"Reducing Misaligned University Applications through AI and Machine Learning-Based Recommendation Systems: Insights from a Case Study in Pakistan
Muhammad Ibrahim¹, Muhammad Ahmed², Sara Hania³ ¹ Institute of Information Management, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan ² Institute of Information Management, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan ³ Department of Computer Science, Alpha College, P.E.C.H.S Block 6, Karachi, Pakistan Abstract Every year in Pakistan, thousands of university applicants submit multiple applications without clear guidance, often choosing degrees for which they either lack the required merit or genuine interest. This leads to wasted admission fees, reduced chances of selection, and, in many cases, students ending up in fields they later disengage from—sometimes even abandoning their studies, resulting in wasted years and financial loss. To address this issue, we developed a basic machine learning–based recommendation model that matches a student’s aggregate score and field of interest with suitable degree programs. The model was built and trained using last-year merit data and categorized in...