University of the Punjab

University rankings
University rankings
Global – Overall
ARWU World	701–800 (2023)
QS World	741–750 (2024)
THE World	801–1000 (2024)
USNWR Global	=1140 (2023)

University of the Punjab
	Coat of arms
Other name	Punjab University
Motto	ایمان ، اتحاد ، تنظیم; (Iman, Ittehad, Tanzeem)
Motto in English	Faith, Unity, Discipline
Type	Public research university
Established	14 October 1882; 142 years ago
Founders	Gottlieb Wilhelm Leitner
Academic affiliations	List Pakistan Engineering Council; Pharmacy Council of Pakistan; Pakistan Bar Council; Pakistan Council for Architects and Town Planners; Association of Commonwealth Universities of the United Kingdom;
Chancellor	Sardar saleem haider
Vice-Chancellor	Khalid Mahmood
Academic staff	1006 full time and 300 part time faculty members
Students	45,678 on campus students. (27,907 morning students, 16,552 evening students and 1,219 diploma students), 363,416 (off campus)
Location	Canal Road, Quaid-i-Azam Campus, Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan
Campus	List Main; Quaid-e-Azam "New" Campus – Established 1958, 1,781 acres (721 hectares); Satellite; Allama Iqbal "Old" Campus – Established 1882, 50 acres (20 hectares); Khanaspur Campus – Established 1964, 2.47 acres (1.00 hectare); Gujranwala Campus – Established 2006, 10 acres (4.0 hectares); Jhelum Campus – Established 2011, 32 acres (13 hectares);
Colours	Blue – Bronze – Red
Nickname	Pioneers
Website	pu.edu.pk

The University of the Punjab (UoP), also referred to as the Punjab University (PU), is a public research university in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. Founded in 1882, its international influence has made it one of the most prestigious universities in South Asia; being the oldest and largest public sector one in the wider Punjab region, as well as in Pakistan.^[1]

With campuses in Gujranwala, Jhelum, and Khanaspur, the university was formally established by the British government after convening the first meeting of establishing higher education institutions in October 1882 at Simla.^[5] Punjab University was the fourth university to be established by the British in the Indian subcontinent; the first three universities were established in other parts of British India.^[6]^[7]

There are 95,678 students (27,907 morning students, 16,552 evening students and 1,219 diploma students). The university has 19 faculties of which there are 138 academic departments, research centres, and institutes.^[1] Punjab University has ranked first among large-sized multiple faculty universities by the HEC in 2012.^[8] There are also two Nobel Laureates among the university's alumni and former staff.^[1] Additionally, the university is also a member of the Association of Commonwealth Universities of the United Kingdom.^[9]

History

The University of Punjab^[10] was given its initial impetus in 1854 by Wood's despatch. 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 and Medical and Engineering Colleges. ^[11]^[12]

Pre Partition

On 1 January 1864, Government College, Lahore, (now Government College University, Lahore) was established. The Lieutenant Governor of Punjab Donald Friell McLeod appointed Gottlieb Wilhelm Leitner as principal of Government College Lahore (now Government College University, Lahore). On 12 March 1868, a resolution was adopted at a public meeting in Lahore to establish University of the Punjab at Lahore. On 8 December 1869, Punjab University College was established in Lahore and on 14 October 1882, University of the Punjab was established.^[13]^[14]

Prof. Arthur Compton, who discovered Compton effect used to be an appointed lecturer in the university. He received the Nobel Prize in 1927.^[15]^[16]

Founding Colleges

After the resolution of 12 March (1868), in 1869 Punjab University College was established, consisting of Punjab University Law College and Oriental College, which are still the oldest departments and founding constituent colleges of Punjab University. Government College University was also made a part of University of the Punjab which was later separated and became an independent university in 2002.^{[citation needed]}

Post Partition

The fate of the university after the partition of India in 1947, was deliberated at the Punjab Partition Committee, with representatives from East Punjab 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.^[17] The government in East Punjab was compelled to establish a new university, which eventually became the Panjab University in Chandigarh.^[18]

