Pakistan being the fifth most populous nation in the world, with one of the youngest populations, has been the focus for many countries looking to attract international students. According to UNESCO’s Global Flow of tertiary level students report, Pakistan 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%). The number of students travelling to the UK has seen a rise over the last 5 years. Over the last two academic intakes in 2018 and 2019 the number of Pakistani students travelling to the UK rose by 19.3% to 7,830 (HESA 2019).

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. We understand that many aspiring students from Pakistan are often dependent on financial aid and scholarship opportunities offered by universities. Receiving financial support could help you achieve your dreams – be it progressing your career, starting your own business or bringing change and opportunity to your community.

The British Council under the Study UK GREAT Campaign is offering 32 GREAT Scholarships to prospective international students from Pakistan for a one-year postgraduate programme in the UK. The scholarships are being offered in partnership with 21 universities from across the UK. Each scholarship is worth a minimum of £10,000 towards the tuition fee.

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ut of the 32 scholarships, 27 are aimed at a variety of subjects including Engineering, Computer Sciences, Fashion & Design, Business and Management, Social Sciences etc. 5 scholarships are reserved for subjects around Climate Change/Environment/Sustainability.

To be eligible for a scholarship, you must:

●   be a citizen of Pakistan.  

●   have an undergraduate degree that will enable you 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.

GREAT Scholarships 2021 was launched on 26 October 2020. The deadline for applications will vary depending 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 18 June 2021. This means that prospective students have time between now and the beginning of June 2021 to avail one of these scholarships.

To find out more information on the GREAT scholarship and the application process, please visit the Study UK website or click one of the following links to the Scholarships pages:

GREAT Scholarships

GREAT Scholarships for Sustainable Future.


The GREAT scholarships offered by the British Council and the UK Govt. aim to widen the access to UK education among the prospective international students from Pakistan. Alongside a world-class qualification, studying in the UK gives opportunity to the students to experience a new culture, network with students and professionals from all over the world, and gain skills to help further their career development.

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