Higher Education Commission of Pakistan (HEC)

The Higher Education Commission of Pakistan (HEC), is an independent, autonomous, and constitutionally established institution of primary funding, overseeing, regulating, and accrediting the higher education efforts in Pakistan.

Preceded by the University Grants Commission (UGC) in 2002 by a constitutional amendment, the universities were formerly accredited by the UGC established in 1947; the institution was revised 1974 and came its modern form in 2002 with additional executive reforms granted by the constitution. Under a new and revised reforms, the HEC is made responsible for formulating higher education policy and quality assurance to meet the international standards as well as providing accrediting academic degrees, development of new institutions, and uplift of existing institutions in Pakistan.

The HEC also facilitated the development of higher educational system in the country with main purpose of upgrading the universities and colleges in the country to be focal point of the high learning of education, research, and development. Over the several years, the HEC plays an important and leading role towards building a knowledge based economy in Pakistan by giving out hundreds of doctoral scholarships for education abroad every year.