Pakistan’s Rhodes Scholarship winners 2027 are Hafsa Qureshi, based at COMSATS University Islamabad, and Rafia Imran, based at LUMS. A LUMS spokesperson said Qureshi will work toward a postgraduate path in Genomic Medicine, while Imran will focus on Social Data Science at Oxford.
What the scholars will study
Both are due to start in October 2027 with an international Rhodes cohort of more than 100 people. The award supports graduate study at Oxford and places new scholars in a worldwide network that aims to contribute socially through research and leadership.
How selective this cycle was
Organisers said interest surged: submissions rose to over twice the previous volume, yet the share chosen stayed under one percent. That kept the Pakistan contest among the country’s hardest-to-win academic awards. Screening left ten people for interviews, coming from Adelphi University, Bard College, COMSATS, LUMS and Quaid-i-Azam University. A panel of senior academics and professionals from several sectors conducted those interviews.
What the national secretary said
Prof Ali Cheema, who serves as National Secretary for Rhodes awards in Pakistan, linked the strong and varied field to the breadth of ability among younger Pakistanis. He welcomed the jump in applications and stressed that the task ahead is giving capable candidates from all kinds of campuses a fair chance to compete. Earlier Pakistani Rhodes holders who went on to Oxford have come from Harvard, LUMS, NYU Abu Dhabi, UET Lahore, Wellesley and Yale, among others.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Do Pakistani students ne Rhodes scholarship jeet li hai. Woh October 2027 mein Oxford jayengi. Ek Genomic Medicine padhegi, doosri Social Data Science. Competition bohot sakht thi kyunke apply karne walon ki tadaad double se zyada ho gayi.
