ISLAMABAD: The Higher education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan has warned students that Associate Degree Programmes (ADPs) offered through the annual examination system or private mode will not be recognized for attestation or equivalence purposes.
In a public alert, the Commission advised students, parents and Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) that ADPs offered through conventional annual examination system or private mode shall not be recognized by HEC.
The Commission clarified that no new admissions shall be made in ADPs offered through the annual or private mode, and HEC shall not consider any such private or annual ADP for attestation or equivalence purposes. Students have been advised to verify the mode and recognition status of an ADP under the regular semester system before taking admission.
The HEC has also directed HEIs to immediately discontinue offering or advertising such programmes, if any, and align them with the HEC Undergraduate Education Policy 2023 (Version 1.1). According to HEC, an Associate Degree Programme is a structured programme comprising four regular semesters over a period of two years and consists of a minimum of 64 to a maximum of 72 credit hours.
The Commission emphasized that there is no two-year BA/BSc/ADP programme offered through the annual or private mode. Details are available on the HEC website at https://www.hec.gov.pk/english/policies.
Students have been advised to enroll only in ADPs offered under the regular semester system and verify recognition status before admission to avoid future complications regarding attestation and equivalence.
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