Big News: Austria Announces Free Education and Scholarship for Pakistani Students

Big News: Recently, a delegation of Pak-Austria Fachhochschule Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology, Haripur visited various universities and met government officials in Austria. The delegation was led by Dr. Atta Ur Rahman, who is the Vice-Chairman of the Institute's Board of Governors. A key meeting of the visit took place between the Pakistani delegation and representatives of MCI Innsbruck University. The meeting was attended by Andreas Altmann (MCI Rector), Alex Dumfort (Program Faculty), Werner Stadlmayr (HoD) and Vladan Antonovich (Coordinator of Transnational Education and Projects).

A comprehensive engagement mechanism will be put in place to secure Austrian degrees for PAFIAST students. Initially, chemical engineering students will be selected and enrolled in the MS degree program at MCI after completing four years of undergraduate studies at PAFIAST, and then move to Austria to obtain an Austrian degree in 1-2 years. It was agreed to grant tuition fee waivers to PAFIAST students studying at MCI. However, the details of the MS program and its duration must be finalized by the faculty in the next few months. Currently, another possibility of a one-year master's degree is also being considered. MCI has also agreed to send at least two faculty members to lecture at the PAFIAST campus in Haripur in the Fall 2022 semester. FH JOANNEUM Graz is another of the most prestigious PAFIAST partner institutions. It offered to charge only non-EU fees of around €800 per student instead of €9,000, which is the actual cost. FH JOANNEUM has also agreed to offer an online German course for PAFIAST students. It was agreed that up to five students from four different fields will study at FHJOANNEUM either in the fourth year of their bachelor's studies or 1-2 years of the MS program of the given field. The one-year study of FH JOANNEUM students will include two semesters (10 months) plus one month for welcome and orientation.

Higher Education Secretary KP Dawood Khan told this correspondent that this is a success of PAFIAST and the provincial government as various universities have agreed to reduce tuition fees and other expenses. “The KP government strongly supports this initiative which will give an opportunity to the competent youth to come forward and serve the country. PAFIAST students will have a great opportunity to study in the world's best universities at nominal fees,” he said. PAF-IAST will try to contribute to the development of a broad based balanced industrial economy in Pakistan. It seeks to promote the expansion and improvement of the quality of higher education in engineering, science and technology. It offers programs in artificial intelligence (AI), engineering, food technology and various other disciplines that help produce assets for hi-tech industries.