HAT Test Scholarships: What You Can Apply For With a HEC HAT Score

A HEC HAT score is the entry ticket for most scholarships that HEC runs or nominates for: the Commonwealth Scholarships in the UK need 60 out of 100, the Chinese Government and Stipendium Hungaricum (Hungary) routes through HEC have asked for 50, and HEC's Overseas and Indigenous scholarships pick students partly on their HAT score. HAT also counts for MS, MPhil and PhD admission in Pakistan under HEC's graduate policy, and some universities, such as LUMS, accept it for their own programmes.

It does not help with every scholarship. Chevening, Fulbright and Erasmus Mundus don't ask for HAT at all, so check which list your plans fall into before you book. Everything below was read on HEC's and each funder's own pages on 24 October 2026. Rules change from round to round, so the official page is always the final word.

What is the HAT?

HAT is the Higher Education Aptitude Test, run by HEC's Education Testing Council (ETC). ETC's FAQ page says it is designed for candidates seeking admission to MS/MPhil and PhD programmes, and that a HAT score is also valid for HEC's postgraduate scholarships. It is for people with 16 years of education.

Every version has three parts: English (verbal), analytical reasoning and quantitative reasoning. You pick a category by your subject, and the mix of the three parts changes with it. HEC's approved content weightages list 100 multiple-choice questions in 120 minutes for every category:

Category	Subjects	English / Analytical / Quantitative
HAT-I	Engineering and technology, computer science, mathematics, statistics, physics	30% / 30% / 40%
HAT-II	Management sciences, business education	30% / 40% / 30%
HAT-III	Arts and humanities, social sciences, psychology, law	40% / 35% / 25%
HAT-IV	Agriculture and veterinary sciences, biological and medical sciences, physical sciences	40% / 30% / 30%
HAT-General	Religious studies (madrassa graduates)	40% / 30% / 30%

ETC's FAQ warns that the category cannot be changed after you submit it, so choose the one that matches your degree. This matters later: the Commonwealth route accepts only HAT-I to HAT-IV, and the LUMS MBA accepts only HAT-II.

How long is a HAT score valid?

HEC's pages for the Chinese Government Scholarship, Stipendium Hungaricum and the Overseas Scholarships Phase-III all say a HAT result is valid for two years. Each scheme then sets its own cut-off date in its advert (the table below gives them), so check that date rather than counting two years yourself. ETC's own FAQ does not state a validity period.

How do I register?

ETC's FAQ sets out the steps: create a profile at etc.hec.gov.pk with your CNIC, log in, open the latest test link on your dashboard, choose your category and test city, then pay the fee through 1Link/1Bill using the consumer number your account generates and press "Verify Payment". ETC says it tests quarterly and publishes the dates in its test calendar. The helpline on the FAQ page is 051-90408184.

Scholarships and programmes that ask for HAT

Scheme	Level	HAT category	Minimum score	Where to check
Commonwealth Master's and PhD Scholarships (UK, via HEC), 2027-28 round	Master's, PhD	HAT-I, II, III or IV only	60 out of 100	HEC announcement
Chinese Government Scholarship Type A (via HEC), 2026-27 round	Master's, PhD	Not specified	50 out of 100	HEC eligibility page
Stipendium Hungaricum (Hungary, via HEC), 2026-27 round	Master's, PhD (USAT for bachelor's)	Not specified	50%	HEC eligibility page
HEC Overseas Scholarships Phase-III	MS, PhD abroad	Not specified	No minimum published; merit uses HAT and interview	HEC eligibility page
HEC Indigenous PhD Fellowships	MS/MPhil, PhD in Pakistan	Not specified	No minimum published; HAT is 50% to 60% of merit	HEC terms page
US-Pakistan Knowledge Corridor PhD Scholarship	PhD in the USA	Not specified	60% (or GRE General 300)	HEC eligibility page
LUMS MBA, Fall 2027	MBA	HAT-II only	50 (cumulative)	LUMS MBA page
MS/MPhil admission in Pakistan	MS, MPhil	GRE, HAT General or equivalent	50%	HEC Graduate Education Policy 2023
PhD admission in Pakistan	PhD	Test equivalent to GRE or HAT General	60%	HEC Graduate Education Policy 2023

