A scholarship is a great way for any student to assist in studying the desired subject without thinking or working for fees or living expenses.
For students in Pakistan who aim to pursue studies in Australia, several Australian Universities provides scholarships that are partnered with Higher Education Commission of Pakistan (HEC).
According to HEC , some of the universities in Australia that have signed Memorandum of Understanding and provide scholarships to Pakistani students include The University of Western Australia, University of South Queensland, Edit Cowan University, Macquarie University, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, University of New South Wales, University of Wollongong, University of Melbourne, Swinburne University of Technology and Monash University.
SBS Urdu talked to a couple of students from Pakistan about their experience of studying in Australia on different scholarships.
Student on HEC partnered scholarship
Source: Supplied
PhD Candidate and casual academic tutor in University of New South Wales, Fahimullah is studying since the last one and half year in Australia through HEC scholarship. He says the scholarship is a great way to study at an international university and gain valuable knowledge.
“The scholarship provides a great opportunity to go out of the country and explore the world. We get funds to stay in Australia which I think is a good thing.
“My dream is to study from the best, do great research, learn about new technology, go back and serve my country.”
However Fahimullah is adamant that the funds are not sufficient to live in Australia as the expenses are too high and scholarship money does not cover actual cost of living.
“The funding is very limited. If let says we talk about living in Sydney; it is very expensive.
For example, if we try to live near the university, the scholarship money will only cover the cost of accommodation. Forget about food and other daily expenses. The amount is also low compared to other scholarships available to international students in Australia
Secondly, all the students who are studying in different Australian cities get the same amount. Every city has a different economic cycle here, some are cheaper than others, making it very difficult for students in expensive cities to deal with daily expenses and also focus on studies.”
Source: Supplied
Student on International Scholarship
Another student from Pakistan, Muneeb Ahmed who received an international scholarship and in the final stages of PhD Candidature at Western Sydney university says scholarship helps in many ways.
“Firstly, it takes off the pressure of earning and paying the tuition fees and managing expenses.
Secondly, It gives you room to explore more productive options such as do research projects outside your PhD project and these projects later improve and transform your academic profile.
I had a great learning experience, more specifically, I believe, you need to be lucky to find a helpful and accommodating guide or supervisor who can give you wings to fly and explore different options and broaden your experience during the PhD Candidature. I was very fortunate to find a very helpful supervisor.”
However, for international students who come to study in Australia or are planning to, living expenses are a big amount to pay apart from tuition fees.
Source: Supplied
For PhD candidates, teaching seems to be a good option according to Dr Ahmed.
“Yes, the scholarship pays you enough to support yourself but in case you are not single then there are many options for you to continue tutoring and tutoring does give you a great platform to improve your teaching skills and built a nice academic profile for the future.”
Following are some of the Australian university and HEC web pages that provide scholarship details.
University of New South Wales
HEC website:
Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology
The University of Western Australia
HEC website:
Macquarie University
HEC website:
Edit Cowan University
HEC website:
University of South Queensland
HEC website:
Swinburne University of Technology
HEC website:
Monash University
HEC website:
University of Melbourne
HEC website:
University of Wollongong
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