KARACHI, Oct 26 (Focus Pakistan) — Pakistani students chasing foreign degrees have five days to lodge a Swiss research scholarship bid. France stops taking applications for its fully funded climate master’s programme in 23 days. And the biggest headline offer on the table, Manchester’s £36,000 award, comes with an entry list that leaves out Pakistan’s Intermediate certificate.
Altogether, Focus Pakistan identified seven opportunities under scholarships for Pakistani students, covering Britain, France, Switzerland and South Korea across the 2026-27 and 2027-28 academic cycles. Several remain available, each with its own deadline, while others have already closed. Few cover every expense, and some offer little beyond a tuition discount.
Switzerland: the countdown ends Saturday
Switzerland comes first. The Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships for 2027-28 stop taking applications on October 31, this Saturday.
The award pays CHF 2,450 a month. Research fellows can draw it for up to 12 months, while PhD candidates can stretch it to 36 months, subject to conditions.
Switzerland wants researchers, not school-leavers. Candidates normally need a master’s degree, a research proposal and a Swiss professor willing to supervise them. Anyone starting from scratch this week faces a near-impossible task.
France: the best package on offer
France’s France Excellence Pakistan–Climate Change programme stands out as one of the few fully funded scholarships for Pakistani students this season. Winners receive tuition support, a monthly living allowance, a return air ticket, social security cover and help finding student housing.
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The scheme covers five climate-related master’s pathways at IMT Atlantique, Grenoble INP Pagora, Avignon University, Oniris and the University of Lille.
The bar sits high. Three rules apply: Pakistani nationality, an age ceiling of 28 and a CGPA no lower than 3.0 from a four-year bachelor’s on HEC’s recognised list. Final-year students still get a shot. Applications close November 18 through Études en France. Two schools, IMT Atlantique and Grenoble INP Pagora, want a second application on their own portals as well.
One warning on timing. The November 18 date closes the door on applications. It says nothing about results, which France announces later.
Manchester: big money, narrow door
Manchester offers the largest advertised award among the schemes reviewed. Its Global Futures programme puts more than £6 million behind over 350 awards for students starting in September 2027, and a Pakistani undergraduate could walk away with as much as £36,000 across three years. Master’s students can claim £12,000.
Here lies the catch. Manchester’s undergraduate scholarship lists A-levels, the International Baccalaureate and certain Indian school qualifications for direct entry. Pakistan’s Intermediate certificate does not feature. Anyone holding an Intermediate should email Manchester’s admissions team first and ask whether a foundation year, or some other route, would count. Budgeting around £36,000 makes little sense until Manchester says yes.
Undergraduates have until March 30, 2027. Master’s candidates need an eligible offer and a scholarship application by April 25. Neither award covers the full cost of living and studying in Britain.
Korea: one door shut, one still ajar
Korea’s 2027 Global Korea Scholarship runs on two tracks, and Pakistani students have already missed the first. The Korean Embassy in Islamabad stopped accepting undergraduate embassy-track applications on September 30.
The university track may still offer a second chance, depending on the campus. Cut-off dates differ from one university to the next. A few fell in September; others run into November 2026. Some of those windows have closed already, and a handful may still be open. Read every university’s notice on its own terms. The rules and the paperwork change from campus to campus, and copying one university’s checklist onto another’s could sink an application.
Smaller cheques from London
London Metropolitan University will knock £5,000 off fees for Pakistani students joining selected 2026-27 courses. That includes the January and May 2027 intakes. It asks for an £8,000 tuition deposit but no separate scholarship form.
Queen Mary University of London opens its £5,000 Global Merit Scholarship this month for September 2027 taught master’s entrants, awarding it on a rolling basis. Students should not confuse it with Queen Mary’s separate Global Partnership Award, which IBA Karachi has promoted for partner-institution students.
Another door has already shut. The University of London’s Yusuf Ali Scholarships, worth £5,000 each for up to 14 women from Pakistan and India, closed on September 3.
Scholarships for Pakistani students: the fine print decides everything
A £36,000 headline does not mean a free degree. Nor will a fee discount cover a month’s rent in London. Pakistan’s name on an eligibility page guarantees nothing for an individual applicant, either.
Before applying, students need to confirm eligibility, deadlines and the costs a scholarship won’t cover with each university directly. Waiting is the worst option: by mid-November, the Swiss and French chances will be gone.
