The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has taken a major step to protect students from fraud by private educational institutions, releasing lists of fake universities, unregistered campuses, and illegal degree programs. The lists have also been published on the official HEC website for public access.
According to the commission, 94 institutes and university campuses in Punjab have been declared fake or unregistered. In Sindh, 35 campuses have been identified as illegal, while four campuses in Azad Kashmir have also been labelled fake. Similarly, 12 institutions in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and two institutes operating under federal charter have been declared unauthorised.
The HEC has advised students and parents to carefully verify the status of any university or degree program through the commission’s official lists before seeking admission, in order to avoid falling victim to fraudulent institutions.
The commission further stated that degrees issued by unregistered or illegal institutions will neither be recognised nor accepted for government employment or higher education purposes. HEC emphasised that students should enrol only in approved and registered universities to safeguard their academic future.
PMDC warns against fake medical admission offers
Earlier, the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) warned students and parents against being victims of such fraudulent admissions claims made by medical and dental colleges.
In an official notice, the council said that it had noticed a rise in deceptive advertisements being made on social media and in print media, especially to ease the students who were not able to clear the MDCAT.
PMDC made it clear that candidates who do not qualify the MDCAT are not eligible for his/her admission to medical or dental colleges in Pakistan and will not be registered.
The council also emphasised that just because someone got admission to a medical or dental institution abroad, it does not result in their registration in Pakistan. Graduates are required to adhere to all regulatory requirements and passing the MDCAT in order to qualify for PMDC registration.
Students and parents were warned to rely solely on official sources and check with the websites of provincial admitting universities and relevant authorities for admission information to avoid misinformation.
