HEC Overseas Scholarship 2026 Pakistan — Which Rounds Are Open, Which Are Closed & How to Apply

My younger brother has a habit. Every Sunday night he opens the HEC website, clicks through to the scholarships page, and stares at it for ten minutes like the page is going to change if he looks hard enough. Last Sunday he called me, half excited and half annoyed. “A Facebook page says the HEC overseas scholarship 2026 Pakistan applications are open. But the HEC website doesn’t show anything. Which one is right?”

I asked him which scholarship he meant. Because that is the first problem with this topic: “HEC overseas scholarship” is not one scholarship. It is a whole shelf of them — the HEC Overseas Scholarships Phase-III for MS and PhD, the Commonwealth scholarship for the UK, Stipendium Hungaricum for Hungary, the Chinese Government Scholarship, the US-Pakistan Knowledge Corridor, and a handful of smaller ones. Each has its own deadline, its own portal, and its own eligibility rules. And right now, most of them are closed.

So let me tell you the honest answer first, before we go any further. I checked hec.gov.pk on 6 November 2026 before writing this article. No major HEC overseas scholarship round for 2026-27 is currently open for new applications. Every flagship deadline for this cycle has passed. That is the truth, and I would rather you hear it in the first paragraph than after three weeks of preparing documents for a portal that is not accepting them.

But that is not the whole story. Two narrow exceptions are still live, and if you are eligible for either of them, you should act now rather than waiting for the next big round. And the next big rounds will come — the question is whether you will be ready when they do.

The honest headline: what is open and what is closed

Let me lay it out plainly, because this is the question that brought you here.

Still open right now:

• US-Pakistan Knowledge Corridor PhD Scholarship — rolling applications, with the next stated closing on 30 March for the Fall 2027 session. This is a PhD-only programme for the USA.
• SAARC scholarships at Bangladesh University of Professionals (BUP), 2026-27 — deadline 31 December 2026. Four seats for Pakistan. Important detail: you apply directly to BUP, not through HEC. HEC is only advertising this one; it is not the nominating or awarding agency.

Closed for 2026-27:

• HEC Overseas Scholarships Phase-III, Batch-IV — closed 28 August 2026.
• Commonwealth Master’s and PhD 2027-28 — closed 20 October 2026.
• Stipendium Hungaricum (Hungary) 2026-27 — closed 15 January 2026.
• Chinese Government Scholarship (CSC) 2026-27 — closed 5 January 2026.
• Government of Cuba undergraduate scholarships 2026-27 — closed 31 March 2026.
• Azerbaijan (Heydar Aliyev Grant) 2026-27 — closed 20 March 2026.
• IRSIP research fellowships — latest portal window 1–30 October 2026, closed.
• Law Graduates Scholarship for Balochistan (LLM/PhD) — closing stated 13 January 2026, passed.

And one more honest point: as of 6 November 2026, no new hec overseas scholarship 2026-27 round of OSS Phase-III (Batch-V), Commonwealth 2028-29, Stipendium Hungaricum 2027-28, or CSC 2027-28 has been announced on hec.gov.pk. The 2026-27 rounds of Stipendium Hungaricum, CSC, Cuba and Azerbaijan are now on HEC’s Inactive/Archive list. That does not mean those scholarships are finished forever — they run every year — but it does mean nobody should be telling you a confirmed opening date for the next round right now, because HEC has not published one.

If a Facebook page or a WhatsApp group is telling you otherwise, check the HEC page yourself. The links are at the end of this article. If the announcement is not on hec.gov.pk, it is not real yet.

The two that are still open

US-Pakistan Knowledge Corridor PhD Scholarship (USA) — still open

This is the one I would look at first if you are a PhD aspirant, because it is genuinely open and it is genuinely generous. The US Pakistan Knowledge Corridor Scholarship is the only HEC overseas PhD programme still open right now — and the most generous one in this list.

The US-Pakistan Knowledge Corridor is a long-term programme. Phase-1 envisions 1,000 PhD scholarships, and the overall plan is 10,000 PhD scholarships over ten years. It sends Pakistani students to top universities in the United States for their PhD.

There are two categories, and the funding depends on which one you fall into:

• Category I: PhD at a Top 50 QS-ranked US university. You need secured admission plus a GRE General score of at least 300 in total, or a HAT score of at least 60%.
• Category II: PhD at a Top 51–100 QS-ranked US university. Same test requirement — GRE General minimum 300 total, or HAT minimum 60%.

