HEC Scholarships: Programmes, Eligibility and How to Apply

HEC scholarships are the funded study awards run by Pakistan’s Higher Education Commission (HEC), the federal body that regulates and funds university education. There is no single “HEC scholarship”: the official scholarships index lists dozens of separate programmes, each with its own eligibility page, application route and terms. This guide maps the main families using HEC’s own programme names, then walks through the one searchers most often mean, the Indigenous Ph.D. Fellowship Program, using what HEC’s pages said when we read them on 2026-10-29.

What HEC scholarships are

HEC publishes its awards under one “Scholarships” section of hec.gov.pk. For funding context on HEC as a regulator and research funder, see our overview of Pakistan’s HEC. The index groups programmes that include, by their official names:

• Indigenous: “Indigenous Ph.D. Fellowship Program Phase-II” (study at Pakistani universities).
• Need-based: “HEC Need Based Scholarships” (undergraduate-level support at participating public-sector institutions).
• Overseas: “Overseas Scholarships for MS/MPhil leading to PhD”, “Overseas Scholarships for PhD in Selected Phase-III”, and “Guideline for Country Wise Overseas Scholarships”.
• Faculty development: “Faculty Development Programme for Pakistani Universities” and “Faculty Development Programme (FDP) Overseas Scholarships”.
• Postdoctoral and early career: “Post Doctoral Fellowship Program Phase-III” and “Interim Placement of Fresh PhDs (IPFP)”.
• Bilateral and named schemes: “US-Pakistan Knowledge Corridor PhD Scholarship Program”, “Pak-UK Education Gateway” and “Quaid-e-Azam Memorial Fellowship Program”.

Programmes open and close, so treat the index as the live list and check it before planning an application. The index also links “Approved PhD Supervisors”, which matters for the Indigenous route (see below).

HEC Indigenous scholarship: what it is

When people search “hec indigenous scholarship” they mean the Indigenous Ph.D. Fellowship Program, which HEC’s own pages name both “Indigenous Ph.D. Fellowship Program” and “Indigenous 5000 PhD Fellowship Program”. HEC states its aim as creating “a critical mass of highly qualified human resources” at the advanced level in local universities, and says “locally trained researchers work on local problems of great national significance”. Besides scholar support, the scheme funds universities for small laboratory equipment, chemicals and IT equipment. HEC’s page covers Phase-I and Phase-II; the Phase-II menu is the one with a current application route.

Who is eligible for the Indigenous Ph.D. Fellowship (Phase-II)

HEC’s Eligibility Criteria page for Phase-II lists these conditions:

• Pakistani or AJK national.
• At least 16 years of education with no third division or Grade D in any degree or certificate across the whole academic career.
• For a direct PhD scholarship: at least CGPA 3.0 out of 4.0 (semester system), or CGPA 3.75 out of 5 or first division (annual system), in an MS/MPhil or equivalent degree, in addition to the 16-year rule.
• Age limit at the closing date of applications: 40 for full-time regular faculty of public-sector universities or degree-awarding institutions and regular employees of public-sector or R&D organisations; 35 for all others.
• Candidates already receiving any other HEC or government scholarship are not eligible.

The Terms and Conditions page adds rules a research office should know before a scholar accepts: awardees must hold no other scholarship or stipend during the award, must study full time (employed scholars need study leave), and HEC does not allow distance-learning programmes for Indigenous scholars. PhD scholars must be enrolled under an HEC-approved supervisor, with no more than five PhD scholars per approved supervisor, and HEC states it will not release funds if the supervisor is not HEC approved. Awardees also execute a bond to serve in Pakistan for five years after completing study, preferably in higher education.

How to apply on the HEC e-portal

HEC’s How to Apply page describes two steps (the page the day we read it was labelled Phase-II, Batch-VI):

1. Log in or register at eportal.hec.gov.pk and prepare your profile by updating all relevant tabs.
2. On the left side of the screen click “Scholarships & Grants”, select “Indigenous Scholarship”, and submit your application under your category or discipline.

