ADMISSION POLICY FOR GOVERNMENT COLLEGES

(MALE & FEMALE) IN KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA

This Admission Policy shall be applicable to all General Male and Female Colleges of the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for admissions to Intermediate Part-1, Associate Degree (AD) 1st Semester, Bachelor of Studies (BS) 1st Semester and 5th Semester. This policy is designed to establish a structured and transparent admission process for students seeking admission in intermediate and undergraduate programs. The policy emphasizes merit, fairness and inclusion with the goal of fostering equal opportunities for students across the province.

Key Objectives

  • Fair Access: Ensure that all eligible students have fair access to educational opportunities based on merit.
  • Merit and Transparency: Establish a clear, merit-based and transparent process for admission that shall be communicated effectively to the public.

1. Short Title and Commencement

  1. This shall be called the “Admission Policy for Male and Female Colleges of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa” under the jurisdiction of Higher Education Department. 
  2. This shall come into force w.e.f. the date of its notification.

 

2. Definitions

In the Admission Policy, unless the context otherwise requires: 

  1. “Admission” means regular entry into the college as per the laid down procedure enshrined in section 4 to 12.
  2. “Admission Committee” means the committee(s) constituted by the Principal of a college to scrutinize/verify the credentials of online applications submitted by aspirants for admission in faculty/discipline.
  3. “College” means all the male and female general colleges under the administrative control of the Higher Education Department, Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
  4. “Principal” means the head of the college whether holding a regular post or posted as otherwise.
  5. “Director” means Director, Directorate General of Higher Education, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
  6. “Director Regional Directorate” means Director, Regional Directorate(s) of Higher Education, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
  7. “Secretary” means Secretary to Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Higher Education, Archives and Libraries Department.
  8. “Employee” means a regular employee of the department, college or Directorate/ Regional Directorates of Higher Education.
  9. “Result” means the Gazetted notification duly notified by the concerned Boards/Universities.
  10. “Level” means Intermediate level and Undergraduate level of studies.
  11. “Faculty” means disciplines at intermediate level i.e. Pre-Medical, Pre-Engineering, Computer Science, Humanities, and such other groups of studies/disciplines at undergraduate level which are offered by the college and allowed by the concerned Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE) or University.
  12. “Sports” means games defined by the concerned Board or University and offered by the college.
  13. “Board” means concerned Board of Intermediate & Secondary Education.
  14. University” means concerned University to which a college is affiliated at the undergraduate level.
  15. “JMC” means Joint Management Council of the Colleges in a district/particular area.
  16.  “College Jurisdiction” or “Jurisdictional Area” means the area based on Union Councils / Neighborhood Councils / Village Councils of the college specified and duly approved by the Joint Management Council (JMC) for admission against the specified quota.
  17. “BS” means four-year Bachelor of Studies Degree Program duly recognized by affiliating university
  18. “AD” means two-year Associate Degree Program duly recognized by affiliating university.

​3. Commencement of Admission

  1. Admissions to various programs shall be completed as per schedule set by the respective BISE or University, as applicable. Admission forms shall be made available to candidates immediately after the announcement of results to ensure fair opportunity for all eligible candidates from all BISEs and Universities of the province, including Federal BISE (Islamabad).
  2. Candidates holding O/A Level or equivalent foreign certificates shall be accommodated based on the respective Board or University's last registration dates. Candidates awaiting their results may apply for admission with tentative marks, supported by a “hope certificate” from the head or principal of their institution. Their admission shall be provisional, subject to the fulfillment of all formal requirements. Upon the declaration of their results, their tentative marks shall be verified. If their final marks fall below the required threshold for the specified quota merit list, their admission shall be canceled. Vacant seats due to these cancellations shall be filled from the waiting list.
  3. O/A Level or foreign certificate holders must obtain an equivalency certificate from IBCC/HEC for accurate determination of their merit marks while fulfilling the registration requirements of the respective Board or University.  
  4. Where online admission facility is available, applicants must submit their applications online via the designated portal and hardcopies of their application forms along with required documents to the concerned colleges at the time of interview or as otherwise required.
  5. In case of manual admissions, where online admission facilities are unavailable, admission forms received from the candidates for each group shall be entered into a separate register with specified serial numbers. This register will serve as a reference for any information regarding candidates who have applied for admission. Additionally, a receipt shall be issued to each candidate upon submission of their admission form.
  6. Applications cannot be submitted after the due date. Applicants must pay the processing fee within the specified time, following the method approved/devised by the Higher Education Department
  7. The Principal shall constitute separate Admission Committees for various faculties or disciplines at different levels. Each committee shall be led by a senior staff member as Chairperson and will include other staff members from the relevant faculty or discipline. These committees shall be responsible for thoroughly reviewing and scrutinizing the application forms and recommending candidates for admission, in accordance with government rules and the guidelines set by the respective affiliating BISE or University.
  8. The Principal may reserve Ten percent (10%) of the total seats in each faculty for 15 days to accommodate meritorious students on a provincial basis. This provision is for students who are unable to secure admission at the Intermediate level within the prescribed time due to unavoidable circumstances. However, if additional seats remain vacant during the regular admission cycle, they may be allocated to candidates from the meritorious pool. When determining the minimum marks for the meritorious quota, care should be taken to ensure that these marks are not lower than the minimum required for candidates admitted through the concerned merit list.

