Scholarship Programs

The year 2020 will be remembered as a strange and uncertain time in USEFP history. This year the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted all our processes and policies, but it also marks the happy occasion of our 70th anniversary. USEFP was first set up to manage the prestigious Fulbright Program, the flagship scholarship program of the U.S. Department of State. Overseen by a board of equal number of Pakistanis and Americans, Americans have been coming to Pakistan since 1951 and Pakistani to the USA since 1952 as Fulbrighters. In 1980, the prestigious Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship for mid-career professionals was added, sending the most promising Pakistani professionals for one year of academic and cultural exchange in the United States. Another approximately dozen exchange programs have also been managed by USEFP, including the popular Global Undergraduate Semester Exchange (Global UGRAD) set up in 2010 under which more than 2000 undergraduates have had the opportunity to study for a semester at U.S. colleges and universities.

Since 2005 Pakistan has had the world's largest Fulbright Program, in terms of USG funding. Since then, USD 353,437,077 has been expended/committed - of this, USD 289,575,588 is from the U.S. Department of State and the rest ($63,861,489) from the Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan to support 25 PhDs per year through the course of two five-year MOUs.

USEFP is committed to merit-based selection for all our programs as well as to all aspects of diversity. Our outstanding and accomplished candidates come from all the provinces and regions of the country, including the underserved areas. About half of our selection comprises women. We encourage and support applicants with disabilities.

USEFP's program department takes pride in its efficiency and output. From 2007 - 2019 115,505 applications have been received and processed. In all, more than 6,000 Pakistanis have travelled to the U.S. on USEFP programs since 2005. Among others these also include candidates selected for Fulbright, Humphrey, Global UGRAD, FLTA, Journalist program, program for Public Administrators, CCIP, CCAP, FSSP, NESA & TEA programs.

Alumni Department

Although USEFP has been generating alumni since the first Fulbrighters were selected in 1950, our alumni department was only established in 2005. The department was set up in response to the phenomenal increase in number of Fulbright grants supported by the U.S. State Department. Since 2005, Pakistan has had the world's largest Fulbright Program sending approximately 150 grantees to complete Master's and PhD degrees in top universities in the United States. In addition, a few scholars come to Pakistan from the USA as Fulbrighters each year. Since 1980, USEFP has also managed the prestigious Humphrey Fellowship in Pakistan, sending mid-career professionals for a combined academic/professional experience in the United States. We invite all Fulbrighters and Humphreys to and from Pakistan to register with us. Alumni of other USEFP-managed programs are encouraged to register with the Pakistan U.S. Alumni Network (PUAN) link.

Why register? The department holds a vast digitized archive of every grantee dating back to 1951. We want to know what you've achieved since participating in your program as this helps demonstrate the value of these programs to both countries. Alumni are entitled to a variety of post-grant opportunities to engage in activities as part of giving back to Pakistan. Sustained alumni engagement forms an integral part of USEFP's national educational outreach program and its selection process for future grantees. Our Fulbright and Humphrey alumni directories enable you to network with other alumni. If you're seeking employment or looking for U.S. degree holding employees, you may make use of our job portal.

Testing Services

USEFP is committed to assisting Pakistani test takers in their pursuit of higher education and career development opportunities in the United States. USEFP Testing was established in 1978 and has been administering international standardized tests in Pakistan for the last four decades. Starting out with just a handful of tests in Islamabad, the department's operations have expanded to Karachi and Lahore, offering approximately 16,000 tests per year. This includes computer-based and paper-based academic tests and professional certifications for individuals interested in pursuing opportunities in the U.S. These tests are administered at state-of-the-art and purpose-built computer labs that are approved by international test providers. USEFP has invested heavily in these labs to ensure that they are conducive to testing and maintain the security and integrity of the tests - each test session is recorded and monitored by a compliance department from outside Pakistan. Currently, USEFP has the capacity to accommodate 30,000 candidates annually for paper-based, computer-based, and internet-based tests at its three centers. USEFP also offers multiple sessions of testing on certain days to accommodate high influx of candidates.

Due to its high-quality testing services, USEFP is the preferred partner for many international testing agencies, including ETS, Prometric, Pearson VUE, College Board, ITTS, Nextec, and others. Prometric, which is one of the world's leading test technology providers, has appointed USEFP as its exclusive testing partner in Pakistan for the delivery of both academic and professional tests. Some of the college/ university admission tests administered by USEFP include GRE General and GRE Subject, TOEFL iBT, SAT, LSAT, GMAT, CLEP, DSST, and GED, etc. USEFP also offers licensure certifications to professionals who want to pursue career opportunities in the United States, in health, finance, petroleum, IT and other industries.

USEFP's quality services and excellent track record has won it various accolades from its international testing clients over the years. These include the Prometric Award of Excellence in 2007 and Platinum Awards in 2008 and 2009. USEFP was also one of the first testing centers to successfully administer the internet based TOEFL in the entire Australasia region. The test was shifted from a computer-based to an internet-based format in 2006, due to which many test centers in France, Germany and Italy encountered problems in its administration and its launch was postponed for three months.