Fulbright Scholarships 2009 for Pakistanis

Study for a Ph.D. in the United States! This information is taken from http://www.usefpakistan.org/FulbrightHECUSAID.html and presened here for the benefit of our readers. Please consult the above web site fo complete details.

Fulbright Scholarship was Created in the aftermath of the Second World War through the efforts of Senator Fulbright, The Fulbright Program promotes peace and understanding through educational exchange. The senator believed that this would be an essential vehicle for mutual understanding between individuals, institutions and future leaders. According to the Fulbright website, the Fulbright Program with the Philippines “is the world’s oldest continuous Fulbright program. The Philippine-American Educational Foundation (PAEF) was established on March 23, 1948.” But it now has limited funding, making it almost impossible for Filipino students to enroll in Ivy-league universities.

The US-UK Fulbright Commission was created by treaty on 22 September 1948, and since its inception has expanded its program to include grants for study in a wide variety of fields: MBA awards, filmmaking, sports science, performing arts, science, politics, history, literature and dance to name a few. Since 1949, approximately 12,000 UK Nationals have studied in the U.S. and 9,600 U.S. Nationals in the UK on Fulbright Educational Exchanges out of 200,000 Fulbright alumni worldwide.

In 2003, a convoy carrying American diplomats and Fulbright officials was attacked in the Gaza Strip. Three American security contractors were killed and one diplomat wounded. Since that time, American officials were discouraged to be in Gaza.

2009 Fulbright/HEC/USAID Scholarship Competition
Application Deadline: May 1, 2008
The majority of funding for this program is provided by the Higher Education Commission (HEC) of the Government of Pakistan in additoin to funding from USAID. This program will fund up to four years of graduate study in the United States towards a Ph.D. degree. This may be coursework and/or research towards a Ph.D. or an entire program. Successful candidates will begin their program of study in the fall of 2009. In addition to academic work, persons selected are expected to share information about Pakistani life and culture with their U.S. colleagues and with community groups in the U.S. On returning to Pakistan, Fulbright grantees are expected to share their U.S. experiences with colleagues and community groups in Pakistan.

All disciplines are welcome to apply, with the exception of clinical medicine. Priority will be given to the pure and applied sciences, technology, agriculture, health, economics, finance and fields essential for Pakistan’s socio-economic development. The grant funds tuition, required textbooks, airfare, a trip home after two years, a living stipend, and health insurance. USEFP will assist with the visa application process.

Applicants with more than two years of research and work experience in their field are strongly encouraged to apply. Successful applicants must be committed to serving Pakistan. It is highly desirable that candidates have work experience in teaching, research, or the public sector in Pakistan. They must be Pakistani citizens with a strong academic history and either am M.Phil or four year’s Bachelors and Master’s degree totaling 18 years of formal education from an accredited university. Successful candidates should be poised to assume a leadership position in their field. Successful applicants will be required to post a bond with the HEC. This bond is redeemable on a year-for-year basis after returning to work in Pakistan, so that as long as a person fulfills his/her service requirement, the grantee will not have to pay anything.

Employees and their spouses, fiancés, siblings, children and parents of the Fulbright organization, the U.S. Department of State, USAID or the HEC are also ineligible.

Please note that GRE and TOEFL scores must be submitted along with the application. For applicants who are taking the GRE and TOEFL after the application deadline, proof of registration must be attached with your application and scores must be received by July 1 , 2008. Applicants must possess a high level of fluency in spoken and written English. The minimum iBT TOEFL score required is 90. On the GRE, a minimum score of 300 is required on each section of the examination, with a higher score on the section most applicable to the applicant’s field of study.

You may apply to both the Masters and Ph.D. program, as a continued Masters leading to Ph.D. USEFP awards grants in the program it considers most appropriate.

All application materials (original and one copy), including references, must be received by USEFP by 4:30 p.m. on May 1, 2008.

Click here to Download application forms