4. Eligibility Criteria

The admission Committee(s) shall pay due consideration to the following points; 

  1. Admission shall not be offered to the candidates in a faculty /Discipline where the number of applications received is less than 20. However, in special cases, prior approval may be sought out from the Director Higher Education.
  2. If the concerned admission committee anticipates that fewer than 50% of the total allocated seats in AD/BS discipline will be filled, the committee must guide students regarding their possible adjustments to other disciplines. This is subject to the condition that the merit criteria of the respective discipline is not compromised and the seats are available. Any decision made in this regard by the Principal or the concerned admission committee shall be deemed final.
  3. If the number of students in AD/BS program drops below 15 at any stage or semester, they will be shifted/migrated to another college in the same or nearby districts that offers the same discipline, upon approval from Director Higher Education.
  4. Students who failed in one or more subjects in the preceding exam, shall not be eligible for admission in Intermediate Part-I /1st Semester of Associate Degree or BS Program (1st/5th Semester).
  5. For admission to the 1st year of Intermediate, the minimum marks shall align with the policy of the relevant Board (BISE).
  6.  For admission to the 1st Semester of BS/Associate Degree programs and the 5th Semester of BS programs, the minimum marks shall conform to the eligibility criteria set by the affiliating university.
  7. General conditions, along with any specific requirements for a particular faculty, discipline, or subject, shall adhere to the policies of the respective BISE or University for the relevant level.
  8. Candidates who have passed equivalent examinations at the Intermediate level may also be considered for admission to higher education at the undergraduate level, subject to the eligibility criteria of the affiliating university.
  9. If a candidate applies for admission after a gap of one or more years, they must submit an affidavit stating that he/she has not been previously admitted to any college/or has cancelled previous admission.
  10. Candidates who have passed their examinations through a supplementary exam in the immediately preceding year shall not be eligible for admission in the same academic year in which they passed the exam.
  11. Candidates, who failed to confirm their seat by depositing the required fee within the specified period, shall lose their right of admission and his/her seat shall be allotted to the next candidate in order of merit. However, if such candidate(s) turn for admission at a later stage and vacant seats are available then such candidates may be given an opportunity before offering admission to the next candidate(s) having a lower stage on the merit list.

5. Age Limit & Relaxation

  1. The upper age limit for male candidates shall be reckoned on the closing date of applications submission to the respective level and shall be as follows:
    1. Intermediate Part-I                                          19 years
    2. AD 1st Semester/ BS 1st Semester                  22 years
    3. BS 5th Semester                                               25 years
  2. There shall be no upper age limit for female candidates, except for those applying under the sports quota, as prescribed in Clause 5(i).
  3. Age relaxation shall be granted by the Principal of the respective college in accordance with the criteria of the affiliating Board/University. Additionally, candidates seeking age relaxation must submit their applications to the concerned Principal with valid reasons before the interview.
  4. Age relaxation shall not be applicable to male and female candidates applying through the Sports Quota.

6. Documents Required

The applicant falling in merit list shall be bound to submit application form along with the photocopies of following documents at the time of admission or as required otherwise:

  1. SSC Certificate for admission at any level of study, & HSSC Certificate for AD/BS Program.
  2. Detail Marks / Provisional Certificate of the last exam passed
  3. Domicile Certificate
  4.  Own/ Father CNIC/ Form B
  5. Character Certificate issued by the institution last attended. Where the candidate has passed the last examination in private capacity Character certificate shall be signed by a gazetted officer.
  6. Required number of colored photographs as per college policy.
  7. Quota eligibility certificate in case a candidate applies for a specified quota notified by the government, e.g. Sports, Special Person/Disable etc. 
  8. Original Migration Certificate (Board to Board) for candidates who passed O/A Level or SSC from a board different from the one to which the college is affiliated.
  9. Original Migration Certificate (Board to University) for admission to BS/AD programs.
  10. Verified Copy of HSSC Detail Marks Sheet from the concerned Board for admission to BS/AD programs
  11. Affidavit for Non-involvement in Politics on a plain page shall be obtained from the candidates at the time of admission where online admission facility is not available whereas, in Online Admission System, the said provision is already available.

