Two of the most significant scholarship windows open to Pakistani students right now both close on the same day — 6 October 2026 — which means students eyeing either the UK's Chevening scholarship or the Saudi Arabia government's "Study in Saudi" programme have only days left to submit.

Chevening Scholarship (United Kingdom)

Chevening, funded by the UK's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office together with partner organisations, is open for applications until 6 October 2026 at 11:00 UTC for the 2027–2028 academic year. The scholarship funds a one-year taught master's degree at a UK university, aimed at what the programme describes as "exceptional future leaders" who intend to use their degree to drive impact in areas of shared priority between the UK and their home country.

To apply, you need a working email address and phone number, and you apply through Chevening's own online system at asams.chevening.org/apply using a unique access code. Before starting, confirm you meet Chevening's published eligibility criteria and have identified eligible master's courses at UK universities you'd want to study at — the application asks you to have this research already done, not figured out after you've started the form.

One detail worth knowing: Chevening's partner organisations sometimes offer additional scholarships alongside the main programme, and these can go unfilled in some years simply because fewer applicants are aware of them. If you're eligible for Chevening generally, it's worth checking whether any partner-funded award also applies to your field or background.

Saudi Arabia Government Scholarship ("Study in Saudi")

Separately, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Education has announced 700 fully funded scholarships for Pakistani students this cycle, covering diploma, Bachelor's, Master's and PhD programmes across 25 participating Saudi universities. The official submission period runs from 16 September to 6 October 2026 — the same closing date as Chevening — and applications go directly through the Ministry's own portal at studyinsaudi.moe.gov.sa, not through any third-party agent or consultancy.

Both students residing in Pakistan and overseas Pakistanis already living in Saudi Arabia are eligible to apply, and the programme is open across all fields of study rather than being restricted to specific disciplines.

What the Saudi scholarship actually covers

This is a genuinely comprehensive funding package: tuition fees are fully covered, along with a monthly stipend reported at between 850 and 900 Saudi riyals, lodging, return air tickets, and medical care for the duration of study. Married students additionally receive a one-time three-month furnishing allowance. Taken together, this is one of the more complete fully funded packages available to Pakistani students for undergraduate through doctoral study abroad.

Why both deadlines matter together

It's unusual for two major scholarship programmes serving very different destinations and academic levels to close on the exact same date, but that's the situation this October. Students who qualify for both — for instance, a prospective master's applicant open to either the UK or Saudi route — should treat this week as a genuine fork in the road rather than assume there's time to decide on one after seeing the outcome of the other, since both decisions and application portals close simultaneously.

What to do in the next few days

For Chevening: confirm eligibility, shortlist your UK master's programmes, and get your access code and application started at asams.chevening.org immediately — these applications typically take longer to complete thoughtfully than applicants expect, given the essay and reference components involved.

For the Saudi scholarship: gather your academic documents and apply directly at studyinsaudi.moe.gov.sa before 6 October, keeping in mind that going through unofficial intermediaries is unnecessary and potentially risky when a direct government portal exists.

Beyond Taleem will continue flagging scholarship deadlines like these as they emerge, since windows this short are exactly the ones most likely to be missed simply for lack of advance notice.