterinary Sciences

Lasbela University of Agriculture,

Water & Marine Sciences, Uthal

Baluchistan

Public

Agricultural
&
Veterinary Sciences

Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad

Federal

Public

Sindh

Public

Sindh

Public

7
8

University,

Sukkur
Institute
of
Business
Administration, Sukkur
Institute of Business Administration,
Karachi

Punjab

IM Sciences, Peshawar

KP

Public

10

Balochistan Univ. of IT, Engineering,

and Management Sciences, Quetta

Baluchistan

Public

11

Lahore University of Management

Sciences, Lahore

Punjab

Private

Business
Administration
and
Social Sciences
Business
Administration
Business
Administration
Business
Administration
Business
Administration
&
Engineering
Business
Administration and ,
Engineering & Tech

University / Institute
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
2
9

SZABIST
Pakistan Institute of Engineering and
Applied Sciences, Islamabad
Mehran University of Engineering &
Technology, Jamshoro
KP University of Engineering and
Technology, Peshawar
COMSATS Institute of Information
Technology (CIIT)
National University of Sciences and
Technology, Islamabad
University of Engineering and
Technology, Lahore
University of Health Sciences, Lahore
Dow University of Health Sciences,
Karachi
Khyber Medical University, Peshawar
Sardar Bahadur Khan Women's
University, Quetta
Shaheed Benazir Women University
(ex Frontier Women University) ,
Peshawar
Fatima Jinnah Women University,
Rawalpindi
University of Azad Jammu & Kashmir,
Muzaffarabad - Azad Kashmir
University of the Punjab, Lahore
University of Karachi, Karachi
Lahore
College
for
Women
University , Lahore
Karakurum International University,
Gilgit

Province
Sindh
&
Federal

Status

Federal

Public

Engg. & Tech

Sindh

Public

Engg. & Tech

KP

Public

Engg. & Tech

Federal

Public

Engg. & Tech

Federal

Public

Engg. & Tech

Punjab

Public

Engg. & Tech

Punjab

Public

Medical

Sindh

Public

Medical

KP

Public

Medical

Baluchistan

Public

Social Sciences

KP

Public

Social Sciences

Punjab

Public

Social Sciences

AJK

Public

Social Sciences

Punjab
Sindh

Public
Public

Social Sciences
Social Sciences

Punjab

Public

Social Sciences

G.B

Public

Social Sciences

Private

Discipline
Business
Administration

For more details of selected Universities/Institutions, please click the below link.

http://www.hec.gov.pk/InsideHEC/Divisions/HRD/Scholarships/LocalScholarships/USAIDFund
edMeritandNeedsBasedScholarshipProject/Pages/Partner_UniversitiesInstituitions_Financial_Assistance_Offices_Contact_Details.aspx
3. Students need to compete for securing admission in the approved discipline at the
participating institution as per admission policy of the institution and be enrolled in
Undergraduate (4 and 5 ) and Graduate (2 Years and 3.5 years) programs
4. Only those students who are enrolled in first semester/ professional year in the
respective courses offered by the participating institutions are eligible to apply
5. The eligibility of a candidate is linked to neediness of the candidate as determined &
assessed by the financial background of his/her family

SCHOLARSHIP COMPOSITION:
Comprehensive scholarship offered under this program provides funds for the following expenses:

Tuition Fee
Lodging
Transportation
Books
Other Academics Costs

HOW TO APPLY:
Students applying for admission and financial assistance will fill out both the
applications and submit the form to the University Admissions Office and Financial
Aid Office respectively.
For More Details about Pak-USAID Merit and Needs Based Scholarship Program, please click below link

http://www.hec.gov.pk/InsideHEC/Divisions/HRD/Scholarships/LocalScholarships/USAI
DFundedMeritandNeedsBasedScholarshipProject/Pages/Introduction.aspx
Application form may be downloaded by clicking the below address.

http://www.hec.gov.pk/InsideHEC/Divisions/HRD/Scholarships/LocalScholarships/USAIDFund
edMeritandNeedsBasedScholarshipProject/Documents/Need%20Based%20Application.pdf