KARACHI: In addition to its merit-based local and foreign scholarship initiatives, the Higher Education Commission (HEC) Pakistan has been awarding higher education opportunities to financially challenged Pakistani students under its Need-Based Scholarship Programme since 2012.
As many as 46,824 needy and deserving students from different parts of the country have so far availed the opportunity to study at various levels in participating public sector universities.
Expanding access to higher education for financially disadvantaged undergraduate students, the initiative provides full tuition coverage and a monthly stipend. Students are selected based on demonstrated financial need, as assessed by the Institutional Scholarship Award Committees (ISACs) at participating universities, and the scholarship funds are disbursed from HEC’s recurring grant allocations to the universities.
In 2024-25 alone, HEC awarded 3,946 scholarships under the Need-Based Scholarship Programme. The programme empowers disadvantaged youth and promotes quality education, gender equality, reduced inequalities, and sustainable economic growth across Pakistan.
The programme aims to elevate the socio-economic status of the students through provision of high-quality education and, thus, higher career opportunities. Being cognizant of the financial constraints, the Government of Pakistan supports the programme and has tasked HEC to facilitate the needy and deserving students under this initiative.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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