NUST Closing Merit Position 2026

Every year, thousands of NUST applicants ask the same questions:

What aggregate percentage do I need for NUST?
If my aggregate is 65%, 70%, 72%, 75% or 80%, what could my merit position be?
What merit position can I expect from my aggregate?
With my NUST merit position, which engineering programme can I get?
Can I get Electrical Engineering at SEECS?
Can I get Mechanical Engineering at SMME?
What merit position is required for Computer Engineering, Aerospace, Avionics, Mechatronics, Chemical or Civil Engineering?
If I don’t get my first preference, will NUST upgrade me later?
How far can the NUST merit lists move?
What should a future NET-2027 student target?

This article brings together the 2026 aggregate-to-merit-position data available to us, NUST’s official merit-generation rules, 2026 programme closing-position information and publicly reported student experiences to create a practical NUST aggregate and merit-position guide for engineering applicants.

Important: The merit-position estimates in this article are estimates based on the reported 2026 data by our students. They are not an official NUST merit-position calculator or guaranteed admission prediction. Actual merit depends on the candidate pool, preferences, available seats, withdrawals, upgrades and the particular merit list.

1. First understand what NUST aggregate percentage means

For candidates applying through NET, NUST’s general merit formula gives:

NET: 75%
SSC / O Level / equivalent: 10%
HSSC Part-I / HSSC / A Level / equivalent: 15%

For candidates still in A Level final year, NUST states that the O Level equivalence can carry 25% of the academic component according to its stated policy.

Therefore, when students say:

“My NUST aggregate is 72%”

they are normally referring to their final admission aggregate, not simply their NET percentage.

For Engineering and Computing programmes, the relevant test is NET-Engineering. NUST currently lists its weighting as:

Mathematics — 50%
Physics — 30%
English — 20%

The NET-Engineering paper is used for Engineering and Computing programmes and several related programmes.

2. NUST 2026 aggregate vs merit position

The following dataset has been compiled from actual 2026 candidate observations supplied for this analysis.

Some important observed points are:

Aggregate	Merit Position
81.26%	155
79.60%	337
78.90%	411
77.40%	630
76.80%	729
76.30%	788
75.70%	899
74.48%	1,168
74.10%	1,231
74.01%	1,232
73.78%	1,350
73.12%	1,491
72.65%	1,627
72.00%	1,673
71.79%	1,888
71.00%	1,937
70.62%	2,256
70.50%	2,315
70.40%	2,319
69.30%	2,619
69.08%	2,801
68.28%	3,082
68.19%	3,117
68.01%	3,206
67.60%	3,349
66.89%	3,684
66.54%	3,864
65.90%	4,177
65.80%	4,335
65.20%	4,520
65.10%	4,626
64.78%	4,696
64.77%	4,754
63.53%	5,361
62.50%	5,999
61.90%	6,305
61.01%	6,350
60.81%	7,406
60.37%	6,915
59.00%	7,921

3. Estimated NUST merit position by aggregate

Using the supplied 2026 observations and a monotonic fitted model, the approximate relationship is:

Aggregate	Estimated Merit Position
85%	~50–60
84%	~70–80
83%	~100
82%	~130–150
81%	~190
80%	~290
79%	~400
78%	~535
77%	~700
76%	~840
75%	~1,050
74%	~1,230
73%	~1,520
72%	~1,670
71%	~1,940
70%	~2,400
69%	~2,840
68%	~3,210
67%	~3,650
66%	~4,130
65%	~4,600
64%	~5,050
63%	~5,700
62%	~6,000–6,300
61%	~6,400–6,800
60%	~6,900–7,000
59%	~7,900
58%	~8,500
57%	~9,300
56%	~10,200
55%	~11,200

The most important lesson

The relationship is not linear.

For example, the difference between:

79% → 80%

can represent a much larger improvement in merit position than students might expect.

Likewise, at the top end, even a fraction of a percentage point can make a substantial difference.

That is why saying:

“Every 1% increase gives me approximately 500 better positions”

is not a reliable method.

4. What programme can you get with your NUST merit position?

This is where merit position becomes much more useful than aggregate percentage.

NUST does not simply have one universal engineering closing percentage. Different programmes and campuses close at different merit positions.

