US-Pakistan Knowledge Corridor PhD Scholarship 2027 (HEC)

The US-Pakistan Knowledge Corridor PhD Scholarship is a dedicated programme of the Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan that funds Pakistani and AJK nationals who secure admission to a PhD programme at a top-ranked university in the United States. The scholarship is exclusively for PhD studies and is offered for Spring/Summer 2027 and Fall 2027 admissions. Applicants must first obtain admission to an eligible US university and then apply to HEC through its online scholarship portal. Scholarship Categories and Benefits The scholarship has two categories based on the QS World University Ranking of the US university. Category I covers students admitted to a top 50 QS-ranked US university and provides fully funded tuition, an annual stipend of USD 19,200, annual health insurance of up to USD 2,000, and return airfare of PKR 250,000. Category II covers students admitted to a university ranked 51 to 300 overall, or 51 to 100 by QS subject ranking, and provides tuition of up to USD 12,000 per year, the same stipend and health insurance, and the same return airfare. Because Category II tuition support is capped, this Knowledge Corridor PhD Scholarship is listed as partially funded, although Category I applicants receive full tuition. Eligibility Criteria Applicants must be Pakistani or AJK nationals holding a minimum four-year bachelor's degree (BS, BSc, BE or 16 years of formal education); a master's degree is not usually required. No second or third division is accepted anywhere in the academic career. The maximum age on the closing date is 35 years, or 40 years for regular government employees, regular faculty of public sector universities and government colleges, and regular researchers of approved R&D organisations. Applicants must not be availing any other scholarship, and those who already hold a PhD are not eligible. Test and Admission Requirements Applicants must have secured admission to an eligible US university before applying. For both categories, a valid GRE General score of at least 300 or an HEC HAT score of at least 60 percent is required, although Category II applicants do not need these scores if their admission comes with a complete tuition waiver. IELTS or TOEFL scores are not a requirement of the HEC programme itself, though your university may ask for them. At minimum, the Provisional Award Letter process requires the admission letter and tuition waiver letter, attested academic documents, attested copies of your CNIC, domicile and passport, contact details of the graduate school and supervisor, and an experience certificate where required. Deadlines HEC has announced two application rounds for the Knowledge Corridor PhD Scholarship. The deadline for the Spring/Summer 2027 intake is 30 October 2026, and the deadline for the Fall 2027 intake is 30 March 2027. Submit your application through the HEC scholarship portal well before the closing date, since meeting the basic criteria does not guarantee an award. Check the official HEC website for the latest subject areas and apply early for the Knowledge Corridor PhD Scholarship.