A group of students at the Institute of Space Technology (IST) in Islamabad were left devastated when they were informed, just days before the start of classes, that their chosen program would not be offered. The announcement came as a shock, as students had already paid their full first-semester fees and were set to begin classes promptly. The last-minute cancellation has not only thrown their academic plans into chaos but could also potentially cost them a year of their education.
The students, excited to embark on their academic journey at one of Islamabad’s most reputable institutions, received an unexpected email from IST Administration just three days before the start of their semester. The email informed them that the program they enrolled in was no longer being offered due to “incomplete faculty.” The message promised a full refund of their fees but emphasized that students had just a nine-day window to apply for it.
The cancellation of the course at such a late stage has left students with limited options. With the admission season now closed, many of them fear that they have lost a full academic year. They are outraged not only by the abrupt cancellation but also by the reason provided, which many find laughable. The university cited the absence of a complete faculty as the primary reason for the decision, a problem that students argue should have been resolved long before admissions even opened. “It’s frustrating and unfair,” said one affected student. “We invested time and money, and now we’re left stranded. We didn’t expect this from a university of IST’s reputation.”
Students are now calling for accountability, expressing disappointment in the university’s handling of the situation. “How could they take our money and make promises they can’t keep? They should have known about faculty shortages much earlier,” another student lamented. While the university has offered refunds, the students are left to grapple with the reality that the time and effort they put into securing their admissions may have gone to waste. The refund does little to alleviate the frustration of losing an entire academic year, with many students now scrambling for alternatives, though most admissions at other institutions have already closed.
The incident raises concerns about the transparency and accountability of academic institutions. Students argue that universities must take greater responsibility when making admissions offers and that they deserve better than to be left stranded due to administrative oversights. Many affected students are now considering legal action or approaching educational authorities to prevent such incidents from happening again. For now, the students’ hopes for starting their academic careers are on hold, as they wait to see if IST will offer any alternatives, though the damage to the university’s reputation may take much longer to repair.
—The writer is contributing columnist, based in Islamabad.
