File a Complaint Against Your University on the HEC Student Grievance Portal
Enrolled students can log a complaint on HEC's Student Grievance Redressal Portal. See the 9 categories, what proof to gather and what HEC's page does not say.
Short answer: HEC runs a Student Grievance Redressal Portal where an enrolled student can log a complaint against a higher education institution. HEC's page lists nine complaint types, from admission problems and fee issues to bribery and harassment. The complaint goes to a focal person at the institution. The registration link is eportal.hec.gov.pk/hgp.
A student pays a semester fee, gets no receipt, and the accounts office says "come tomorrow" for a month. Or a department asks for an "unofficial" payment to release a result. Many students do not know that the Higher Education Commission (HEC) has a place to log exactly this.
We read HEC's Student Grievance Redressal Portal page on 11 October 2026. It is short. It names the nine categories and the registration link, but it gives no step-by-step guide, no response time and no phone number. We say below what we could not confirm.
The HEC portal takes complaints from enrolled students in nine categories
HEC describes the portal as a way for students to log grievances in a structured way, so that focal persons at higher education institutions can respond and resolve them in good time. Students enrolled at an institution can register and submit.
The page lists nine categories. Pick the one that fits, and keep one complaint to one problem, so that the institution can answer it clearly.
| Category on HEC's page | Typical example |
|---|---|
| Admission problems | Merit list changed after posting, seat not given |
| False or misleading information | Programme or accreditation claim that is untrue |
| Bribery or demand of unsolicited money | Payment asked outside the fee challan |
| Discrimination | Unequal treatment of a student |
| Harassment | Unwanted conduct by staff or students |
| Unfair evaluation | Marking or result handled without a fair process |
| Scholarship issues | Awarded scholarship not applied |
| Fee issues | Overcharge, missing receipt, refund not given |
| Administrative issues | Documents or certificates delayed |
The examples in the second column are ours, not HEC's. HEC's page lists only the category names.
Gather proof before you log the complaint
Complaints are decided on paper. Keep fee challans and bank receipts, the admission or merit notice, emails and screenshots of messages, and the date of every visit to the office. A clear timeline is more useful than a long story.
- Write the problem in two sentences: what happened, and what you want fixed.
- List dates in order, with the name or office of each person you met.
- Scan every paper into one folder, named by date.
- Keep the originals. Do not hand them over without a stamped receipt.
- Note any money you paid, to whom, and how, with the receipt number.
Register on the portal and pick the right category
Open the registration link on HEC's page, create your student account, and choose the category that matches your problem. HEC's page gives the link and the nine categories only, so follow the on-screen form for the remaining fields and uploads.
We could not open the portal itself from our network on 11 October 2026, so we have not seen the form. Do not pay anyone to "file the complaint for you". The portal is free to use as far as HEC's page states, and it says nothing about a fee. Fake sites copy HEC. See our guide on how to tell a real HEC address from a fake one.
Use the institution's own channels in parallel
HEC's page says the complaint is answered by the institution's focal person. So tell the registrar's office or the student affairs office in writing as well, and keep the receipt. That creates a dated record and often settles a simple fee error faster.
For a refund after you withdraw, HEC has a separate policy. Our guide on getting a university fee refund under HEC policy lists the rules we read. For harassment, bribery or a threat to your safety, do not wait for a slow reply: use the portal category and also tell a trusted adult or the relevant authority.
Check that the institution is recognised first
A complaint can only be handled well if the institution is part of the HEC system. If a campus or programme is not on HEC's lists, the first step is to find out, before you pay more fees. Our guide on checking a university is HEC recognised explains the lists.
HEC has also published student advisories on suspended computing programmes. If your complaint is about a programme that may be affected, read which institutions are suspended first.
What we could not confirm
HEC's page does not state a deadline for a reply, an appeal step, a helpline, or whether complaints against private universities are handled the same way as public ones. We also did not see university-wise statistics, although the page mentions a summary section.
So do not promise yourself a result by a fixed date. Keep your own follow-up log and re-check the portal page for updates.
Common questions
Who can use the HEC grievance portal?
Students enrolled at higher education institutions in Pakistan can register and submit complaints, according to HEC's page.
What kinds of complaints does it accept?
Nine: admission problems, false or misleading information, bribery, discrimination, harassment, unfair evaluation, scholarship issues, fee issues and administrative issues.
Is there a fee to file a complaint?
HEC's page does not mention one. Do not pay an agent or a person who offers to file it for you.
How long will HEC take to answer?
The page gives no time limit. It says complaints are answered by focal persons so they can be resolved "in a timely fashion".
Can I complain about a bribe demand?
Yes, there is a category for bribery or demand of unsolicited money. Keep a record of what was asked and by whom.
Where is the portal link?
HEC's page gives the registration link as eportal.hec.gov.pk/hgp. Reach it from HEC's own page, not from a message.
How we verified this
What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.
We read the Student Grievance Redressal Portal page on hec.gov.pk on 11 October 2026. We did not open the portal form or file a complaint. Categories and links on HEC pages can change, so check the page on the day you file.
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.
