Pakistan, US renew Fulbright partnership for five years

Pakistan and the United States have renewed their cooperation in higher education through a new five-year

Pakistan and the United States have renewed their cooperation in higher education through a new five-year agreement between the Higher Education Commission (HEC) and the United States Educational Foundation in Pakistan (USEFP).

The agreement will run from the 2026-27 financial year through 2031-32. It will continue several major academic exchange and scholarship programmes for Pakistani students, researchers and professionals.

The renewed partnership covers the Fulbright Master’s and PhD programmes. It also includes the Visiting Scholar Programme for post-doctoral researchers, the Foreign Language Teaching Assistant Programme and the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Programme.

Under the new arrangement, the partners aim to support 66 Pakistani PhD scholars over the five-year period. Additional opportunities will be available through the other programmes covered by the agreement.

The initiative is designed to help Pakistani students and academics access advanced education and research opportunities in the United States. Scholars are expected to bring back their expertise and contribute to the country’s academic and socio-economic development.

The HEC will provide at least $4.54 million each year under the agreement. Its overall financial commitment for the five-year period has been capped at Rs6.48 billion.

The funding will be released according to an agreed schedule. The arrangement includes an initial payment of $2 million by June 30, followed by another $2 million by January 31. The remaining amount will be released by April 30, subject to the availability of government funds.

Any interest generated from HEC funds held by USEFP will be used again for student grants. This will provide additional support to beneficiaries of the programme.

The selection of candidates will remain strictly merit-based. There will be no fixed quotas based on region, group or category.

HEC representatives will also participate in selection panels. The commission will help identify areas of study that are considered important for Pakistan’s development and national priorities.

The two institutions will establish a Joint Review Committee to monitor the programme. The committee will meet twice a year to assess progress, performance and the overall impact of the initiative.

Financial oversight has also been included in the agreement. USEFP will provide annual audited financial statements to HEC. Relevant financial records will also remain available for review by the commission when required.

The partnership will also focus on increasing awareness about international education opportunities. HEC and USEFP plan to conduct joint outreach activities across Pakistan.

The initiative will use HEC’s network of universities and higher education institutions to reach a wider pool of potential applicants.

The agreement also leaves room for future cooperation in areas such as faculty exchanges, administrator exchanges and other academic initiatives.

The renewed arrangement builds on the earlier Fulbright-HEC PhD partnership signed in February 2016. Under that agreement, $25.786 million was committed to support 125 Pakistani scholars between 2016 and 2020.