The coverage, as stated in HEC’s own FAQ, is exact, so I can give you the figures here. Category I covers full tuition, an annual stipend of USD 19,200, annual health insurance of USD 2,000 (or actual cost, whichever is lower), and return airfare of PKR 250,000. Category II covers tuition up to USD 12,000 per year, with the same stipend, insurance and airfare. The scholarship runs for a maximum of five years.

Now the conditions, because there are some that catch people out. Scholars must sign a bond to return to Pakistan and serve after completing the PhD. You must be a Pakistani or AJ&K national. You need a minimum four-year Bachelor’s degree (16 years of education), with at most one second division in your academic career. The maximum age is 40 for regular government employees, faculty members and researchers, and 35 for everyone else. You must not be availing any other scholarship at the same time, and PhD holders are not eligible to apply for another PhD under this programme.

Two practical points worth knowing. First, only a J-1 visa is acceptable for this programme. Second, TOEFL or IELTS is not required by HEC for this programme — which surprises a lot of people, though your US university may still have its own language requirement, so check that separately.

The timeline is rolling, with session closings. The closing for the Spring/Summer 2027 session was 30 October 2026, which has passed. The next stated closing is 30 March, for the Fall 2027 session. So if you want the Fall 2027 session, you have time — but not unlimited time. Getting a GRE score and a US admission offer takes months.

To apply, go to https://scholarships.hec.gov.pk/, create or log in to your profile, and select Scholarships and Grants, then the US-PAK Knowledge Corridor Application.

SAARC scholarship at Bangladesh University of Professionals — open until 31 December 2026

This one is smaller and less known, which is exactly why it is worth mentioning. There are four seats for Pakistan under the SAARC scholarship at Bangladesh University of Professionals (BUP) for 2026-27, with an 80% tuition waiver — tuition reduced to US$180 per semester, with a maximum of two students per SAARC country. Accommodation costs around US$30–40 a month, and food around US$50–60 a month. Classes commence on 31 January 2027.

The deadline is 31 December 2026, and here is the important part: you apply directly to BUP at https://internationalstudents.bup.edu.bd/. HEC is only advertising this scholarship. It is not the nominating agency and it is not awarding the scholarship. So do not wait for an HEC portal to open for this one — it will not. Go to the BUP website and apply there.

The closed rounds — what happened and when they come back

Now the rounds that are closed. I am covering them in detail anyway, because the next cycle will look very much like the last one, and the students who get selected are usually the ones who prepared during the closed months.

HEC Overseas Scholarships Phase-III (Batch-IV) — the flagship

This is the big one. The HEC Overseas Scholarships Phase-III programme sends students for MS/MPhil leading to PhD at Top 200 QS or THE-ranked foreign universities. Batch-IV was the latest round, and it is closed.

The programme covers eight thematic areas: Digital Transformation and Emerging Technologies; Energy, Climate Change and Environment; Agriculture, Food Security and Agri-Tech; Health, Biotechnology and Life Sciences; Engineering and Advanced Manufacturing; Natural and Physical Sciences; Social Sciences, Business and Governance; and Interdisciplinary and Strategic Areas. If your field does not fit one of those areas, this is probably not your scholarship.

HEC says the coverage includes stipends, tuition fees and health insurance. I am not going to quote you a monthly stipend figure here, because HEC does not state exact amounts on its pages, and the numbers floating around on blogs — usually quoted as somewhere around USD 1,000 to 1,500 a month — are unverified. Do not plan your budget around a blog figure. Wait for the official announcement.

Eligibility for the PhD track: you must be a Pakistani or AJ&K national, with 18 years of education (MS/MPhil or equivalent), a minimum CGPA of 3.0 out of 4.0 or first division, and at most one second division in your earlier academic career. The maximum age is 40 for public-sector employees, university faculty and R&D organisation staff, and 35 for everyone else. Public-sector employees need a No Objection Certificate from their employer.

For the MS/MPhil track: 16 years of education, minimum CGPA 3.0 out of 4.0 or first division, and a maximum age of 35 for public-sector employees and 30 for others.

Selection is on merit, based on the HEC Aptitude Test (HAT, conducted by HEC’s Education Testing Council) and an interview, with provincial quotas applied. There was one useful exemption in Batch-IV: candidates who already had a confirmed unconditional admission for Fall 2026 at a Top 200 university were exempted from the test and interview. That is worth remembering — a real admission offer in hand can shortcut the whole process.

