Check a College's Affiliation Before You Pay: HEC Has Stopped New Affiliations in Pakistan
HEC told public universities to stop granting new college affiliations. See what it means for your degree and the 5 questions to ask a college before you pay.
HEC has ordered every public sector university that can affiliate colleges to stop granting new affiliations at once. The order covers new colleges and new programmes, and it lasts until HEC issues revised criteria. If a private college tells you its degree comes "under" a public university, ask when that affiliation was granted. A degree from a college that got a new affiliation after the order could be refused HEC attestation.
We opened HEC's "Public Alert" on its announcements page on 11 October 2026. The alert carries no date on the page, so we cannot say when HEC issued it. It is posted on HEC's own website and we have copied its wording as it stands.
HEC has stopped new college and programme affiliations
HEC's alert tells all public sector higher education institutions that have power to grant affiliation under their own Acts to immediately stop granting fresh or new affiliation to any college or institution, and in any programme, until revised criteria are issued.
An affiliation is the permission a university gives a college to teach its degree programmes and enter its students for the university's exams. Many private colleges in Pakistan run this way. The college teaches, and the university awards the degree.
The alert also tells universities to withdraw all advertisements about granting affiliations in social and print media. So a university should not be advertising for colleges to join it right now.
Degrees from non-compliant institutions may not be attested
HEC says that if a university breaks these directions, it will not grant recognition or attestation to the degrees of the non-compliant institutions. It adds that punitive action will follow under its standard procedures.
This is the part that touches you. Attestation is the stamp HEC puts on a degree so that employers, embassies and other universities accept it. Without it, a degree is hard to use for a job abroad or for further study. Our guide to getting your degree attested by HEC online shows how the stamp is issued.
HEC's alert does not say what happens to colleges already affiliated before the order. It speaks only about fresh and new affiliations. We will not guess beyond that, and nor should anyone selling you a seat.
| Situation | What HEC's alert says | What you should do |
|---|---|---|
| University grants a new affiliation now | Not allowed until revised criteria come | Do not accept a new affiliation claim without proof |
| University advertises affiliation | Adverts must be withdrawn | Treat such an advert as a warning sign |
| University breaks the order | HEC may refuse attestation to its degrees | Ask the university in writing before you pay |
| College affiliated earlier | The alert does not address it | Ask for the date and a copy of the affiliation letter |
Five questions to ask a college before you pay
Ask the college which university it is affiliated with, on what date, and for which programme. Then ask the university's registrar to confirm the same facts in writing. A real affiliation is easy to confirm.
- Ask the college for its affiliation letter. Note the date on it, and whether it names your exact programme.
- Write to the affiliating university's registrar or affiliation office and ask them to confirm the letter. Keep their reply.
- Check that the university is recognised by HEC, as shown in our guide to checking a university is HEC recognised.
- Check the programme itself. A computing degree needs accreditation, as in our note on the NCEAC check for a BS Computer Science programme.
- Pay in stages if you can, and keep every receipt. Ask in writing what refund you get if the affiliation fails.
The date matters most. A letter dated before HEC's order is a different case from one dated after it. If the college will not show you the letter, treat that as your answer.
HEC's own affiliation policy only covers public universities
HEC's announcements page also links its Institutional Affiliation Policy 2024, which it marks as for public sector universities and degree awarding institutes only. That policy is the rulebook the new alert sits on top of. The alert says revised criteria will replace the current ones.
For a student, the plain meaning is simple. Affiliation is regulated, it is under review, and a college cannot make it up. Your protection is the paper trail: the letter, the registrar's confirmation and the receipts.
If you already paid a fee, act this week
If your college cannot show a valid affiliation, write to the college and the university at once and ask for a refund. HEC has a policy for fee refunds when a student leaves early, and we explain it in our guide to getting a university fee refund under HEC's policy.
Send emails, not only calls, so you hold a record. If the college refuses, write to the university registrar as well. Do this early, because refund rights shrink as the semester goes on.
Common questions
Has HEC banned all affiliations?
No. HEC has told public sector universities to stop granting fresh or new affiliations, and new programmes in affiliated colleges, until revised criteria are issued. Its alert does not address existing affiliations.
What is an affiliated college?
A college that teaches a university's degree programme with that university's permission. The university sets the exams and awards the degree.
Will my degree be attested if my college is affiliated?
HEC's alert says it will not attest degrees of institutions that break its directions. A college affiliated properly, before the order, is not covered by that warning.
Does the alert apply to private universities?
The alert is addressed to public sector universities that can grant affiliation under their Acts. HEC's affiliation policy page also describes itself as for the public sector only.
Where can I read the alert?
On HEC's announcements page at hec.gov.pk, under "Public Alert: Universities Barred from Granting New Affiliations to Institutions".
How we verified this
What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.
Last checked on 11 October 2026. We read HEC's Public Alert poster and the announcements list on hec.gov.pk. The alert has no date on the page. We did not verify which universities have granted affiliations, or which colleges are affected, because HEC does not publish that in the alert.
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.
