Financial Aid Policy for Merit and Need-Based Scholarships – GC
University Lahore
1. Financial Need Assessment (45%)
Parameter |
Weight (%) |
Evaluation Method |
Total Household Income (low income prioritized) |
20% |
Salary slips, income certificatGuardian’s Employment Type (5 Marks)es, tax records |
Number of Dependents (more dependents = higher need) |
10% |
Family Registration Certificate (FRC), NADRA record |
Family Financial Burden (Outstanding Loans, Debts, or
Essential Expenses) |
10% |
Bank loan statements, medical certificates, Utility
Bills (Electricity, Gas, Water |
Guardian’s Employment Type |
5% |
Employer verification, self-declaration (e.g.,
laborers, daily wage workers) |
2. Academic Merit (30%)
Parameter |
Weight (%) |
Evaluation Method |
Current CGPA (higher CGPA = more points) |
20% |
Official university transcript |
Consistency in Academic Performance |
10% |
Comparison of last 2-3 semesters' grades |
3. Special Circumstances (15%)
Parameter |
Weight (%) |
Evaluation Method |
Orphan / Divorced or Single Parent Status |
15 % |
NADRA certificate, death certificate of parent |
OR
|
Disability (if applicable) |
15 % |
Medical report verification |
4. Interview & Personal Commitment (10%)
Parameter |
Weight (%) |
Evaluation Method |
Genuine Need Justification |
5% |
Face-to-face or virtual interview |
Future Goals & Social Impact |
5% |
Statement of purpose, response during interview |
Financial Aid Evaluation Criteria & Scoring System (Total: 100
Marks)
Category |
Weight (%) |
Marks Allocation |
Financial Need |
45% |
45 Marks |
Academic Merit |
30% |
30 Marks |
Special Circumstances |
15% |
15 Marks |
Interview & Commitment |
10% |
10 Marks |
TOTAL |
100% |
100 Marks |
1. Financial Need (45 Marks)
Criteria |
Score Distribution |
Total Household Income (20 Marks)
<25,000 PKR = 20 Marks |
|
25,000 - 40,000 PKR = 15 Marks |
40,000 - 60,000 PKR = 10 Marks |
>60,000 PKR = 5 Marks |
Number of Dependents (10 Marks)
5 or more = 10 Marks |
|
3-4 = 7 Marks |
1-2 = 5 Marks |
Outstanding Loans/Debts/Medical Expenses (10 Marks)
|
High burden (>50% of income) = 10 Marks |
Moderate burden (>30% of income) = 7 Marks |
Low burden (<30% of income) = 5 Marks |
Guardian’s Employment Type (5 Marks) |
Daily wage workers, laborers, etc. = 5 Marks |
2. Academic Merit (30 Marks)
Criteria |
Score Distribution |
CGPA (20 Marks)
3.8 - 4.0 = 20 Marks |
|
3.5 - 3.79 = 15 Marks |
3.0 - 3.49 = 12 Marks |
2.5 - 2.99 = 10 Marks |
2.40 - 2.49 = 7 Marks |
Consistency in Performance (10 Marks)
No decline (stable or improving CGPA) = 10 Marks |
|
Slight decline (≤0.3 CGPA drop) = 7 Marks |
Significant CGPA decline (>0.3) with documented
justification (medical/emergency proof required) = 5 Marks |
3. Special Circumstances (15 Marks)
Criteria |
Score Distribution |
Orphan / Divorced or Single Parent (15 Marks)
Orphan (both parents deceased) = 15 Marks |
|
Single Parent (widowed/divorced with sole custody) = 12
Marks |
Disability (if applicable) (15 Marks)
Severe, Certified Disability (as per medical board) = 15
Marks |
|
Chronic illness affecting daily activities (medical
verification required) = 10 Marks |
4. Interview & Personal Commitment (10 Marks)
Criteria |
Score Distribution |
Justification for Financial Need (5 Marks)
Strong & genuine = 5 Marks |
|
Moderate = 3 Marks |
Weak = 1 Mark |
Future Goals & Social Impact (5 Marks)
Strong vision & contribution to society = 5 Marks |
|
General but reasonable response = 3 Marks |
Unclear or impractical response = 1 Mark |
Final Selection Criteria
-
Students will be ranked based on total marks (out of 100).
-
Higher scores = Higher priority for financial aid.
-
A minimum qualifying score will be determined annually based on
available funds.
-
Tie-breaker: If two students have the same score,
priority goes to the one with:
- Lower household income
- Higher academic performance (CGPA & consistency)
- More dependents
- Special circumstances (e.g., orphan, disability, displacement)
- Extra-curricular or research achievements
Appeals & Re-evaluation
-
Students may submit an appeal within 7 days if they
believe their financial need assessment was incorrect.
-
A Financial Aid Review Committee will reassess the case
and respond within 14 days.
General Eligibility Criteria
The following are the parameters for the selection of the students for Financial Aid:
- Students are divided into four broad categories:
- Orphans, major disables/Blind, Earthquake affected children.
- Children of Government servants upto BPS-16/Retired/Pensioner etc.
- Children of GCU Employees upto BPS-16.
- Children of private businessmen and farmers.
- Students of category 'A' are recommended 100% concession of University dues or as recommended by the Financial
Aid Committee keeping in view the financial resources of the student's guardian.
- Students of category 'B C & D' having Parent's total monthly income less than Rs.20,000/- are recommended for
the grants of financial aid as per parameters adopted by the Financial Aid Committee keeping in view the
financial resources of the University and the number of applicants for the financial aid.
Procedure to Appeal against Scholarship/Financial Aid
Suspension
To appeal against Scholarship/Financial Aid suspension, a student
must be able to demonstrate the existence of mitigating
circumstances. Mitigating circumstances are defined as, but not
limited to, injury or illness of the student, death of a close
relative, or undue hardship caused by unusual circumstances. The
following steps shall be taken in the appeal process:
-
The student shall inform in writing to the Focal
Person/Chairman of Scholarship/Financial Aid Committee about
circumstances under which he/she could not make satisfactory
academic progress and why Financial Aid should not be
terminated. Provision of relevant documents to support the
appeal is strongly encouraged. The appeal must be received
within two weeks of the date the student was notified about the
suspension of his/her Scholarship/Financial Aid.
-
The Scholarship/Financial Aid Committee will review the appeal
and determine whether or not termination of aid is justified.
The decision of the Scholarship / Financial Aid Committee will
be informed to the student accordingly. The committee's
decision will be final and may not be appealed further.
Providing False Information
Providing false information may result one or all of the following:
-
Cancellation of admission
-
Rustication from the University
-
Disqualification for award of any future scholarship/financial
aid
-
Refund of all the payment received and or a penalty equal to
total scholarship amount.