HEC Red Alert: Strict Enforcement of Residency Requirements Post-Spring 2026

Issuer: Higher Education Commission (HEC), Pakistan — Sector H-9, Islamabad.

Purpose: Public advisory notifying graduates and enrolled students of foreign chartered universities about stricter enforcement of foreign degree residency requirements effective following the Spring 2026 semester.

Key points:

1. Scope — This advisory concerns degrees awarded by foreign chartered universities and students currently admitted under an "On-Campus" or "Conventional" mode of study who completed or complete their programme fully online or via blended learning.

2. Policy mandate — Effective immediately following the Spring 2026 semester, HEC will not recognize foreign degrees that are registered as "On-Campus" or "Conventional" if the student has actually completed the programme through fully online or blended learning modes.

3. Recognition criteria — HEC recognizes foreign degrees only if the awarding institution and degree appear in the World Higher Education Database (WHED) maintained by UNESCO and are recognized in the institution's country of origin.

4. Official approval required — The foreign university/degree-awarding institute must have explicit approval from its national regulatory body to offer the specific programme via distance, online or blended learning for that award to be recognized by HEC.

5. Student responsibility — Students enrolled in programmes declared as "On-Campus/Conventional" must ensure they meet and can document the physical residency/permanence requirements of the awarding country. Any deviation from the approved residency requirements without regulatory support will lead to non-recognition of the degree by HEC.

6. Application process — Each case will be considered on individual merit. Applicants should submit detailed supporting documents online via HEC e-services: https://eservices.hec.gov.pk/.

Notes: This is an official advisory from HEC to protect academic credential integrity and clarify recognition rules for foreign-awarded degrees post-Spring 2026.