The University of the Punjab (

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichkei ...

, research, coeducational higher education institution located in

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city. ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

. Punjab University is the oldest public university in Pakistan. With multiple campuses in

Gujranwala Gujranwala ( ur, , label=none; ) is a city and capital of Gujranwala Division located in Pakistan. It is also known as "City of Wrestlers" and is quite famous for its food. It is the 5th most populous city proper after Karachi, Lahore, Faisala ...

Jhelum Jhelum ( Punjabi and ur, ) is a city on the east bank of the Jhelum River, which is located in the district of Jhelum in the north of Punjab province, Pakistan. It is the 44th largest city of Pakistan by population. Jhelum is known for p ...

, and

Khanspur Khanaspur ( ur, ) is one of the tourist mountain resort towns of the Galyat area of Hazara region of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Khanaspur is a settlement in the Ayubia area and is located in Abbottabad District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pa ...

, the university was formally established by the

British Government ga, Rialtas a Shoilse gd, Riaghaltas a Mhòrachd , image = HM Government logo.svg , image_size = 220px , image2 = Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (HM Government).svg , image_size2 = 180px , caption = Royal Arms , date_es ...

after convening the first meeting for establishing higher education institutions in October 1882 at

Simla Shimla (; ; also known as Simla, the official name until 1972) is the capital and the largest city of the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. In 1864, Shimla was declared as the summer capital of British India. After independence, the ...

. Punjab University was the fourth university to be established by the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

colonial authorities in the

subcontinent A continent is any of several large landmasses. Generally identified by convention rather than any strict criteria, up to seven geographical regions are commonly regarded as continents. Ordered from largest in area to smallest, these seven ...

; the first three universities were established in other parts of British-ruled Subcontinent. There are 45,678 students (27,907 morning students, 16,552 evening students and 1,219 diploma students). The university has 13 faculties of which there are 83 academic departments, research centres, and institutes. Punjab University has ranked first among large-sized multiple faculty universities by the HEC in 2012. There are also two

Nobel Laureate The Nobel Prizes ( sv, Nobelpriset, no, Nobelprisen) are awarded annually by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the Swedish Academy, the Karolinska Institutet, and the Norwegian Nobel Committee to individuals and organizations who make out ...

s among the university's alumni and former staff. Additionally, the university is also a member of the

Association of Commonwealth Universities The Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) was established in 1913, and has over 500 member institutions in over 50 countries across the Commonwealth. The ACU is the world's oldest international network of universities. Its mission is ...

of the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

. In the recently issued rankings of Asian universities by QS World Universities Rankings, the university jumped from the 232nd to 193rd position, improving its position by 39 places. It ranks 251–300 in Agriculture and Forestry, 501–550 in Physics & Astronomy and 501–550 in Chemistry according to QS World University Rankings by Subject 2019. In 2022-2023 edition, it ranked 801 worldwide.

History

The University of Punjab was given its initial impetus in 1854 by

Wood's despatch In 1854, Sir Charles Wood, the President of the Board of Control of the British East India Company, sent a formal dispatch to Lord Dalhousie, the then Governor-General of India, suggesting a large shift to English language use within India. Sir ...

. The Institute of Administrative Sciences was created in 1962. Many major institutions that were previously affiliated to the university have become independent universities, such as

Government College University, Lahore The Government College University, Lahore (colloquially known as GCU), is a public research university located in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. Opened as Government College, Lahore, in 1864, it became a university in 2002. Overview In 1864, Gov ...

and Medical and Engineering Colleges. Prof.

Arthur Compton Arthur Holly Compton (September 10, 1892 – March 15, 1962) was an American physicist who won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1927 for his 1923 discovery of the Compton effect, which demonstrated the particle nature of electromagnetic radia ...

, who discovered

Compton effect Compton scattering, discovered by Arthur Holly Compton, is the scattering of a high frequency photon after an interaction with a charged particle, usually an electron. If it results in a decrease in energy (increase in wavelength) of the photon ...

used to be an appointed lecturer in the university and its affiliated campus

, he received the

Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfr ...

in 1927. The fate of the university after the

partition of India The Partition of British India in 1947 was the Partition (politics), change of political borders and the division of other assets that accompanied the dissolution of the British Raj in South Asia and the creation of two independent dominions: ...

in 1947, was deliberated at the Punjab Partition Committee, with representatives from

East Punjab East Punjab (known simply as Punjab from 1950) was a province and later a state of India from 1947 until 1966, consisting of the parts of the Punjab Province of British India that went to India following the partition of the province between ...

advocating for a division of the university. The senate of the university voted to split the university, and the matter reached the Partition Council at the centre, but a decision could not be made. The government in East Punjab was compelled to establish a new university, which eventually became the

Panjab University Panjab University (PU) is a Collegiate university, collegiate public state university located in Chandigarh, Punjab. Funded through both Punjab, India, State and Government of India, Union governments, it is considered a state university (Indi ...

