Check HEC's List of 44 Institutions With Paused Computing Admissions in Pakistan
HEC has paused new computing admissions at 44 named institutions. See the full list by province and what to check before you pay any fee for a seat in 2026.
HEC has told students to check before applying: fresh admissions in computing programmes are temporarily halted at 44 named institutions. The Higher Education Commission posted the list on its announcements page as an "Important Student Advisory". It says the halt lasts until each institution's evaluation is finished and the competent authority approves. If you plan to apply for BS Computer Science, IT, Software Engineering, AI or Data Science, check the list below first.
We opened the advisory poster and the separate parent and student alert on HEC's own website on 11 October 2026. The advisory page carries no publication date, so we cannot tell you the day HEC posted it. It was live when we looked, and it sits near the top of HEC's announcements list.
HEC has paused fresh computing admissions at 44 institutions
HEC's advisory says fresh admissions and intake in computing related programmes are temporarily halted at the institutions it names. It calls this a quality assurance measure linked to the National Skill Competency Test 2026, and says the halt stays until evaluations are complete.
The poster is short. It does not say why each institution is on the list. It does not mention existing students or degrees already awarded. It speaks only of new admissions. So the list tells you one thing: do not pay a fee for a new computing seat at these places until you have checked.
The National Skill Competency Test, or NSCT, is the exam HEC gave to more than 33,000 final year computing students at 165 centres in 112 cities. Its results are a separate matter, and we explain how to read them in our guide to checking a university's NSCT result.
The 44 institutions on HEC's list, by province
Here is HEC's list, grouped by province or region so you can find yours quickly. We copied the names as the poster prints them. The poster shows no city for one entry, and we have left it that way.
| Province or region | Institutions listed by HEC |
|---|---|
| Islamabad | Alhamd Islamic University (Islamabad Campus); Preston University |
| Punjab (8) | MNS University of Engineering and Technology, Multan; The Women University, Multan; Lahore Leads University; Cholistan University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Bahawalpur; University of Jhang; University of Science and Technology, Lahore; Ghazi National Institute of Engineering and Sciences, Dera Ghazi Khan; Kohsar University, Murree |
| Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (16) | Sarhad University of Science and Information Technology, Peshawar; Abdul Wali Khan University, Mardan; Hazara University, Mansehra; Women University Mardan; University of Swabi; Gomal University, Dera Ismail Khan; University of FATA, Darra Adam Khel; University of Technology, Nowshera; Women University Swabi; University of Agriculture, Peshawar; Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Women University, Peshawar; University of Lakki Marwat; Northern University, Nowshera; University of Buner; Khushal Khan Khattak University, Karak; BRAINS Institute, Peshawar |
| Sindh (9) | Emaan Institute of Management and Sciences, Karachi; ILMA University, Karachi; Benazir Bhutto Shaheed University Lyari, Karachi; Millennium Institute of Technology and Entrepreneurship, Karachi; Begum Nusrat Bhutto Women University, Sukkur; Sindh Agriculture University, Tando Jam; The University of Larkana; University of Sufism and Modern Sciences, Bhitshah; Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Sakrand |
| Balochistan (4) | University of Makran, Panjgur; University of Loralai; Alhamd Islamic University, Quetta; Balochistan University of Engineering and Technology, Khuzdar |
| Azad Jammu and Kashmir (3) | University of Kotli; Women University of AJ&K, Bagh; Mohi-ud-Din Islamic University, Trarkhal |
| Gilgit-Baltistan (1) | University of Baltistan, Skardu |
| City not shown (1) | Green International University |
Read the table with care. Being on it does not mean a degree from that place is fake. HEC's wording is "identified for review". It is a pause on new intake while a review runs.
Check your university against HEC's list in four steps
Search the table for your university, then confirm on HEC's own announcement page, because the list can change when a review ends. Then ask the university in writing whether the computing programme you want is open for admission.
- Find the university in the table above, or on HEC's Student Advisory page at hec.gov.pk.
- If it is listed, ask the admissions office for a written reply on whether your chosen computing programme is accepting new students.
- If it is not listed, still check the programme's accreditation, as the next section explains.
- Keep every payment receipt and the admission offer. Do not pay a large fee on a phone call or a message.
A written reply matters because a seat advertised on social media is not proof that HEC allows the intake. Admission staff also change. An email gives you something to show if a dispute starts later.
A university missing from the list still needs an accreditation check
HEC ran a second alert for parents and students. It asks you to verify the accreditation status of a computing degree before taking admission, and to check the approved intake on the HEC website. It names Computer Science, IT, Software Engineering, AI, Data Science and Cyber Security.
The body that accredits these degrees is the National Computing Education Accreditation Council, or NCEAC. HEC will also attest only NCEAC accredited computing degrees from June 2027, which we cover in HEC's rule on attesting computing degrees. Both pieces point the same way: the programme must be accredited, and the university must be allowed to admit.
For business degrees HEC runs a similar alert and points to the National Business Education Accreditation Council. Its homepage, which we opened on 11 October 2026, shows 201 business schools in Pakistan and 46 currently accredited. We did not find a list page we could open, so check the council's site directly for your school.
| What to check | Where | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Is admission paused? | HEC Student Advisory page | Whether the university is on the 44 name list |
| Is the programme accredited? | HEC and NCEAC pages | Whether the computing degree meets national standards |
| Is the university recognised? | HEC recognised universities list | Whether HEC recognises the institution at all |
The third row is the basic check. Our guide to checking a university is HEC recognised shows it step by step.
If you already paid, ask for a refund in writing
If you paid for a computing seat at a listed institution, write to the admissions office at once and ask whether your intake is allowed. HEC's refund policy lets a student get back 100 per cent of the fee if they withdraw early.
The exact deadline for a full refund is in HEC's policy, which we explain in our guide to getting a university fee refund. Act within the first days, because the refund percentage falls as the semester goes on. Send your request by email and keep a copy.
Common questions
Which universities has HEC stopped from admitting computing students?
HEC's advisory lists 44 institutions, and we reproduce all of them in the table above by province or region. Always confirm on HEC's page, because the list can change.
Does this mean the degrees from these universities are not valid?
No. HEC's advisory speaks only about fresh admissions and intake in computing programmes. It says nothing about students already enrolled or degrees already awarded.
How long will the admission pause last?
HEC says it lasts until institutional evaluations are complete and the competent authority approves. It gives no end date.
Where do I check a computing programme's accreditation?
On HEC's website, which the parent and student alert names for checking accreditation status and approved intake. NCEAC accredits computing degrees.
Does the pause cover business or engineering programmes?
No. The advisory covers computing related programmes only. For engineering degrees, check the Pakistan Engineering Council, as in our guide to checking an engineering programme is PEC accredited.
How we verified this
What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.
Last checked on 11 October 2026. We opened HEC's "Student Advisory - Suspended Computing Programs" poster and its "Parent-Student Alert: Verify Accreditation before Admission in CS and IT programs" poster on hec.gov.pk, and the NCEAC and NBEAC references they carry. Neither page shows a publication date. We did not verify the reason each institution was listed, because HEC does not give one.
About the author
Public Services and Education Journalist
Fajr Riaz is a journalist and content writer at Pakistan Era, based in Lahore. She covers the questions people meet in everyday life in Pakistan: how a public service works, what a change in the rules means, and where to find a reliable answer.
