The NUST merit list ranks every applicant in a discipline by aggregate, then hands out seats in that order, using the programme preferences each candidate entered. Your merit position matters more than your aggregate, and the first list is rarely the last: seats keep moving until about two weeks after classes start.
Key facts
- Merit lists for NET and ACT/SAT seats are generated tentatively by the last week of July
- Aggregate on NET basis: NET 75%, HSSC 15%, SSC 10%
- Your best NET score in the cycle is the one used
- After the list, you get 1 to 2 days to edit preferences
- You are only considered for programmes you selected in the form
- Selection usually runs until the 2nd week after classes start at H-12
Source: NUST undergraduate selection process and merit criteria pages, checked October 2026
How NUST builds the list
Every applicant gets an aggregate from the same formula: NET out of 200 carries 75%, HSSC (Part-1 if that is all you have) carries 15%, and SSC carries 10%. The merit formula post walks through the arithmetic. A-Level final-year candidates use 75% NET and 25% O-Level equivalence instead.
NUST does not rank everyone in one giant list. The merit criteria page has a programme-wise table, and each row is a separate "merit for" group: Engineering, Computing, Applied Sciences, Business Studies and Social Sciences, Architecture and Industrial Design, and the individual BS programmes such as Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Bioinformatics and Food Science. Each group picks up the NET paper that applies to it. If you sat both NET-Engineering and NET-Applied Sciences, programmes like BS Bioinformatics and BS Chemistry take your best score across both papers.
ACT and SAT candidates are ranked on separate lists. National ACT/SAT seats use the same 75/15/10 split with the ACT or SAT score in place of NET. International seats use the ACT or SAT score alone.
Merit position vs aggregate
Your aggregate is a number like 78.4. Your merit position is a rank like 1,912. Only the rank decides anything.
An aggregate tells you nothing until it is compared with everyone else who applied for the same discipline that year. A 78 can be comfortable in one discipline and short in another, and the same 78 can land differently from one year to the next because the applicant pool changes. That is why NUST shows you your position on the admissions portal, not a pass mark.
Two practical consequences:
- Do not compare your aggregate with a friend in a different discipline. You are on different lists.
- Do not trust a single "closing aggregate" you saw in a WhatsApp group. Read the closing merit post before you use one to plan.
Your preferences decide which seat you get
When you fill the online form, you list the programmes you want in order. NUST works down the merit list and gives each candidate the highest preference that still has a seat at their rank. If your first choice is full by the time NUST reaches your position, you get your second, and so on.
The selection process page sets two rules:
- You cannot be considered for a programme you did not select. If you leave it off, it does not exist for you.
- Pick only programmes you would actually join. Selecting ones you do not want can lead to fees you did not need to pay and a messy selection process.
After the merit list comes out, NUST gives you 1 to 2 days to edit your preferences within these disciplines: Engineering, Computing, Architecture and Industrial Design, Business Studies and Social Sciences, and Applied Sciences (BS Biotechnology, BS Environmental Science, BS Agriculture). Use that window. It is the cheapest fix you will get.
Why there is more than one list
The first selection never fills every seat for good. Some selected candidates do not pay their dues. Others leave for another university. Each of those empty seats goes to the next person on merit, and that is what the later lists are.
NUST calls this upgradation. If you have paid your admission dues on time, you stay in the selection process, and you move up to a higher preference within the same discipline when a seat opens at your rank. Someone offered their fourth-choice engineering programme in the first list can end up in their second choice a few weeks later.
NUST does not announce in advance how many lists there will be. The selection process page says selection generally continues until the 2nd week after classes start at H-12, and then closes for good. After that, no admission is possible.
Dues, freezing and changing preferences
The rules after you are selected trip up more people than the merit list itself.
| Situation | What NUST's rules say |
|---|---|
| You are selected and do not pay dues in time | You are out of the selection process for that discipline |
| You pay dues on time | You stay in the process and are upgraded by default as seats open |
| You want to keep your current programme | Submit the "Freezing the UG programme" form by the due date. Upgradation then stops |
| You want to reorder preferences after the edit window | Submit the "Change of Preferences" form with the prescribed fee. Allowed once only |
| You are selected on NET and ACT/SAT lists | You keep one seat of your choice |
Most of the damage happens in the first row. A candidate who gets a lower preference, decides to wait for a better list, and skips the payment falls out of that discipline's selection entirely. If you might want the seat, pay on time. You can still be upgraded after paying.
Both forms are on NUST's downloads page, and the deadlines are printed in your provisional selection letter.
How to check your position
Log in to the NUST UG admissions portal and search your merit position and selection status with your registration number. If selected, the portal gives you your provisional selection letter, the UG instructions, a medical certificate form and the fee invoice. You pay through 1-Link or 1-Bill from a bank app, Easypaisa or JazzCash, or at an Askari Bank counter. NUST's notice for the Fall 2025 NET and ACT/SAT merit lists is dated 31 July 2025, which fits the last-week-of-July plan.
Keep checking the portal after you pay. Upgradation status appears there, not by phone call.
A few things that do not hurt you
Gap-year and repeat candidates are treated as normal candidates. NUST's FAQ says there is no penalty in merit generation. Sitting NET more than once does not hurt either, because the system picks your best score. See how many times you can take NET for the series rules.
What does hurt: wrong marks in the form. O-Level and A-Level candidates must enter the marks from their IBCC equivalence certificate, not their own conversion. NUST warns that self-calculated marks affect your merit position and can get an admission cancelled later.
FAQ
When does the NUST merit list come out?
NUST says merit lists for NET and ACT/SAT seats are generated tentatively by the last week of July. NUST's notice announcing the Fall 2025 lists on the admissions portal is dated 31 July 2025.
How many merit lists does NUST release?
NUST does not fix a number. Lists continue as seats open up, generally until the 2nd week after classes start at H-12, and then selection closes.
Can I change my programme preferences after the merit list?
Yes. You get a 1 to 2 day window after the merit list to edit them. After that you can apply once through the Change of Preferences form, with a fee, subject to seats and your merit position.
If I pay for one programme, can I still move to a better one?
Yes. Paying on time keeps you in the selection process, and you are upgraded by default when a seat opens in a higher preference. Freezing your programme is what stops upgradation.
Is the NUST merit list based only on NET?
No. NET is 75%. HSSC carries 15% and SSC 10%. A-Level final-year candidates use 25% O-Level equivalence in place of the school components.