7. Intermediate Seat Allocation

For Intermediate Part-I/1st Year admissions, the college shall adhere to the following seat distribution and quota:

  1. Open Merit: Forty percent (40%) of the total seats are reserved for Pakistani citizens on merit basis. Furthermore, the candidates who have applied under any quota, except Afghan Quota, shall automatically be considered for Open Merit.
  2. Local Quota: Forty Five percent (45%) of the total seats are reserved for candidates belonging to the jurisdictional area of the college. A candidate shall be defined local, if he/she:
    1. Is domiciled in the Jurisdictional Area. Additionally, the address on his/her own or his/her parents' CNIC match the jurisdiction where the college is located.
    2. Is child, spouse, or ward of an employee of the federal or provincial government serving in the district in which the college is located. Additionally, such applicants must produce attested service certificate and recent payroll of their parents/spouse/guardian from their respective departments at the time of admission. Moreover, in case of Guardian of an orphan / adopted child, the applicants must also produce attested copy of Guardianship certificate given by Guardian Court of Pakistan.
  3. Employee Quota: Six percent (6%) of the total seats are reserved for the children of in-service or retired employees of the Higher Education Department Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (college subsector) on provincial basis.
  4. Sports Quota: Five percent (5%) of the total seats are reserved for sports quota on provincial basis.
  5. Special Person Quota: Two percent (2%) of the total seats are reserved for special / disabled candidates on the provincial basis. Such candidates must provide a disability certificate issued by the relevant department.
  6. Minority Quota: Two percent (2%) of the total seats are reserved for minority candidates on provincial basis.
  7. Afghan Quota: 1 Seat in each faculty Over & Above shall be allocated to Afghan Citizens. Additionally, such candidates shall submit No Objection Certificate and recommendation from the Afghan Commissionerate. Furthermore, the clearance certificate from local police station shall also be provided at the time of interview.

Seats falling vacant under any quota as defined under rule 7: (ii, iii, iv, v, vi) except Afghan Quota shall be re-allocated to quota as defined under rule 7: (i). (Open Merit).

Table 1. Intermediate Seat Allocation for General & Commerce Colleges

S.No

Quota Name

Percentage

1

Open Merit

40 %

2

Local Quota

45 %

3

Employee

06 %

4

Sports

05 %

5

Special Person

02 %

6

Minority

02 %

7

Afghan

1 Seat in each faculty

 

8. BS & AD 1st Semester Seat Allocation

For BS / AD 1st Semester admissions, the college shall adhere to the following seat distribution and quota:

  1. Open Merit Quota: Forty-Three percent (43%) of the total seats are reserved for the Pakistani citizens on merit basis. Furthermore, the candidates who have applied under any quota, except Afghan Quota, shall automatically be considered for Open Merit.
  2. District Local Quota: Forty-Two percent (42%) of the total seats are reserved for candidates belonging to the college district. A candidate shall be defined as District Local if he/she:
    1. Is domiciled in the district. Additionally, the address on his/her own or his/her parents' CNIC must match the district where the college is located.
    2. Is child, spouse, or ward of an employee of the federal or provincial government serving in the district in which the college is located. Additionally, such applicants must produce attested service certificate and recent payroll of their parents/spouse/guardian from their respective departments at the time of admission. Moreover, in case of Guardian of an orphan / adopted child, the applicants must also produce attested copy of Guardianship certificate given by Guardian Court of Pakistan.
  3. Employee Quota: Six percent (6%) of the total seats are reserved for the children of in-service or retired employees of the Higher Education Department Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (college subsector) on provincial basis.
  4. Sports Quota: Five percent (5%) of the total seats are reserved for sports quota on provincial basis.
  5. Special Person Quota: Two percent (2%) of the total seats are reserved for special / disabled candidates on the provincial basis. Such candidates must provide a disability certificate issued by the relevant department.
  6. Minority Quota: Two percent (2%) of the total seats are reserved for minority candidates on provincial basis.
  7. Afghan Quota: 1 Seat in each faculty Over & Above shall be allocated to Afghan Citizens. Additionally, such candidates shall submit No Objection Certificate and recommendation from the Afghan Commissionerate. Furthermore, the clearance certificate from local police station shall also be provided at the time of interview.