Chandigarh Chandigarh () is a planned city in India. Chandigarh is bordered by the state of Punjab to the west and the south, and by the state of Haryana to the east. It constitutes the bulk of the Chandigarh Capital Region or Greater Chandigarh, which al ...

Campus

The university is divided into campuses across Punjab with one summer campus located in

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ps, خېبر پښتونخوا; Urdu, Hindko: خیبر پختونخوا) commonly abbreviated as KP or KPK, is one of the Administrative units of Pakistan, four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the Geography of Pakistan, ...

: * Allama Iqbal Campus: also known as the old campus, located in the centre of

, it is named after the great South Asian thinker and mystic poet

Allama Muhammad Iqbal Sir Muhammad Iqbal ( ur, ; 9 November 187721 April 1938), was a South Asian Muslim writer, philosopher, Quote: "In Persian, ... he published six volumes of mainly long poems between 1915 and 1936, ... more or less complete works on philoso ...

. The campus houses the Senate, the Syndicate, the Selection Board and the Advanced Studies & Research Board are generally held there. * Quaid-i-Azam Campus: also known as the new campus, is named after the founder of Pakistan and is located to the south of the Allama Iqbal Campus. Spread over an area of . The campus is the centre of academic and administrative activities of the university. A canal divides the academic blocks from the student lodgings. * Gujranwala Campus: the faculties of Commerce, Economics and Management Sciences, Banking & Finance, Law, English, and Information Technology all conduct teaching in the campus. In addition to degree programs, campus provides short courses, facilitated by ''e-Rozgar'' program of

Punjab Information Technology Board The Punjab Information Technology Board (reporting name: PITB) was established in 1999 by the Government of the Punjab as an autonomous body under the Department of Industries, operating under the administration of Information Technology Departmen ...

. * Khanspur Campus: the summer campus is located at a height of about in the

Himalaya The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 100 ...

n range near

Ayubia Ayubia National Park ( ur, ), also known as Ayubia ( ur, ), is a protected area of located in Abbottabad District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan. It was declared a national park in 1984. Ayubia was named after Muhammad Ayub Khan (19 ...

. The campus, in addition to providing research facilities, is used as a recreational center for the faculty and the students. * Jhelum Campus: having opened in 2012, it offers studies relating to the faculties of Commerce, Economics and Management Sciences, Law and Computer Science.

Academics

Rankings

University of the Punjab is ranked 801 - 1000 Internationally in the

QS World University Rankings ''QS World University Rankings'' is an annual publication of university rankings by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS). The QS system comprises three parts: the global overall ranking, the subject rankings (which name the world's top universities for the ...

for the year 2023 and 5th nationally. It is also ranked #145 in Asian universities by QS Rankings.

Faculties

There are 13 faculties with 10 constituent colleges, 73 departments, centres, and institutes. It has 1006 full-time and 300 part-time faculty members involved in teaching/research and over 6,000 non-teaching/supporting staff with 45,678 on campus students (27,907 Morning students, 16,552 Evening students and 1,219 Diploma students) : * Faculty of Arts and Humanities * Faculty of Behavioral and Social Sciences * Faculty of Commerce * Faculty of Economics and Management Sciences * Faculty of Education * Faculty of Engineering & Technology * Faculty of Health Sciences * Faculty of Islamic Studies * Faculty of Law * Faculty of Life-Sciences * Faculty of Oriental Learning *

Faculty of Pharmacy Faculty may refer to: * Faculty (academic staff), the academic staff of a university (North American usage) * Faculty (division), a division within a university (usage outside of the United States) * Faculty (instrument), an instrument or warra ...

* Faculty of Science Jamia Masjid Punjab University in a Marvelous scene

Constituent colleges

* College of Art and Design * Hailey College of Banking & Finance *

Hailey College of Commerce Hailey College of Commerce is a constituent undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate college of the University of the Punjab in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan.University College of Pharmacy The Punjab University College of Pharmacy (PUCP) is a constituent college of University of the Punjab located in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan, Pakistan. It was established in 1944. Programs It offers following degree programs: Undergraduate Program ...

* Punjab University Law College *

Punjab University College of Information Technology Punjab University College of Information Technology (PUCIT) is a college of computer science and information technology at the University of the Punjab located in Lahore, Pakistan. It is highly regarded as one of the leading IT institutions in ...

* College of Statistical and Actuarial Sciences * College of Engineering & Emerging computing * College of Earth and Environmental Sciences * University Oriental College lahore

Library

The library is one of the largest libraries among the universities of Pakistan. The library has more than 500,000 books, magazines and periodicals, in nine national and international languages, in print and on CD, DVD, microfilm, microfiche, video and audio cassette, and manuscript. Punjab University Library has a two-storey building with a total area of 102,000 square feet. There are reading halls on the ground and first floors with a seating capacity of 2500 readers. The library has an internet lab. In the library there is a computerised "MLIMs" catalogue for searching material.

