HEC rejects fake notification on engineering degree equivalence

The Higher Education Commission has rejected as fake a notification circulating on social media that claimed to establish equivalence between engineering technology qualifications and conventional engineering degrees, and warned students and graduates not to rely on it.

According to ProPakistani, the document is dated October 29, 2026, and states that HEC had declared a Bachelor of Technology (Honours) in Engineering, or a BSc Engineering Technology (Honours), equivalent to a Bachelor of Engineering or BSc Engineering degree. It further claims that a Diploma of Associate Engineering counts as 14 years of education in the relevant engineering discipline and allows holders lateral entry into BE, BSc Engineering and engineering technology programmes, subject to university admission requirements.

The commission said it did not issue the notification and described the document as misleading. Pakistan Observer also reported HEC's declaration that the viral notification on engineering degree equivalence was fake.

HEC advised students, graduates, the general public and other stakeholders not to rely on or circulate the document, and to consult its official website and verified social media accounts for authentic information and notifications. Equivalence rulings by the commission determine whether graduates of one programme can be admitted to another, and whether they meet eligibility conditions set by employers and regulators.

The reports did not say who had prepared the document or whether the commission had referred the matter to any other authority. Neither outlet reported any statement from the universities or engineering bodies named in the claims.

HEC has in the past used its website and verified accounts to flag documents circulating in its name, and its latest advisory repeats that instruction: students should treat only official channels as the source for notifications on degree recognition and equivalence.