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National University of Science and Technology (NUST) is a semi-government research institute that operates under the administrative control of Pakistan Armed Forces. Conceived in 1991, the institute was initially intended solely to train and educate the commissioned officers in the various fields of engineering and sciences. However, a few years after its inception, the institute achieved the status of a public research institute.
As of today, NUST boasts being the number one education and research institute in the country and also being among very few of the internationally revered higher education institutes in Pakistan. It has slightly north of 15,000 students, over 20 separate departments with their own specializations, and about 1300 faculty members. It has 4 campuses, namely, in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Karachi and Risalpur.
NUST also has a number of accolades to it name. The most notable one was perhaps becoming the 1st ever institute in Pakistan to be awarded the ISO 9000 certification for their engineering excellence. Furthermore in terms of international recognition, QS World University Rankings placed NUST at 355 in the world and for the Engineering category whereas the university was placed as 251-300. In the Asian University rankings, NUST came in at #83.
In Pakistan, NUST is regarded by the engineering and business students as THE place to go to. Google Trends data revealed that NUST is the most searched Pakistani education and research institute, a status that it has held for over 16 years.
As mentioned prior, NUST offers a wide array of higher education programs. Each program has its own set of eligibility criteria for admission. Following are some of the important detail that you must bear in mind, with respect to the different programs:
NUST allows the aspiring students the opportunity to choose from a wide assortment of undergraduate programs. Being a standout contender in terms of the quality of instruction, NUST is regarded as a gold standard of educational prowess by the students and the teachers alike. To stay true to their reputation, the institute maintains high quality education and also sets a high bar for the hopefuls to achieve that privilege. With that said, following are the details that are to be borne in mind while applying for an undergraduate program at NUST:
Following are some of the particulars pertaining to the nationality status of the candidates:
Sr. No | Nationality Status | NET | SAT National | SAT International |
1 | Pakistani National (Pakistani Scheme of Studies) | Yes | Yes | No |
2 | Pakistani National (Foreign Scheme of Studies) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
3 | Expatriate | Yes | Yes | Yes |
4 | Dual National (Pakistan and Any Other) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
5 | Foreign National | No | No | Yes |
NUST offers a wide array of undergraduate programs for the aspiring candidates to choose from. Following is the list of all the undergraduate programs and the prior degrees that the students must have to apply for each program:
Programs | Pakistani System of Studies | Foreign systems of studies |
Engineering | FSc Pre-Engineering Group FSc Computer Science Group FSc Pre-Medical with additional Maths | O level (SSC) equivalence of “Science group” and A level (HSSC) equivalence of “Pre-Engineering group” including Maths, Physics and Chemistry as mandatory subjects. |
BS Computer Science | FSc Pre-Engineering / Computer Science Group | O level (SSC) equivalence of “Science group” and A level (HSSC) equivalence of “Pre-Engineering group” OR “Computer Science group” including Maths, Physics, Chemistry/Computer Science/Computer Studies as mandatory subjects. |
BS Applied Biosciences | FSc Pre-Medical Group | O level (SSC) equivalence of “Science group” and A level (HSSC) equivalence of “Pre-Medical group” or any other group with three subjects including Biology and Chemistry as mandatory subjects. |
BBA, BS Economics, BS Mass Communication, BS Public Administration, BS Psychology | HSSC with any combination | ‘O / A’ Level (SSC and HSSC) or equivalent with any combination |
BS Accounting & Finance | HSSC with Maths or Accounting and Finance or Accountancy as one of the major subject. | O level (SSC) equivalence and A level (HSSC) equivalence with Maths or Accounting and Finance or Accountancy as one of the mandatory subject. |
BS Mathematics | HSSC with Maths | O level (SSC) equivalence and A level (HSSC) equivalence with Maths as one of the mandatory subject. |
BS Physics | FSc Pre-Engineering Group or Computer Science Group | O level (SSC) equivalence and A Level (HSSC) equivalence with three subjects including Maths and Physics as mandatory subjects. |
BS Chemistry | FSc Pre-Engineering Group or Pre-Medical Group | O level (SSC) equivalence and A Level (HSSC) equivalence withChemistry as major subject along with Physics OR Mathematics |
Architecture and Industrial Design | FSc Pre-Engineering Group or Computer Science Group | O level (SSC) equivalence with Maths & Physics as mandatory subjects and A level (HSSC) equivalence of “Pre-Engineering group” or any other group with three subjects including Maths and Physics as mandatory subjects. |
Furthermore, as mentioned prior, the applicant must fall under the eligibility criteria set against each program offered by the institute. With that said, following is the general eligibility criteria for all undergraduate programs:
Ever since the outbreak of Coronavirus across the country, many institutes including NUST have had to go to online education methods to accommodate the currently residing batches of students.