The application fee was Rs 3,000, payable through 1LINK. The Batch-IV timeline was tight: registration opened on 9 August 2026, the last date was 28 August 2026 at 4:00 PM, and the HAT was held on 19 September 2026. HEC’s own page contradicts itself on this date — its table still says 27 September — but its result notice says the test was held on 19 September, so 19 September is used here. The result has been announced and selection is in progress. Nineteen days from opening to closing — that is how little time you get if you start preparing on announcement day.

When the next batch opens, applications go through the HEC e-Services portal at https://scholarship.hec.gov.pk, under “Overseas Scholarship For MS / PhD Studies”. The programme page is https://www.hec.gov.pk/english/scholarshipsgrants/OSSPhase-III/Pages/default.aspx.

Commonwealth Master’s and PhD 2027-28 (UK) — closed 20 October 2026

The Commonwealth scholarship is the one people confuse most often with the Chinese Government Scholarship, because both get shortened to “CSC”. If you searched for the commonwealth scholarship pakistan 2026, this is the round you meant — the 2027-28 cycle, which closed on 20 October 2026. They are completely different. This one is for the United Kingdom, run by the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission UK, with HEC as Pakistan’s nominating agency.

Here is a sentence worth reading twice: HEC nomination does not guarantee selection. The final selection is made by the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission in the UK, and HEC states clearly that it has no financial liability. So even if HEC nominates you, the UK side can still say no.

The 2027-28 round offered full-time taught Master’s and PhD programmes starting in September or October 2027, under six CSC development themes. HEC’s nominations were 26 for Master’s and 30 for General PhD, with a minimum female ratio of 45%.

Eligibility: you must be a Pakistani or AJ&K national and a permanent resident of Pakistan. Dual nationals are not eligible. There is no upper age limit, which is unusual and good news for older applicants. For Master’s, you need a first division in a 16-year Bachelor’s degree. For PhD, a first division in a 17 or 18-year Master’s, MS or MPhil. You must not have a second or third division in your terminal degree. Result-awaiting candidates could apply, provided the final degree and transcript were submitted before August or September 2027.

The test requirement is strict: a HAT score of at least 60 out of 100, from HAT-I to HAT-IV only, taken on or after 25 October 2024. Merit was strictly on the HAT score.

The timeline: the portal was active from 8 September 2026, the deadline was 20 October 2026 at 4:00 PM PKT, nominations are expected in December 2026, and results are expected in July 2027.

The application was a dual application, and this is where people slip up every year. You had to apply on the CSC portal — https://cscuk.fcdo.gov.uk/scholarships/commonwealth-masters-scholarships/ for Master’s and https://cscuk.fcdo.gov.uk/scholarships/commonwealth-phd-scholarships-for-least-developed-countries-and-vulnerable-states/ for PhD — AND on the HEC portal at https://scholarship.hec.gov.pk/, selecting “Learning Opportunities Abroad”. Missing either one meant rejection. No exceptions.

Stipendium Hungaricum (Hungary) 2026-27 — closed 15 January 2026

Hungary’s Stipendium Hungaricum is one of the most popular HEC overseas scholarships, partly because it covers Bachelor’s as well as Master’s and PhD. The 2026-27 round closed on 15 January 2026, and 209 Pakistani students were sent off on 12 August 2026 as the 11th batch.

The seats in the last round were 200 for Bachelor’s, 70 for One-Tier Master’s (20 Medicine, 10 Dentistry, 40 other), 100 for Master’s, and 30 for PhD.

Eligibility: Pakistani or AJ&K citizen, aged 18 by 31 August 2026. Bachelor’s applicants needed their HSSC completed before 1 August 2026. Master’s applicants needed a 16-year Bachelor’s degree before 1 August 2026. PhD applicants needed a Master’s, MS or MPhil before 1 August 2026. There was no upper age limit. The test requirement was a valid HAT score (on or after 15 January 2024) or USAT score (on or after 15 January 2025), with a minimum of 50%.

Like Commonwealth, this was a dual application: the HEC portal at https://scholarship.hec.gov.pk/ AND the Hungarian portal at https://apply.stipendiumhungaricum.hu. Miss one and you were out.

I am not quoting coverage amounts for this one either, because the figures circulating online are unverified blog numbers, not HEC figures. When the 2027-28 round is announced, read the official call.

