The Growing Crisis of Higher Education Affordability in Pakistan

byJaweria Asmar •October 3, 2025•
Pakistan
Magazine cover: A man pushes a cart with a child and yellow containers down a rubble-strewn street, framed by grayscale destroyed buildings. Title: REBUILDING MINDS REBUILDING GAZA.

This op-ed analyzes the systemic barriers to higher education in Pakistan, particularly the financial and gender-based obstacles highlighted by local residents like Sameer Ahmed from Turbat. As of late 2025, the sector faces a critical decline in enrollment driven by rising costs and a shrinking federal budget.

1. The Financial Barrier: Rising Costs vs. Stagnant Support

The cost of university education is increasingly out of reach for average families. While public universities are intended to be affordable, a single semester's tuition can now exceed a family's average monthly income.

  • Declining Enrollment: Higher education enrollment fell by 13% (dropping to 1.94 million) recently, even as the number of universities grew to 269.
  • Budget Cuts: The Higher Education Commission (HEC) faced a massive reduction in its recurring budget—from a requested Rs. 126 billion to just Rs. 25 billion for federal universities in FY 2024-25.
  • Fee Hikes: Due to frozen federal funding, universities are being forced to substantially increase tuition fees and hostel rents to cover operational costs. For example, some professional programs have seen a 200% increase in fees in recent years.

2. Gender Disparities in Educational Access

Economic hardship often forces parents to prioritize the education of sons over daughters, a trend reflected in recent national data.

  • Global Standing: Pakistan ranked 148th out of 148 countries in the Global Gender Gap Report 2025.
  • Literacy Gaps: The male literacy rate stands at 68%, while female literacy is significantly lower at 52.8%.
  • Declining Participation: While the gender parity score in education showed a modest increase in 2025, reports indicate this was largely due to a decrease in male enrollment rather than a substantial rise in female participation.

3. Regional and Systemic Challenges

  • Infrastructure Prioritization: Critics argue the government has prioritized road and infrastructure projects over education, with the education development budget slashed by 35% for FY 2025-26.
  • Low GDP Allocation: Cumulative expenditure on education remains critically low at only 0.8% of GDP in 2025, compared to the South Asian average of 2–3%.
  • The "Leaky Pipeline": Although primary enrollment is high, participation collapses at the university level due to financial constraints and the perceived low value of degrees in a struggling job market.

4. Recommendations for Reform

To prevent higher education from becoming an "exclusive luxury" for the elite, the following measures are proposed:

  • Restore HEC Funding: Increase the federal and provincial recurring grants to at least the levels requested by the HEC to stabilize tuition fees.
  • Universal Gender Parity Initiatives: Expand female-specific scholarships and regulate hostel rents to ensure women from rural areas (like Khairabad, Turbat) can safely and affordably reside near campuses.
  • Phased Free Education: Transition toward a model where high-quality university education is treated as a public good, similar to advanced industrial nations, to foster national progress.