Pakistani educational institutions and study programmes

Below, we explain what types of educational institutions and degree programmes there are in Pakistan. We also explain how we check whether these are recognised and accredited. We check the and to make sure that the quality is sufficient. We give the necessary information per educational sector.

Secondary education | educational institutions

Students are educated at a school, but take their exams from a board. For this reason, you only have to check the recognition of that board, not of the school.

Checking the recognition of boards

The Inter Board Committee of Chairmen (IBCC) checks the secondary education boards. In 2021, the IBCC recognised the following boards:

Name of the board
Aga Khan Educational Board, Karachi
Balochistan Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Quetta
Federal Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Islamabad
Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Abbottabad
Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Behawalpur
Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Bannu
Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Dera Ismail Khan
Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, DG Khan
Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Faisalabad
Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Gujranwala
Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Hyderabad
Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Kohat
Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Lahore
Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Larkana
Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Malakand
Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Mardan
Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Mirpur
Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Mirpurkhas
Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Multan
Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Peshawar
Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Rawalpindi
Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Sahiwal
Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Saidu Sharif, Swat
Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Sargodha
Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Sukkur
Board of Intermediate Education, Karachi
Board of Secondary Education, Karachi
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Board of Technical Education, Peshawar
Punjab Board of Technical Education, Lahore
Sindh Board or Technical Education, Karachi

Please note: there are always changes, so this overview may be incomplete. If you see a diploma from another board, you can ask the IBCC if the board is recognised.

Secondary education | diplomas

In secondary education, you should especially pay attention to whether a student has a recognised diploma. Among other things, this means that the diploma should be awarded by a board. We describe the recognised secondary education diplomas on our webpage about Pakistani primary and secondary education.

Higher education | educational institutions

There are different types of higher education institutions:

  • universities; and
  • degree-awarding institutions.

Universities

Universities are allowed to award degrees, for example a bachelor’s or master’s degree. Students can also obtain other diplomas, such as a postgraduate diploma. Some universities offer study programmes in various fields of study, other universities are more specialised. For example, there are specialised universities that only offer technical study programmes.

Please note: universities often supervise various educational institutions. These supervised institutions are called affiliated colleges. Students who study at an affiliated college receive their degree or diploma from the university.

Degree-awarding institutions

Degree-awarding institutions are also allowed to award degrees. Just like universities, they can offer study programmes for degrees and other diplomas. Degree-awarding institutions are often called ‘institutes’ or ‘colleges’.

All Pakistani higher education institutions can be public or private.

Checking the recognition of higher education institutions

The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has an overview of recognised higher education institutions.

On the HEC website, you can also check which campuses of these higher education institutions are recognised. See ‘HEC recognized campuses’.

Higher education | institutions and study programmes for regulated professions

For study programmes for a , it is important to check if the educational institution and study programme are accredited. This is also necessary for some other fields of study. Accreditation of educational institutions and study programmes is arranged by accreditation councils.

When evaluating a Pakistani diploma, it is important to check if there is an accreditation council for the field of study and, if so, to see if the educational institution and study programme are mentioned on the website of the accreditation council.

Checking the accreditation of institutions and study programmes for regulated professions

On the HEC website, you can find an overview of the accreditation councils’ websites. Usually, the website of an accreditation council includes information about accredited educational institutions and the study programmes they may offer.