AIOU Opens Matric-to-PhD Admissions Nationwide Starting Jan 1
— December 20, 2024
ISLAMABAD (AIA) Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) has announced that admissions for the Spring Semester 2025 will begin on January 1, marking a shift from its previous two-phase admissions process. The move, introduced by Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Nasir Mahmood, aims to streamline admissions and improve examination systems.Under the new policy, admissions for all programmes—from Matriculation to PhD—will now be conducted in a single phase. Programmes open for Spring 2025 include Matriculation, FA, ICom, associate degrees in arts, commerce, and education, BEd, BS (face-to-face and ODL), postgraduate diplomas, MS, MPhil, PhD, and various certificate courses.Admission forms and prospectuses will be available on the university’s website, www.aiou.edu.pk, starting January 1.To support applicants, Vice-Chancellor Dr Nasir Mahmood has directed the university’s 54 regional offices to establish Student Facilitation Centres. These centres will provide free access to computers and the internet, assisting students with their online applications.The university is prioritising outreach to underserved communities. Regional heads have been instructed to disseminate information extensively in merged tribal districts, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Balochistan, where AIOU offers free Matric education. Additionally, the university provides free education from Matric to PhD for transgender individuals and inmates in prisons.Dr Nasir Mahmood emphasised AIOU’s commitment to enrolling out-of-school children and offering fee concessions to support underprivileged students. “No child should be deprived of education due to financial constraints,” he said, reiterating the university’s role in addressing the national educational emergency.