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Which uni is the best for engineering in Pakistan? Which ones would you recommend from NUST, PIEAS, UET, GIKI, FAST among others?
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How is SZABIST? Someone please tell me that it is an elite college..as a grad from there owned me once.
Not reputed especially in engineering.
Comes at no 7-8 in Islamabad/Pindi region after NUST, UET, PEAS, FAST, COMSATS, AIR
LUMS school of Electrical Engineering
LUMS school of Computer Science
How is SZABIST? Someone please tell me that it is an elite college..as a grad from there owned me once.
SZABIST Karachi is okay.. nothing special. People who do not manage to get into better schools go there. I don't know about other cities though.
York University in other words...

Ok, so it is among the top 8 colleges. That is good enough for me.
I am a little out of touch and don't have an engineering background so correct me if I am wrong but wasn't GIKI regarded as the top engineering school in Pakistan not too long ago?
Yes in early 2000s it was students' no 1 choice along with NUST and UET Lahore.
Still good but has fall down a bit in rankings. Very expensive and not affordable for middle class.
Hmm thanks. Affordability would certainly be a problem with places like GIKI and LUMS I assume.
Yep I didnt apply there. Too expensive.
what about NED? I met a very sharp guy who has engineering from NED.
How would you guys rank NUST, GIKI, PIEAS, UET, FAST and comsats from 1-6 for engineering?
My dad is a NED engineer, sharpest guy I know. He himself says that NED sucks now. They haven't updated the syllabus since his time. (A classmate of his is the dean now, so he has inside scoop). Very rarely you will find institutions run by government being upto world standard.
It graduated high school in the mid 90s. I couldn't get into any engineering schools in Pakistan. UET, NUSt, GIK, FAST, NED, etc were the best schools then. I came to US, got into a decent school and graduated with Computer Science.
What I have noticed, is that in world rankings, those so difficult to get into Pakistani institutions are not ranked anywhere and yet western Universities, half decent they might be by western standards, are ranked higher than the NUSTS, UETS of Pakistan.
It's fairly troubling to see this trend. I have kids in the family who go to York and I can tell they are nothing special but York still ranks higher than Pakistani schools I think.
That's because university rankings are based on many factors such as research papers per year, faculty to student ratio, employ-ability and how far the alumni of a university have reached.
So it's pretty sad Pakistani schools don't fit those standards. Right?
York in Toronto, Canada? I thought you were in Texas, USA.It graduated high school in the mid 90s. I couldn't get into any engineering schools in Pakistan. UET, NUSt, GIK, FAST, NED, etc were the best schools then. I came to US, got into a decent school and graduated with Computer Science.
What I have noticed, is that in world rankings, those so difficult to get into Pakistani institutions are not ranked anywhere and yet western Universities, half decent they might be by western standards, are ranked higher than the NUSTS, UETS of Pakistan.
It's fairly troubling to see this trend. I have kids in the family who go to York and I can tell they are nothing special but York still ranks higher than Pakistani schools I think.
I don't know too much about all engineering institutes in Pakistan, but one of my friends from Pakistan told me that National University of Sciences and Technology is a good one.
Borderline impossible to get into the more popular programs (Electrical and Mechanical Engineering) and despite the great academics, severely shortchanges students on the overall university experience due to the fact that it's run by the military so the code of conduct and dress code etc make it feel more like a convent or military academy than a proper university. Not a university I'd recommend to anyone unless they were concerned purely with academics and didn't care about the all round experience in the slightest.
All around experience is a major factor and if you miss then Univ is not a good one. At least I will not advice anyone to get into such place, but then I don't know much about all factors related with all Pakistanis universities. You have to strike a balance and it may or may not be easy.
You already get a watered down version regardless of where you go to university in Pakistan, even in LUMS which is light years ahead of other universities and in a class of its own, but NUST (and a few others, FAST and IIU notable among them) have even more restrictions than what's normal in Pakistan. FAST, for instance, had a rule where male and female students could not sit too close to each other and had to maintain a certain amount of distance. NUST has a dress code and routinely imposes heavy fines if you violate it (a guy in shorts, a girl in jeans, a girl without a dupatta and so on).