Due to some concerns regarding their capacity pertaining to online teaching methods, the university is holding back the admission opportunity for new students. However, the university is set to open the admissions for new batches back up again once the pandemic goes away.
For now, subject to any betterment in the COVID-19 situation, NUST plans to conduct Entry Test Series-2 & 3 in months of Aug & Sep respectively. Exact dates will be intimated by end of July 2020. Registration for Series-3 and SAT is likely to commence from the 1st of July 2020.
Following are some of the important dates you should bare in mind:
Series | Online Registration | To Be Conducted |
Series-1 | 28 Oct – 3 Dec 2019 | 7 Dec 2019 Onwards |
Series-2 | 2 Feb – 4 Mar 2020 | Aug 2020 Onwards (Depending on Current Situation) |
Series-3 | Apr – Jun 2020 | Sept 2020 Onwards (Depending on Current Situation) |
Online Registration | Last Date to Receive SAT Scores |
May – July 2020 | 15 July 2020 (will be reviewed) |
Engineering & Computer Sciences:
Programs | Dates |
SCEE, SMME, SCME, SEECS | September, 2020 |
PNEC | September, 2020 |
CAE, MCE, MCS, C of E&ME | November, 2020 |
Business Studies, Social & Natural Sciences and Art and Design:
Programs | Dates |
NBS, S3H | September, 2020 |
SADA | September, 2020 |
SNS | September, 2020 |
BS Applied Biosciences:
Programs | Dates |
ASAB | November 2020 |
SAT scores should reach NUST from College Board, USA by 15 July 2020 (will be reviewed). The candidate is responsible for providing the SAT scores by due date.
Selection of candidates for Engineering / Computer Science / Natural Sciences / Business Studies & Social Sciences / Architecture and Industrial Design was to commence in August 2020 and Applied Biosciences in October 2020 as per given dates. However, these dates are subject to change, given the current situation pertaining to COVID-19.
Suppose you’re up to the mark in terms of eligibility criteria and you wish to apply for an undergraduate program in NUST. Here’s how its done:
Refer to the “admission schedule” section of the article for relevant dates.
The fee structure for the undergraduate programs is as follows:
Engineering/IT, Bio Sciences & Natural Sciences | Architecture, Social Sciences & Business Studies | |
Admission Procession Fee | 35,000/- | 35,000/- |
Security Deposit | 10,000/- | 10,000/- |
Semester Fee | 95,000/- | 110,000/- |
Miscellaneous Charges (per semester) | 2,700/- | 2,700/- |
Note: ‘Harvard Business school licensing fee’ will be charged from BBA and BS Accounting & Finance students at Rs.7000/year.
Like the undergraduate programs, you can find a plentiful variety of masters programs at NUST as well, all while resting assured of the top-notch instruction quality and learning opportunity. Following is a comprehensive list of Departments, programs being offered within the departments and the eligibility criteria against each of the programs:
Following is the eligibility criteria against each of the programs being offered within the said department:
Bachelors/Masters degree must be accredited by PEC/HEC (as applicable) in the disciplines relevant to each of the following programs:-
Discipline | Prerequisites |
Aerospace Engineering | BE in Aerospace / Mechanical / Mechatronics / Industrial / Manufacturing / Electrical |
Avionics Engineering | BE in Electrical / Electronics / Avionics / Computer / Software/ Aerospace. |
Biomedical Engineering | BE Biomedical / Chemical / Electrical / Mechanical / Mechatronics / Computer / Materials. |
Bioinformatics | BS in Bioinformatics / Biosciences / Molecular Biology / Biotechnology / MBBS. OR MSc in Molecular Biology / Biotechnology / Computer Science. |
Chemical Engineering | BE in Chemical / Petroleum |
Computer Engineering | BE in Electronics / Industrial Electronics / Computer System / Electrical / Electrical & Communication / Telecommunication / Avionics. |
Computer Software Engineering / Information Technology / Computer Science | BE in any discipline. OR MCS / BCS (4 years) / BIT (4 years) or MSc in Statistics / Physics / Applied Physics / Mathematics / Electronics with BIT / BCS (2-3 years). |
Computational Science & Engineering (Modelling & Simulation) | Masers/Bachelors in any discipline of Engineering, Natural Sciences, Computer Science / Geology / Biosciences/ Electronics / Statistics / Pharmacy and Public Health. |
