University of Karachi(KU)
A large public university in Karachi, established in 1951, whose Department of Computer Science (UBIT) runs entry-test-based BS programmes in Computer Science, Software Engineering and Artificial Intelligence at comparatively low public-sector fees.
Karachi
Bachelors, Masters, PhD
5
University of Karachi Entrance Test (test-based BS programmes)
When admissions open
| Intake | Applications | Test | Classes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring, bachelorsread from Admissions 2026, morning (test based) | September to October | October | January | Official · University of Karachi admissions schedule 2026 (dated 24-09-2025) +3 |
| Spring, bachelorsread from Admissions 2026, evening programme | November to November | December | January | Official · University of Karachi admissions schedule 2026 (dated 24-09-2025) +1 |
- Spring bachelors: Advertisement 28 September 2025; online forms 29 September to 10 October 2025; entrance test Saturday 25 October 2025 at the University of Karachi; admission list 5 November 2025. The university says first-semester classes start in January. The portal for Admissions 2027 was expected to open in the second or third week of September 2026.
- Spring bachelors: Announcement 16 November 2025; forms 17 to 28 November 2025; BSCS / BSSE entry test 7 December 2025; list 10 December 2025. Evening regular classes began 13 January 2026 at 3:30 p.m.
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 KU admission portal
Official · University of Karachi Prospectus, Admissions 2026 (morning) +1Online applicationBachelors (BS)Create an account on uokadmission.edu.pk and submit the online form, choosing up to five departments in order of preference. Processing fee PKR 5,000 for test-based morning BS in the 2026 cycle. Open merit and test-based admissions use separate forms.
- 2
Sit the KU entrance test
Official · University of Karachi Prospectus, Admissions 2026 (morning)Entry testBachelors (BS)Held at the University of Karachi; the admit card gives reporting time and venue. A minimum of 50% is needed to qualify for BSCS, BSSE or BSAI. A sample test paper is published on the university website.
- 3
Provisional admission list
Official · University of Karachi Prospectus, Admissions 2026 (morning) +1Merit listBachelors (BS)Qualified candidates are ranked on their intermediate or equivalent percentage and the list is shown on the university website and student portal.
- 4
Pay the admission and tuition fee
Official · University of Karachi Prospectus, Admissions 2026 (morning)Fee and confirmationBachelors (BS)Pay the prescribed fee within the stipulated time or the admission lapses.
- 5Document verificationBachelors (BS)
Colour printout of the enrolment form, original HSC or equivalent mark sheet (kept by the university), original character certificate, CNIC copy, SSC/HSC or O/A Level certificate copies and the paid fee receipt.
- 6
First semester begins in January
Official · University of Karachi Evening Prospectus 2026Classes beginBachelors (BS)
Entry tests they consider
University of Karachi Entrance Test (test-based BS programmes)
University's own testOfficial · University of Karachi Prospectus, Admissions 2026 (morning) +3For bachelors
One test covers all test-based BS programmes and Doctor of Pharmacy. For Admissions 2026 it was held on 25 October 2025 (morning) and 7 December 2025 for evening BSCS / BSSE. Qualifying score 50%. A sample paper is on www.uok.edu.pk.
About this test
How merit is worked out
Bachelors (BS)
- Intermediate / equivalent percentage (after qualifying the test)Official · University of Karachi Prospectus, Admissions 2026 (morning) +1100%
The prospectus says admission is granted on the prerequisite examination after qualifying the entrance test with at least 50%. In 2025 the BSCS and BSSE academic closing percentage was 75.36 and BSAI 71.09 (guidance only).
Who can apply
BSCS, BSSE and BSAI: Intermediate Pre-Engineering, or Intermediate with Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science, or Mathematics, Statistics and Economics, or Mathematics, Physics and Computer Science, with at least 55% marks; or DAE (Mechanical, Electrical, Electronics, Computer Information Technology or Software Engineering) with at least 65%. Pre-Medical is not listed.
Bachelors (BS)
Official · University of Karachi Evening Prospectus 2026Candidates who already hold a graduation degree cannot be admitted to BS 1st year. Third division or under 45% in the prerequisite exam is not admitted. O/A Level and foreign certificates need equivalence from the University of Karachi or IBCC before the list is announced. Hafiz-e-Quran candidates get 20 extra marks.
KU uses the Admissions year of the session that starts in January: the 'Admissions 2026' forms and test ran in September to December 2025. Test-based computing seats are ranked on intermediate percentage once you pass the entrance test, so HSC marks decide the list.
Computing programmes and course outlines
The BSCS, BSSE and BSAI curriculum documents on the department site describe themselves as revised versions aligned with the recommendations of NCEAC, HEC and the University of Karachi Board of Studies, built on a 16-course computing core common to all computing programmes.
Bachelors (BS)
BS Computer Science (BSCS)Official · UBIT BSCS curriculum (PDF) +34 years138 credit hoursKarachi18 core courses listed
Morning programme: 105 seats for Admissions 2026; also offered in the evening programme (110 seats). The curriculum document (47 courses, 138 credit hours) is titled a proposed revised curriculum aligned with NCEAC, HEC and the KU Board of Studies. The first 16 courses listed are its computing core common to all computing programmes.
