Institute of Business Administration, Karachi(IBA Karachi)
A public business school in Karachi, founded in 1955, whose School of Mathematics and Computer Science runs BS, MS and PhD programmes in Computer Science plus MS programmes in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence.
Karachi
Bachelors, Masters, PhD
5
IBA Aptitude Test (undergraduate), SAT or ACT, IBA graduate admission test, GRE or GMAT (test exemption)
When admissions open
| Intake | Applications | Test | Classes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall, bachelorsread from Fall 2026, Round 1 | January to February | March | August | Official · IBA admission schedule Fall 2026 |
| Fall, bachelorsread from Fall 2026, Round 2 | April to June | June | August | Official · IBA admission schedule Fall 2026 |
| Fall, mastersread from Fall 2026, Round 1 | January to March | April | August | Official · IBA admission schedule Fall 2026 |
| Fall, mastersread from Fall 2026, Round 2 | April to June | June | August | Official · IBA admission schedule Fall 2026 |
- Fall bachelors: BS (CS / Math): forms from 1 January 2026, deadline 18 February, aptitude test 1 March, final result 17 March, classes 24 August 2026. No interview for BSCS.
- Fall bachelors: BS (CS / Math): forms from 21 April 2026, deadline 10 June, aptitude test 21 June, final result 10 July, classes 24 August 2026.
- Fall masters: MS (Computer Science, Data Science) and PhD Computer Science: forms from 1 January 2026, deadline 25 March, test 5 April, interviews 16 to 18 April, final result 21 April, classes 24 August 2026.
- Fall masters: MS (Computer Science, Data Science, Artificial Intelligence): forms from 21 April 2026, deadline 10 June, test 21 June, foundation or summer classes from 13 July, regular classes 24 August 2026.
These are the months each cycle has usually run, read from the cycle named beside them. Exact dates are announced by the university every year, so check the admissions page before you plan around them.
How admission works
- 1
Apply on the IBA online admissions system
Official · IBA admission procedureOnline applicationFill in the online form, print the bank challan and pay the application fee at a designated bank branch.
- 2
Sit the IBA Aptitude Test
Official · IBA admission procedure +1Entry testAdmit cards are emailed after the fee is paid. The test is held in Karachi and other cities on the announced date. SAT scores can also be submitted for BSCS.
- 3
Aptitude test result
Official · IBA admission schedule Fall 2026Test resultAnnounced on the admissions site about ten days after the test in the Fall 2026 cycle.
- 4
Interview (graduate programmes)
Official · IBA admission schedule Fall 2026InterviewThe Fall 2026 schedule states interviews are not applicable for the BSCS programme. MS programmes list interview dates after the test.
- 5
Final result list on the website
Official · IBA admission procedure +1Merit listSuccessful candidates are notified through a list on the admissions website.
- 6
Submit original documents
Official · IBA admission procedureDocument verificationOriginals plus attested copies of Matric or O Level and HSC or A Level certificates, CNIC or birth certificate, and IBCC or HEC equivalence for foreign qualifications.
- 7
Admission package and fee challan
Official · IBA admission schedule Fall 2026Fee and confirmationThe admission package with the fee challan and offer letter is issued after the final result.
- 8
Classes begin
Official · IBA admission schedule Fall 2026Classes beginFall 2026 classes began on 24 August 2026.
Entry tests they consider
IBA Aptitude Test (undergraduate)
University's own testOfficial · IBA admissions: BS (Computer Science) criteria +1For bachelors
Multiple choice sections in Mathematics and English Composition, pitched at SAT-I level.
Merit uses the higher of the IBA test score and the SAT score, provided at least one meets the cut-off.
MathematicsEnglishAbout this testFor bachelors
No minimum SAT score is set; only the top scorers on the SAT merit list get direct admission, so IBA recommends taking its own test too. An ACT composite of 28 out of 36 is also listed.
IBA graduate admission test
University's own testOfficial · IBA CS department: MS Artificial IntelligenceFor masters
For MS Artificial Intelligence: English and Mathematics for non-CS applicants, plus a Computer Science test for CS or IT graduates. Mathematics covers probability and statistics, linear algebra and calculus.
EnglishMathematicsComputer ScienceGRE or GMAT (test exemption)
International testOfficial · IBA CS department: MS Artificial IntelligenceFor masters
GMAT 600, or GRE 160 Quantitative and 150 Verbal, is listed as required for exemption from the IBA test for MS Artificial Intelligence and MS Data Science.
