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

Islamabad: The European Union Delegation to Pakistan Wednesday hosted a pre-departure event for the recipients of the EU’s flagship Erasmus Mundus Joint Master scholarships in 2022.

This year, the highest ever number of 166 Pakistani students, 86 men and 80 women, have received scholarships to study in universities in the European Union.

The event, organized in collaboration with the Higher Education Commission (HEC) in Islamabad, not only celebrated the success of the Erasmus Mundus Joint Master scholarship holders but also provided an opportunity for networking amongst the peers and Erasmus+ Alumni.

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 Erasmus+. They will return after some months with strong knowledge and rich experience. This will be of large benefit for them in their future professional lives.”

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 3,013 students from 133 countries were selected for the Erasmus Mundus Joint Master scholarships. Pakistan was 1st in the world of scholarships awarded and remained the top country in terms of scholarship applications. This shows the big interest of young Pakistanis in the EU, which we feel we are obliged to honour.

At the programme, Erasmus+ Alumni shared their experiences, followed by a question and answer session.

Higher Education Commission Chairman Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed, 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.