U.S. Embassy Encourages More Pakistani Students to Study in America

Islamabad, March 27, 2011 – Representatives from 11 universities travel to Pakistan to meet with students and encourage them to study in the United States during a college fair at the Serena Hotel March 26-27.

Representatives from 11 American Universities Meet with Students and Parents

Islamabad, March 27, 2011 — The U.S. Embassy and U.S. Educational Foundation in Pakistan (USEFP) co-sponsored a college fair at the Serena Hotel on March 26-27 with representatives from 11 American universities to encourage more students to study in the United States. This was the first time that so many American representatives have travelled together to Pakistan. This program was part of the U.S. government’s efforts to increase the number of Pakistani students who attend university in the United States.

Speaking at the fair’s closing ceremony, Embassy Counselor for Public Affairs Mark Davidson said, “The United States has a long tradition of embracing foreign students. We want more Pakistani students to enrich our classrooms and benefit from our world-class universities. Our doors are open to Pakistanis to study in the U.S.” Of the 650,000 foreign students who attended U.S. universities last year, over 5000 were from Pakistan.

The fair included representatives from small liberal arts colleges, including an all women’s school, to medium and large public universities. “The participation of 11 representatives shows that U.S. universities are very interested in hosting Pakistani students,” said USEFP Executive Director Rita Akhtar. “This fair furthers our mission of promoting mutual understanding between the people of Pakistan and the United States through educational and cultural exchange.” In addition to meeting hundreds of prospective students and parents in Islamabad, the university representatives spoke to hundreds more in Karachi, Lahore, and Peshawar via digital video conferences.

The U.S. Embassy in Pakistan runs the U.S. government’s largest educational and cultural program in the world. Programs such as the Fulbright and undergraduate scholarships, professional and youth exchanges, and English learning micro-scholarships are important components of the U.S. government’s commitment to provide educational opportunities for Pakistani students, increase people-to-people ties, and build a partnership with Pakistan based on mutual trust and respect.