Who can apply
BS Computer Science: HSSC Pre-Engineering or General Group with Mathematics with at least 60% marks; or A Levels with at least one B and two C grades in three principal subjects including Mathematics; or an American or Canadian high school diploma with 80%, or IB with 24 of 45 points. Foreign qualifications need IBCC equivalence.
Masters (MS or MPhil)
Official · IBA CS department: MS Artificial IntelligenceMS Artificial Intelligence and MS Data Science: 16 years of education in a relevant discipline with a CGPA of at least 2.5 out of 4, or 60% in an annual system.
The Fall 2026 cycle ran two rounds for BS (CS / Math), with the Round 1 test on 1 March 2026 and the Round 2 test on 21 June 2026. BSCS has no interview. Credit hour totals differ between the department curriculum page (135) and the admissions criteria page (131).
Computing programmes and course outlines
Bachelors (BS)
BS Computer ScienceOfficial · IBA CS department: BSCS curriculum +24 years135 credit hoursKarachiNCEAC accredited16 core courses listed
The department curriculum page lists 135 credit hours over 8 semesters (45 courses, including 16 CS core courses, a final year project and internship). The admissions criteria page says 42 courses and 131 credit hours, so check the current scheme. NCEAC 'W' category accreditation covers the 2019 to 2021 batches.
Core courses
- Introduction to Computing
- Introduction to Programming
- Object Oriented Programming Techniques
- Digital Logic Design
- Data Structures
- Introduction to Artificial Intelligence
- Computer Communication & Networking
- Theory of Automata
- Computer Architecture & Assembly Language
- Software Engineering
- Database Systems
- Operating Systems
- Design & Analysis of Algorithm
- Human Computer Interaction
- Information Security and Ethics
- Parallel and Distributed Computing
Masters (MS or MPhil)
MS Computer ScienceOfficial · IBA CS department: MS Computer Science +1Karachi
Admission runs once a year for the Fall semester; two foundation courses are offered in summer for students from a non-CS background.
MS Data ScienceOfficial · IBA CS department: MS Data Science +1Karachi
Launched in 2020. Non-CS students join in Fall with a compulsory foundation semester; CS, SE and IT graduates join in the following Spring.
MS Artificial IntelligenceOfficial · IBA CS department: MS Artificial Intelligence +12 years30 credit hoursKarachi
Four semesters, 30 credit hours, with or without thesis. Open to graduates of science, engineering and related disciplines. Listed in the Round 2 schedule for Fall 2026.
Full scheme of studiesPhD
PhD Computer ScienceOfficial · IBA CS department: PhD Computer Science +1Karachi
Specializations listed by the department include Artificial Intelligence, Human Computer Interaction, ICT and Management Information Systems.
Campuses
Main Campus
Main campusKarachi
Home of the School of Mathematics and Computer Science. The admissions criteria page lists BS Computer Science as taught at the Main Campus only.
What it costs
| Programme | Fee | Source |
|---|---|---|
| BS Computer Science (all undergraduate programmes)Bachelors | PKR 32k/credit houras of 20262026-27 rate. Plus PKR 7,000 student activity charges per semester, a one-time admission charge of PKR 125,000, and 3% Sindh Sales Tax on services. | Official · IBA fee structure 2026-27 |
| MS Computer ScienceMasters | PKR 35k/credit houras of 20262026-27 rate. Plus PKR 7,000 student activity charges for full-time programmes and the one-time admission charge. | Official · IBA fee structure 2026-27 |
Fees are read from published fee structures and change every year. They exclude hostel, transport and one-off admission charges unless the row says otherwise.
Scholarships and financial aid
IBA need-based financial assistance
For full-time morning programme students who cannot manage fees through instalments or Qarz e Hasna. Covers tuition only, awarded per academic year after an online application. Graduate students can also apply.
Qarz e Hasna
Interest-free loans arranged through external donors to pay tuition during study.
Fee instalments and IBA bridge financing
Listed among IBA's financial assistance mechanisms.
PEEF and SEEF scholarships
The financial assistance page posts notices for PEEF scholarships for undergraduate students (2025-26) and SEEF scholarships.
National Talent Hunt Program (NTHP)
Fully funded in-person preparation programme for financially deserving students with 80% or more in HSSC-II. Scholarships are decided separately by the IBA Scholarship Committee after the aptitude test.
Companies that recruit from here
Runs campus hiring· Holds a recruitment drive, test or interview day on this campus.
- GoodCore Software2019
Listed by IBA's Career Development Center among first-time recruiters running on-campus drives in April to May 2019.
- Salesflo2019
Listed by IBA's Career Development Center among recruiters running on-campus drives in April to May 2019.
