Habib University

Habib University is a private, not-for-profit university in Karachi, Sindh, that opened its doors in 2014 and built its reputation around a liberal arts core that every student completes alongside a technical or humanities major. It is a small institution by Pakistani standards, with two schools, the Dhanani School of Science and Engineering and the School of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, and it is known for generous scholarships, a residential-style campus in Gulistan-e-Jauhar and a teaching model borrowed from US liberal arts colleges. Habib University appears on the HEC recognised universities list, so its degrees are HEC recognised.

Quick Facts

City	Karachi
Province	Sindh
Established	2014 (first intake)
Sector	Private (not-for-profit)
HEC recognition	Recognised (listed on hec.gov.pk)
Official website	https://habib.edu.pk/
Admissions portal	https://eapplication.habib.edu.pk/

Faculties and Undergraduate Programs

Habib University runs only undergraduate degrees, all of them four-year programs with a shared liberal core. The official admissions page lists the following:

Dhanani School of Science and Engineering (DSSE): BS Electrical Engineering and BS Computer Engineering (both PEC accredited) and BS Computer Science (NCEAC accredited)
School of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (AHSS): BA (Honors) Comparative Humanities, BSc (Honors) Social Development and Policy, and BA (Honors) Communications and Design

Source: https://habib.edu.pk/admissions/. Browse other institutions in our programs archive.

Admission Process

Habib takes one intake a year, for classes starting in the autumn, but it runs admissions in several rounds. For the 2027 cycle the university announced admissions on 25 September 2026 and will hold rounds with deadlines in October, November, December, January and February. The steps are:

Create an account on the e-application portal and fill in the online form before the round deadline.
Pay the application fee online or upload the bank receipt in the uploads section (the fee amount is not published on the admissions page; check the official website).
Sit the Habib University Entrance Test on the date assigned for your round.
Upload the meta-curricular form after the test; shortlisted applicants are then called for an interview.
Decisions are issued on a rolling basis for every round.

Source: https://habib.edu.pk/admissions/international-examination-board/admission-schedule/. Dates for every round are in our Habib University admissions 2026-27.

Entry Test and Merit

All applicants must take the Habib University Entrance Test, a computer-based test prepared by the College Board that measures English and Mathematics. AHSS applicants face English reading, sentence formation, writing and arithmetic; DSSE applicants get the same English sections with advanced mathematics. Students with strong SAT I scores or very high grades may be exempted, though the university encourages everyone to sit the test because it feeds into the admission score. No official weightage formula is published. Full pattern notes are in the Habib University entry test guide.

Fee Structure

The student finance page states that the fees shown apply to 2026-27 and that the 2027-28 structure will be published once finalised, but the page itself does not display rupee figures in its fee table. Check the official website for the current tuition and admission-related fees: https://habib.edu.pk/admissions/student-finance/.

Scholarships and Financial Aid

Habib is unusually open about its scholarship ladder. The official student finance page lists:

Habib Yohsin Scholarship: 100% of tuition and lab/studio fees (minimum CGPA 3.5 to retain)
Habib Excellence Scholarship: 60% to 80% of tuition and lab/studio fees (minimum CGPA 3.0)
Habib Merit Scholarship: up to 50% of tuition and lab/studio fees (minimum CGPA 2.75)
HU TOPS: 100% financial support for four years for National Examination Board (Intermediate) applicants
HU EOP: up to 80% financial support for Intermediate applicants
Semester-based High Academic Achievement and High Academic Leap awards worth up to 10% of tuition
Need-based grants (non-repayable, reviewed yearly, minimum CGPA 2.33) and loans through partner institutions

Source: https://habib.edu.pk/admissions/student-finance/. Compare with other schemes in our scholarships archive.

Campuses

Habib University has a single campus in Gulistan-e-Jauhar, Karachi. The January admission series holds its entrance test in Islamabad for convenience, but all teaching is in Karachi. See the campuses archive for other Karachi institutions.

Why Students Choose Habib University

Students pick Habib for its small classes, interdisciplinary core curriculum and the realistic chance of a large scholarship. The trade-off is a very selective, multi-stage admission process and a fee level that, without aid, sits at the top end for Pakistan.