HEC Equivalence of Deeni Asnad: Shahadatul Almiya and Alia Fee, Documents and All 25 Approved Boards
HEC equates Shahadatul Almiya with a Master's in Arabic or Islamic Studies. See the Rs 2,000 fee, every document, the TCS address and all 25 approved boards.
HEC treats Shahadatul Almiya as equal to a Master's in Arabic or Islamic Studies (16 years of education) and Shahadatul Alia as equal to a Bachelor (Pass) degree (14 years), and the equivalence fee is Rs 2,000 for each sanad, sent by TCS to the Local Equivalence Section at HEC, H-9, Islamabad. Only sanads from 25 approved Deeni boards and madaris qualify, and Alia has two extra conditions.
A madrassa graduate usually needs this letter for a teaching job in Arabic or Islamiat, a public service test, or admission to an MPhil. We read HEC's Deeni Asnad procedure page, its fee notification and its 2023 letter listing the approved institutions on 24 October 2026. Below is the full list of boards, every document, and what trips people up.
HEC equates Almiya with a Master's and Alia with a Bachelor's degree
HEC's letter of 4 July 2023 says Shahadatul Almiya fil Uloom ul Arabia wal Islamia equals a Master's degree in Arabic or Islamic Studies involving 16 years of education. Shahadatul Alia equals a Bachelor (Pass) degree involving 14 years, subject to conditions.
The same letter limits what Almiya equivalence is for. It applies "for teaching Arabic/Islamic studies in educational institutions and for pursuing higher studies". So an Almiya holder can apply for an Arabic or Islamiat teaching post, or for an MPhil, on the strength of the letter. It is not a general Master's in any subject.
| Sanad | HEC treats it as | Years of education | Extra conditions | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shahadatul Almiya fil Uloom ul Arabia wal Islamia | Master's in Arabic or Islamic Studies | 16 | IBCC attestation of Sanvia Aama and Sanvia Khasa | Rs 2,000 |
| Shahadatul Alia fil Uloom ul Arabia wal Islamia | Bachelor (Pass) degree | 14 | IBCC equivalence of Sanvia Aama and Khasa, plus English and Pakistan Studies at Bachelor level | Rs 2,000 |
Only sanads from 25 approved Deeni boards and madaris are accepted
Annex B of HEC's 2023 letter lists 25 approved institutions: five wafaqs and five individual madaris notified by the old University Grants Commission between 1982 and 1992, and 15 wafaqs and madaris notified by the Ministry of Federal Education between 2021 and 2022.
The five original boards are Wafaq-ul-Madaris Al-Arabia (Multan), Tanzeem-ul-Madaris Ahle Sunnat (Lahore), Wafaq-ul-Madaris Al-Salfia (Faisalabad), Wafaq-ul-Madaris Shia (Lahore) and Rabitatul Madaris Al Islamia (Lahore). The five individual madaris are Jamia Islamia Minhaj-ul-Quran (Lahore), Jamia Taleemat-e-Islamia (Faisalabad), Jamia Ashrafia (Lahore), Darul Uloom Mohammadia Ghousia Bhera (Sargodha) and Darul Uloom, Korangi Creek (Karachi).
The 15 added from 2021 include Jamia-tur-Rasheed and Jamia Binoria Aalamia in Karachi, Darul Uloom Jamia Naeemia in Lahore, Jamia Al-Madina in Karachi, Jamia Al-Dirasat Al-Islamia, Itehad-ul-Madaris Al Arabia Pakistan, Itehad-ul-Madaris Al-Islamia Pakistan, Nizam-ul-Madaris Pakistan, Majma-ul-Madaris Taleem-ul-Kitab wal Hikmat, Wafaq ul Madaris Al-Islamia Al-Rizvia Pakistan, Wafaq ul Madaris wal Jamiaat Al-Deeniya Al-Bakistania, Majma ul Uloom Al-Islamia, Wahdat-ul-Madaris Al-Islamia Pakistan, Board of Islamic Education and Kanz-ul-Madaris.
Check the date too. The second group was notified in 2021 and 2022. If your sanad is older than your board's notification, ask HEC before you send anything, because the letter does not say whether earlier sanads are covered.
For Almiya you send the E-02 form, sanads, Kashful Darajat and IBCC attestation
HEC's procedure page lists six items for an Almiya equivalence. The madrassa board's Nazim-e-Ala must sign and verify the form and the sanad copies. Sanvia Aama and Sanvia Khasa must be attested by IBCC first.