- 1LINK2019
Listed by IBA's Career Development Center among recruiters running on-campus drives in April to May 2019.
- PTCL2019
Listed by IBA's Career Development Center among returning recruiters running on-campus drives in April to May 2019.
- Telenor Microfinance Bank2019
Listed by IBA's Career Development Center among returning recruiters running on-campus drives in April to May 2019.
At the career fair· Listed as an employer at the university's own career or job fair.
- National Bank of Pakistan2025
Named in IBA's report on the Annual Career Fair 2025.
- Tafsol Technologies2025
Named in IBA's report on the Annual Career Fair 2025, which drew over 170 companies.
Industry partner· Has a formal tie with the university: a lab, an MoU, an advisory board seat.
- National Bank of Pakistan2023
An NBP Digital Assurance section head sits on the CS department's Industry Advisory Board. NBP was also named at the 2025 Annual Career Fair.
- Meezan Bank2023
A Meezan Bank vice president (PMO) sits on the CS department's Industry Advisory Board.
- PARCO2023
A PARCO executive who is also visiting faculty sits on the CS department's Industry Advisory Board.
Each link says how the company is tied to the university and where that is published. It is not a claim that the company hires only from here, or that a degree from here guarantees an interview.
Rankings
- QS World University Rankings: Asia2026#291Reported · QS TopUniversities profile: Institute of Business Administration (IBA)
How to actually get in
- BSCS has two rounds. In the Fall 2026 cycle the Round 1 test was on 1 March and Round 2 on 21 June. Watch the admissions schedule page from January.
- Take the IBA test even with a SAT score. IBA sets no minimum SAT for direct admission and only the top SAT scorers get in that way; merit uses the higher of the two scores.
- Prepare Mathematics and English. The undergraduate aptitude test has Mathematics and English Composition sections at SAT-I level.
- No interview for BSCS. The Fall 2026 schedule marks interviews as not applicable for BSCS, unlike the business programmes.
- Budget for the first semester. At 2026-27 rates, 12 credit hours cost PKR 378,000 in tuition, plus the one-time PKR 125,000 admission charge and activity charges. Apply for need-based aid in the announced window.
About Institute of Business Administration, Karachi
IBA Karachi was established in 1955 as the Institute of Public and Business Administration, with early faculty support from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School and later the University of Southern California. It is best known as a business school, and teaches from a Main Campus next to the University of Karachi and a City Campus.
Computing sits in the School of Mathematics and Computer Science (SMCS), one of three schools the institute formed with effect from January 2021. According to the IBA timeline, the four-year BCS was renamed BS Computer Science, the MS Computer Science programme followed, a PhD in Computer Science was launched, MS Data Science was introduced in 2020, and MS Artificial Intelligence is now offered alongside them.
The BS Computer Science programme received a 'W' category accreditation from NCEAC for the 2019, 2020 and 2021 batches, announced in April 2024. The department formed an Industry Advisory Board in October 2023 with members from banking, e-commerce and industry.
Sources
- IBA admission schedule Fall 2026read 2026-09-17
- IBA admissions: BS (Computer Science) criteriaread 2026-09-17
- IBA admission procedureread 2026-09-17
- IBA CS department: BSCS eligibility criteriaread 2026-09-17
- IBA CS department: BSCS curriculumread 2026-09-17
- IBA CS department: MS Computer Scienceread 2026-09-17
- IBA CS department: MS Data Scienceread 2026-09-17
- IBA CS department: MS Artificial Intelligenceread 2026-09-17
- IBA CS department: PhD Computer Scienceread 2026-09-17
- IBA history and timelineread 2026-09-17
- IBA news: NCEAC 'W' category accreditation for BSCSread 2026-09-17
- IBA fee structure 2026-27read 2026-09-17
- IBA financial assistanceread 2026-09-17
- IBA National Talent Hunt Program FAQsread 2026-09-17
- QS TopUniversities profile: Institute of Business Administration (IBA)read 2026-09-17
Rank read from the QS page as shown in search results; the page itself did not load from our fetcher.
- SMCS Industry Advisory Boardread 2026-09-17
- IBA Karachi organized Annual Career Fair 2025read 2026-09-17
Whole profile last checked 2026-09-17.
Every claim here is labelled
Admission dates, tests, merit formulas and fees change every cycle, and not all of it is published in one place. Every claim here is labelled with its source and how well established it is. Treat the university's own admissions page as the last word, and tell me when something is out of date.
Nobody pays to be listed here, and nothing on this page is sponsored. Universities cannot buy a higher position or have a profile removed on request, though I will correct anything that is wrong.
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