Karakoram International University Gilgit-Baltistan

Karakoram International University and United States Educational Foundation in Pakistan (USEFP) jointly arranged a session on various scholarships offered by the USEFP on April 25th, 2015.

Mr Mazhar Awan enlightened the participants, which included faculty, staff and students of KIU about USEFP and its mission and the variety of scholarships and eligibility criteria for applying.

While welcoming the guests from USEFP, the honorable Vice Chancellor, Dr. Muhammad Asif Khan also emphasized the importance of pursuing quality and higher studies from advanced countries. Sharing his personal experience, the Vice Chancellor told the audience that in past, the Fulbright Program in Pakistan was a very limited program. During the old times, when he was awarded Fulbright, there were total 5 to 7 maximum scholarships, but times have changed. Now USEFP offers and administers more than 600 scholarships of various nature. With the provision of more opportunities the level of competitiveness also rises, which requires dedication and excellence to win the prestigious awards. During his presentation, Mr. Mazhar Awan informed the audience about USEFP, which is a binational agreement between both governments of United States and Pakistan that administers a variety of educational exchange programs in order to promote mutual understanding between the people of Pakistan and the people of United States through educational and cultural exchange. It offers the Fulbright Degree program, which is currently the largest Fulbright program in the world. They also offer the Global Undergraduate Program for Undergraduate students, Humphrey fellowship for mid-career professionals and management staff, non-degree programs for working professionals in public administration and journalism, and programs for teachers such as the foreign language teaching assistantship (FLTA) program. Explaining the eligibility criteria for various scholarship programs, Mr. Awan emphasized on GRE (Graduate Record Examination) score, which is mandatory for degree related scholarships. To support the applicants of Gilgit-Baltistan, he generously announced that USEFP team can come to KIU and arrange a “mock GRE test”, and successful candidates will get free vouchers, which can be used for the actual GRE test. In addition, he assured to work closely with KIU for facilitating master trainers for GRE preparation from KIU. The audience was informed that all USEFP scholarships are purely merit based, there are several of KIU faculty members have successfully completed their post doctorate, Doctorate and Master’s degrees under the Fulbright scholarship Program including our esteemed Vice Chancellor Dr. Asif khan, a proud member of the Fulbright Alumni. In addition, students of KIU have availed the Global Undergrad Program and the Community College Initiative Program. The session concluded with the pledge to strengthen the collaboration between the two institutions.

The event was titled “Fulbright Orientation Session.” Mr. Mazhar Awan, Director Alumni Affairs USEFP and Ms. Merium Kazmi, Program officer Alumni USEFP were the guests and the Vice Chancellor KIU was the Chief Guest of the event. Mr. Mazhar Awan enlightened the participants, which included faculty, staff, and students of KIU about USEFP and its mission and the variety of scholarships and eligibility criteria for applying. While welcoming the guests from USEFP, the honorable Vice Chancellor, Dr. Muhammad Asif Khan also emphasized the importance of pursuing quality and higher studies from advanced countries. Sharing his personal experience, the Vice Chancellor told the audience that in past, the Fulbright Program in Pakistan was a very limited program. During the old times, when he was awarded Fulbright, there were total 5 to 7 maximum scholarships, but times have changed. Now USEFP offers and administers more than 600 scholarships of various nature. With the provision of more opportunities, the level of competitiveness also rises, which requires dedication and excellence to win the prestigious awards. During his presentation, Mr. Mazhar Awan informed the audience about USEFP, which is a binational agreement between both governments of the United States and Pakistan that administers a variety of educational exchange programs in order to promote mutual understanding between the people of Pakistan and the people of United States through the educational and cultural exchange. It offers the Fulbright Degree program, which is currently the largest Fulbright program in the world. They also offer the Global Undergraduate Program for Undergraduate students, Humphrey fellowship for mid-career professionals and management staff, non-degree programs for working professionals in public administration and journalism, and programs for teachers such as the foreign language teaching assistantship (FLTA) program. Explaining the eligibility criteria for various scholarship programs, Mr. Awan emphasized on GRE (Graduate Record Examination) score, which is mandatory for degree related scholarships. To support the applicants of Gilgit-Baltistan, he generously announced that USEFP team can come to KIU and arrange a “mock GRE test”, and successful candidates will get free vouchers, which can be used for the actual GRE test. In addition, he assured to work closely with KIU for facilitating master trainers for GRE preparation from KIU. The audience was informed that all USEFP scholarships are purely merit based, there are several of KIU faculty members have successfully completed their post doctorate, Doctorate and Master’s degrees under the Fulbright scholarship Program including our esteemed Vice Chancellor Dr. Asif khan, a proud member of the Fulbright Alumni. In addition, students of KIU have availed the Global Undergrad Program and the Community College Initiative Program. The session concluded with the pledge to strengthen the collaboration between the two institutions.