HEC Advisory: Strict Enforcement of Degree Residency Requirements from Spring 2026

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

Purpose: Official public advisory notifying graduates and current students about strict enforcement of residency/presence requirements for foreign-awarded degrees effective after the Spring 2026 semester. Degrees claimed as "On-Campus" or "Conventional" will not be recognized by HEC if the program was completed fully online or via blended learning contrary to the registered mode of study.

Who is affected: Graduates of foreign chartered universities and students currently enrolled in programs admitted under on-campus/conventional mode of study who complete their degree fully online or through blended delivery.

Key requirements and consequences:

• HEC will not recognize any foreign degree registered as "On-Campus" or "Conventional" if the student completed the program through fully online or blended learning after Spring 2026.
• HEC recognizes only those foreign degrees awarded by chartered/recognized institutions that appear in the World Higher Education Database (wh.ed.net) and are recognized in their country of origin.
• Official approval is required: the awarding university/institute must have explicit approval from its national regulatory body to offer the program via distance/online or blended modes.
• Students must ensure and be able to demonstrate the required physical residency/presence in the awarding country for programs registered as on-campus/conventional; failure to meet residency requirements may lead to non-recognition of the degree by HEC.

Actionable instruction: Submit detailed documents online for any recognition queries or applications at HEC e-Services: https://eservices.hec.gov.pk/.

Effective date: Immediate enforcement following the Spring 2026 semester. Non-compliance will result in non-recognition of degrees by HEC.