Pakistan has received more than 22,000 applications for the 4,500 scholarships announced underAllama Iqbal Scholarship Program for Afghan students, Pakistan’s special representative for Afghanistan, Mohammad Sadiq, stated on Friday.

The 4,500 fully funded scholarships was announced in late July last year (2024). It will be offered to Afghanistan students in fields such as medicine, engineering, agriculture, and other disciplines

The scholarships cover tuition fees, accommodation, and a monthly stipend for undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral studies at Pakistani universities. the program aims to provide 4,500 scholarships at undergraduate, master’s, and PhD levels. According to Sadiq, 33% of these scholarships are reserved for female students. Full detials of this scholarship can be found HERE

In a statement on his social media account, he described the initiative as the largest and most popular foreign scholarship program for Afghan students. He highlighted that examination process is entirely online and will conclude within 45 days.

This month, over 22,000 applicants are expected to participate in an online test, followed by interviews for final selection. The entire process is scheduled to be completed within 45 days.

This announcement comes at a time when Afghan girls and women face severe restrictions under the Taliban regime. Since returning to power, the Taliban have banned girls from secondary and higher education and have barred women from working in many organizations, including NGOs and international institutions.

Is there any new application?

The application for this scholarship was announced in Late july 2024 and now its exam will be held in January that will be followed by an interview. there is no new application open for this scholarship. although some media has mistakely reported it as a launch of new scholarship phase for Afghanistan, which is not true.

Stay tuned with Scholarship for Afghanistan for the update.