Chinese Government Scholarship (CSC) 2026-27 — closed 5 January 2026

The Chinese Government Scholarship, run through HEC as the nominating agency for Type-A applications only, closed on 5 January 2026. The 2026-27 quota was 75 seats: 35 Bachelor’s, 25 Master’s, and 15 PhD.

Age limits were under 25 for Bachelor’s, under 35 for Master’s, and under 40 for PhD. Dual nationals were not eligible. The test requirement was a HAT or USAT score of at least 50 out of 100.

I have written a full separate guide to this scholarship, including the step-by-step dual application process and the Agency Number 5861 detail that so many people get wrong — you can read it here: CSC Scholarship 2027 Pakistan Apply Online — HEC Guide, Deadline & Requirements.

Government of Cuba undergraduate scholarships 2026-27 — closed 31 March 2026

Cuba offered 11 undergraduate seats in the last round — 10 in Medicine and 1 in another field. The requirements were specific: age 18 to 25, at least 70% in F.Sc or A-levels (Pre-Medical), at least 60% in SSC or Matric, a minimum of 50% in MDCAT, and a valid USAT score (on or after 31 March 2025). Result-awaiting students were not eligible. Small quota, strict criteria, and a very specific audience — but for a Pre-Medical student with strong F.Sc marks, it was a genuine free medical seat abroad.

Azerbaijan (Heydar Aliyev Grant) 2026-27 — closed 20 March 2026

Azerbaijan’s grant had only three slots in total — one Bachelor’s, one Master’s, and one PhD. Three seats for the whole country. I mention it because people search for it, but be realistic about the odds: this is the kind of scholarship you apply for as a bonus, not as your main plan.

IRSIP — research fellowships for PhD students already enrolled in Pakistan

IRSIP is different from the others, and it is easy to overlook. It is a six-month research fellowship abroad for students already enrolled in a full-time PhD programme in Pakistan, at a top-200 global university. The six-month stipend is paid in advance, and bench or tuition fees are paid directly to the foreign university. HEC does not pay the visa fee or health insurance, and you can only get the award once in your PhD — never twice.

The latest portal window ran from 1 to 30 October 2026, and it is now closed. You needed a foreign supervisor’s acceptance letter plus the HEC proforma, a recommendation from your local supervisor, and BASR or DASR approval of your synopsis. Applications go through https://scholarship.hec.gov.pk.

If you are mid-PhD in Pakistan and wondering how to get six months of research experience abroad, IRSIP is the programme to watch — but start the supervisor correspondence months before the window opens, because an acceptance letter from a foreign professor is not something you get in a week.

HEC overseas scholarship 2026 Pakistan — the closed rounds at a glance

Scholarship	Level	Last date (2026-27)	Status now
OSS Phase-III Batch-IV	MS/MPhil, PhD	28 Aug 2026	Closed; HAT held 19 Sep 2026, selection in progress
Commonwealth 2027-28	Master’s, PhD	20 Oct 2026	Closed; nominations Dec 2026
Stipendium Hungaricum	Bachelor’s, Master’s, PhD	15 Jan 2026	Closed; 209 students sent off 12 Aug 2026
Chinese Government Scholarship	Bachelor’s, Master’s, PhD	5 Jan 2026	Closed
Govt of Cuba	Undergraduate	31 Mar 2026	Closed
Azerbaijan (Heydar Aliyev Grant)	Bachelor’s, Master’s, PhD	20 Mar 2026	Closed
IRSIP	PhD research (6 months)	30 Oct 2026	Closed
Law Graduates (Balochistan)	LLM, PhD	13 Jan 2026	Closed
US-Pakistan Knowledge Corridor	PhD	30 Mar (Fall 2027)	Open — rolling
SAARC / BUP Bangladesh	Undergraduate	31 Dec 2026	Open — apply to BUP directly

How to prepare while everything is closed

This is the part that actually decides who gets selected next year. The deadlines above tell the story: OSS Batch-IV gave applicants 19 days. Commonwealth gave about six weeks. Stipendium Hungaricum’s window is always short. Nobody wins these scholarships by starting on announcement day. You win them by being ready before the announcement exists.

