Foreign Degree Equivalence for Government Jobs in Pakistan

• FPSC: with your documents at verification. Without it the application is liable to rejection, and a later claim is not accepted.
• PPSC: at the interview, or whenever PPSC asks. Without it the candidature is cancelled. Foreign degrees count only from universities recognised by HEC, PMDC, PEC, PNC, IBCC or another competent body.
• SPSC: with the online application; if it is still being issued, at the interview - or you cannot be interviewed. An equivalent degree counts only where the advertisement says "or equivalent".
• KPPSC: HEC's equivalence certificate to authenticate any equivalence you claim.
• AJK PSC: when you submit your documents, or the application is liable to rejection.
• ETEA-run advertisements: an HEC equivalence certificate for a foreign degree.

HEC decides equivalence case by case. You apply online at eservices.hec.gov.pk and pay through 1-Link, and for a foreign degree the university must send verification of it directly to HEC. HEC publishes no processing time, so apply as soon as you think you may need it.

• The letter states only the level of your degree - no CGPA or grades. HEC does not convert a CGPA into a percentage, so prove marks from your transcript.
• Foreign online, distance or blended degrees are considered case by case; professional ones (engineering, medicine, nursing) only after the relevant council has registered or endorsed them.
• HEC never attests a foreign degree itself - only its equivalence letter can be attested.

IBCC decides equivalence up to Intermediate, and says its equivalence is needed for employment. Its rules for the British system:

• O level equals Matric only with eight subjects - English, Mathematics, Urdu, Islamiyat, Pakistan Studies and three electives - at grade E or better (five if taken abroad).
• A level equals Intermediate on top of that, with three subjects for the group at grade E or better. Grades F and G are not accepted.
• A Statement of Result is accepted for six months; after that IBCC wants the certificate.
• IBCC's pages give different processing times (15-20 working days in its FAQ); allow for the longer.

HEC equates the Shahadat-ul-Aalamia with an MA in Arabic or Islamic Studies, and the Shahadat-ul-Aalia with a BA on conditions; it says the equivalence may be used for teaching Arabic or Islamic Studies and for higher studies.

For Pakistani degrees, HEC treats a four-year BS (BE, BS, BBA Hons, MBBS and the like) as 16 years for employment in BPS-17, and a two-year Associate Degree generally as the old 14-year BA/BSc. The same level does not make two subjects interchangeable: HEC says a BS in Software Engineering is not equivalent to a BS in Computer Science.

1. Choose who is recruiting - FPSC, PPSC, KPPSC, SPSC, BPSC, AJK PSC, a testing service or a department - and the kind of post.
2. Answer short questions about your domicile, government service, qualification, experience and any quota. Each is a tap, and nothing leaves your device.
3. You get your own list - every document, original or copy, and how many copies this body asks for - to tick off, print or save as a PDF.
4. Above it are the risks in your answers: red for a listed reason to reject, amber to check, green to have ready - each with what to do and the official rule.

• Applying for equivalence only after passing the test - FPSC and AJK PSC want it with your documents.
• O levels with fewer than eight subjects, or a compulsory subject missing.
• Expecting the equivalence letter to show your CGPA.
• Assuming a degree in a related subject counts where the advertisement does not say "or equivalent".