European Union sends largest batch of Pakistani students to the European universities on scholarships

Islamabad: Highest ever number of 192 Pakistani students have received scholarships to study in European universities under the EU’s flagship Erasmus Mundus Joint Master scholarships programme this year. This includes 103 men and 89 women.

The European Union Delegation to Pakistan hosted a pre-departure event to celebrate the achievement of the recipients of the scholarship. This is second year in a row that Pakistan ranked top in the world for number of scholarships awarded and remained in the lead in terms of scholarship applications.

In his welcome remarks, EU Chargé d’Affaires a.i, Mr Thomas Seiler said, “Today we congratulate the young men and women who will embark on an educational and cultural journey through the Erasmus+ programme over the coming months. I am sure that they will return with strong knowledge and rich experiences, and their exposure to European universities will also contribute to the development of Pakistan.”

The EU Chargé d’Affaires a.i. further added, “The results of the scholarship’s selection demonstrate that Pakistani students are well prepared and that the Pakistani universities provide them with necessary skills to compete at global level.” He added that he is particularly pleased to see more students from Pakistan have accessed the Erasmus+ programme.

This year 2,835 students from 128 countries were selected for the Erasmus Mundus Joint Master scholarships.

The pre-departure event was organized in collaboration with the Higher Education Commission (HEC). It provided an opportunity to the scholarship holders to prepare for their education in Europe and to network amongst the peers and Erasmus+ Alumni. The Erasmus+ Alumni shared their experiences, followed by a question and answer session.

Higher Education Commission Executive Director Dr. Shaista Sohail, representatives from EU Member States and members of the Erasmus+ Alumni Association also attended the event.

Erasmus+ is the EU´s premier programme to support education, training, youth and sport across the world. The first Erasmus+ Programme was launched in 1987, initially for exchanges within Europe only. It was extended beyond Europe´s borders in 2004. It funds programmes, projects, scholarships and fosters cooperation both within the European Union and globally.

The current Erasmus+ programme was launched in March 2021 and brings over 23.2 billion Euro worldwide to support mobility and cooperation in the higher educational sector.