- Application form E-02, signed and verified by your board's Nazim-e-Ala.
- A photocopy of each sanad and Kashful Darajat (marks sheet), signed and verified by the Nazim-e-Ala.
- Year-wise Kashful Darajat showing your date of admission, date of completion and the length of each year or term.
- IBCC attestation of Sanvia Aama and Sanvia Khasa.
- A copy of your CNIC, or passport if you are a foreigner.
- The Rs 2,000 equivalence fee, non-refundable, for each sanad.
The year-wise record is where files stall. HEC wants to see that the study ran for the full number of years, so a missing year or a gap with no explanation leads to queries. Get it from your board before you start.
Alia needs English and Pakistan Studies at Bachelor level as well
For Shahadatul Alia, HEC requires an IBCC equivalence of Sanvia Aama as matric and Sanvia Khasa as intermediate, and a pass in English and Pakistan Studies at Bachelor (Pass) level from an HEC-recognised university. HEC's 2017 decision names AIOU or any other chartered university.
This is the condition that holds Alia files back, because madrassa study does not include these two papers at Bachelor level. Start with the IBCC step, since it comes first: our explainer on attesting matric and inter certificates at IBCC covers the counter and online process.
The 2017 decision adds one more useful point. An Alia holder who wants a Master's in a subject other than Arabic or Islamic Studies may take any two other elective subjects alongside the compulsory ones.
Send originals and one set of copies by TCS, and pay Rs 2,000 per sanad
The Deeni Asnad page says all original documents and one set of photocopies go by TCS courier to the Local Equivalence Section, Student Affairs Division, HEC, Sector H-9, East Service Road, Islamabad. There is no need to visit HEC Islamabad or a regional centre.
HEC's fee notification of 11 July 2019 set the equivalence fee for Deeni Asnad at Rs 2,000 per degree from 1 August 2019, the same as for local Bachelor's and old Master's degrees. We found no later fee notice on the HEC pages we read.
There is one conflict on HEC's own pages about how to pay. The Alia section says the fee is deposited "through challan form in favour of HEC income account". HEC's general equivalence page says equivalence fees are paid through 1-Link. Pakistani university degrees moved fully online in November 2021, but the Deeni Asnad page still describes a courier process. Before paying, confirm the current method at HEC online help.
If HEC raises a query, answer it with the board's verification
The items most likely to be missing are the ones that need someone else's signature: the Nazim-e-Ala's verification on the form and copies, the year-wise Kashful Darajat, and the IBCC attestation. Those fixes come from your wafaq or from IBCC, not from HEC.
Keep the TCS tracking number and a copy of everything you sent. If a file is stuck for months with no reply, register the case on HEC online help with your tracking details. For a wider dispute, the HEC student grievance portal is the formal route. Holders of a Pakistani university degree follow a different, fully online process, explained in HEC equivalence of a Pakistani degree online.
Common questions
Is Shahadatul Almiya equal to MA in Pakistan?
Yes, for Arabic and Islamic Studies. HEC's 2023 letter equates it with a Master's in Arabic or Islamic Studies of 16 years, for teaching those subjects and for higher studies.
What is the HEC fee for Deeni Asnad equivalence?
Rs 2,000 for each sanad, non-refundable, under HEC's notification effective 1 August 2019.
Do I have to visit HEC Islamabad for Deeni Asnad equivalence?
No. HEC asks for originals and one set of photocopies by TCS courier to the Local Equivalence Section in H-9, Islamabad.
Is Wafaq-ul-Madaris Al-Arabia approved by HEC?
Yes. It is one of the five wafaqs notified on 17 November 1982 and is on HEC's list of approved Deeni institutions.
Why is my Shahadatul Alia not treated as BA?
Alia counts as Bachelor (Pass) only after IBCC equivalence of Sanvia Aama and Khasa and a pass in English and Pakistan Studies at Bachelor level.
Can an Almiya holder apply for MPhil?
HEC's letter says the equivalence applies for pursuing higher studies, so yes, subject to each university's own admission rules.
How we verified this
What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.
We read HEC's Equivalence of Deeni Asnad page, its fee notification of 11 July 2019, and its letter of 4 July 2023 with the annexes listing approved institutions, on 24 October 2026. The letter is a scanned PDF and we read the list from its images. HEC's own pages disagree on whether the fee is paid by challan or 1-Link, and we could not confirm which applies today. Processing time is not stated anywhere we looked.
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.
