Pakistani students and researchers have a cluster of scholarship deadlines to track before the end of October 2026, with several programs administered or facilitated by the Higher Education Commission (HEC) closing within the next three weeks. The nearest deadline is October 15 for the HEC Need-Based Scholarship at COMSATS University Islamabad's Lahore campus. The award is open to BS students admitted on open merit whose family income falls below the designated poverty threshold. Eligible students must complete an online data-entry form before submitting hard copies of the form and supporting documents at the campus. Following closely, the Commonwealth Scholarship -- processed jointly through HEC and the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission in the UK -- closes on October 20. HEC is offering nominations across 26 Master's and 30 PhD slots for this cycle, and applicants need a HEC Admission Test (HAT) score of at least 60 to be considered. Because the scholarship is run by two separate bodies, candidates must submit distinct applications to both HEC and the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission. Two further HEC programs close on October 30. The Quaid-e-Azam Memorial Fellowship, which opened for applications on October 6, funds a six-month research visit abroad for full-time PhD students enrolled in Pakistan. The US-Pakistan Knowledge Corridor program, meanwhile, is accepting applications from PhD students who have already secured admission to one of the top 100-ranked universities in the United States, for intake in Spring or Summer 2027; a separate deadline of March 30, 2027 applies to students targeting the Fall 2027 intake. An admission letter from the US university is a prerequisite before applying. Two other awards relevant to Pakistani applicants carry an October 31 deadline: the Charles Wallace Pakistan Trust Bursary, for Pakistani PhD students already studying in the UK, which requires a completed application form along with a letter from the applicant's academic supervisor sent by email; and the Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship, aimed at Pakistani researchers and PhD applicants, which opened for submissions in August. HEC has encouraged eligible students and researchers not to wait until the final days to apply, since several of these programs require coordination with partner institutions abroad or supporting documents that can take time to arrange. Applicants are advised to confirm current eligibility criteria and exact submission procedures on HEC's official website and the respective program portals before applying, as some third-party listings of these deadlines have not been independently verified against the issuing organizations.