Step 1: Get your HAT or USAT score now

Almost every HEC overseas round requires a HAT score (for Master’s and PhD) or a USAT score (for Bachelor’s). The minimums differ — 60 out of 100 for Commonwealth and the US-Pakistan Knowledge Corridor, 50 out of 100 for Stipendium Hungaricum and CSC — but the test itself is the same one, run by HEC’s Education Testing Council.

Check the ETC test calendar at https://www.hec.gov.pk/english/services/students/etc/Pages/Test-Calendar.aspx and register for the next sitting. A HAT score is generally valid for two years and a USAT score for one year, so a score you get now should still count when the next round opens — but check the validity period in the new round’s announcement, because it can change. Do not wait. I have seen students miss a scholarship by a week because their test date fell after the portal closed.

If you are also thinking about English tests, read our guide here: IELTS Preparation in Pakistan 2026 — Fee, Test Format & 6-Week Plan for Band 7+. Some programmes and some foreign universities need IELTS even when HEC does not, so check your target university’s requirement separately.

Step 2: Get your documents attested before you need them

HEC attestation of degrees, IBCC attestation of Matric and Intermediate certificates, a valid passport, transcripts — none of this is fast. HEC attestation appointments and courier time have ruined more applications than bad grades ever have. Start now, while there is no deadline pressure. Scan everything as clear PDFs, name the files properly (“HAT-Score.pdf”, not “scan001.pdf”), and keep a folder on your computer and a backup on Google Drive.

If you are a government employee, get your No Objection Certificate sorted early too. It is required for OSS Phase-III and it is the document most often left to the last minute.

Step 3: If you want OSS Phase-III, get an admission offer

Remember the Batch-IV exemption: candidates with a confirmed unconditional Fall 2026 admission at a Top 200 QS or THE-ranked university were exempted from the HAT and the interview. That is a huge advantage. Even without the exemption, having an admission offer strengthens your application enormously. Start emailing universities now. Pick programmes that fit one of the eight thematic areas, check the ranking, and apply. A short, polite email to a professor or admissions office, with your CV attached, costs ten minutes and can change your whole application.

Step 4: Write your study plan or research proposal yourself

For PhD applicants especially, the study plan or research proposal matters a lot. Write it about real work you want to do, in your own words. Reviewers can tell a copied template from a genuine one within a paragraph. Simple and honest beats polished and copied, every time.

How to watch for new announcements

HEC’s own advice is blunt: it is the applicant’s sole responsibility to regularly check the official websites and apply only through official HEC links. If you are looking for the hec overseas scholarship apply online link, it is https://scholarship.hec.gov.pk — but check the status first, because most rounds are closed. Do not send hard copies unless HEC asks you by email. So here is the watching routine that actually works:

• The HEC scholarship portal: https://scholarship.hec.gov.pk — this is where you apply for almost everything. Create your profile now, with an email address you actually check and a phone number that works. HEC contacts shortlisted candidates by email.
• The Foreign Scholarships index: https://www.hec.gov.pk/english/scholarshipsgrants/Pages/InternationalScholarships.aspx — the full list of HEC’s foreign scholarship programmes.
• The HEC Announcements page: new calls appear here first.
• The Inactive/Archive list: https://www.hec.gov.pk/english/scholarshipsgrants/lao/Pages/Inactive-Scholarships.aspx — this tells you which 2026-27 rounds have been archived, so you stop waiting for them.
• The ETC test calendar: https://www.hec.gov.pk/english/services/students/etc/Pages/Test-Calendar.aspx — for HAT and USAT dates.

Set a weekly reminder — Sunday night works, ask my brother — and check the Announcements page and the portal. That is all it takes. Five minutes a week, and you will never miss an opening.

If you need help, the HEC helpline is 051-111-119-432 or 0334-1119432, and the online help portal is onlinehelp.hec.gov.pk.

While you wait, it is also worth knowing what HEC offers inside Pakistan, in case you need funding for a local degree first. Two honest guides: HEC Need Based Scholarship 2026-27 — How to Apply, Eligibility & Documents and Ehsaas Scholarship 2026 Apply Online — Is the BISP Portal Open? (Honest Status Update). And if you are still in school or college and weighing your options, the CM Punjab Honhaar Scholarship 2026 Apply Online — Last Date 9 November is a local option with its own deadline.

Mistakes I have seen people make

The biggest one is applying on only one portal when two are required. Commonwealth, Stipendium Hungaricum and CSC all need a dual application — HEC plus the foreign portal. People finish the HEC form, feel relieved, and forget the second one entirely. HEC’s rule is blunt: both applications are mandatory, and missing one means disqualification.

