The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has moved to replace the 24-year-old guidelines governing the establishment of new universities in Pakistan with a modern regulatory framework designed to bring higher education institutions in line with current national and international standards.
The HEC has prepared the “Regulatory Framework for the Establishment and Accreditation of Higher Education Institutions Pakistan 2026.” Officials said the new framework aims to address the changing requirements of Pakistan’s higher education sector and improve standards for the establishment and accreditation of institutions.
The framework was approved in principle during the HEC’s 47th Commission meeting on July 3. The draft will now be circulated among the provinces, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan to obtain their feedback and consent before it is submitted to the federal cabinet for final approval.
The reform process was initiated after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directed a high-level committee, headed by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, to review the existing legal and regulatory framework for higher education institutions.
The committee reviewed the draft framework in June and recommended further improvements. It also emphasised the importance of provincial governments supporting the proposed regulations to ensure their consistent implementation across the country.
A dedicated HEC task force comprising national and international education experts prepared the new framework. Officials said the existing guidelines, which were approved by the federal cabinet in 2002, no longer adequately reflect modern global education standards or the current needs of Pakistan’s higher education system.
The proposed framework is expected to provide updated requirements for establishing and accrediting universities and other higher education institutions. It is also aimed at strengthening quality standards and ensuring that new institutions meet appropriate academic and regulatory requirements.
The HEC has asked the relevant provinces and territories to submit their feedback or consent within the specified deadline. Officials said that if no response is received, the commission may treat the absence of a response as consent and proceed with submitting the draft framework to the federal cabinet for final approval.
The move marks a major attempt to modernise Pakistan’s higher education regulatory system after more than two decades and could influence how new universities and higher education institutions are established and accredited in the country.
