American Ambassador David Hale congratulated 111 Pakistani undergraduate students who have been selected to participate in the Spring 2018 US government-funded Global Undergraduate Exchange Program (Global UGRAD) during a pre-departure orientation session in Islamabad. Since Global UGRAD's launch in 2010, approximately 1,500 Pakistani students have participated in the programme, which allows students to spend a semester studying alongside American peers at American colleges and universities.
"The American government believes in the power of education and believes in investments that build a strong and stable Pakistan," Ambassador Hale said. "That is why our Embassy in Islamabad sponsors the largest array of academic and professional exchange programs of any American Embassy in the world."
Pakistani Global UGRAD participants were selected from across Pakistan and represent a broad range of academic fields including the humanities, engineering, business administration, and sciences, said a press release.
US Educational Foundation in Pakistan (USEFP) Executive Director Rita Akhtar encouraged students to take full advantage of the academic and extracurricular activities available in the United States.
"UGRAD is our most popular programme," Akhtar said. "Enthusiasm continues to grow as students come back from the United States and share what they've learned about US people, US higher education, and community service. The number of applications for this student exchange opportunity increases every year. In 2017, we received more than 13,000 applications. Global UGRAD students are selected on merit and come from nearly every part of Pakistan. It is a great achievement to be selected, and we are certain that wonderful experiences await you in America."
USEFP, a bi-national commission established in 1950 by the governments of Pakistan and the United States, helps the American Embassy administer the Global UGRAD Program in Pakistan. Its mission is to promote mutual understanding between the people of Pakistan and the United States through educational and cultural exchange programs. For more information, please visit www.usefpakistan.org. For more information about the American Embassy's activities in Pakistan, please visit https://pk.usembassy.gov. end