Construction Engineering and Management | BE Civil / Transportation, BE Architecture and Bachelor of Architecture. |
Cyber Security | BE in Electrical / Teleocmmunication / Computer Software / Computer System/ Electronics / Industrial Electronics / Electrical & Communication / Avionics / Communication Technologies OR MCS / MIT / BCS (04 years) / BIT (04 years) / BS (MIS) (04 years) OR MSc in Statistics / Physics / Applied Physics / Mathematics / Electronics |
Data Science | BS in Computer Science / Information Technology / Software Engineering / Statistics and Mathematics. OR BE in Computer Engineering / Electrical engineering. |
Electrical Engineering | BE in Electrical / Telecommunication / Mechatronics / Electronics / Industrial Electronics / Electrical & Communication / Avionics / Communication Technologies / Computer System. |
Energy Systems Engineering / Thermal Energy Engineering | BE in any Engineering Discipline recognized by PEC. OR MSc/BS (04 years) in Chemistry/Physics/Electronics/Environment. |
Electrical Engineering (Power) | BE in Electrical/Electronic recognized by PEC |
Engineering Management | BE in any discipline. |
Environmental Engineering | BE in any discipline from PEC / HEC (as applicable) recognized institution of Pakistan or abroad. |
Environmental Science | MSc (Physics / Applied Physics / Chemistry / Biological Science / Microbiology / Biochemistry / Forestry / Agriculture Science) / MBBS / BDS. |
Geotechnical / Structural / Geotechnical & Tunneling Engineering | BE in Civil Engineering. |
Transportation Engineering | Transportation Engineering |
Information Security | BE in Electrical / Telecommunication / Computer Software/ Computer System/ Electronics / Industrial Electronics / Electrical & Communication / Avionics / Communication Technologies. OR MCS / MIT / BCS (4 years) / BIT (4 years) or MSc in (Statistics / Physics / Applied Physics / Mathematics / Electronics) with BCS / BIT. |
Innovative Technologies in Learning | 16 years of education from HEC/PEC recognised institute in disciplines in Computer Science / Information Technology / Education / Social Sciences / Management Sciences / Basic Sciences OR BE in any discipline. |
Mechanical Engineering | BE in Mechanical / Mechatronics / Industrial / Manufacturing / Aerospace / Agricultural. |
Mechatronics Engineering | BE in Mechatronics / Mechanical / Electrical / Telecommunication / Computer / Industrial / Manufacturing / Aerospace/Avionics. |
Manufacturing Engineering and Management / Design & Manufacturing Engineering | BE in Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Mechatronics Engineering, Aerospace Engineering / Electrical / Electronics / Avionics. |
BE in Materials and Metallurgical / Mechanical / Mining / Petroleum / Chemical / Engineering Sciences. OR MSc in Chemistry / Physics / Mathematics / Environmental Sciences. (These candidates may be considered but will have to undertake additional courses as deemed necessary to cover deficiencies for engineering degree essentials.) | |
Nanoscience & Engineering | BE in Material / Chemical / Mechanical / Environmental / Computer / Electronics / Polymer. OR BS in Physics / Chemistry / Environmental & Bioscience. |
Naval Architecture | BE in Naval Architecture / Mechanical / Electrical / Civil / Aerospace / Avionics Engineering or any other related Engineering discipline. |
Process Systems Engineering | BE in Chemical / Petroleum / Mechanical / Environmental / Polymers / Materials. |
Remote Sensing and GIS | Masters/Bachelors in Remote Sensing and GIS / Geography / Geology / Computer Science / Environmental. OR Masters / Bachelors in Town Planning / City & Regional Planning / Urban Planning / Forestry / Business Management / Health Management / Public Health / Architecture. OR BE in Civil / Environmental / Electrical / Mechanical / Petroleum / Mining / Marine / Transportation. OR Masters / Bachelors in Archeology / Economics / Rural Development / Architecture / Business Management / Public Administration and Management or any other Social and Management Science disciplines. |
Robotics & Intelligent Machine Engineering | BE in Mechatronics/Mechanical/ Electrical/ Computer / Industrial / Manufacturing / Aerospace / Avionics / Computer Software / Computer Science OR equivalent degree. |
