Opening Doors to Higher Education: NOP Reaches 1,500+ Students from Chishtian to Fort Abbas

Between 5 and 9 October 2026, the National Outreach Programme (NOP) team visited six cities, Chishtian, Hasilpur, Vehari, Tiba Sultan Pur, Bahawalnagar and Fort Abbas, to make information about fully funded undergraduate education at LUMS easier to reach. Across 16 schools and colleges, more than 1,500 students learned what the NOP Scholarship provides, who qualifies for it and how an applicant progresses from the first submission to admission. The sessions were interactive discussions in which students and teachers could question, clarify and deliberate over the choices before them.

Key Highlights

The tour began in Chishtian on 5 October, with around 300 students across Daanish School and Government College for Boys. On 6 October, the team visited Hasilpur, where about 270 students across three institutions attended. Vehari drew about 310 students on 7 October, among them students of Punjab College and Government Postgraduate College for Women. The team spent 8 October in two cities. In Tiba Sultan Pur, around 160 students attended sessions at two schools, and in Bahawalnagar, about 310 students attended across three institutions. KIPS Girls hosted the largest single session of the tour, with around 150 students. The final day, 9 October, was spent in Fort Abbas, where around 230 students attended at Government Boys Degree College and Government Girls College.

A central aim of every session was to open access to higher education for students in underserved and remote communities, who may have limited access to career counselling and to information about fully funded study at LUMS. Access, in this sense, means more than a seat at a university. It is the ability to learn that an opportunity exists, to understand its conditions and to act on that knowledge in time. The team stated clearly that eligible students from any region of Pakistan may apply, regardless of geography or socioeconomic background, and that selection rests on the programme’s stated eligibility criteria and academic merit.

Students were told exactly who qualifies. Those in the first year of Intermediate or A Levels who scored at least 80% in Matric, or the equivalent in O Levels, and who can demonstrate financial need are eligible for the NOP Summer Coaching Session. The team was equally clear that completing the coaching does not guarantee admission, since every applicant must still meet the admission requirements of LUMS. Students who do not qualify for NOP at the first stage were reminded that regular admissions and financial aid remain open to them.

The sessions also addressed the practical constraints that keep capable students from applying. The team explained that the fully funded scholarship covers tuition, accommodation, book and living allowances, and other eligible expenses, which corrected common assumptions about the cost of university. Students and parents were guided through the documents needed to verify a family’s finances, including income affidavits for families whose earnings are informal, and through attestation, online submission and deadlines, so that fewer applications are returned incomplete.

To give students a fuller picture of what university can offer, the team introduced the undergraduate schools at LUMS, which span business, humanities and social sciences, science and engineering, and law, along with several of the university’s research initiatives. Accounts from NOP scholars and graduates who overcame financial and geographical barriers gave students concrete examples of what is possible. Students and teachers also raised questions about the admission test, financial aid and the Summer Coaching Session, and each was discussed in detail.

Impact

Barriers to higher education are often informational as well as financial. Over five days, more than 1,500 students across six cities received clear, accurate guidance on eligibility, documentation and deadlines, which turned a scholarship many had not known about into a realistic option. Education reaches well beyond the classroom, into families and communities and the decisions they make together about the future. By giving students, parents and teachers the same clear information, the sessions allowed those decisions to be made deliberately and with full knowledge of the options. Sustained outreach of this kind contributes to a more equitable system of access, in which a student’s place of residence does not determine whether they can learn about, and compete for, a place at a leading university.