Pakistan’s Student Free Laptop Scheme gives free laptops to high-performing students at public universities, and it remains one of the most searched education topics in the country. Also, if you are waiting for the next round, this guide explains the current status, who qualifies, how selection works, and what to do next.
Registration remains closed right now. Officials have not announced a new phase as of October 2026, so any website publishing a “Phase 5” or “Phase 6” deadline is not quoting the government. Instead, students who already applied should check their application status and merit list position rather than submitting a fresh form.
What is the Student Free Laptop Scheme?
The scheme is Pakistan’s flagship digital inclusion programme for university students. It started to close the gap between students who can afford a computer and students who cannot, and the programme has distributed more than 600,000 laptops across its phases so far. Officials base selection on merit, not first-come-first-served, and every application goes through one official portal.
Each phase carries its own opening and closing dates, and each university receives a quota tied to its enrolled student numbers. The universities themselves prepare merit lists, and selected students collect their laptops from their own institution.
Is registration open in 2026?
No. Phase-IV registration opened in late April 2025 and closed after a deadline extension to 1 June 2025. After that, provisional and final merit lists followed, the Prime Minister inaugurated the phase on 30 October 2025, and laptops reached universities in early 2026.
Since then, neither the Prime Minister’s Youth Programme nor the Higher Education Commission has announced a next phase or a new last date. The official portal is the only place that can confirm a reopening, so students should check laptop.pmyp.gov.pk directly rather than trusting third-party deadline posts.
| Detail | Fact |
|---|---|
| Scheme | Prime Minister’s Youth Laptop Scheme (PMYLS) |
| Run by | Prime Minister’s Youth Programme (PMYP) with the Higher Education Commission (HEC) |
| Latest phase | Phase-IV — 100,000 laptops |
| Registration | Closed — no new phase announced as of October 2026 |
| Official portal | laptop.pmyp.gov.pk |
| Cost | Completely free |
Who can apply?
The Higher Education Commission fixes eligibility, and every condition below must hold at the time of application. These criteria applied to Phase-IV, and officials expect them to carry over to the next phase when it opens.
| Requirement | What it means |
|---|---|
| Institution | Regular student at a public sector university or HEC-recognised Degree Awarding Institute, including recognised sub-campuses |
| Programme | PhD, MS/MPhil (18-year equivalent), or a 4-year or 5-year bachelor’s degree; MBA programmes of 3.5, 2.5 and 1.5 years are also eligible |
| Marks (semester system) | Minimum CGPA 2.80 out of 4.00 |
| Marks (annual system) | Minimum 60% marks |
| First-year students | At least 60% marks in intermediate, until a first-semester result is available |
| Nationality | Pakistani citizen, including students from Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan |
| Previous laptop | Must never have received a laptop under any federal or provincial government scheme |
Students of the Virtual University and Allama Iqbal Open University qualify under a dedicated national quota because their study mode differs from campus universities. They receive a separate share, and they use the same portal, and their own university records confirm their eligibility. Students of affiliated colleges do not qualify on their college’s name — only the parent university’s record counts.
You cannot apply if you study at a private university, if you already received a laptop under any earlier federal or provincial scheme, if you are not a regular student, or if you miss the deadline. Also, employees of universities and students on distance programmes outside the stated quota fall outside the scheme.
How to apply when the next phase opens
Applications are online only, through the official portal. No paper form and no agent is involved at any step.
- Open laptop.pmyp.gov.pk and create an account with your CNIC, mobile number and email address.
- Fill in your personal, academic and university details exactly as they appear in your university record.
- Enter your CGPA or percentage from your latest result, and upload any document the form asks for.
- Submit the form and save the reference or tracking number it shows.
- Wait for your university to verify the record. Verification happens against university and NADRA records, so wrong details can get an application cancelled.
- Check the provisional merit list when it appears, and use the objection window if your record shows an error.
How to check your application status and merit list
Students who applied in Phase-IV can still check where they stand. Open laptop.pmyp.gov.pk, enter your CNIC in the application status section, and your record will show your position: selected, waitlisted or not shortlisted. Final merit lists are also shared through your own university, and that is where selected students are told when and where to collect.
Students who were selected in Phase-IV but graduated before distribution still receive their laptops. Collection happens at the student’s own university, not at a government office or courier point.
Documents you need
Keep these ready before the next window opens, because a short window leaves little time to arrange them: your CNIC, your university enrolment or student card, your latest transcript or result card showing CGPA or percentage, and an active mobile number and email address. First-year students use their intermediate result card.
