UGRAD Scholarship: Pakistan Exchange Program

About the USEF Pakistan

The United States Educational Foundation Pakistan (USEFP) is a foundation that is an American-affiliated foundation that is based in the country of Pakistan. Founded in 1950 as a joint conjunction between the Pakistani and United States governments, the foundation dedicates itself as a binational commissions that is made up of an equal number of both Pakistani board members and American board members. The Chairperson itself alternates every year in as an effort to promote equality, changing between a Pakistani and an American.

Throughout the years, the United States Educational Foundation Pakistan has been considered as one of the 50 “Fulbright Commissions” that are available all over the globe. From the first year of the foundation’s establishment, the committee has regularly granted groups of Pakistani students to America to experience both an academic and cultural exchange. At the same time, Americans were granted the opportunity to visit Pakistan as well. All of this is done with the hopes of creating a mutual understanding between the two nations.

With all of this effort done to promote bilateral values, the United States Educational Foundation Pakistan has been given tremendous and outpouring support from both the governments from Pakistan and the United States. However, this foundation is not to be mistaken for as an agency. While the foundation was built upon the aim of sending and receiving students as part of an exchange, the main goal of this foundation is to give Pakistanis a once in a lifetime opportunity to experience American culture, and same goes for Americans who are visiting Pakistan as well.

About the UGRAD

The Global Undergraduate Exchange Program – Pakistan, also known as the Global UGRAD-Pakistan, is a program established in 2010 by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the United States Department of State. This program is a joint conjunction between the United States Educational Foundation in Pakistan and the International Research and Exchanges Board.

Within almost a decade, the Global UGRAD-Pakistan program has garnered massive attention from the young Pakistani community, mainly from university students. This program caters to undergraduates who hold Pakistani citizenship and are currently enrolling in a Pakistani university.

The aim of this program is to provide a both an academic and cultural exchange for Pakistani students. As a non-degree program, Pakistani students are given the opportunity to experience on semester going to university in the United States. Through this program, the foundation has high hopes that Pakistani students could open their eyes to see what it feels like to receive an education outside the borders of their country.

Program Value

Successful candidates of the Global Undergraduate Program 2020 in Pakistan will be entitled to the program’s generous benefits that will help you ensure that you have a smooth educational journey in Pakistan. The program’s value includes:

1. An all expenses paid round-trip air fare to the United States and back to Pakistan.
2. Fully-paid tuition and additional fees by the foundation.
3. Accommodation during your stay in the United States.
4. Paid-for meals throughout your stay.
5. An allowance for educational materials such as textbooks.
6. Health and travel insurance to cover accidents or sicknesses.
7. A monthly maintenance stipend.

Eligibility

Before you can apply for the Global Undergraduate Program 2020 in Pakistan, all potential candidates must fulfill this list of criteria to be considered eligible for the scholarship program. The eligibility criteria are as follows:

1. Must hold a legitimate citizenship from Pakistan.
2. Be 25 years old maximum or younger.
3. Enrolled in a university or institution at the moment. On top of that, candidates must go back to their respective home universities once the program is over.
4. Display a powerful sense of leadership by participating in their university’s or community’s activities (both academic and non-academic).
5. Shows a keen interest in learning and studying about the United States.
6. Strongly believes in the pursuit of knowledge and has redeemed potential in academia. This can be shown through grades, awards, and reference letters.
7. Has proven fluency in both written and spoken English (e.g. TOEFL or IELTS test scores.)
8. Priority is given towards scholars who have never had the opportunity to go overseas. This is done in an effort to promote diversity within the program’s sphere.

