ISLAMABAD: The Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan has announced a major decision to implement a new policy for MPhil and PhD admissions.
Starting from the Fall 2026 semester, entry tests will be mandatory for MS, MPhil, and PhD programs. Both public and private universities will no longer be allowed to conduct separate graduate-level entry tests.
Henceforth, all admissions will take place in accordance with HEC’s NTS, which includes HEC-ET or GRE tests. This step will ensure uniformity, quality, and transparency in the process of admissions to higher studies across Pakistan.
It is reported that some clauses of the Graduate Education Policy 2023 have been cancelled immediately so that merit and transparency can be achieved and compliance with the new policy should be ensured.
HEC announces significant increase in degree attestation fee
Earlier, the Higher Education Commission (HEC) has increased the fees for degree attestation from 1,000 to 3,000 rupees.
According to the chairman of the HEC, Niaz Ahmed Akhtar was a part of an effort aimed at implementing a fully automated paperless attestation program throughout the nation. Some part of the increased fee will be paid to the universities for conducting verification processes of documents.
As per the new online scheme, students do not have to personally come to the HEC office premises or send their documents through courier services. Instead, they can apply for the attestation process online from the comfort of their homes and obtain digitally verified certificates of e-attestation.
Akhtar emphasized that, in the previous process, students were burdened with extra costs concerning university verification, photocopier charges, and transportation. He highlighted that this new scheme would especially help those students who lived in far-off regions.
