Fulbright master’s and PhD scholarship competition starts

Islamabad: The United States Educational Foundation in Pakistan (USEFP) announced that the 2016 competition for Fulbright master’s and PhD scholarships is now open.

The US. Government’s flagship scholarship programne enables deserving Pakistanis to complete master’s or PhD degrees, in a field of their choice, in universities across the United States. These scholarships are merit-based and cover tuition, textbooks, airfare, stipend, computer, settling-in allowance and health insurance.
Of the 150 countries in which the Fulbright programme operates, the US-Pakistan Fulbright program is the largest, with 183 students receiving awards for fully-funded degrees in 2015. About 150 are expected to be selected in 2016. The application deadline for the 2016 competition is May 13, 2015, said a statement of the USEFP here Saturday.
Kicking off the 2016 Fulbright season, Deputy Cultural Affairs Officer Judith Ravin stated, “The US invests more in Fulbright Pakistan than anywhere else in the world. For 64 years, the Fulbright scholarship programme between the United States and Pakistan has fulfilled the dream of its founder: turning nations into people through educational exchange.”
USEFP Executive Director Rita Akhtar encouraged students from all over Pakistan to take advantage of the 2016 Fulbright Programme. “We hope to receive applications from graduates of every accredited university in Pakistan,” she said. In addition to the 183 students who departed for the United States in the fall of 2015, 390 more students from Pakistan currently study in the United States on Fulbright awards.
The Fulbright Scholarship Program is an example of the long-term commitment by the US government to the education sector of Pakistan and to increasing mutual understanding between both countries.
Each year the US government sends more than 700 students to academic exchange programs and another 500 professionals to shorter, work-related programs in the United States. Since the inception of USEFP more than 64 years ago, over 5,000 Pakistanis have gone on USEFP-administered exchange programs to the United States.
The Fulbright Program is among the 30-plus US-government funded educational, professional, and cultural exchange programs that build people-to-people ties among Americans and Pakistanis.
The Fulbright competition for 2016 is open to people from all the provinces and areas of Pakistan. Women, minorities, and people with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply. All disciplines are eligible, with the exception of the field of clinical medicine. Energy, water, health, education and agriculture are priority disciplines, though the opportunity is open to other fields. More information about this program, including application form and instructions, can be found at www.usefpakistan.org.
The US Fulbright program in Pakistan is among the oldest, worldwide. The governments of Pakistan and the United States signed an agreement to initiate the program on September 23, 1950. Within two years of its signing, the first Pakistanis and Americans traveled to each other’s countries to begin the exchange programme. It was one of the very first agreements of its kind; the Fulbright Programme now operates in 150 countries around the world. USEFP also operates Prometric Testing Centers and offers free educational advising services at its centers in Islamabad, Lahore, and Karachi.

Source: Daily Times