The second is the agent trap. If someone on Facebook or WhatsApp promises you a guaranteed HEC scholarship seat for a fee, walk away. There is no agent who can speed up a nomination, and HEC does not charge for nominations. The only legitimate fee in this whole list is the Rs 3,000 OSS application fee, paid through 1LINK on the official portal. Everything else you spend should be on attestation, tests, and your own travel later.

The third is trusting a blog date over the HEC website. Right now there are posts claiming confirmed 2027 opening dates for scholarships HEC has not announced. There are no confirmed dates. When HEC announces, it announces on hec.gov.pk. Everything else is a guess, and planning your year around a guess is how people miss the real deadline.

The fourth is the wrong “CSC”. Commonwealth and the Chinese Government Scholarship share the abbreviation, and I have seen students prepare for the wrong one — wrong portal, wrong agency number, wrong deadline. If someone says “CSC scholarship”, ask them: UK or China? It takes five seconds and saves a season.

The fifth is leaving attestation and the test to the last week. Nineteen days was the whole OSS Batch-IV window. Attestation alone can take longer than that. The waiting time between rounds is not empty time. It is preparation time. Use it.

And a small one that still matters: names and dates that do not match across documents. Your name on your passport, your CNIC, your degree and your HEC profile should be identical. If there is a spelling difference, fix it now, not in the week the portal opens.

Related Articles

• CSC Scholarship 2027 Pakistan Apply Online — HEC Guide, Deadline & Requirements
• HEC Need Based Scholarship 2026-27 — How to Apply, Eligibility & Documents
• Ehsaas Scholarship 2026 Apply Online — Is the BISP Portal Open? (Honest Status Update)
• CM Punjab Honhaar Scholarship 2026 Apply Online — Last Date 9 November
• IELTS Preparation in Pakistan 2026 — Fee, Test Format & 6-Week Plan for Band 7+

FAQs

Is the HEC overseas scholarship 2026 Pakistan open for applications?

No major round is open right now. Every flagship 2026-27 deadline has passed, including OSS Phase-III Batch-IV (28 August 2026), Commonwealth (20 October 2026), Stipendium Hungaricum (15 January 2026) and CSC (5 January 2026). Two exceptions are still live: the US-Pakistan Knowledge Corridor PhD programme (rolling, next closing 30 March for Fall 2027) and the SAARC/BUP Bangladesh scholarship (deadline 31 December 2026, apply directly to BUP).

What is the HEC overseas scholarship last date for 2026-27?

There is no single last date, because each programme has its own. The most recent deadlines were 20 October 2026 for Commonwealth and 30 October 2026 for the IRSIP window. The only future deadlines currently published are 31 December 2026 for the SAARC/BUP scholarship and 30 March for the US-Pakistan Knowledge Corridor Fall 2027 session. No 2027-28 round has a confirmed date yet.

How do I apply for the HEC overseas scholarship online?

For most programmes, you apply through the HEC scholarship portal at https://scholarship.hec.gov.pk. Create a profile, complete it with a working email and phone number, and select the programme. Several programmes — Commonwealth, Stipendium Hungaricum and CSC — also require a second application on the foreign partner’s own portal. Both applications are mandatory; missing one means disqualification.

What is the HEC scholarship portal?

The HEC scholarship portal is https://scholarship.hec.gov.pk, HEC’s e-Services portal for scholarship applications. You create a profile there once and use it to apply for HEC programmes, including OSS Phase-III, Commonwealth, Stipendium Hungaricum, CSC, IRSIP and others. The US-Pakistan Knowledge Corridor uses a separate HEC portal at https://scholarships.hec.gov.pk/.

Do I need a HAT score for the HEC overseas scholarship?

Yes, for most rounds. Commonwealth requires a HAT score of at least 60 out of 100 (HAT-I to IV, on or after 25 October 2024). The US-Pakistan Knowledge Corridor requires GRE General minimum 300 total or HAT minimum 60%. Stipendium Hungaricum and CSC required a HAT or USAT score of at least 50 out of 100. A HAT score is generally valid for two years and a USAT score for one year, so get tested now while the rounds are closed — but confirm the validity period in each new round’s announcement.

What is the Stipendium Hungaricum scholarship for Pakistani students?

