Get HEC Equivalence for a Foreign Degree: Rs 5,000 Fee, Fully Online
Get HEC equivalence for a foreign degree: Rs 5,000 per degree via 1Link, documents by level, and why your foreign university must confirm the degree to HEC.
To get HEC equivalence for a foreign degree, apply online at eservices.hec.gov.pk under Equivalence Services, upload your documents, and pay Rs 5,000 per degree through 1Link. No hard copies are needed. HEC issues the letter only after your foreign university confirms the degree directly to HEC.
A degree from Malaysia, China, the UK or the Gulf is not automatically worth anything on a Pakistani job form. Public sector jobs, PhD admissions and many employers ask for an HEC equivalence letter. We read the Higher Education Commission's own equivalence pages, fee table and FAQs, so every step and figure below comes from HEC itself.
HEC equivalence tells Pakistan what your foreign degree is worth
An HEC equivalence letter states the level of a foreign qualification in Pakistan's system, for example a bachelor's or master's. It is a separate service from degree attestation, which HEC uses to confirm Pakistani degrees. You need equivalence for jobs, admissions and promotions here.
The letter sets the level of education only. HEC's FAQ is blunt about this: if your letter does not show your CGPA or grades, that is normal, because "HEC determines only the level of education."
Two other services get mixed up with this one. Pakistani degrees go through HEC degree attestation, not equivalence. And school level foreign qualifications, such as O Levels, A Levels or a foreign grade 12, go to the IBCC, which issues its own IBCC equivalence certificate. Sending the wrong paper to the wrong body costs weeks.
The fee is Rs 5,000 for each foreign degree
HEC charges Rs 5,000 for each foreign degree, diploma or certificate. The fee is non-refundable. It does not cover any verification fee your foreign university charges. You pay through 1Link from any mobile banking app after you submit the form.
| Service | HEC fee |
|---|---|
| Foreign degree, diploma or certificate | Rs 5,000 each |
| Local Pakistani degree, diploma or certificate | Rs 2,000 each |
| Deeni Asnad | Rs 2,000 each |
| Duplicate letter, foreign degree | Rs 500 |
| Foreign university's own verification fee | Not included, paid to the university |
So a bachelor's and a master's from abroad mean two applications and Rs 10,000 to HEC. Budget for the university's charge on top. Some foreign universities charge nothing; others use paid verification services. That part is between you and the university.
The duplicate fee rarely matters now. HEC's FAQ says the letter stays in your online application, and you can download it again whenever you need it.
Apply on HEC eservices in seven steps
Create an account on eservices.hec.gov.pk, open Equivalence Services, choose Foreign Degree Recognition/Equivalence, fill in five sections, submit, then pay the fee through 1Link. HEC says the process is paperless, so you do not post or carry documents to any office.
- Sign up on eservices.hec.gov.pk. Use an email address and mobile number you will keep. HEC sends updates to both.
- Log in and open Equivalence Services. Choose Foreign Degree Recognition/Equivalence.
- Fill in personal details and degree details. Enter the degree exactly as printed on it.
- Fill in the equivalence details. This is where you say which degree you want assessed.
- Upload your documents. Clear scans of the degree, transcript and earlier qualifications.
- Verify the details and submit. Read every field once more. A wrong spelling here follows you onto the letter.
- Pay through 1Link. After submitting, click "Task Assigned" at the bottom of the main page, pay with any mobile banking app, then verify the payment.
HEC's FAQ says you cannot skip the online form and send documents instead. There is also no need to visit an office.
The documents depend on your degree level
Every application needs the degree and transcript you want assessed. Below that, you show the full ladder of earlier education: matric and intermediate for a bachelor's, plus an attested bachelor's for a master's, plus earlier degrees for a PhD.
- Bachelor's degree: the degree and transcript, your intermediate or grade 12 certificate, and your matric or grade 10 certificate.
- Master's degree: the degree and transcript, your bachelor's degree attested by HEC, intermediate and matric.
- PhD: the degree and transcript, your master's and earlier Pakistani degrees attested by HEC, intermediate and matric.
One rule catches many people. If your earlier school certificates are foreign, such as A Levels or a Saudi grade 12, HEC wants the IBCC equivalence certificate for them. And if your bachelor's was also foreign, you must get its HEC equivalence first, before you apply for the master's.
Plan the order. Matric and inter through IBCC, then the bachelor's through HEC, then the master's. Doing them in reverse only produces a rejection.
Your foreign university must confirm the degree to HEC
HEC will not issue the final letter until your foreign university confirms the degree is genuine, directly to HEC. The university can email fe-degree-verification@hec.gov.pk. If your graduation record is on the university's own website, HEC's FAQ says that is acceptable too.
This step is where most delays sit. HEC cannot chase a university in another country on your behalf. So write to your university's registrar or examinations office the same week you apply. Give them HEC's email address and your application details. Ask them to copy you on the email.
The application form also asks for your university's email address. HEC's answer is to find it on the university's website. Use an official registrar or verification address, not a lecturer's personal email.
Check the university is recognised before you enrol
HEC tells students to check a foreign university in the World Higher Education Database before they enrol. The university must also be recognised by its own government. HEC does not recognise incomplete degrees, and online degrees from foreign universities follow a separate HEC notification.
If you are still choosing a university abroad, do this check first. It costs nothing and saves you from a degree HEC cannot assess. An agent's promise is not a check, and our advice on checking an education agent explains why.
Students who left a foreign programme without finishing it can still ask HEC for a free "University Recognition Status letter". You request it by application to the DG (A&A), HEC H-9 Islamabad, with proof of your foreign study. A Pakistani university can use it when admitting you.
Distance learning needs extra care. HEC has a separate notification on degrees awarded by foreign chartered universities through virtual, online or distance learning. Read it before paying for any online foreign programme you plan to use in Pakistan.
Common questions
How much is the HEC equivalence fee for a foreign degree?
Rs 5,000 for each degree, diploma or certificate. It is non-refundable and excludes any fee your foreign university charges for verification.
Do I need to send hard copies to HEC?
No. HEC says the process is paperless. You upload scans on eservices.hec.gov.pk and do not post documents or visit an office.
Why does my equivalence letter not show my CGPA?
Because HEC determines only the level of education. Grades are not part of the equivalence letter.
Does HEC give equivalence for A Levels?
No. School level foreign qualifications go to IBCC. HEC handles degrees, diplomas and certificates at higher education level.
I lost my equivalence letter. What now?
Log in and download it again. HEC's FAQ says the letter stays available in your online application.
Where do I complain if my account or application is stuck?
Lodge a ticket at onlinehelp.hec.gov.pk. HEC sends login problems, email changes and university list issues there.
How we verified this
What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.
Last checked on 2 October 2026. We read HEC's foreign equivalence procedure for the seven step online process, the 1Link payment and the documents by degree level; HEC's equivalence fee table for the Rs 5,000, Rs 2,000 and duplicate letter fees; and HEC's FAQs on recognition of foreign qualifications for the university verification rule, the verification email, the recognition status letter and the help desk. We also confirmed that eservices.hec.gov.pk and onlinehelp.hec.gov.pk opened. HEC does not publish a processing time on these pages, so we have not given 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.
