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The Pakistan High Commission in Dhaka has clarified that Bangladeshi students selected for master’s degree programmes at universities in Pakistan under the Allama Iqbal Scholarships will receive financial support equivalent to that provided under the programme, although the disbursement arrangements may differ from those for undergraduate students.
“The modalities of disbursement for Masters students—which are being communicated to them—may differ from those of undergraduate students.
However, all qualifying students under this programme would be provided with the equivalent financial support,” the High Commission said in a Facebook post on Thursday.
The scholarship programme is a key component of the Pakistan-Bangladesh Knowledge Corridor, a flagship initiative announced by Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Muhammad Ishaq Dar during his visit to Dhaka in August 2025 to promote educational cooperation and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries.
According to the High Commission, the programme is progressing towards its objectives.
A total of 74 Bangladeshi students joined leading universities in Pakistan last year as part of the first batch.
For the second batch, more than 3,000 students appeared in the admission test. Of them, 125 qualified for undergraduate programmes, 22 for master’s programmes and 14 for PhD programmes.
The selected students are expected to join their respective universities after completing the necessary formalities.
“We remain committed to strengthening our cooperation with the brotherly nation of Bangladesh across all domains, including education and people-to-people exchanges,” the High Commission said.
The clarification followed complaints from some Bangladeshi master’s students who alleged that the scholarship benefits communicated to them after the selection process differed from those advertised initially.
The original scholarship advertisement stated that the programme would cover full tuition fees, a monthly stipend, hostel charges, return air tickets and a one-time settlement allowance at the institution where the students would enrol.
However, after several months of the selection process, some master’s students received emails seeking information for confirmation of admission and said they found that the stated benefits covered only tuition fees and accommodation. Some students were also informed that accommodation might not be available to them.
The students alleged that the changes had caused uncertainty and that they had been misled about the scholarship benefits. Some reportedly decided not to travel to Pakistan because of the uncertainty over the financial support and accommodation arrangements.
The High Commission’s latest statement seeks to clarify that all qualifying master’s students will receive equivalent financial support, while acknowledging that the method of disbursement may differ from that applicable to undergraduate scholars.