Systems Engineering | BE Mechanical / Mechtronics / Production / Industrial / Automobile / Electrical / Electronics / Avionics / Telecom / Computer Engineering / Software Engineering. OR MCS / MIT / BCS (4 years) / BIT (4 years) or MCs in (Statistics / Physics / Applied Physics / Mathematis / Electronics) with BCS / BIT. |
Urban and Regional Planning | BE Civil / Construction / Architecture / Geo Informatics or BS Architecture / City & Town Planning. |
Water Resources Engineering | BE in Civil / Agriculture / Environmental / Geological / Geoinformatics / Transportation. |
Following is the eligibility criteria against each of the programs being offered within the said department:
Bachelors/Masters degree must be accredited by PEC/HEC (as applicable) in the disciplines relevant to each of the following programs:-
Disciplines | Prerequisites |
Chemistry |
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Mathematics |
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Physics |
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Statistics |
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Following is the eligibility criteria against each of the programs being offered within the said department:
Bachelors/Masters degree must be accredited by PEC/HEC (as applicable) in the disciplines relevant to each of the following programs:-
Discipline | Prerequisites |
MBA (2 years) |
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Executive MBA |
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MS Innovation and Entrepreneurship |
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MS Human Resource Management |
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MS Logistic & Supply Chain Management |
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MS Clinical Psychology |
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MS Economics |
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MS Mass Communication |
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MS Development Studies |
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MS Career Counselling & Education | Masters / BS (04 years) in any discipline from HEC recognised institute with minimum CGPA of 2.5/4.0 or 65% marks. |
MS Peace & Conflict Studies |
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MS Disaster Management | Masters / BS (04 years) in any discipline from HEC recognised institute. |
Following is the eligibility criteria against each of the programs being offered within the said department:
Bachelors/Masters degree must be accredited by PEC/HEC (as applicable) in the disciplines relevant to each of the following programs:-
Discipline | Prerequisites |
Industrial Biotechnology/ Plant Biotechnology/ Healthcare Biotechnology | MSc in Life Sciences / BSc (4 years) in Biotechnology / Biochemistry / Molecular Biology / Biosciences / Bioinformatics / MBBS/ DVM / BDS. |
Biomedical Science | BS (4 years) or Masters in Biology, Physics, Chemistry, Computer Science, Materials Science, Biosciences, Pharmacology, Molecular Biology, Genetic Engineering, Biotechnology or MBBS/BDS. |
Following are some of the important details pertaining to admission schedule that you must remember:
Commencement of Online Application Submission | 1st of July, 2020 |
Commencement of Classes |
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Also, the details pertaining to the submission of GAT (General)/HAT/GRE/GMAT final results are as follows:
Note: All the candidates must provide the correct CNIC number on the NUST Online Admission Application Form and on NTS form. Failing to do so may result in their scores becoming invalid.
Here’s how you can apply for a graduate program at NUST:
The fee structure for the undergraduate programs is as follows:
MS Engineering /IT, Social Sciences(Eco), Bio Sciences, programs | MS HRM, MS Logistics & Supply Chain Management, MS Innovation & Entrepreneurship (Rupees) | EMBA | MBA, Engineering Management & Construction Engineering Management | |
Admission Processing Fee | 10,000/- | 10,000/- | 10,000/- | 10,000/- |
Security Deposit | 10,000/- | 10,000/- | 10,000/- | 10,000/- |
Semester Fee | 68,000/- | 80,000/- | 25,000/- (per course) | 105,000/- |
Note: “Harvard Business school licensing fee” will be charged from business students (MBA, MS HRM, EMBA, MS Logistics & Supply Chain Management & MS Innovation & Entrepreneurship) at Rs.17, 000/year. Miscellaneous charges shall be Rs.2700/- per Semester.