All this on top of the restrictions that apply all over like the ban on student politics and unions makes such places a very unpalatable prospect and the graduates they produce are little more than brains on legs with zero creativity, social skills or knowledge of anything beyond their field of study.
So it seems LUMS may be the best option here in terms of striking a balance. It may not be optimal, but still the best option among all options.
Are there not 2 different NUSTs? I know someone who done the NUST entry test for engineering and failed. He is now doing the NUST army engineering entry test in karachi? Which one of these is better and which of them has a tougher entry test?
Is FAST better than AIR for engineering?
sorry for late reply. I would say academics wise AIR electronics is better than Fast telecom (atleast used to be in my time) but I would prefer FAST due to its more open environment and more open and fun uni life.
Btw I would suggest FAST Computer Science over engineering from AIR or FAST. FAST CS graduates get jobs easily and every year 4-5 on average are recruited by Microsoft.
So it seems LUMS may be the best option here in terms of striking a balance. It may not be optimal, but still the best option among all options.
That's a fact. My two first cousins got hired by Microsoft directly from FAST Karachi.
Yeah makes it more than 10 if we count all the campuses of FAST.
I figured it must have stopped by now due to the security situation and image of Pakistan (my cousins got hired in the late nineties).
There are 4-5 campuses of NUST.
NUST SEECS Islamabad , NUST EME college Rawalpindi, NUST MCS Rawalpindi, NUST PNEC Karachi, NUST College of Aeronautical Engineering Risalpur.
I would say NUST SEECS is the best and it is really hard to get in Electrical or Mechanical Engineering. EME is old and most reputed one and you will find most of the companies in Islmabad/Pindi having EME alumini but is strict due to its culture (dress codes etc).
Microsoft hired 4 CS graduates from FAST Islamabad and I heard 6 from FAST Lahore few years back when I graduated.
The guy I know failed the entry test for NUST SEECS in Islamabad. I am assuming the NUST army test he is doing is NUST PNEC? Is that a hard test to do and is it tough to get admission there? How much tougher is admission in NUST SEECS compared to NUST PNEC (the army one I am assuming).
Thanks for all the helpful information
So it seems LUMS may be the best option here in terms of striking a balance. It may not be optimal, but still the best option among all options.
The guy I know failed the entry test for NUST SEECS in Islamabad. I am assuming the NUST army test he is doing is NUST PNEC? Is that a hard test to do and is it tough to get admission there? How much tougher is admission in NUST SEECS compared to NUST PNEC (the army one I am assuming).
Thanks for all the helpful information
Alot of times companies keep going back to the same schools just because they are well aware of the quality of graduates.
When I first graduated and got a job literally 90% of engineers were from my university (McGill)..
Exactly and FAST has good reputation in Computer Science.
That's true... I think FAST might be the best place to go in Pakistan if you want to do Computer Science.
Really LUMS is that good now?
I remember during the days of my A Levels I was in a dilemma whether to go back to Canada or to go to LUMS Engineering (I got in there and NUST hadn't given entry test yet), but my teacher in Alevels who I really looked up to suggested that I would be just the first or second engineering batch at LUMS and it is unknown what it would be like. In hindsight I think I took the right decision.
However, its good to know that LUMS has built up to such a level that it is ranked amongst the best.
The guy I know failed the entry test for NUST SEECS in Islamabad. I am assuming the NUST army test he is doing is NUST PNEC? Is that a hard test to do and is it tough to get admission there? How much tougher is admission in NUST SEECS compared to NUST PNEC (the army one I am assuming).
Thanks for all the helpful information
Yes! I would say the basic difference is in the resources(funds available to teachers and in turn students), environment, up to date equipment and the ease of setting up new labs. I was a research assistant there and I have mixed feelings regarding the grip on the subjects by the respective teachers but it is already ahead in terms of competitiveness.
However, they need to offer Mechanical Engineering, Electronics Engineering and mechatronics Engineering(at graduation level) too as some teachers are working on some elecrtomechanical systems. Also, robotics and AI is the future.
sorry for late reply. I would say academics wise AIR electronics is better than Fast telecom (atleast used to be in my time) but I would prefer FAST due to its more open environment and more open and fun uni life.