Two details from the Terms page affect that form. Applicants must apply against the correct discipline, because no change of discipline is entertained after submission. And enrolled MS/MPhil or PhD students must apply in their own category with full enrolment details, since merit is calculated per category. For why e-portal logins and the separate scholarship account behave differently, see our guide to the HEC e-portal and eServices.

For dates, deadlines and award amounts, check the official site: the programme pages carry batch labels and rate tables that change between calls, and we do not restate figures here.

How selection works

The Terms page for the batch we read states the merit formula: for MS/MPhil scholarships 60% HAT score and 40% score of the Bachelors or 16-year degree; for PhD scholarships 50% HAT score and 50% score of the combined Bachelors/16-year and MS/MPhil/18-year degrees; and five additional marks for MBBS or BDS holders. These weights belong to that batch’s terms, so confirm them on the current call.

Need-based and overseas schemes

HEC Need Based Scholarships are aimed at “financially disadvantaged students” at participating public-sector universities and institutions that receive HEC’s annual recurring grant; the stated objective is to give talented but financially deprived students access to higher education at public-sector institutions. The page lists no amounts or dates. Overseas awards run through separate programme pages, and HEC publishes country-wise overseas guidelines; open the specific programme page rather than assuming Indigenous rules carry over.

What the record looks like in evaluation and how identifiers fit

For an Indigenous scholar, HEC’s own record is the e-portal profile plus the supervisor’s profile on the HEC website; the Guidelines for Scholars say scholars send HEC a profile format, report academic progress and funds utilisation on HEC’s prescribed formats, and acknowledge HEC’s role in the final thesis. HEC monitors academic progress quarterly and financial utilisation six-monthly (Terms and Conditions). The Phase-II eligibility, terms and guidelines pages we read set no ORCID or Scopus ID requirement. That is a different job from a persistent identifier: an ORCID iD and a Scopus Author ID link your outputs across databases, while HEC’s profile is an administrative record. Keeping both consistent (same name form and institution) helps when a university research office reconciles a scholar in its current research information system. For the award category itself see research fellowship.

Common problems

• Stale batch pages. The Phase-II pages we read were labelled Batch-VI, and the Current Status page for Phase-I describes Batch-V as under process for 2019 sessions. A page naming an old batch is not an open call; look for the call on the e-portal under “Scholarships & Grants”.
• One-award rule. Receiving another HEC or government scholarship makes a candidate ineligible, and an awardee may not hold another stipend during the award.
• Wrong discipline. No change of discipline after submission.
• Supervisor not approved. Funds are not released if the PhD supervisor is not HEC approved; check the “Approved PhD Supervisors” list on the scholarships index before enrolling.
• Programme status. The Terms page puts responsibility on the awardee to confirm the discipline is HEC approved, and no scholarship goes to a programme halted by HEC’s Quality Assurance Department.
• Distance learning. Not allowed for Indigenous scholars.

FAQ

Is the HEC Indigenous scholarship the same as the “5000” scholarship?

HEC’s pages use both “Indigenous Ph.D. Fellowship Program” and “Indigenous 5000 PhD Fellowship Program” for the same scheme family, with Phase-I and Phase-II.

Where do I apply?

On eportal.hec.gov.pk, under “Scholarships & Grants” then “Indigenous Scholarship”, after completing your profile.

Can I apply while holding another scholarship?

No. The eligibility page excludes candidates already availing another HEC or government scholarship.

Does HEC scholarship money have to be repaid?

The Terms page says an awardee who fails to complete study refunds the amount released, under a signed agreement with a personal guarantee; the Guidelines for Scholars add a 25% penalty on default. Read both on the official site before accepting an award.

Sources

All read 2026-10-29 on the HEC website:

• HEC scholarships index: hec.gov.pk/english/scholarshipsgrants/Pages/default.aspx
• Indigenous Ph.D. Fellowship Program Phase-II: Introduction, Eligibility Criteria, How to Apply, Terms and Conditions, Guidelines for Scholars (hec.gov.pk/english/scholarshipsgrants/IPHDFP5000F/Pages/)
• HEC Need Based Scholarships: hec.gov.pk/english/scholarshipsgrants/NBS/Pages/default.aspx