For example, publicly reported 2026 merit-list data showed the following positions on the 13th merit list:

Programme	2026 13th-list closing position
BS Software Engineering — SEECS	829
BE Computer Engineering — SEECS	850
BE Electrical Engineering — SEECS	1,199
BE Mechanical Engineering — SMME	1,490
BE Aerospace Engineering — SMME	1,720
BE Aerospace Engineering — CAE	1,810
BE Computer Engineering — CEME	2,172
BE Mechatronics Engineering — CEME	2,991
BE Electrical Engineering — CEME	3,311
BS Software Engineering — MCS	3,579
BE Avionics Engineering — CAE	3,809
BE Mechanical Engineering — CEME	3,577
BS Information Security — MCS	4,002
BE Chemical Engineering — SCME	4,157
BE Civil Engineering — NICE/SCEE	4,417
BE Geoinformatics — IGIS/SCEE	4,228
BE Energy Systems Engineering — USPCAS-E	5,177
BE Environmental Engineering — IESE/SCEE	5,779
BE Materials Engineering — SCME	5,989
BE Electrical Engineering — MCS	6,198
BE Mechanical Engineering — PNEC	6,600
BE Electrical Engineering — PNEC	6,708
BE Civil Engineering — MCE	8,328
BE Naval Architecture — PNEC	10,272
BE Civil Engineering — NBC	18,184

These are merit positions, not aggregate percentages. The published 2026 list tracker also cautions that positions vary from year to year and that later lists can move further. However for future 2027 Merit positions, it is recommended to use this as a closed 2026 NUST final merit list.

5. A practical NUST engineering programme predictor

The following is a 2026-oriented guide, not a guarantee but very close to actual achieved results reported by students.

Merit position under ~800

You are in the range where the most competitive programmes become relevant, including:

Software Engineering — SEECS
Computer Engineering — SEECS
Electrical Engineering — SEECS

The exact programme depends heavily on your preference order and the movement of the merit lists.

Merit position ~800–1,200

Potentially relevant:

Software Engineering — SEECS
Computer Engineering — SEECS
Electrical Engineering — SEECS
Mechanical Engineering — SMME may become relevant depending on list movement

The 2026 10th-list reference had SEECS Software Engineering at 807, Computer Engineering at 850 and Electrical Engineering at 1,186.

Merit position ~1,200–1,600

The range opens considerably.

Potential programmes include:

Electrical Engineering — SEECS
Mechanical Engineering — SMME
Aerospace Engineering — SMME
Aerospace Engineering — CAE

For comparison, 2026 10th-list positions were 1,186 for SEECS EE, 1,425 for SMME Mechanical and 1,596 for SMME Aerospace.

Merit position ~1,600–2,200

Potential options include:

Aerospace Engineering — CAE
Computer Engineering — CEME
Mechanical Engineering — SMME
Mechatronics — CEME, depending on later movement

The 2026 10th-list reference reached 1,810 for CAE Aerospace and 2,160 for CEME Computer Engineering.

Merit position ~2,200–3,400

A significantly wider range becomes possible:

Computer Engineering — CEME
Mechatronics Engineering — CEME
Electrical Engineering — CEME
Software Engineering — MCS
Avionics Engineering — CAE
Mechanical Engineering — CEME

The 2026 10th-list positions show substantial variation among these programmes.

Merit position ~3,400–4,400

Potential programmes include:

Information Security — MCS
Chemical Engineering — SCME
Civil Engineering — NICE/SCEE
Geoinformatics Engineering
Energy Systems Engineering
Environmental Engineering
Materials Engineering

Again, the actual offer depends on your selected preferences and where the relevant list closes.

Merit position ~4,400–6,500

Potential options increasingly include:

Energy Systems Engineering
Environmental Engineering
Materials Engineering
Electrical Engineering — MCS
Mechanical Engineering — PNEC
Electrical Engineering — PNEC

The 2026 10th-list reference reached 5,146 for MCS Electrical, 6,027 for PNEC Mechanical and 6,399 for PNEC Electrical.

Merit position ~6,500–8,500

Later-list possibilities include:

Civil Engineering — MCE
Naval Architecture — PNEC
Civil Engineering — NBC
Other lower-closing engineering programmes depending on the year

The 2026 10th-list reference reached 6,955 for MCE Civil and 8,398 for PNEC Naval Architecture.

6. Why your preference list matters enormously

One of the biggest mistakes students make is thinking:

“My merit position determines one fixed programme.”

It doesn’t.