Seats falling vacant under any quota specified in rule 8 (ii, iii, iv, v, vi), except for the Afghan Quota, shall be re-allocated to the Open Merit outlined in rule 8 (i).

Table 2. BS and AD Seats Allocation (Degree Colleges)

S.No

Quota Name

Percentage

Seats Out of 40

Seats Out of 50

1

Open Merit

43 %

17

22

2

District Local

42 %

17

21

3

College Employee

06 %

2

3

4

Sports

05 %

2

2

5

Special Person

02 %

1

1

6

Minority

02 %

1

1

7

Afghan

1 Seat in each faculty

 

Seats Distribution for BS 04 Years Programs (Commerce Colleges):

#

Quota Title

Quota Percentage

1

District Quota (student of same college)

60%

2

Open Commerce Quota (D.Com/DBA)

16%

3

Open Quota (FA/FSc)

11%

4

Sports

4%

5

Army Sons Quota

2%

6

Employees of CE & MS

3%

7

Special Person

2%

8

Minority

2%

 

9. BS 5th Semester Seat Allocation

Admission to the BS program in the fifth (5th) semester shall be granted based on open merit, subject to the availability of vacant seats in the respective BS program. The admission shall be in accordance with the eligibility criteria set by the affiliating university.

10. Female Admission at Male Colleges in BS Program

To facilitate and encourage female aspirants', the following guidelines shall be observed where co-education already exists:

  1. Admissions shall be offered to female candidates in those BS disciplines which are not available at any Female' college in the same jurisdictional area as determined by the concerned JMC.
  2. Female students applying to male colleges in 1st Semester shall apply under the quota specified in Rule 8 (i), (iii), (v), (vi) and (vii).

11. Merit Determination

  1. Twenty (20) additional marks shall be awarded to the Hafiz-e-Quran candidates for admission at Intermediate Part-I, AD 1st semester and BS 1st semester. Such candidates must substantiate their claim with a valid Hafiz-e-Quran certificate and shall pass test conducted by the relevant Admission Committee. Additionally, this process must be completed before the 1st Provisional merit list is generated.
  2. Five (05) marks per year/session shall be deducted from candidates’ who passed their last examination in previous year(s). However, no such deduction shall be made from a candidate who has passed the last examination in the supplementary session of the immediate preceding year.
  3. Merit shall be determined by the aggregate percentage in the qualifying examination (Matriculation for Intermediate, Intermediate for BS / AD 1st semester and AD 4th semester CGPA/Marks for admission to BS 5th Semester).
  4. The merit list for various quota except Sports shall be prepared separately based on percentage of obtained marks in last exam passed. In case of same percentage; the candidate older in age shall be placed higher in merit. If both age and percentage are identical, priority shall be given to the candidate who applied first.
  5. Merit lists for the various quota shall be published after the open merit seats are filled.
  6. Sports Merit shall be determined by combining the sports certificate and sports trial marks.  
  1. Sports Certificate Marks         (Maximum of 35)
  2. Trial Marks                             (Maximum of 65)

Certificate marks shall be awarded to the candidates as per criteria below:

 

             Table 3: Sports Certification and Marks Allocation

S. No

Title of Certificate

Marks

1

SSC Level Sports Certificate

10

2

HSSC Level Sports Certificate /Inter District/ Zonal Certificate

15

3

District Level Certificate

20

4

Regional / BISE Inter School / Inter  Colleges/DHE Regional Level Certificate

25

5

Inter-Board / Provincial Certificate

30

6

BISE / Other National Level Certificate

35

  1. Candidates possessing more than one of the above certificates shall be awarded marks for only the highest certificate.
  2. Active Participation in Sports: Students admitted through the sports quota must provide an undertaking to actively participate in the college sports team. Failure to comply with this requirement will lead to the cancellation of their admission.
  3. Public Display of Merit Lists: All merit lists shall be publicly displayed on college notice board and on official admission website.
  4. Confirmation of Admission: Shortlisted candidates must appear in person before the admission committee with their parent/guardian, bringing all original documents and photocopies as required. Admission must be confirmed by paying the required fees and completing all codal formalities within the specified timeframe.

