Remote terrain limits access; few local universities; historically dependent on Aga Khan Development Network for education infrastructure
Gilgit-Baltistan has relatively high literacy rates — the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) has operated schools, hospitals, and development programmes in the region for decades, creating an unusual situation: a geographically isolated region with a genuinely literate and education-oriented population that has produced an outsized number of professionals relative to its population size.
However, higher education options within GB remain limited. Karakoram International University (KIU) has expanded but offers a narrower range of programmes than most students want to pursue. Students who aspire to engineering, medicine, business, or law typically need to leave the region entirely — to Islamabad, Lahore, or Karachi — imposing financial and logistical costs that many families cannot absorb without support.
The Aga Khan Foundation scholarship is the most important financial aid resource for students from GB, and it specifically prioritises students from AKDN communities. The LUMS NOP, KPK provincial quota seats (which GB students sometimes access), and HEC need-based scholarships are also available. Students from Hunza, Ghizar, Ghanche, and Nagar have gained admission to Pakistan's top universities and international institutions through these pathways.
Full scholarship — tuition, accommodation, and monthly stipend
Up to Rs 40,000 per semester (tuition support)
50% grant + 50% loan (effectively full support for those who cannot repay)
Full scholarship — tuition, housing, and monthly living stipend
Full tuition reimbursement at public-sector universities
Up to 100% tuition waiver; some awards include living expenses
The Aga Khan Foundation scholarship is by far the most relevant for GB students — apply for it early, as the January deadline comes before most university application deadlines. If you are from an AKDN school, your application will be reviewed within a framework that understands your context. Alongside the AKF scholarship, apply to the LUMS NOP and Habib Yohsin Programme simultaneously — both specifically target students from underserved regions, and students from GB have succeeded through both.
Daakhla is just beginning its work in Gilgit-Baltistan and has not yet guided a student from the region. GB's strong educational foundation, built by AKDN, means students here are often well prepared once they have the right guidance — and you could be among the first we help reach a top university through the Aga Khan Foundation scholarship or the LUMS NOP.
Free admissions counselling and SAT preparation for students from Pakistan’s underserved districts. Rs 10,000 for both programmes — full financial aid for those who need it.
Apply for free counselling →