Degree Reverification Process Begins for 36000+ Cases Under HEC

The Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan has initiated a major academic review involving 36,931 students who studied at unauthorized campuses, marking one of the largest verification exercises in recent years. The decision was taken during the 46th Commission meeting chaired by HEC Chairman Dr. Niaz Ahmad Akhtar, where officials approved an independent review mechanism to reassess previously cleared student records. According to the announcement, a specially formed committee comprising external education experts will re-evaluate the cases to ensure transparency and academic integrity. The HEC clarified that its administrative role in this process will be limited to providing secretariat support, while some commission members recorded dissenting opinions on the decision. The review specifically targets graduates whose degrees were earlier attested but later flagged due to their enrollment in unauthorized campuses. Alongside this development, the commission also approved significant reforms in the degree attestation and equivalence system, moving away from traditional physical verification toward a fully digital, evidence-based process. Additionally, the requirement for submitting prior or subsequent academic qualifications has been removed to simplify procedures. These steps reflect HEC’s broader effort to strengthen accountability, modernize verification systems, and improve transparency in higher education across Pakistan.