Your merit position + programme preferences + available seats + closing merit determine the offer.

NUST explicitly states that candidates are offered programmes according to their preferences and attained merit position. Candidates can also remain in the selection process for upgrading where seats become available, provided they have completed the required fee process.

For example, imagine a candidate has:

Merit Position = 2,000

If the candidate has preferences such as:

SE SEECS
CE SEECS
EE SEECS
Mechanical SMME
Aerospace SMME
CE CEME
Mechatronics CEME
EE CEME

the eventual programme depends on which of these programmes has reached position 2,000 in the relevant merit list.

This is why merit position alone cannot tell you the final programme without knowing your preference order.

7. NUST merit lists can move significantly

Another important point for applicants is that the first merit list is not necessarily the final story.

In 2026, publicly reported merit lists showed substantial movement over successive lists.

For example, Reddit’s publicly reported 2026 data showed SEECS Electrical Engineering moving from position 519 in the first list to 1,087 by the fifth list, while SEECS Software Engineering moved from 161 to 748 over the same period.

By the eighth list, publicly reported closing positions included:

SEECS EE — 1,124
SEECS Software Engineering — 784
SEECS Computer Engineering — 832
SMME Mechanical — 1,423
SMME Aerospace — 1,543
CEME Computer Engineering — 2,160
CEME Mechatronics — 2,675
CEME Electrical — 2,997

Later lists moved further. For example, a September 2026 student report cited SEECS Electrical Engineering reaching 1,194 in the 12th list.

Therefore:

Do not judge your final NUST admission solely from the first merit list.

8. 65.9% aggregate — what does it mean?

One of the strongest actual observations in our dataset is:

65.9% aggregate → Merit Position 4,177

A merit position around 4,177 puts the candidate in a range where the 2026 10th-list reference included programmes such as:

Geoinformatics Engineering
Energy Systems Engineering
Environmental Engineering
Materials Engineering
Chemical Engineering
Civil Engineering
and potentially programmes with later movement depending on the list.

For example, the 2026 10th-list reference showed Geoinformatics at 4,137, Energy Systems at 4,399, Environmental Engineering at 4,820 and Materials Engineering at 4,836.

This illustrates why 4,177 cannot simply be labelled “good” or “bad”. It has to be interpreted against the student’s programme preferences.

9. 60.37% aggregate — what does it mean?

Another supplied benchmark is:

60.37% → Merit Position 6,915

At approximately this position, the 2026 10th-list reference included:

Mechanical Engineering — PNEC: 6,027
Electrical Engineering — PNEC: 6,399
Civil Engineering — MCE: 6,955

So a merit position around 6,915 sits very close to the 2026 reference point for MCE Civil Engineering, while being beyond the 10th-list positions reported for PNEC Mechanical and Electrical.

However, this should not be interpreted as a guaranteed final programme because subsequent lists, withdrawals and preferences can change the closing positions.

10. What aggregate should future NUST engineering students target?

Instead of asking:

“What is the minimum aggregate for NUST Engineering?”

a better question is:

“What aggregate should I target for my preferred NUST programme?”

A broad planning guide based on the 2026 data would be:

Target area	Approximate aggregate target
Very competitive SEECS programmes	~78–82%+
SEECS EE / top H-12 engineering	~76–80%+
SMME Mechanical / Aerospace	~75–79%+
CEME Computer / Mechatronics / EE	~70–76%+
MCS Software / Information Security / EE	~68–74%+
Chemical / Civil / Geoinformatics / Energy	~65–72%+
Environmental / Materials / PNEC engineering	~62–70%+
Lower-closing engineering options	~58–65%+

These are planning ranges, not official NUST cutoffs.

The actual cutoff can move every year.

11. Why you should not compare NUST aggregate directly with NET marks

A student may say:

“I scored 150/200 in NET, so my merit should be around X.”

That is not enough information.

Your NUST merit depends on the weighted combination of:

NET + SSC/O Level + HSSC/A Level

because NET contributes 75% while academic components contribute the remaining 25% under the general NET merit formula.

Two students with exactly the same NET score can therefore have different final aggregates and different merit positions.

12. What 2026 NUST students are saying online

Public student discussions provide useful context, but they should be treated as community reports rather than official NUST data.

The 2026 NUST Reddit megathread was specifically created for students to post:

merit position
aggregate
field
preference order

so applicants could compare actual 2026 results.

