Financial problems continue to plague Pakistan’s higher-education system and are now hindering its study-abroad programs. The country’s Higher Education Commission, which regulates universities, has delayed the departure of more than 400 students  who had received government scholarships to attend doctoral programs in universities overseas, The Daily Times reports. An unnamed commission official told the newspaper that half of the students were supposed to leave in September to go to France, Italy, Germany, Thailand, Austria, and Britain, but they must now wait a year. In addition, stipends for Ph.D. scholars who are already abroad are being delayed by three to four months.