CM Punjab Laptop Scheme Phase 2: status, merit list and eligibility

Current status of the CM laptop scheme

The portal posts dated notices on its home page, newest first. Read together, they show the full Phase II timeline: the portal opened on 25 January 2026, was widened to private, federal chartered and open university students in February and March, closed for new applications on 20 April, gave students two chances to fix returned applications in May, ran a grievance round in early June, and moved to distribution ceremonies in October. If you applied, the most useful notice for you now is the latest one: laptops are handed over at ceremonies organised by division, and your institute is told first. Keep checking both the portal and your email, and stay in touch with your university or college focal person, who receives the lists for your campus.

Official numbers for Phase I and Phase II

The portal shows a live counter for both phases. In Phase I, 73,274 students applied, 71,974 were verified and 42,291 were selected, which means roughly 58% of applicants received a laptop. Phase II drew more than twice as many applications, 163,326, because private, federal chartered and open university students were added. Verification and selection for Phase II were both still marked “under process” on 27 October 2026, even though some divisions had already held ceremonies. That suggests results are being finalised institution by institution rather than in one province-wide list.

The portal said these figures were last updated on 27 Oct 2026 at 11:01 AM.

CM laptop scheme merit list and status check

There is no separate “status check by CNIC” page on the official portal, and you should be careful with sites that offer one. According to the official FAQ, you are told about your application status by email at the address you entered, and you can see it by logging into your own account on the portal. The merit list is shown on the official website and in each student’s account. For your distribution date, the October notice says selected students should contact their own institute, because ceremonies are organised through university and college focal persons.

We did not find a public Phase II merit list PDF on the portal on 27 October 2026. If someone shares a “selected candidates list” on WhatsApp or a blog, check that the same list is on cmlaptophed.punjab.gov.pk before you trust it. Unofficial lists are common, and some ask you to “confirm” your name by paying a fee.

Eligibility criteria and requirements for the CM Punjab Laptop Program

You needed a domicile from any district of Punjab and had to be enrolled in one of these programs in the 2025 admission year or session. You also must not have received a laptop in any earlier scheme. Blind students enrolled in any university or college were eligible regardless of marks, and non-Muslim students in BS programs had a lower bar of 55%.

• 1st or 2nd semester of a BS program at a public university or college, or at a listed chartered federal or private university.
• 1st professional year of MBBS or BDS at a public medical or dental college.
• 1st or 2nd semester of BS Nursing at a public nursing college.

Which universities and colleges are included

The portal’s institutes page splits the list into six tabs: public universities, private universities, public colleges, nursing institutes, medical institutes and special education institutes. Each entry shows the division and district, so you can search for your own campus. The public university tab covers institutions in every division of Punjab, from the University of the Punjab, UET Lahore and Government College University in Lahore to the University of Okara, University of Layyah, Thal University Bhakkar, Khwaja Fareed University in Rahim Yar Khan, Bahauddin Zakariya University in Multan and Kohsar University in Murree. If your institute is not on the list, you were not eligible in Phase II, and the official FAQ advises asking your institution’s focal person rather than applying anyway.

Returned applications and grievances

If your institution’s focal person found a mistake, your application was marked “Returned” with a reason, and you had one chance to correct it; the re-submission deadline was extended to 31 May 2026. Students rejected after being returned twice could apply in a grievance round that ran until 6 June 2026. Both windows have closed.

Laptop specifications

The portal lists a Core i7, 13th generation processor, an SSD for storage and “high-speed RAM”. It does not give the RAM size, storage size or brand, so we do not guess them here, and you should be careful with videos that claim exact figures. The portal frames the laptop around four goals: educational growth, digital inclusion, skill development and economic empowerment. A 13th generation Core i7 is a strong machine for university work, including programming, design software and video calls, which is one reason these laptops are popular and why dishonest “laptop for sale” offers appear after each distribution. A laptop received under the scheme is meant for the student’s own studies.

Will there be a Phase 3?

We have not found any notice of a Phase III on the HED portal. On 18 October 2026, a newspaper quoted the Punjab Information Minister saying the Chief Minister had launched the second phase of the laptop and scholarship schemes, which matches the Phase II distribution now under way rather than a new phase. Until a new notice appears on cmlaptophed.punjab.gov.pk, treat any “Phase 3 registration” page as unofficial. Students who will be in the 1st or 2nd semester of a BS program in the next admission year should keep their Intermediate result card, domicile and CNIC ready, because past phases opened with only a few months to apply.

Other options for students right now

If you missed Phase II, two programs are open now. The Honhaar Scholarship Phase IV pays 100% of tuition fee for Punjab-domiciled undergraduates in selected programs and accepts applications until 9 November 2026. Younger brothers and sisters who sat the Class 9 exam in 2026 at a government school may qualify for a free Chromebook and internet device under the federal PM Laptop Scheme. Students who need transport can read about the CM Punjab E-Bike Scheme, whose second phase closed on 4 October 2026.