On September 25, 2026, the Higher Education Commission issued a notification that will directly affect anyone enrolled in, or considering, a two-year Associate Degree Programme (ADP) at a Pakistani university or college. HEC has directed all higher education institutions to stop making new admissions into ADPs that are run through the annual examination system or offered to private candidates. If you're currently in an ADP, applying to one, or weighing it against a regular BA/BSc-equivalent degree, here is what the notification actually says and what it means for you.

Why HEC is acting now

Associate Degree Programmes were introduced as HEC's replacement for the old two-year BA and BSc degrees, which were formally phased out by a notification dated March 15, 2017. Students who were already enrolled in the old BA/BSc system by December 31, 2018 were given until December 31, 2020 to finish their degrees, after which the two-year BA/BSc was meant to disappear from Pakistani higher education entirely, replaced by the structured ADP framework under HEC's Undergraduate Education Policy.

The problem HEC says it has now found is that a number of institutions never actually made that switch in substance — only in name. According to the commission, some colleges and universities simply relabeled their existing BA/BSc programs as "Associate Degrees" without changing anything about how they were taught, examined, or structured. Crucially, several of these institutions kept running the programs under the annual examination system, or admitted students as private candidates, neither of which is compliant with HEC's Undergraduate Education Policy Version 1.1, which has required semester-based delivery and examination since Fall 2023.

What is actually banned

The notification is specific: institutions must not make any new admissions into ADPs delivered through the annual system or the private-candidate mode, effective immediately. It does not ban Associate Degree Programmes themselves — properly structured, semester-based ADPs that comply with HEC's policy remain a legitimate, recognized qualification. The restriction is on the two non-compliant delivery modes, not on the degree category as a whole.

What HEC is asking institutions to do

Every affected institution has been told to submit consolidated, program-wise and session-wise data on its existing ADP enrollments — including program titles, the mode of study, the enrollment year, and the number of students enrolled and graduated in each. This data must be verified by the institution's Registrar and countersigned by the Vice Chancellor, which signals that HEC intends to cross-check what institutions report against their actual records rather than take self-reporting at face value. Institutions that continue enrolling students into non-compliant ADPs after this notification, HEC has warned, "could face regulatory action under applicable laws and regulations."

What this means if you are already enrolled, or about to apply

If you are currently studying in an ADP, the first thing to check with your institution is which examination system and admission mode your specific program runs under — semester-based and regular admission is unaffected by this notification, while annual-system or private-candidate ADPs are the ones now under scrutiny. The practical risk for graduates of non-compliant programs is downstream: degree attestation by HEC, equivalence certification, admission into further studies (such as a BS or master's degree that requires a recognized associate degree as a prerequisite), and even employment verification can all run into trouble if the underlying program was never actually compliant with HEC policy, regardless of what the admission office called it at the time.

If you are about to apply to an ADP this admission cycle, it is worth asking the institution directly, in writing if possible, whether the specific program you are applying to is delivered under the semester system in line with HEC's Undergraduate Education Policy, and whether admission is happening through the institution's regular admission process rather than as a private candidate. You can also check HEC's own website for the list of recognized degree programs and institutions before committing your admission fee. A program that looks identical to a BA or BSc on a prospectus, but is cheaper, faster, or has looser attendance requirements, is worth double-checking against this notification before you enroll — the two-year certificate is only as valuable as HEC's recognition behind it.