Commonwealth Scholarships (UK)

HEC's 2027-28 announcement asks for at least 60 out of 100 in HAT-I, II, III or IV, and ranks applicants strictly by HAT score. Results from tests on or after 25 October 2024 can be uploaded. HEC's eligibility page adds that special HATs held for a particular programme are not accepted. The 2027-28 application closed on 20 October 2026. HEC says the test expected on 25 October 2026 is the last one that counts for this round, and later tests count for the next batch. Our Chevening vs Commonwealth comparison explains the rest of the Commonwealth rules.

Chinese Government Scholarship and Stipendium Hungaricum

For the 2026-27 China round, HEC asked master's and PhD applicants for 50 out of 100 in HAT (scores from 6 January 2024 onwards), with age limits of under 35 for master's and under 40 for PhD. Bachelor's applicants took the USAT instead. For Hungary's 2026-27 round, HEC asked for 50% in HAT or USAT, counted HAT scores from 15 January 2024, and its FAQ says the NTS GAT-General does not count. Neither page showed a 2027-28 call when we checked. Our Stipendium Hungaricum article and the 2027 deadlines roundup track both.

HEC's own scholarships

The Overseas Scholarships for MS/MPhil and PhD (Phase-III) select on HAT score and interview, with provincial quotas. HEC's FAQ says a valid HAT is mandatory, the best score is used, and GRE and IELTS are not required for the scholarship itself. HEC publishes no minimum score. Batch-IV closed on 28 August 2026.

The Indigenous PhD Fellowships for study in Pakistan weigh HAT at 60% of merit for MS/MPhil (with 40% from your bachelor's) and 50% for PhD. HEC says you can ask for an earlier HAT score to be considered, but only in writing, within 7 days of the test for the current batch.

The US-Pakistan Knowledge Corridor funds PhDs at US universities ranked in the QS top 100. It takes a GRE General of 300 or a HAT of 60%. Its pages did not say whether a call is open now.

MS, MPhil and PhD admission in Pakistan

Under HEC's Graduate Education Policy 2023, a university can admit MS/MPhil students through its own test with a 50% pass mark, or accept the GRE, HAT General or an equivalent test at 50%. For PhD, the pass mark on a test equivalent to the GRE or HAT General is 60%. Each university sets its own process within this, so read its admissions page. LUMS's testing page, for example, accepts HAT-II for its MBA and management MS programmes, HAT-III for economics and law, and any of HAT-I to IV for its education MPhil.

Big scholarships that don't use HAT

Chevening (UK). Chevening's eligibility rules list no test at all: you need two years of work experience and an unconditional offer. See is GRE required for Chevening.
Fulbright (USA). USEFP's FAQ says the GRE General is required for all applicants, with at least 145 in each section, and that only the GRE and TOEFL are scholarship requirements. HAT is not mentioned. Our GRE guide covers booking it.
Erasmus Mundus (Europe). The European Commission's student page says you apply directly to each master's, and each programme sets its own entry rules. No national test like HAT is mentioned. Start at our Erasmus Mundus page.

We could not read DAAD's scholarship rules on the day, so check DAAD's own database for Germany. Our Germany scholarships guide links to it.

Book only through ETC, and never pay an agent

HAT registration happens only on ETC's official portal, etc.hec.gov.pk, in your own account with your own CNIC. The only payment is the ETC test fee, paid through 1Link/1Bill with the consumer number your account shows. HEC scholarships are applied for on HEC's own portal. Nobody needs an agent, a "consultant" or a "processing fee" to sit the HAT or win an HEC nomination, and no one can sell you a higher score or guarantee a place. Our guide to avoiding scholarship scams lists the warning signs.

Your next step

Pick the schemes in the table that fit your level, then check the HAT category and minimum each one asks for. Book the next HAT that falls before their deadlines on ETC's test calendar. While you wait, get your degree attested (HEC attestation guide), gather your papers with the document checklist, and run your profile through the eligibility checker. Dates and minimum scores change every round, so confirm each one on the HEC or funder page before you apply.