It is Hungary’s government scholarship programme, administered in Pakistan through HEC, covering Bachelor’s, One-Tier Master’s, Master’s and PhD. The 2026-27 round closed on 15 January 2026, with 200 Bachelor’s, 70 One-Tier Master’s, 100 Master’s and 30 PhD seats, and 209 Pakistani students were sent off on 12 August 2026. The 2027-28 round has not been announced yet.

Is there any HEC scholarship for Pakistani students to study in the USA?

Yes — the US-Pakistan Knowledge Corridor PhD Scholarship, and it is still open. It funds PhDs at Top 50 QS-ranked US universities (Category I, full tuition) and Top 51–100 QS-ranked US universities (Category II, tuition up to USD 12,000 per year), with an annual stipend of USD 19,200, health insurance of USD 2,000 a year, and return airfare of PKR 250,000, for up to five years. Scholars must sign a bond to return to Pakistan and serve. The next stated closing is 30 March for the Fall 2027 session.

Does HEC nomination guarantee a Commonwealth scholarship?

No. HEC is Pakistan’s nominating agency, but the final selection is made by the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission in the UK, and HEC states it has no financial liability. Being nominated by HEC is a necessary step, not a guarantee.

A last word

If you came here searching for the HEC overseas scholarship 2026 Pakistan because someone told you the portal is open today, now you know the real position: the big rounds are closed, two smaller doors are still open, and the next big rounds have no confirmed dates yet. That is not bad news. It is useful news, because it tells you exactly what to do next.

If you are a PhD aspirant, look at the US-Pakistan Knowledge Corridor now — the Fall 2027 closing is 30 March, and a GRE score plus a US admission offer takes months to arrange. If you want Bangladesh, the BUP deadline is 31 December 2026, and you apply directly to the university. Everyone else: get your HAT or USAT score, get your degrees attested, and check the HEC Announcements page every week. By the time the next round opens — whether it is OSS Batch-V, Commonwealth 2028-29, Stipendium Hungaricum 2027-28 or CSC 2027-28 — you want to be the person who only has to fill in a form, not the person starting from zero.

And check the official pages yourself. Scholarship rules change every year, and a blog post — including this one — is never a substitute for the announcement on hec.gov.pk. If something here and the HEC page disagree, the HEC page wins.

Good luck. Studying abroad on a full scholarship is one of the best things that can happen to a Pakistani student, but it goes to the prepared, not the lucky. Be prepared.

Official links:

• HEC scholarship portal: https://scholarship.hec.gov.pk
• HEC Overseas Scholarships Phase-III: https://www.hec.gov.pk/english/scholarshipsgrants/OSSPhase-III/Pages/default.aspx
• HEC Commonwealth Scholarship: https://www.hec.gov.pk/english/HECAnnouncements/Pages/CW-Scholarship.aspx
• HEC US-Pakistan Knowledge Corridor: https://www.hec.gov.pk/english/scholarshipsgrants/US-Pakcorridor/Pages/default.aspx
• HEC US-Pakistan Knowledge Corridor FAQ: https://www.hec.gov.pk/english/scholarshipsgrants/US-Pakcorridor/Pages/FAQ.aspx
• HEC Stipendium Hungaricum: https://www.hec.gov.pk/english/scholarshipsgrants/lao/SHSP/Pages/default.aspx
• HEC Chinese Government Scholarship: https://www.hec.gov.pk/english/scholarshipsgrants/lao/CGSP/Pages/default.aspx
• HEC Govt of Cuba Scholarship: https://www.hec.gov.pk/english/scholarshipsgrants/lao/CGS/Pages/default.aspx
• HEC Azerbaijan Scholarship: https://www.hec.gov.pk/english/scholarshipsgrants/lao/AZS/Pages/default.aspx
• HEC IRSIP: https://www.hec.gov.pk/english/scholarshipsgrants/IRSIP/Pages/default.aspx
• HEC SAARC/BUP Scholarship: https://www.hec.gov.pk/english/HECAnnouncements/Pages/SAARC-Scholarship.aspx
• HEC Foreign Scholarships index: https://www.hec.gov.pk/english/scholarshipsgrants/Pages/InternationalScholarships.aspx
• HEC Inactive/Archive scholarships: https://www.hec.gov.pk/english/scholarshipsgrants/lao/Pages/Inactive-Scholarships.aspx
• HEC ETC test calendar: https://www.hec.gov.pk/english/services/students/etc/Pages/Test-Calendar.aspx