Notable alumni

Nobel Laureate

Har Gobind Khorana Har Gobind Khorana (9 January 1922 – 9 November 2011) was an Indian American biochemist. While on the faculty of the University of Wisconsin–Madison, he shared the 1968 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine with Marshall W. Nirenberg and ...

(

Nobel laureate The Nobel Prizes ( sv, Nobelpriset, no, Nobelprisen) are awarded annually by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the Swedish Academy, the Karolinska Institutet, and the Norwegian Nobel Committee to individuals and organizations who make out ...

1968 - Medicine) *

Abdus Salam Mohammad Abdus Salam Salam adopted the forename "Mohammad" in 1974 in response to the anti-Ahmadiyya decrees in Pakistan, similarly he grew his beard. (; ; 29 January 192621 November 1996) was a Punjabi Pakistani theoretical physicist and a ...

(

1979 - Physics)

Politicians

Muhammad Iqbal Sir Muhammad Iqbal ( ur, ; 9 November 187721 April 1938), was a South Asian Muslim writer, philosopher, Quote: "In Persian, ... he published six volumes of mainly long poems between 1915 and 1936, ... more or less complete works on philoso ...

(Urdu poet, philosopher, and politician) *

Choudhry Rahmat Ali Chaudhry Rahmat Ali (; ur, ; 16 November 1897 – 3 February 1951) was a Pakistani nationalist who was one of the earliest proponents of the creation of the state of Pakistan. He is credited with creating the name "Pakistan" for a separate M ...

(Founder of the Pakistan Movement, creator of the name Pakistan) * I. K. Gujral (12th

Prime Minister of India The prime minister of India (IAST: ) is the head of government of the Republic of India. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and their chosen Council of Ministers, despite the president of India being the nominal head of the ...

) *

Yashwant Singh Parmar Yashwant Singh Parmar (4 August 1906 – 2 May 1981) was an Indian politician. He was a leader of the Indian National Congress and the first Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh state. Upon the formation of the constituent assembly of India in 1 ...

, founder of the

Himachal Pradesh Himachal Pradesh (; ; "Snow-laden Mountain Province") is a state in the northern part of India. Situated in the Western Himalayas, it is one of the thirteen mountain states and is characterized by an extreme landscape featuring several peaks ...

state in India *

Syed Ali Shah Geelani Syed Ali Shah Geelani (1929–2021) was an Islamist, pro-Pakistan, Sumantra BoseSyed Ali Shah Geelani: The man who fought for Kashmir’s freedom BBC News, 2 September 2021. "First, he made it clear that although a proud Kashmiri, he consider ...

( Leader - Kashmiri Hurriyat, Chairman All Party Hurriyat Conference, Chairman Tehreek-e- Hurriyat, Former member Jamat-ul- islami, Jammu&Kashmir) *

Yousaf Raza Gillani Yusuf Raza Gilani (Urdu: ; born 9 June 1952), is a Pakistani politician who served as 18th Prime Minister of Pakistan from 25 March 2008, until his retroactive disqualification and ouster by the Supreme Court of Pakistan on 26 April 2012. He ...

(Pakistani politician and former

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

during 2008–2012) *

Asma Jahangir Asma Jilani Jahangir ( ur, , ''ʿĀṣimah Jahāṉgīr''; 27 January 1952 – 11 February 2018) was a Pakistani human rights lawyer and social activist who co-founded and chaired the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan. Jahangir was known ...

(Human rights activist and lawyer, co-founder of

Human Rights Commission of Pakistan The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan ( ur, ) (HRCP) is an independent, democratic non-profit organisation. Founded in 1987, it is one of the oldest human rights organisations in the country. HRCP is committed to monitoring, protecting a ...

) *

Liaqat Baloch Liaqat Baloch ( ur, ; born 9 December 1952) is a political leader in Pakistan. He is originally from Muzaffargarh, a remote area of southern Punjab – although his family's origins are in the nearby province of Balochistan. He played an acti ...

(Pakistani Islamic Activist) 1975–1979 (Jamaat e Islami)

Scientists

Ishfaq Ahmad Ishfaq Ahmad Khan (3 November 1930 – 18 January 2018) , was a Pakistani nuclear physicist, emeritus professor of high-energy physics at the National Centre for Physics, and former science advisor to the Government of Pakistan. A versatile ...

(

Theoretical A theory is a rational type of abstract thinking about a phenomenon, or the results of such thinking. The process of contemplative and rational thinking is often associated with such processes as observational study or research. Theories may be s ...

and

Nuclear physicist Nuclear physics is the field of physics that studies atomic nuclei and their constituents and interactions, in addition to the study of other forms of nuclear matter. Nuclear physics should not be confused with atomic physics, which studies the ...

