Scholarships

IBA's National Talent Hunt Program: who can apply, what you get, and the dates

By CountdownCareer · Updated 18 October 2026 · 5 min read

A student filling in a multiple-choice answer sheet at a classroom desk

Strong marks, first or second year, and money tight at home? Then this is worth ten minutes. Before its aptitude test, IBA Karachi runs a free three-week course called the National Talent Hunt Program (NTHP). You get classes, study material and mock tests, and you skip the test fee for one round.

Be clear about one thing first. The course itself doesn't come with money or an IBA seat. You still sit the same aptitude test as every other applicant.

All of this is from IBA's NTHP pages as they read on 18 October 2026.

Two rounds are open right now

**Admission Cycle 2027, with OGDC.** Classes are online. The form closes on 15 December 2026. Selected students hear by email by 1 February 2027, and classes are due to start on 15 February 2027.

**Admission Cycle Fall 2028, with Ihsan Trust, Mari Energies and OGDC.** Classes are in person at IBA's main campus in Karachi. Stage 1, a one-page form, closes on 1 February 2027. Classes are due to start on 10 July 2027.

The 2027 round is for students who did Matric in 2025, so most are in second year now. The 2028 round is for students who did Matric in 2026 and are in first year.

You need 80%

For Fall 2028, that's 80% or more in SSC-II (Matric) in 2026.

For the 2027 round, IBA's pages say two things. The OGDC 2027 page asks for 80% in the HSSC-I exam of 2026. The questions page asks for 80% in SSC-II in 2025. If your marks meet one rule and not the other, email IBA before you fill in the form.

You must also be "financially deserving". No income limit is given. Selection looks at both marks and financial need.

O Level students: ask first

Every eligibility line names a Board of Secondary Education of Pakistan. That means Matric and Intermediate. O Level, IGCSE and A Level aren't mentioned anywhere. The pages don't say you're out, and they don't say you're in. Email nthp@iba.edu.pk and get an answer in writing.

Your district can matter

Ihsan Trust and Meezan Bank places are open to students from all over Pakistan who meet the general rules.

OGDC and Mari Energies places are for listed districts only. OGDC's list includes Attock, Chakwal, Karak, Kohat, Dera Bugti, Hyderabad, Sukkur and Ghotki. Mari Energies' list includes Bannu, Karak, Harnai, Sanghar and Matiari. The OGDC 2027 page and the questions page don't list exactly the same districts. Use the page for the round you're applying to.

Papers

Matric marksheet (required)
HSSC-I enrolment or admit card (required)
Your CNIC or B-form, and a parent's or guardian's CNIC
Your birth certificate, and your own or your father's domicile
Salary slip and income certificate
FBR income tax return (required)

An income affidavit won't do. If a parent earns a salary, send the original pay slip. If they own a business, send the FBR tax return.

The tax return is marked required on every page. If your family doesn't file one, ask IBA what to send instead before you start. The pages don't say.

How students are picked

Fall 2028 has two stages. Stage 1 is the one-page form. If you get through, IBA emails you a link to the full form, where you upload your papers. Then IBA checks them.

Hitting 80% doesn't get you in on its own. Places are limited.

All news comes by email. Check your spam folder.

You can't apply if you

scored under 80%
don't meet the financial-need rules
have already done a talent hunt orientation with any university or NGO
send papers that are incomplete, false or forged

The three weeks

Classes are English grammar and composition, and maths. You need 90% attendance. For the in-person round, any place to stay is explained in the joining instructions. The pages don't promise one.

After the course

You sit the normal IBA aptitude test. The fee waiver covers one round of that admission cycle only. You can sit other rounds, but you pay for those.

IBA has a small number of NTHP scholarships for students who pass the test after the course. A committee chooses them. Doing the course doesn't guarantee one.

IBA's pages disagree on some dates

Stage 1 for Fall 2028 opens on 5 October 2026 in the page's table, and 7 October in the questions page.
Stage 2 runs 15 January to 30 April 2027 in the table, and 1 to 30 March 2027 in the questions page.
For the 2027 round, the questions page gives the closing date as 15 December 2027. That can't be right when results come by 1 February 2027. The OGDC 2027 page says 15 December 2026.

The deadlines we count down to are the ones in each round's own table. Don't leave the form to the last week.

Official pages

Checked on 18 October 2026. Where this page and IBA's pages differ, IBA's are right.

Always check the official page before you act. CountdownCareer is not the issuer.