Students also repeatedly discuss:

merit-list movement
preference order
programme upgrades
campus-specific engineering choices
how many merit positions a programme may move
whether a particular aggregate is sufficient.

For example, 2026 discussions included students asking about Electrical Engineering at SEECS, CEME and MCS, as well as Mechanical, Aerospace, Chemical, Materials and other engineering programmes.

For a reliable admission guide, official NUST data + actual candidate observations + clearly labelled community reports are safer than anonymous social-media claims.

13. NUST 2027 students: when should you start preparing?

Future applicants should also note that NUST has already published the tentative NET-2027 schedule.

NUST currently lists:

NET-2027 Series 1 registration: 4 October – 14 November 2026
Series 2: December 2026 – January 2027
Series 3: February – March 2027
Series 4: April – May 2027

with tests subsequently conducted at the listed centres and periods.

NUST also states that candidates can appear in more than one NET during the admission cycle and that the best score is considered.

This makes early preparation particularly useful for students targeting the highly competitive engineering and computing programmes.

14. The most useful way to use this data

If you are a current or future NUST applicant, follow these four steps:

Step 1 — Calculate your aggregate

Don’t use NET marks alone.

Calculate your complete NUST aggregate according to the applicable NUST formula.

Step 2 — Estimate your merit position

Use the 2026 aggregate-to-merit dataset as a benchmark, not a guarantee.

Step 3 — Compare your position with programme closing positions

For example:

Aggregate → Estimated MP → Programme closing position

This is much more useful than looking at aggregate alone.

Step 4 — Build a sensible preference list

Don’t put only one or two highly competitive programmes.

Create a preference list containing:

Dream choices → Competitive choices → Realistic choices → Backup choices

But only include programmes you would genuinely be willing to join.

NUST itself advises candidates to select preferences according to their genuine interests and notes that candidates cannot be considered for a programme they did not opt for.

15. NUST Aggregate → Merit Position → Engineering Programme: the complete idea

The admission process can be visualised as:

NET + Academic Marks

↓

NUST Aggregate %

↓

Overall Merit Position

↓

Your Preference Order

↓

Programme Closing Merit

↓

Initial Selection

↓

Possible Upgradation

↓

Final Programme

This is why there is no single answer to:

“At 70% aggregate, which NUST engineering programme will I get?”

A better question is:

“At approximately 70% aggregate, what merit position might I receive, and which of my selected programmes are likely to reach that position during the merit-list cycle?”

16. Final 2026 closing merit-position cheat sheet

For quick reference:

Aggregate	Approx. MP	2026 Merit Close
81%+	~150–200	Very competitive programmes become relevant
80%	~290	Top programmes
79%	~400	Top programmes
78%	~535	Highly competitive
77%	~700	SEECS/SMME territory
76%	~840	SEECS/CEME/SMME possibilities
75%	~1,050	Strong H-12 engineering range
74%	~1,230	EE SEECS / SMME / Aerospace range
73%	~1,500	SMME/CAE/CEME possibilities
72%	~1,670	CEME/CAE and other engineering options
71%	~1,940	CEME/CAE and related programmes
70%	~2,300–2,400	CEME/MCS/other engineering
69%	~2,800	CEME/MCS/engineering options
68%	~3,200	MCS/CEME/CAE/SCME/SCEE
67%	~3,600	Chemical/Civil/Geo/other engineering
66%	~4,100	Geo/Energy/Environmental/Materials range
65%	~4,600	Energy/Environmental/Materials/MCS
64%	~5,000	MCS/PNEC/lower-closing engineering
63%	~5,500–5,700	PNEC/MCE/lower-closing options
62%	~6,000	PNEC/MCE possibilities
61%	~6,400	PNEC/MCE possibilities
60%	~6,900	MCE/later-list possibilities
59%	~7,900	Lower-closing engineering options
58%	~8,500	Later-list/lower-closing possibilities
57%	~9,300	Mainly lower-closing options
56%	~10,200	Mainly lower-closing options
55%	~11,200	Limited engineering options

17. Final warning: don’t confuse estimate with guarantee

The most important message for applicants is this:

Aggregate percentage does not guarantee a merit position.

And:

Merit position does not guarantee a particular programme.

NUST’s own admission process states that programme offers depend on the candidate’s preferences and attained merit position, and candidates can remain in the selection process for upgradation when seats become available.

