US-Pakistan renew Fulbright-HEC education agreement

Pakistan and the United States renewed their higher education partnership through a new five-year agreement between the Pakistan — Higher Education Commission Pakistan (HEC) and the United States Educational Foundation in Pakistan (USEFP). The agreement, signed at USEFP headquarters in Islamabad, covers fiscal years 2026-27 through 2031-32 and includes the Fulbright Master's and PhD programs, Visiting Scholar Program, Foreign Language Teaching Assistant Program, and Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program. It targets supporting 66 PhD scholars over the period. HEC will provide at least USD 4.54 million annually, with total funding capped at PKR 6.48 billion. The agreement builds on the original Fulbright-HEC PhD partnership signed in February 2016 and represents the third phase of collaboration. It also revives the Pakistan-U.S. Higher Education Working Group after nearly 14 years, led by Minister of State Wajiha Qamar. The partnership aims to strengthen academic exchange, research collaboration, and human capital development, benefiting both countries.