, chairman of PAEC during the first atomic tests in Pakistan in 1998) *

Satish Dhawan Satish Dhawan (25 September 1920 – 3 January 2002) was an Indian mathematician and aerospace engineer, widely regarded as the father of experimental fluid dynamics research in India. Born in Srinagar, Dhawan was educated in India an ...

(Rocket scientist, Chairman of

ISRO The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO; ) is the national space agency of India, headquartered in Bengaluru. It operates under the Department of Space (DOS) which is directly overseen by the Prime Minister of India, while the Chairman ...

, Director of

IISc The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) is a public, deemed, research university for higher education and research in science, engineering, design, and management. It is located in Bengaluru, in the Indian state of Karnataka. The institute wa ...

) *

Yash Pal Yash Pal (26 November 1926 – 24 July 2017) was an Indian scientist, educator and educationist. He was known for his contributions to the study of cosmic rays, as well as for being an institution-builder. In his later years, he became one of ...

(Educationist and space scientist known for cosmic ray research and popularizing science education in India) *

Muhammad Sharif Mian Muhammad Sharif ( Punjabi, ur, ;18 November 1919 – 19 October 2004) was a Pakistani businessman who is known as the co-founder of Ittefaq Group and founder of Sharif Group. Two of his three sons, Nawaz and Shehbaz became Prime Mini ...

(Relativistic astrophysicist and cosmologist) *

Bilal U. Haq Bilal U. Haq is a Pakistani-American geoscientist (and poet) who is currently affiliated with and divides his time between the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC, and Sorbonne University'Institute of Earth Sciencesin Paris, France. He is b ...

, marine geoscientist and laureate of France's Prestwich Prize in geology. *

Muhammad Tahir Ul Qadri Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri ( ur, ‎; born 19 February 1951) is a Pakistani Canadians, Pakistani–Canadian Islamic scholar and former politician who founded Minhaj-ul-Quran International and Pakistan Awami Tehreek. He was also a professor o ...

(Pakistani-Canadian Scholar) *

F. C. Kohli Faqir Chand Kohli (19 March 192426 November 2020) was a co-founder and the first CEO of TCS Tata Consultancy Services, India's largest Software Services Co. He was also associated with other companies within Tata Group including Tata Power Comp ...

Father of the Indian IT Industry *

Sartaj Aziz Sartaj Aziz ( ur, ; born 7 February 1929) is a Pakistani economist and a strategist, having previously served as the deputy chairman of the Planning Commission of Pakistan, member of the federal cabinet as the ''de facto'' Minister for Forei ...

(Pakistani economist, strategist and former

NSA The National Security Agency (NSA) is a national-level intelligence agency of the United States Department of Defense, under the authority of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI). The NSA is responsible for global monitoring, collecti ...

) * Niaz Ahmad Akhtar (SI) (Former Vice-Chancellor, University of the Punjab) *

Shoaib Mansoor Shoaib Mansoor (Full name, Shoaib Mansoor), ( ur, ; born 4 February 1951 Karachi) is a Pakistani television and film director, writer, producer, lyricist and musician of Muhajir origin. Active in the television industry since 1980, he first f ...

(Pakistani movie director) *

Wasiullah Khan Mohammad Wasiullah Khan is the founder and chancellor of East-West University, a private, non-profit, non-denominational college based in Chicago's South Loop neighbourhood. He is also a veteran of the Pakistani educational system, working in the ...

(Pakistani-American founder of the

East–West University East–West University is a private university in Chicago, Illinois. The university was founded in 1980. It offers associate and bachelor's degrees. The university has been accredited by the Higher Learning Commission since 1983. Buildings Th ...

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

) *

M. D. Tahir Muhammad Din Tahir (1942 – 20 April 2008), known as M.D. Tahir, was a prominent Pakistani lawyer. He came from a Gujjar family and was born in the small village Takoli, in the district of Ambala. Early life Tahir's mother died a few months af ...

(1942–2008), a prominent Pakistani lawyer *

Manzoor Mirza Manzoor Hussain Mirza (13 August 1930 – 28 March 2016) was a Pakistani educationist who also was an Additional Secretary of Education, and Professor of Economics. He authored many books on English and economics, as well as writing severa ...

(1939-2016), economist *

Ather Shah Khan Jaidi Athar Shah Khan (Urdu:اطہر شاہ خان; January 1, 1943 – May 10, 2020) was a Pakistani comedian, poet and writer. He performed in many of his plays, dramas, and films scripted for Radio Pakistan, Pakistan Television, and Lollywood. He i ...

, comedian, writer

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Punjab, University Of The Public universities and colleges in Punjab, Pakistan Universities and colleges in Lahore Educational institutions established in 1882 1882 establishments in British India