Pakistan, being the fifth most populous nation in the world and with one of the youngest populations, has been the focus for many countries looking to facilitate international students.

According to UNESCO’s Global Flow of tertiary level students report, the country has an outbound mobility ratio of 3.1% – which was over 58,000 students in 2019 – higher than neighbouring India (1.1%) and Bangladesh (1.6%).

Unsurprisingly, the number of Pakistani students travelling to the UK has risen over the last two academic intakes in 2018 and 2019.

Financial restraint is one of the biggest impacts of Covid-19 on overseas Pakistani students.

During the pandemic, the British Council carried out a study to understand the impact of Covid-19 on overseas students in Pakistan.

61% of the respondents from Pakistan highlighted finance as one of their prime concerns.

Understandably, many aspiring students are often dependent on financial aid and scholarship opportunities offered by universities for further education.

Receiving financial support could prove immensely helpful for career progression, setting up a new business or bringing change and opportunity to any community.

32 GREAT scholarships to be awarded to Pakistani students

The British Council is offering 32 GREAT scholarships to prospective international students from Pakistan for a one-year postgraduate programme in the UK.

Co-funded by the UK government’s GREAT Britain Campaign and the British Council, each scholarship is worth a minimum of £10,000 towards the tuition fee and are being offered in partnership with 21 universities across the UK.

Out of the 32 scholarships being offered, 27 are aimed at a variety of subjects including Engineering, Computer Sciences, Fashion and Design, Business and Management and Social Sciences; five scholarships are reserved for subjects like Climate Change, Environment and Sustainability.

Eligibility criteria

To be eligible for a scholarship, candidates must:

• Be citizens of Pakistan.

• Have an undergraduate degree that will enable him/her to enter a postgraduate (taught) programme in a UK university.

• Be motivated and academically able to follow a UK postgraduate course active in the field with work experience or proven interest in the subject area meet the English language requirement of the UK university.

Application deadline

Launched on October 26, 2020, the deadline for GREAT scholarships 2021 applications depends on each institutions’ own application deadlines, so applicants should check deadlines with their chosen university.

The deadline for universities to select candidates for the GREAT scholarships is June 18, 2021; this means prospective students have time between now and the beginning of June 2021 to avail one of these scholarships.

The GREAT scholarships, offered by the British Council and the UK government, aim to make quality, UK education more accessible to prospective students from Pakistan.

Alongside a world-class qualification, studying in the UK allow students to experience new cultures firsthand, network with students and professionals from all around the globe and gain skills to help further their career development.

Find out more about the GREAT scholarships and the application process here or visit the Study UK website.

This content is a paid advertisement by British Council and is not associated with or necessarily reflective of the views of Dawn.com or its editorial staff.