Core courses
- Programming Fundamentals
- Object Oriented Programming
- Database Systems
- Digital Logic Design
- Data Structures
- Information Security
- Artificial Intelligence
- Data Communication and Networking
- Software Engineering
- Computer Organization & Architecture
- Operating Systems
- Analysis of Algorithms
- Theory of Automata
- Cloud Computing
- Final Year Project I
- Final Year Project II
- Compiler Construction
- Parallel & Distributed Computing
BS Software Engineering (BSSE)Official · UBIT BSSE curriculum (PDF) +34 years138 credit hoursKarachi6 core courses listed
Offered since 2006. Morning programme: 50 seats for Admissions 2026; evening programme: 110 seats. Core courses listed are the SE domain core; students also take the same 16-course computing core as BSCS. Curriculum document: 46 courses, 138 credit hours.
Core courses
- Software Design & Architecture
- Software Construction & Development
- Software Project Management
- Software Quality Engineering
- Software Requirement Engineering
- Parallel & Distributed Computing
BS Artificial Intelligence (BSAI)Official · UBIT BSAI curriculum (PDF) +24 years141 credit hoursKarachi6 core courses listed
Introduced in January 2025. Morning programme: 40 seats for Admissions 2026. Core courses listed are the AI domain core; the programme also includes the common computing core. Curriculum document: 47 courses, 141 credit hours.
Core courses
- Programming for AI
- Machine Learning
- Artificial Neural Networks & Deep Learning
- Knowledge Representation and Reasoning
- Computer Vision
- Parallel & Distributed Computing
Masters (MS or MPhil)
PhD
Campuses
Main Campus, University Road (UBIT building)
Main campusKarachi
The Department of Computer Science teaches from the UBIT building on the main campus, with physics, electronics, networking, software engineering, AI, network security, database, graphics and general computing labs.
What it costs
| Programme | Fee | Source |
|---|---|---|
| BS Computer Science / BS Software Engineering (morning)Bachelors | PKR 95k/semesteras of 2026Admission and tuition fee per semester for session 2026, including a PKR 1,000 admission fee. The fee for the 2026 batch rises 10% each year. | Official · University of Karachi Prospectus, Admissions 2026 (morning) |
| BS Artificial Intelligence (morning)Bachelors | PKR 99k/semesteras of 2026Per semester for session 2026, including admission fee; rises 10% each year. | Official · University of Karachi Prospectus, Admissions 2026 (morning) |
| BS Computer Science / BS Software Engineering (evening)Bachelors | PKR 104k to 114k/semesteras of 2026PKR 104,000 tuition per semester; PKR 114,000 with the PKR 10,000 yearly admission, enrolment, development and caution money charges. | Official · University of Karachi Evening Prospectus 2026 |
| Department of Computer Science self-finance seat (BS 1st year)Bachelors | PKR 650k totalas of 2026Lump sum at admission for a self-finance seat; candidates must still pass the KU entry test. BS 3rd year self-finance is PKR 400,000. | Official · University of Karachi Evening Prospectus 2026 |
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
Need-based scholarships (morning programme)
Cover university tuition for one or two semesters, depending on funds and academic performance. Morning undergraduate students only.
Need-cum-merit scholarships
Cover tuition plus a nominal stipend, subject to funds. Funders listed include the Zakat & Ushr Department, SEEF, BEEF, PEEF, Akhuwat, Al-Rehman Welfare Trust, Al-Kausar, UKAA Baltimore, UKAHA Houston and the Mitsubishi UFJ Foundation.
Merit-based scholarships
Fixed awards for selected 3rd and final year undergraduates.
Ihsan Trust interest-free loan
Fresh admissions who struggle with the admission fee can apply to the Students Financial Aid Office for an Ihsan Trust loan and/or the zakat-funded need-cum-merit scholarship; processing takes 15 to 20 days.
Companies that recruit from here
How to actually get in
- Watch for the September announcement. KU's 'Admissions 2026' forms ran 29 September to 10 October 2025, with the entrance test on 25 October; the Admissions 2027 portal was expected in mid-September 2026.
- Your HSC percentage decides the list. The test only has to be passed (50%); seats go by intermediate percentage. In 2025 the BSCS and BSSE closing was 75.36% and BSAI 71.09%.
- Check your group. Pre-Engineering or an ICS combination with at least 55% is required; DAE holders need 65%.
- The evening programme is a second chance. Evening BSCS / BSSE had its own test on 7 December 2025, at a higher fee.
- Budget. Morning BSCS / BSSE was PKR 94,500 per semester for session 2026, rising 10% a year.
About University of Karachi
The University of Karachi was established in 1951 through the University of Karachi Act (1950). It began as a federal university, became a provincial institution serving Sindh in 1962, and now sits on University Road in Karachi.
The Department of Computer Science, usually called UBIT after the University of Karachi's building for it, was set up by the Academic Council on 27 November 1984 and started teaching in 1985-86 with a Master of Computer Science. It added BS Computer Science in 1996, BS Software Engineering in 2006 and BS Artificial Intelligence in January 2025, and also offers MS, MPhil and PhD in Computer Science.
Admission to the department's BS programmes is test based: candidates must score at least 50% in the university's entrance test, and seats are then filled on the percentage in the intermediate or equivalent examination. The department runs both a morning programme and a self-financed evening programme.
Sources
- University of Karachi admissions pageread 2026-09-17
- University of Karachi undergraduate admissions portalread 2026-09-17
- University of Karachi Prospectus, Admissions 2026 (morning)read 2026-09-17
- University of Karachi Evening Prospectus 2026read 2026-09-17
- Department of Computer Science - UBITread 2026-09-17
- Department of Computer Science - UBIT: B.S. programsread 2026-09-17
- UBIT BSCS curriculum (PDF)read 2026-09-17
- UBIT BSSE curriculum (PDF)read 2026-09-17
- UBIT BSAI curriculum (PDF)read 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.
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