Btw I would suggest FAST Computer Science over engineering from AIR or FAST. FAST CS graduates get jobs easily and every year 4-5 on average are recruited by Microsoft.

There engineering is below average, however, COMPUTER SCIENCES are still better there...Business and LLB is what one should prefer LUMS for
please state the criteria for your judgement.
Really LUMS is that good now?
I remember during the days of my A Levels I was in a dilemma whether to go back to Canada or to go to LUMS Engineering (I got in there and NUST hadn't given entry test yet), but my teacher in Alevels who I really looked up to suggested that I would be just the first or second engineering batch at LUMS and it is unknown what it would be like. In hindsight I think I took the right decision.
However, its good to know that LUMS has built up to such a level that it is ranked amongst the best.
I never understood how FAST has a good reputation and yet the students who are currently studying there are always complaining about it.
Every current student i have met has complained about it as if its the worst institute.
But another interesting thing that i have noticed is that they have quite a large number of Alumni. Every other person with a good job is a FAST graduate
But 99 percent people say the opposite, and getting an admission in FAST is way too easy, and thats definitely not an assumption, some of the nalike guys got it it without difficulty.
However as you said, snce I'm doing electrical, Nust is the first and then I may prefer AIR, missed the giki test![]()
Yeh, outside pakistan this is how it is. The final graduates are quite less then the ones who initially joined.Its because of their strict education system especially in Computer Science. Tough exams, weekly 2 assignments per subject etc. Out of the 240 they took in 2008 batch , only ~90 graduated in 2012. Rest took an extra semester / year / dropped out. But the ones who passed out were good enough to clear interviews and tests.
But 99 percent people say the opposite, and getting an admission in FAST is way too easy, and thats definitely not an assumption, some of the nalike guys got it it without difficulty.
Yeh, outside pakistan this is how it is. The final graduates are quite less then the ones who initially joined.
But the FAST students have really scarred me. Still not decided where i would be going for my BBA
Take your time if you have. It is an important decision. Also the university mahool is important too. May be ask on facebook etc about current BBA students and graduates of your preferred unis.
Does having a big Alumni help in getting a job easily? Like the employer being the same graduate from your uni will give you preference?
Yup, if your talking about the 5 star hostels and everything than I do second but education wise, LUMS engineers don't get good opportunities compared to NUST and GIKI...
Can't call it below average though since 95 percent of the univ's in Pakistan are just too unappealing.
Yes even in my time it was the same. Students who had a supply even got into FAST. One of the reason is because they take more than 200 students in one batch and second is most of the bright students prefer Engineering at NUST, UET, Giki, LUMS etc so the competition is not tough. Getting admission in FAST is easy but it is difficult to graduate if someone is not good enough.
In my opinion, you are just shooting from the hip and avoiding any constructive input as to why do you think like this about it. LUMS only offers Electrical and Computer Science. Computer Sciences is better there as per you so we are left with Electrical Engineering.What is the problem with Electrical Engineering department there?
NUST has 2 electical at 2 campuses. One at EME in Pindi other at SEECS in Islamabad. Both are really good but SEECS should be first preference now. Before SEECS emerged EME Electrical was easily the best engineering department in Pakistan. Almost all the toppers of different boards are there. I personally couldnt get in it in 2008 as the closing merit for EME EE was 140 out of 28000 students who gave the test but got into other departments of NUST including SEECS EE. Now SEECS EE is at the top and EME merit has gone down.
Yes even in my time it was the same. Students who had a supply even got into FAST. One of the reason is because they take more than 200 students in one batch and second is most of the bright students prefer Engineering at NUST, UET, Giki, LUMS etc so the competition is not tough. Getting admission in FAST is easy but it is difficult to graduate if someone is not good enough.
Gave both in the past week, Army one is way too easy and you just need to pass it than u have to give medical, interview etc...its a long process
Where as the other test, don't know what is SEECS but I applied for Electrical engineering and the test was way more tricky but went really well and I'm expecting more good news to come soon.
Which uni is the best for engineering in Pakistan? Which ones would you recommend from NUST, PIEAS, UET, GIKI, FAST among others?
What I was told was that army one was very tough to get into....no idea how reliable that information was