Applying for the Fulbright Scholarship in Pakistan: A

Timeline
Aug 14, 2015
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As a Fulbright scholarship recipient who will be proceeding for Masters

this year, I wanted to share with potential applicants to the world's largest
Fulbright program some information that may be useful in this regard.
For the sake of clarity, I will break the timeline into two calendar years;
Year 1 and Year 2. Year 1 is the year in which you will submit the
application for this scholarship. Year 2 is the year in which you will
proceed for your studies once you receive the scholarship. Remember
that the entire process takes around 18 months from the time of applying
to the time you depart for your studies.

January - April Year 1

In this period you should be researching which schools and programs you
wish to study in. If you are a student in your final semester, this time is
critical because this is your last chance to bring up your CGPA, which will
later become a factor in your application. Whether or not you are enrolled
as a student, if you have not given the GRE already, or are planning to
repeat the exam, you should spend at least these 4 months going over
the format and improving your weak points.
During this time it is a good idea to also approach professors or others
who you will later be asking for recommendations. You can tell them

about your plans for higher studies and get them to agree to write strong
recommendations for you. It is advisable for fresh graduates or current
students to have 3 professors or academic supervisors write the
recommendations. Also start gathering your academic documents and
other documentation that will be useful later on.

Documents to have ready:

Original University Degree and 5 HEC attested copies

At least 3 University Transcripts in sealed envelopes

O Levels, A Levels, FSc, Matriculation certificates

Domicile and Birth Certificates

Get a passport that is valid till at least until your Higher Studies will
conclude. This will be needed for TOEFL and GRE exams too.

May - June Year 1

During this period, you have to submit your application. Once youve got
your Statement of Purpose and any other essays proof read and polished
to perfection, its time to send the completed application along with the
required documents via Mail (not online and not through courier) to the
PO Box address provided on the Fulbright website.
It will be very helpful at this time to find other individuals who are
applying for the Fulbright scholarship in Pakistan and keep in touch with
them. I found other applicants via a GRE preparation website and we all
joined a Facebook group.
Giving the TOEFL is optional at this point but it will help your case if you
have a good score. If you are shortlisted for the interview, USEFP contacts

you and asks you to take the first available TOEFL exam and share your
score. The GRE is mandatory for the Fulbright application and you should
aim for a minimum score of 320 out of 340.

July September Year 1

Once your application is submitted, the waiting begins. Dont expect to
hear back from USEFP until September. Around mid-September USEFP
starts contacting applicants via phone about their interview schedule.
Also around the same time they send rejection letters to applicants who
did not get shortlisted.
The interviews are only held in the Islamabad office of USEFP and your
travel to the venue and accommodation in Islamabad has to be arranged
at your own expense. Expect the interview to be preceded by a short
essay based on a prompt. The interview itself is usually between 3 and 10
min long, and is meant to judge if you will contribute positively to cultural
exchange between Pakistan and USA as well as your academic readiness.

November December Year 1

Once the interview is over, the next period of waiting begins. Results are
usually announced via email and mail in early October. Having contact
with other Fulbright applicants is useful in this waiting period as you can
get updates from them about their results and news. At this time there
are three possible outcomes; Rejection, selection as Principal candidate
or selection as Alternate candidate. Alternate candidates will be able to
go for their studies if some principal candidates back out of the process or
additional funding becomes available.

Once selected as a Principal Candidate, you are required to sign some

documents and return them to USEFP. You are also assigned a Program
Officer who will be your primary point of contact in Pakistan for the
remainder of the process.
You are asked by your Program Officer to confirm which universities and
programs you want IIE to apply to on your behalf. This list is just a
suggested list and USEFP have the right to select the universities they
apply to. Your Program Officer will share the final submission list with you
as a matter of information.

January May Year 2

Applicant sometimes find that the deadline for the application at their
universities has passed by the time they get the final submission list.
Dont worry if this is the case, since IIE applies to universities using a
different process than individual candidates.
Between January and April you receive notifications of Admission results
from the universities in your submission plan. In most cases your PO will
communicate these decisions to you directly instead of letting
universities contact you.
Your final placement is announced between March and May. In some cases
it can take even longer. Along with the final placement email you also get
a medical form to be filled out by a registered doctor. This may require
you to get some vaccinations or blood tests. The key to successfully
completing this in a short time is to have a completed medical history
already saved along with childhood vaccination records.In May you will

also get an emailed invitation to the Pre-Departure Orientation which

is held in Islamabad.

June September Year 2

The Pre-Departure Orientation is held in June each year. It is a great
chance to meet other Fulbrighters and the staff of USEFP as well as
various people who are involved in the Fulbright experience in one way or
another. Fulbrighters can hear tips and tricks to make the most of their
experience in the US and how to transition to the new culture. At this time
you can get help in finding accommodation in the city where you will
studying by asking for contacts of senior Fulbrighters in the US.
After the Pre-Departure Orientation, your focus should be on getting
everything ready for the visa application and fulfilling the remaining
formalities. The USEFP will share the Terms of Agreement outlining your
stipend and other important information. This is needed to obtain the DS2019 from the IIE. An undertaking has to be printed on Rs. 100 stamp
paper and signed and returned to USEFP for Masters students. The DS160 form has to be filled and submitted online and you need to sign the
DS-2019.
The visa interview may be held in July, August or September, depending
on your start date. Once you obtain the visa, your PO will make the
necessary travel arrangements and inform you. Sometimes flights can be
booked at very short notice, so Fulbrighters should be ready to travel
around the time of their Visa interview.
The final step in the process in to fly to your destination in the US, inform
your US Program Adviser of your arrival and start getting your stipend.

Talk to your international student office for assistance in billing, health

insurance and other academic issues.