Besides the program’s eligibility criteria, future candidate must also take note of these list of ineligibility list. If you happen to meet any of these items, unfortunately, you are unable to sign up for this program. The ineligibility list is as follows:

1. Candidates who are currently holding a dual United States-Pakistani citizenship.
2. Candidates who are currently a United States Permanent Resident.
3. Candidates who have some sort of relation (e.g. parent, spouse, or fiance) who holds a United States citizenship or is a United States Permanent Resident.
4. Workers who are recruited by the Fulbright organization or the United States Department of State, as well as their relatives (e.g. spouses, fiances, siblings, dependents, children, and parents.)
5. Workers who are recruited by USAID or the HEC, as well as their relatives (e.g. spouses, fiances, siblings, dependents, children, and parents.)
6. Candidates who are currently undergoing their final year in university.

In an effort to increase the level of diversity within the program, the Global Undergraduate Program highly encourages women, people with disabilities, and individuals from the regions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (FATA), AJK, Gilgit-Baltistan, Balochistan, Northen Sindh, and Southern Punjab to apply for this program.

How to Apply

Since October 2014, there has been a slight change within the Global Undergraduate Program application process, which involves a new online application procedure directly done on the foundation’s website. Therefore, there are a new set of instructions that have been provided by the committee.  Because of the new changes, future applicants are expected to pay attention to the application procedure clearly to avoid misinformation. Please follow the instructions as per stated below:

1. Before applying for the Global Undergraduate Program, don’t forget to check the availability of the program. The program is usually opened annually by the months of September-October. You can check this matter by opening the flyer here.
2. Once you have checked it the program is available, you may begin your application process. Please be noted that all applications are now done online on the website. To access the application form, visit the website link here.
3. All requested documents, such as photocopies of academic transcripts, a brief explanation of the grading scale used by the university that issued your degree, are to be scanned before being submitted online.
4. Regarding the documents, they must all be attested and verified by your respective universities.
5. Once you have submitted your online application form. please wait for a confirmation email to be sent to your email.

Please be noted that since the application process is done online, candidates are not required to send in hard copies of their documents by mail to the foundation. In addition, never submit in your original documents. Make sure you always have them photocopies and attested through legitimate administration.

In addition, all application forms and documents must be of your own. Plagiarism or application misrepresentation is strictly disallowed during the application procedure. If the committee finds any trace of plagiarism or misrepresentation from the candidate, they will automatically be lead to instant disqualification from the entirety of the program.

Selection Process

In general, the selection process of the Global Undergraduate Program 2020 in Pakistan is divided into four main rounds. To get a gist of what each round is like, take a look at the description below:

• Round 1: All incoming online application forms sent by candidates will be examined by the USEFP staff. The staff will be looking at the completeness of the applications, as well as whether the candidate meets the required minimum criteria.
• Round 2: All completed applications that are already set accordingly to the program’s minimum qualifications will go through an evaluation.
• Round 3: Shortlisted candidates will be asked to join an in-person interview that will be conducted in Islamabad between the month of January and February. The candidates will be interviewed by both United States and Pakistani citizens.
• Round 4: All candidates will be notified by phone (for selected candidates) and by email (for unsuccessful candidates). This will be conducted in April-May.

Closing Date

Are you ready to apply for this the Global Undergraduate Program 2020 in Pakistan? Then you better start preparing yourselves, because the closing date is just nearby – November 20th, 2019. We advise you all to gathering all of the requirements from now to ensure a speedy and efficient application process. Remember: failure to meet any of the program’s requirements is outside of the program’s responsibility and your application will automatically be dismissed by the committee.

Official Contact

Have any more inquiries or concerns about the Global Undergraduate Program 2020 in Pakistan? We’ve got you covered! For more information or details regarding the program above, you can refer to one of these three contact persons below. Happy applying, future scholars of the world!

Islamabad

Postal:P.O Box 1128, Islamabad
Phone: (+9251) 8431300
Fax: (+9251) 8431555
E-mail: info@usefpakistan.org

Lahore

Postal: P.O Box 1225, Lahore
Phone: (+9242) 35762466-7

Karachi

Postal: P.O.Box 13806, Karachi
Phone: (+9221) 32630670

General Information

Email: undergraduate@usefpakistan.org
Phone: 051-8431300
Website: https://www.usefpakistan.org/Programs/GlobalUGrad.cfm?Tab=Programs