NUST also explicitly warns that previous closing merit positions are only references because merit positions vary every year.

Therefore, use this article for planning, not as an admission guarantee.

For the latest official status, candidates should check the NUST Undergraduate Admissions portal and their individual merit/selection status. The portal currently reports that the 13th UG selection list for 2026 has been uploaded, with the stated fee deadline of 23 September 2026.

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Confused about your NUST aggregate or merit position 2027? Use 2026 observed data to estimate your merit position and understand which NUST engineering programmes may be within your range.

2027 outlook

Overall prediction

My base-case expectation is that 2027 NUST Engineering merit will remain broadly similar to 2026, with modest movement rather than a dramatic system-wide change.

The most likely outcome is:

Top SEECS programmes remain extremely competitive.
SMME and CAE remain highly competitive.
CEME and MCS remain accessible at lower merit positions than the most competitive SEECS programmes.
Lower-closing campuses and programmes continue to reach substantially deeper merit positions.
Exact closing positions may move up or down depending on the applicant pool, seat numbers, programme popularity and withdrawals.

Expected direction by programme tier

Programme tier	2027 expectation
SEECS Software/Computer Engineering	Likely to remain around the very top of the Engineering pool; small movements can materially affect admission
SEECS Electrical Engineering	Likely to remain highly competitive, but later-list movement may again be significant
SMME Mechanical/Aerospace	Likely to remain competitive, probably somewhat more forgiving than top SEECS choices
CAE Aerospace/Avionics	Likely to show meaningful movement across later lists
CEME Computer/Mechatronics/Electrical	Likely to remain accessible at substantially higher merit-position numbers than SEECS
MCS Software/Information Security/Electrical	Likely to remain realistic for mid-range merit positions
SCME, SCEE, IESE and USPCAS-E programmes	Likely to remain available at progressively lower aggregates than the top H-12 programmes
PNEC, MCE and NBC programmes	Likely to continue reaching deeper merit positions, especially in later lists

Three possible 2027 scenarios

1. Stable scenario — most likely

If the number and quality of applicants, seat allocation and programme preferences are broadly similar to 2026:

2027 closing merit positions may remain within roughly a few hundred positions of the 2026 figures for many programmes.
Aggregate requirements may remain broadly similar.
The 2026 table would be a reasonable first benchmark.

2. More competitive scenario

If more students apply, more candidates improve their NET scores, or Computing/SEECS demand rises:

Top programmes could close at better, numerically lower positions.
The aggregate required for SEECS and SMME may rise slightly.
A 2026 benchmark might understate the aggregate needed for a safe 2027 chance.
Students near a cutoff could be pushed into a later-list or lower-preference programme.

3. Less competitive or deeper-list scenario

If applicant behaviour changes, seats increase, or more candidates choose other universities:

Later merit lists could move deeper.
Lower and mid-tier programmes could accept students at slightly lower aggregates.
Candidates near the 2026 boundary could benefit, particularly in CEME, MCS, PNEC, MCE, NBC and related programmes.

My practical 2027 target advice

Because exact cutoffs cannot be known before the 2027 merit lists, I would use the following safety-oriented targets:

Goal	Sensible 2027 planning target
Strong chance at top SEECS programmes	82%+
Competitive SEECS/SMME target	78–80%+
Good H-12 Engineering prospects	74–77%+
Reasonable CEME/CAE/MCS prospects	69–74%+
Reasonable SCME/SCEE/USPCAS-E prospects	65–70%+
Lower-closing engineering options	60–65%+

These are not predictions of official cutoffs. They include a margin above the 2026 estimates to account for year-to-year uncertainty.

Bottom line

The central message is:

Do not ask only, “What aggregate is enough for NUST Engineering?” Ask, “What merit position is likely from my aggregate, and which of my selected programmes are likely to reach that position?”

For 2027, the safest interpretation is:

Treat 2026 as a benchmark, not a promise.
Expect the top programmes to remain highly competitive.
Build a preference list containing genuine dream, competitive, realistic and backup choices.
Do not choose a programme merely because its merit position appears reachable; include it only if you would actually join.
Continue monitoring official NUST merit lists, because unofficial aggregate-position tables may contain reporting errors.
If your expected aggregate is close to a 2026 boundary, assume a buffer of roughly 1–2 aggregate percentage points or several hundred merit positions is desirable for a safer 2027 plan.