The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has introduced a comprehensive new policy aimed at standardizing the admission process for graduate programs across universities in Pakistan. This move marks a significant shift in how students will be evaluated for entry into advanced degree courses, including MS, MPhil, and PhD levels.
Under the newly implemented regulations, all universities—both public and private—are prohibited from conducting their own separate entrance examinations. Instead, admissions for Level 7 and 8 programs must now rely exclusively on the Education Testing Council (ETC) test. This change effectively replaces the previously used Graduate Record Examination (GRE) and eliminates any alternative testing mechanisms that individual institutions might have employed.
In addition to the centralized testing requirement, the policy mandates that candidates’ academic records and graduation examinations be considered essential components of the admission criteria for MPhil and PhD programs. This approach is designed to promote transparency and fairness, ensuring that merit remains the cornerstone of graduate admissions nationwide.
Notably, the introduction of this policy has led to the immediate abolition of certain provisions within the Graduate Education Policy 2023, streamlining the regulatory framework governing higher education admissions. The HEC has instructed all universities to implement these changes without delay, emphasizing the importance of uniformity and integrity in the selection process for advanced academic degrees.