Like the Undergrad and Masters programs, the aspiring researchers and academicians also have a fair few specializations to choose from. Following are the PhD programs and their Prerequisites:
Discipline | Prerequisites |
Applied Biosciences | MS/MPhil/ Equivalent degree in Basic Medical Sciences Subjects |
Discipline | Prerequisites |
Chemistry | MS/MPhil/Equivalent in the following:-
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Mathematics | MS/MPhil/Equivalent in Mathematics. |
Physics | MS/MPhil/Equivalent in the following:-
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Discipline | Prerequisitesss |
Electrical Engineering | MS/MPhil/Equivalent in the following:-
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Computer Engineering | MS/MPhil/Equivalent in the following:-
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Mechanical Engineering | MS/MPhil/Equivalent in the following:-
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Design & Manufactring Engineering | MS/MPhil/Equivalent in the following:-
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Robotics & Intelligent Machine Engineering | MS/MPhil/Equivalent in the following:-
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Environmental Engineering | MS/MPhil/Equivalent in the following:-
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Environmental Sciences | MS/MPhil/Equivalent in the following:-
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Mechatronics Engineering | MS/MPhil/Equivalent in the following:-
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Energetic Material Engineering | MS/MPhil/Equivalent in the following:-
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Materials and Surface Engineering | MS/MPhil/Equivalent in Materials and Surface Engineering. |
Transportation Engineering | MS/MPhil/Equivalent in the following:-
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Construction Engineering & Management | MS/MPhil/Equivalent in the following:-
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Structural Engineering | MS/MPhil/Equivalent in Civil Engineering. |
Geotechnical Engineering | MS/MPhil/Equivalent in the following:-
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Computational Sciences & Engineering | MS/MPhil/Equivalent in the related field. |
Engineering Management | MS/MPhil/Equivalent in Engineering Management.
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Water Resources Engineering and Management | MS/MPhil/Equivalent in the following:-
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Urban & Regional Planning | MS/MPhil/Equivalent in the following:-
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Remote Sensing & GIS | MS/MPhil/Equivalent in the following:-
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Biomedical Engineering | MS/MPhil/Equivalent in the following:-
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Biomedical Sciences | MS/MPhil/Equivalent in the following:-
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Chemical Engineering | MS/MPhil/Equivalent in the following:-
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Nano-sciences & Engineering | MS/MPhil/Equivalent in the following:-
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Energy Systems Engineering | MS/MPhil/Equivalent in the following:-
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Manufacturing Engineering and Management | S/MPhil/Equivalent in the following:-
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Aerospace Engineering | MS/MPhil/Equivalent in the following:-
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Avionics Engineering | MS/MPhil/Equivalent in the following:-
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Electrical Engineering (Power) | MS/MPhil/Equivalent in the following:-
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Mining Engineering | MS/MPhil/Equivalent in the following:-
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Discipline | Prerequisites |
Software Engineering | MS/MPhil/Equivalent in the following:-
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Information Security | MS/MPhil/Equivalent in the following:-
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Information Technology | MS/MPhil/Equivalent in the following:-
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Computer Science | MS/MPhil/Equivalent in the following:-
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Discipline | Prerequisites |
Economics | MS/MPhil/Equivalent in Economics. |
Business Administration | MS/MPhil/Equivalent in Business Administration / Management Sciences. |
Peace & Conflict Studies | MS/MPhil/Equivalent in Social Sciences / Humanities. |
Psychology | MS/MPhil/Equivalent in Psychology. |
The PhD programs has set eligibility criteria that the candidates fall under in order to qualify:
OR
Note: It may be noted that NUST will only accept the scores of GRE (General) conducted by ETS, USA on or after September 02, 2016 for PhD admission Fall 2019 only.
Following are some of the important details pertaining to admission schedule that you must remember:
Applications can be processed online from the NUST website | April 2020 |
The last date for the submission of applications | May 2020 |
Classes will commence from | 7th of September, 2020 |
Note: PhD Admission for Fall 2020 will tentatively begin from April 2020.
Here’s how the PhD candidates can apply for the programs:
Note: Candidates willing to undertake research related to National Needs will be given due preference.
The fee structure for the undergraduate programs is as follows:
PhD (All Programs) | |
Admission Processing Fee | 5,000/- |
Security Deposit | 10,000/- |
Semester Fee | 68,000/- |
Note: “Harvard Business school licensing fee” will be charged from business students (MBA, MS HRM, EMBA, MS Logistics & Supply Chain Management & MS Innovation & Entrepreneurship) at Rs.17, 000/year. Miscellaneous charges shall be Rs.2700/- per Semester.
There you have it! This is everything you need to know before taking admission in NUST. It bears mentioning however that the dates are all tentative at the moment, due to the current pandemic-induced uncertainties. However, we shall keep you posted as and when new details surface.
Stay tuned!