HEC Chairman Niaz Ahmad Akhtar has announced that, beginning in the Fall 2026 session, admissions to all MS, MPhil and PhD programmes at public and private higher education institutions across Pakistan will be based exclusively on GRE and HAT General and relevant Subject Tests administered through the Education Testing Council (ETC) of HEC. The new requirement means universities must process postgraduate admissions using scores from tests conducted under the HEC testing system.
The decision reflects an effort to introduce a uniform national assessment framework that prioritizes quality assurance, transparency and merit-based selection across the country. HEC officials say the move is intended to standardize evaluation criteria for graduate-level entry and to create a single credible benchmark for institutions nationwide.
Under the policy, both public and private sector HEIs will rely on GRE/HAT test scores delivered via the ETC for all eligible MS, MPhil and PhD applicants. The HEC GRE mandate aims to centralize testing and admissions processing so that results from a national testing body determine eligibility rather than disparate local exams or varying institutional criteria.
Education experts have welcomed the prospect of a unified admission standard, noting potential benefits for comparability and fairness among institutions. At the same time, some stakeholders have expressed concerns about implementation challenges, the additional pressure such examinations may place on students and the extra financial burden associated with centralized testing.
With the Fall 2026 deadline set, universities and applicants across Pakistan will be watching how the HEC GRE mandate is rolled out and whether accompanying support measures and logistical planning will address the concerns raised by students and institutions.