12. Grievance Redressal and Application Review

  1. Complaints and Appeals: Students wishing to contest their admission status or raise concerns may file a complaint with the Director Admissions, Admission Committee, or Principal. They will investigate and resolve the issue within a specified timeline.
  2. Rechecking of Merit Calculations: Upon request, applicants may have their merit calculations rechecked to ensure accuracy. If an error is found, it shall be rectified immediately.
  3. Quota Change: Students who have mistakenly applied under the wrong quota may request a quota change. After reviewing the request, the college may either approve or reject the request.

13. Seats Adjustment

As deemed necessary, the Principal may submit cases to the Director / Regional Director for increase / decrease in seats, based on the availability of physical and human resources at the college.

14. Financial Assistance

  1. Need-Based Scholarship: Financial assistance to the students; be extended as per proviso laid down in “College Pupil Fund Guidelines 2023”.
  2. Merit-Based Scholarship: Scholarships in accordance with “College Pupil Fund Guidelines 2023” shall be awarded to top-performing students based on their academic records.
  3. Fee Waivers: Special / Disable students are entitled for fee waiver in accordance with Higher Education department Khyber Pakhtunkhwa directives.

15. Admission Cancellation

Admission at the college shall stands canceled under the following circumstances;

  1. If any information provided by the student in their Admission Form is found incorrect at any stage.
  2. If a student fails to attend classes within 10 days of the start of the session.
  3. If a student found as agitator, or has been expelled from any educational institution on disciplinary grounds.
  4. If a student is practically involved in Politics
  5. As per Rule 11 (viii).
  6. If less than 50% of the total allocated seats are filled in the AD/BS discipline, the students' admissions shall be canceled, and they will receive a full refund of their fees.
  7. Upon the student's request, provided the request shall be made within the time specified by the admission committee.

16. Struck-off on account of Absenteeism

  1. A student who remains absent for six consecutive days without submitting a written application shall be struck-off from the college roll.

17. Fee Refund Guidelines

If a newly admitted student cancels his/her admission due to securing admission at another college or for any other reason and subsequently applies for fee refund, the following scenarios will apply:

  1. Cancellation requests submitted before the board/university registration fee is paid, shall entitle the student for a full refund.
  2. Cancellation requests submitted after the board/university registration fee has been paid, shall only entitle the student to a refund his/her private fund and security fee.
  3. Cancellation requests submitted after one month of classes, shall only entitle the student to refund his security fee.
  4. If no refund request is made within 3 months of admission, all fees, including the security fee, shall be forfeited.

18. Re-Admission

  1. A student whose admission is canceled under Rule 15(ii) or whose name is struck off due to continuous absence under Rule 16(i) may apply for re-admission to the college by submitting a written request to the Principal within 15 days of the issuance of such notification. The Principal may permit re-admission upon payment of the re-admission fee/admission fee and any other outstanding dues.
  2. Re-admission for a second time within the same academic session is generally not permitted. However, in genuine and unavoidable situation, an application may be submitted to the Regional Director / Directorate General of Higher Education, accompanied by valid documentary proof. This is contingent upon the applicant must be able to compensate for any deficiencies and meet the 75% attendance requirement for the remaining session. Such students must pay all Government fees, fines, Pupils Fund and any other outstanding dues, excluding security and Board/University charges.

19. Subject Change

Change of faculty shall not be allowed, but a subject change is permitted only in Intermediate Arts and Humanities programs within 21 days of the commencement of classes.

20. Migration

Migration to or from a college/university may be allowed by the Principals/Heads of both institutions, subject to the following conditions:

  1. The applicant is seeking migration from a college/university located more than 16 kilometers away from the desired institution.
  2. The request shall be based on legitimate grounds such as parent / spouse’s transfer, family relocation, family disputes, or marriage, duly supported by documentary evidence.
  3. The marks obtained by the applicant in the last examination passed are not less than the minimum marks secured by a regular student of that class.
  4. The migration request shall be made within the time frame prescribed by the relevant BISE/University.

21. Miscellaneous

Any matter not addressed by this policy shall be referred in writing to the Director Higher Education, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, whose decision on the matter shall be final.

22. Conclusion

This Admission Policy aims to create a fair and transparent process that allows students from across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including marginalized and underrepresented groups, to access quality higher education. The policy shall be implemented with a commitment to merit, equity, and continuous improvement, ensuring the highest standards of educational access and opportunity for all students.