Pakistan top recipient of EU-funded scholarships for third year

Islamabad: For the third year in a row, Pakistan has secured the most European Union-funded Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters scholarships globally - demonstrating its academic excellence and robust standing in the global education arena.

A total of 2,603 students from 137 countries have been selected for the programme this year to further their education in different fields, with Pakistanis leading in the number of scholarships awarded, according to spokesperson for the EU Mission in Islamabad Samar Saeed Akhtar.

"One hundred and eighty nine Pakistani students have been selected for the 2024 Erasmus Mundus scholarships. They include 100 men, 88 women, and one non-binary person," she told 'The News'.

Ms. Akhtar said that next on the scholarship list was India (146), followed by Mexico (121), Bangladesh (119), Nigeria (97), Brazil (84), Colombia (79), Spain (71), the United States and Indonesia (69), Egypt (68), the Philippines (63), China (55), Vietnam (54), and Kazakhstan (53).

She said that Pakistanis had claimed 192 Erasmus Mundus scholarships in 2023, 166 in 2022, 141 in 2021, 134 in 2020, 91 in 2019, 78 in 2018, and 46 in 2017. The EU Mission's spokesperson said that the selection process for the scholarships was highly competitive, and applications for the next programme would open in October 2024.

Under the programme, people selected from all over the world will study at several universities in Europe and beyond, with the best students being offered full scholarships covering participation costs and contributing to travel, visas, and living allowances.

The Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters are jointly designed and delivered by a group of higher education institutions and involve at least three institutions from at least three different countries and multiple associated partners from the academic and non-academic worlds. Usually, they include periods of study, research, trainee-ship, and thesis preparation and defence.