Scholarships for Pakistani Women 2027: Five Schemes to Know

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Five scholarships open only to women can be used by Pakistani women right now or in the next round: the Scotland Pakistan Scholarships for study in Pakistan, Oxford's Malala Yousafzai Scholarship, the British Council Women in STEM scholarships in the UK, AAUW International Fellowships in the USA, and Zonta's Amelia Earhart Fellowship for aerospace PhDs. Only Zonta is open today, until 15 November 2026. The others have closed for this year, so this is the time to prepare for the next round.

We read every scheme's own page on 24 October 2026. Where a page has not announced new dates, we say when the last round ran rather than guess. All of these are free to apply for, and none of them uses agents.

The five schemes at a glance

Scheme	Where you study	Level	What it pays	Status on 24 October 2026
Scotland Pakistan Scholarships	Pakistan (HEC-recognised university)	Bachelor's, master's, MPhil	Tuition, hostel, two trips home a year	2026 round closed 15 September 2026
Malala Yousafzai Scholarship (Oxford Pakistan Programme)	University of Oxford, UK	Master's	Full tuition, accommodation at Lady Margaret Hall	Last deadline 19 April 2026
British Council Women in STEM	UK universities	One-year master's	Tuition, stipend, flights, visa	2026-27 round closed; 2027-28 not announced
AAUW International Fellowships	USA	First master's or doctorate in STEM	USD 20,000 (master's) or USD 25,000 (doctorate)	2027-28 round closed 17 September 2026
Zonta Amelia Earhart Fellowship	Any accredited university	PhD in aerospace or space sciences	USD 12,000	Open until 15 November 2026

1. Scotland Pakistan Scholarships for Young Women and Girls

This is the one most Pakistani families search for, and it pays for study inside Pakistan. The Scottish Government funds it and the British Council runs it. The British Council page says:

Who can apply: Pakistani women living in Pakistan, with a confirmed offer for a four-year bachelor's, or a master's or MPhil of up to two years, at an HEC-recognised university.
Subjects: education, sustainable energy, food security and agriculture, health sciences, STEM and climate.
What it pays: tuition fees, university hostel costs where they apply, travel between home and university twice a year for hostel students, and research funds for master's students.
Women with disabilities, from rural areas or from minority groups are encouraged to apply.

The 2026 round's deadline was extended to 15 September 2026. The page has not announced the next round. Our Scotland Pakistan scholarship page has the details and will show the new dates once they are published.

2. Malala Yousafzai Scholarship for Pakistani Women (Oxford)

The Oxford Pakistan Programme offers this scholarship to Pakistani women taking a master's at Oxford. Its page lists exceptional academic records, a drive for impact, underprivileged backgrounds, remote or underdeveloped regions of Pakistan and minority communities among the things it looks for. It describes full tuition for the whole programme and accommodation at Lady Margaret Hall, often with extra living support.

The programme's site says you need an Oxford offer before you apply, so you apply to Oxford first. The last deadline shown was 19 April 2026. Because you need an offer first, your Oxford course's own application deadline comes before the scholarship's, so if you want this scholarship for 2027 entry, check your course page now. In December 2024 Lady Margaret Hall reported that two Malala Scholarships had been awarded that year, so places are very few. Our UK scholarships roundup lists other Oxford funding open to men and women.

3. British Council Scholarships for Women in STEM (UK)

These fund a one-year master's in a STEM subject at a UK university. The British Council page says the 2026-27 round has closed and that over 500 scholarships have been awarded; it does not mention 2027-28 yet.

In 2026-27 Pakistan was one of the eligible countries. The University of Manchester's page lists Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, and says its five scholarships covered tuition, a stipend of £1,731.67 a month for up to 12 months, a return flight, visa and health surcharge costs and the IELTS fee. Its deadline was 30 April 2026. Each university ran its own application, and Manchester emailed the form to offer holders, so the usual route is to get a master's offer from a participating university first. Watch the British Council page for the next round.

4. AAUW International Fellowships (USA)

The American Association of University Women gives fellowships to women who are not US citizens or permanent residents. Its International Fellowships page says, for 2027-28:

USD 20,000 for a first master's or USD 25,000 for a doctorate, in a STEM field, full time at a US-accredited university.
A CGPA of at least 3.5 out of 4.0 in your highest degree, and English proof such as IELTS 6.5, TOEFL iBT 79 or Duolingo 120 (or English-medium study, as the page explains).
The round opened on 17 August 2026 and closed on 17 September 2026. Results come in March 2027.

So the next round is for 2028-29. Use the year to get your US admission sorted, because you must be admitted or enrolled. See our AAUW page.

5. Zonta Amelia Earhart Fellowship (open now)

Zonta International gives up to 30 women USD 12,000 each for a full-time PhD in aerospace engineering or space sciences, at any accredited university in the world. You must have finished at least one year of the PhD, or hold a master's in an aerospace-related field, and must not graduate before April 2028. Applications for the 2027 fellowship close on 15 November 2026 on Zonta's online portal, and results come by the end of April.

The application needs references, so ask your supervisor early. Our request for a recommendation email helps you ask. See our Zonta page.

What about the big scholarships?

Most fully funded schemes, such as Chevening, Commonwealth, Fulbright and Erasmus Mundus, are open to men and women alike. Our lesser-known scholarships roundup and deadlines calendar list what is open now, and Find my matches shows the schemes that fit your degree.

A word for families

Every scheme above is free to apply for, and each one is applied for on its own website or the university's portal. Nobody needs to pay an agent, a "processing fee" or a consultant to get them. If someone asks for money to get your daughter selected, it is not genuine; our guide to avoiding scholarship scams explains the warning signs.

Your next step

If you are doing an aerospace or space science PhD, apply to Zonta before 15 November 2026. Otherwise, pick the scheme that fits your plans, note the last round's dates, and bookmark its official page so you see the next call the day it opens. Always confirm dates and rules on the official page before you apply.