Statement of Financial Need Sample for Need-Based Scholarships

When to use this

Need-based scholarships ask you to explain your family's financial situation. You will meet this in the HEC Need-Based Scholarship form, university financial aid offices (LUMS NOP and financial aid, NUST, Habib, Aga Khan University and others), the PEEF, Ihsan Trust and Akhuwat applications, and foundation scholarships such as Aga Khan Foundation or Bestway. Some forms call it a "statement of need", "personal circumstances" or "reasons for applying for financial assistance".

The form usually also asks for documents: salary slips, a pension book, utility bills, a property or rent agreement, and sometimes a death certificate or medical reports. Your statement explains what the numbers on those documents mean for your family.

What reviewers look for:

• Clear figures: monthly household income, number of dependants, and the main expenses
• What has changed, if anything: a death, illness, job loss, business failure or flood damage
• Consistency between the statement and the documents
• Evidence that the family is already contributing what it can
• A short, dignified account, not an appeal to pity
• How the scholarship would change your ability to study

The sample

Statement of Financial Need

Name: Muhammad Usman | Programme: BS Electrical Engineering, [University name] | Registration no.: [number]

I am applying for need-based financial assistance for my BS Electrical Engineering degree, which I began in [Fall 2026].

Household income. My father worked as a driver with a transport company in Faisalabad until [month, year], when he was diagnosed with [a heart condition] and could no longer drive long routes. He now works part-time at a local workshop and earns about PKR [35,000] a month. My mother does tailoring from home and earns PKR [8,000 to 10,000] a month, depending on the season. Our total household income is about PKR [45,000] a month. Copies of my father's employment letter, his medical reports and an affidavit of my mother's income are attached.

Dependants. Six people depend on this income: my parents, my grandmother, and my three younger siblings, two of whom are in school and one in intermediate (FSc).

Expenses. We live in a rented house; the rent is PKR [18,000] a month (rent agreement attached). Utility bills average PKR [9,000] a month (copies attached), and my father's medicines cost about PKR [6,000] a month. After rent, bills, medicines and my siblings' school fees, very little is left for food and nothing for my university fees of PKR [150,000] per semester.

What my family has done. To pay my first-semester fee, my father borrowed PKR [100,000] from a relative, which he is repaying in instalments. I tutor two matriculation students in the evenings and earn PKR [12,000] a month, which covers my transport and books. We have no land, car or savings.

Why this support matters. I secured admission on open merit with [86] per cent in FSc Pre-Engineering and an entry test score of [figure]. I can keep up with the work, but without help with fees I will have to leave after this semester. Assistance would allow me to stay enrolled, continue tutoring for my own expenses, and help my younger siblings stay in school.

I confirm that the information in this statement and the attached documents is true and complete. I understand that the university may verify it, including through a home visit, and I am happy to provide any further information.

[Signature] Muhammad Usman [Date]

How to adapt this

• Use headings like the sample: income, dependants, expenses, what the family has done, and why the support matters. Reviewers often read dozens of these in a sitting.
• Give monthly figures in PKR and make sure they match your documents exactly. If your father's salary slip says PKR 34,800, do not write PKR 30,000.
• Explain informal income honestly. Daily wages, tailoring, tuition and small shop income are common. Many universities accept an affidavit on stamp paper for income without a salary slip.
• Mention every earning member, including older siblings, and any rental or agricultural income. Leaving one out is the fastest way to be rejected at verification.
• If something changed recently, such as a death, illness or job loss, say when and attach proof.
• For master's applicants: if you are married or support your parents, include your own income and dependants as well.
• Keep it to one page. If the form has a word limit, stay within it.

Common mistakes

• Exaggerating hardship or hiding assets. Universities such as LUMS, NUST and HEC-funded programmes carry out home visits and check property and bank records. A false statement can cancel the award and lead to disciplinary action.
• Emotional language with no figures ("We are very poor and suffering greatly").
• Forgetting to explain an expensive item, such as a car or a house in the family's name. If it belongs to a relative or was bought before a change in circumstances, explain it.
• Writing about future dreams at length. A financial need statement is mainly about facts; one short paragraph on why the support matters is enough.
• Leaving the statement unsigned or undated.

See the interest-free student loans guide if a scholarship does not cover your full fees, and the document checklist for the papers most forms ask for.