The Ehsaas Scholarship, officially the Ehsaas Undergraduate Scholarship, helped students from low-income families pay for a full university degree. As of September 2026, it is closed to new students. This guide explains its current status, what it paid, who it was for, and what you can apply for instead.
Many websites still advertise “Ehsaas Scholarship 2026, apply online”. The official record says otherwise, so read the status section below before you share your details anywhere.
Is the Ehsaas Scholarship open in 2026?
No. Here is what the official sources say, as of September 2026:
- It has a new name. After the federal government moved from Ehsaas to Benazir branding, HEC now calls it the BISP Scholarships for Undergraduates, also written as the Benazir Undergraduate Scholarship Project.
- New intake ended after 2021-22. The federal Economic Survey 2023-24 says: “After 2021-22, the Project is closed for new intakes, and only onboard scholarship awardees will receive funds until they complete their degree programs.”
- The portal is closed. HEC’s official How to Apply page for the scholarship says only: “The scholarship portal is currently closed.” The old application site, ehsaas.hec.gov.pk, was not working when we checked in September 2026.
- Only existing students are being paid. The Economic Survey 2025-26 says the scholarships continued in the 2025-26 financial year “under ongoing batches”, with Rs 0.103 billion spent.
- The project period is ending. The official project duration runs from 2019-20 to 2025-26.
We found no official announcement of a new batch or phase for 2026. If one is ever announced, it will appear on HEC’s official website, hec.gov.pk, and in national newspapers. Do not rely on a blog post or a WhatsApp message on its own.
Ehsaas Scholarship at a glance
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Current name | BISP Scholarships for Undergraduates |
| Funded by | Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) |
| Run by | Higher Education Commission (HEC) |
| Launched | September 2019 |
| Scholarships given | About 102,000, in three batches |
| Universities | 135 public-sector universities and institutes |
| What it paid | Semester tuition fee plus Rs 40,000 a year |
| Status, September 2026 | Closed to new students since 2021-22 |
What the scholarship paid
HEC’s official page lists two parts:
- The semester tuition fee, as charged by the university
- A living allowance of Rs 40,000 a year
The support was meant to cover the whole four or five year degree. HEC’s award rules say it continues each semester or year only if your academic performance stays satisfactory. HEC sent the money to universities, which then paid their students.
Who it was for (the old rules)
These rules no longer open any door, because there is no new intake. They still help you understand the scheme, and they are useful if you are already a scholar. According to HEC and the Economic Survey:
- Family income of Rs 45,000 a month or less
- Newly admitted, on merit, to a regular four or five year undergraduate program
- At an HEC-recognised public-sector university, not a private one
- 50% of scholarships reserved for girls, and 2% for students with disabilities
- Not eligible: students already on another scholarship, distance learning, affiliated colleges, self-finance or evening programs, two-year associate degrees and Master’s programs
There was no test. Students applied online, handed their printed form and documents to the university’s Financial Aid Office, and a university committee checked the documents and interviewed candidates.
If you already have the scholarship
If you were selected in an earlier batch, your support should continue until you graduate, as long as your results stay satisfactory. To keep it running:
- Keep your grades up. A poor result can stop the next payment.
- Keep your university account details and mobile number current with your Financial Aid Office.
- Ask your Financial Aid Office first about any late or missing payment, because HEC pays through the university.
If your university cannot help, contact HEC’s scholarship helpline below.
What to apply for instead
If you are starting or already at university and need help with fees, these programs are worth checking:
| Program | Who runs it | Where to apply |
|---|---|---|
| HEC Need-Based Scholarship | HEC, federal | Your university’s Financial Aid Office |
| PEEF Scholarship | Punjab Educational Endowment Fund | See our PEEF guide |
| CM Honhaar Scholarship | Punjab government | See our Honhaar guide |
As of September 2026, neither PEEF nor the Honhaar Scholarship had announced a new round for Punjab students (the Honhaar portal was open only to AJK students), so read their guides for the timing of past rounds.
The HEC Need-Based Scholarship is the closest federal alternative. HEC’s official page says it covers the university fee and pays a stipend of Rs 6,000 a month for the complete program. It is for students in four or five year undergraduate programs at participating public universities, and students already enrolled can also apply. Students admitted on a self-finance basis are not eligible.
You get the form from your university’s Financial Aid Office and hand it back there with your documents. HEC says it will not accept any form sent directly to HEC. Each university gets a limited number of places each year, so ask your Financial Aid Office early about its dates. For questions, HEC lists hnbs@hec.gov.pk and 051-90808079.
Do not confuse these with Benazir Taleemi Wazaif, which is a BISP stipend for school children, not university students. See our Taleemi Wazaif guide.
Stay safe from fraud
- No Ehsaas or BISP undergraduate registration is open in 2026. Any site or message asking you to “register” for it, or to pay a fee, is not official.
- Official HEC pages end in hec.gov.pk. Sites with other endings, such as .com.pk or .org.pk, are not HEC.
- In August 2026, HEC warned the public about impostors calling in its name. HEC said it “never requests money, PINs, passwords, or personal information over the phone” (ProPakistani report).
- In July 2026, the FIA arrested a man in Sialkot who took money from students using forged HEC scholarship documents (ProPakistani report).
- Never share your OTP or password with anyone.
If someone asks you for money for a scholarship, report it through the Pakistan Citizen’s Portal.
Contact
- HEC page for this scholarship: hec.gov.pk
- Helpline: 051-111-119-432 or 0334-111-9432
- Email: Ehsaas@hec.gov.pk
- Online help: onlinehelp.hec.gov.pk
Related support
- PEEF Scholarship, Punjab’s need-cum-merit scholarships
- CM Honhaar Scholarship, for undergraduates, with no new Punjab round as of September 2026 (its portal is open only to AJK students)
- Benazir Taleemi Wazaif, the BISP stipend for school children
- BISP registration, the federal programme that funds the scholarship
To see what else may fit your household, try our free eligibility checker.
GoPunjab is an independent information website. We are not HEC or BISP, and we cannot register you, check your file or award a scholarship. We only explain how the official process works.