ISLAMABAD, Aug 04 (APP): Fifty-four undergraduate students from across Pakistan received scholarships from the U.S. Government to study in the United States for one semester under the Global Undergraduate Semester Exchange (UGRAD) Program.
The Global UGRAD Program provides grantees and opportunity to enrich their education and pursue non-degree academic study at U.S. college campuses.
The students will attend undergraduate classes at 51 U.S. colleges and universities, participate in workshops to strengthen leadership skills. They will engage in community service projects.
The United States Educational Foundation in Pakistan (USEFP) hosted the students for a two-day pre-departure orientation in Islamabad to share information about campus life, American culture, visa and travel requirements.
“The undergraduate exchanges between the United States and Pakistan create important opportunities for the students who travel and the people they interact with and are an important part of strengthening the relationship between our two countries,” said Acting Deputy Chief of Mission William Ostick.
“The U.S. Government is proud to fund these life-changing opportunities, and we look forward to all they will accomplish as future leaders in Pakistan” Deputy Chief added.
Hailing from all four provinces, Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and the Islamabad Capital Territory, the cohort represents a wide range of fields of study, including business administration, social sciences and STEM.
Since the Global UGRAD Program launched in 2010, approximately 2,440 Pakistani students, more than half of whom are women, have received this prestigious one-semester scholarship to study in the United States.
USEFP Executive Director Rita Akhtar encouraged the students to take full advantage of the academic, extracurricular, and community service activities available in the United States.
“This year, again, we received a record number of applications from all over Pakistan. Participants are selected on merit, but in determining merit, we try to take into account obstacles students have had to overcome on their road to success. We look for students with the potential not just to excel in higher education but to bring change and development to their communities. We are confident that their American classmates will learn a lot from this group of talented students and that their classmates in Pakistan will learn a lot about America through them when they share their experiences on their return. The UGRAD Program is a wonderful opportunity to build new friendships and mutual understanding between the people of both countries.”
USEFP is a bi-national commission established in 1950 by the governments of the United States and Pakistan. Since its inception, more than 9,621 Pakistanis and over 941 Americans have participated in USEFP-managed exchange programs.
Its mission is to promote mutual understanding between the people of Pakistan and the people of the United States through educational and cultural exchange programs. For more information, visit www.usefp.org.
The U.S. Government invests more than $40 million annually on exchange programs for Pakistani citizens to visit and study in the United States. Over 1,000 Pakistanis participate each year in high school, undergraduate, graduate, and professional U.S.-sponsored exchanges.
Since the alumni network began in 2008, Americans have provided more than 18,000 college scholarships for Pakistani students.
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