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The University of Peshawar has decided to close nine departments due to low admission rates in their Bachelor of Studies (BS) programmes for the fall 2025 semester.
According to official documents, the BS programmes being discontinued include development studies, geography, geology, history, social anthropology, statistics, logistics and supply chain analytics, human development and family studies, and home economics.
Only one student applied for BS human development and family studies, while other programmes received between two and 14 applications. The university issued a notification stating that, as per approved regulations, any programme with fewer than 15 enrolled students will be cancelled.
“The mentioned programmes for session fall 2025 are found below the approved number,” the notification read.
In light of this decision, the administration has directed that affected students be referred to the Director of Admissions office to choose alternate academic programmes. University officials said around 69 departments operate under UoP, each typically enrolling 60 students in its four-year BS programme. However, several departments, including mathematics, chemistry, social work, Urdu, Pashto, and journalism, also witnessed a decline in admissions this year.
Departments that continued to attract sufficient enrolments included pharmacy, English, psychology, computer science, law, environmental sciences, physics, international relations, political science, peace and conflict studies, criminology, and management sciences.
A university spokesperson attributed the declining admissions to multiple factors, including limited student guidance and a shift toward more career-oriented disciplines.
“Students are increasingly choosing trending fields like computer science and allied health sciences due to better job prospects,” the spokesperson said.
Rising Tuition Fees Contribute to Decline in Enrolment
University officials added that rising tuition fees have also contributed to the drop. The average fee at the University of Peshawar is around Rs75,000 per semester, significantly higher than the Rs7,000 charged by public colleges offering similar BS programmes.
Officials further noted that the proliferation of higher education institutions in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has intensified competition. Currently, there are 34 public and 10 private universities in the province, along with nearly 1,000 colleges.
They added that many departments facing low enrolment have struggled to adapt their courses to modern job market demands.
“The curriculum in several departments has not evolved with time, reducing employability for graduates,” one official remarked.
The university’s financial challenges, coupled with declining enrolment and outdated curricula, have prompted calls for policymakers to review the structure and sustainability of the BS programme at both the university and college levels.