Campus

The university is divided into campuses across Punjab with one summer campus located in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa:^[5]

Allama Iqbal Campus: also known as the old campus, located in the centre of Lahore, it is named after the South Asian thinker and mystic poet Allama Muhammad Iqbal. The campus houses the Senate, the Syndicate, the Selection Board and the Advanced Studies & Research Board are generally held there.^[19]

PU

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Location in Lahore (Quaid-i-Azam Campus)

Quaid-i-Azam Campus: also known as the new campus, is named after the founder of Pakistan and is located 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) to the south of the Allama Iqbal Campus. Spread over an area of 1,800 acres (7 km²). The campus is the centre of academic and administrative activities of the university. A canal divides the academic blocks from the student lodgings.^[20]
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.^[21]^[22]
Khanspur Campus: the summer campus is located at a height of about 7,000 ft (2,100 m) in the Himalayan range near Ayubia. 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,^[23] it offers studies relating to the faculties of Commerce, Economics and Management Sciences, Law and Computer Science.^[24]

Academics

Rankings

University of the Punjab is ranked 570 Internationally in the QS World University Rankings for the year 2025^[29] and 2nd nationally. It is also ranked #18 in Asian universities by QS Rankings.^[30]

Faculties

There are 19 faculties with 10 constituent colleges, 73 departments, centers, 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):^[31]^{[failed verification]}

Faculty of Arts and Humanities
Faculty of Agriculture
Faculty of Geo-Sciences
Faculty of Information & Media Studies
Faculty of Behavioral and Social Sciences
Faculty of Commerce
Faculty of Law
Faculty of Economics and Management Sciences
Faculty of Education
Faculty of Engineering & Technology
Faculty of Health Sciences
Faculty of Islamic Studies
Faculty of Life-Sciences
Faculty of Oriental Learning
Faculty of Pharmacy
Faculty of Science
Faculty of Quality & Industrial Systems Engineering

Constituent colleges

College of Art and Design (PUCAD)
Punjab University Law College (PULC)
Hailey College of Banking & Finance
Hailey College of Commerce (HCC)
University College of Pharmacy Punjab University College of Pharmacy (PUCP)
Punjab University College of Information Technology (PUCIT)
College of Statistical and Actuarial Sciences
College of Engineering & Emerging computing
College of Earth and Environmental Sciences (CEES)
University Oriental College lahore (PUOC)

Institutes

Institute of Business Administration
Institute of Administrative Services
Institute of Business and Information Technology
Institute of Information Management
Institute of Botany
Institute of Zoology
Institute of Geography
Institute of Special Education
Institute of Microbiology and Biotechnology
Institute of Applied Psychology
Institute of Social and Cultural Studies
Institute of Geology
Institute of Electrical Electronics and Computer Engineering
Institute of Polymer and Textile Engineering
Institute of Chemical Engineering and Technology
Institute of Metallurgy and Material Engineering
Institute of English
Institute of Punjabi and Cultural Studies
Institute of Urdu Language and Literature

Facilities

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.^[32] 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.^[33]

Notable alumni

Nobel Laureate

Abdus Salam (Nobel laureate 1979 – Physics)
Har Gobind Khorana (Nobel laureate 1968 – Medicine)
Prof. Arthur Holly Compton (Former Faculty member and appointed lecturer in PU. Nobel laureate 1927 – Physics for his discovery of Compton's effect)

Educationist

Manzoor Mirza (Educationist, economist, and book author)
Farkhanda Manzoor - Former Vice-Chancellor of Lahore College for Women University

Politicians

Raja Anwar [Pakistan people party founder] and [writer of {جھوٹے روپ کے درشن }]

Asma Jahangir (Human rights activist and lawyer, co-founder of Human Rights Commission of Pakistan)
Choudhry Rahmat Ali (Founder of the Pakistan Movement, coined the name of Pakistan)
Inder Kumar Gujral (12th Prime Minister of India)
Liaqat Baloch (Politician and Islamic Activist)
Muhammad Iqbal (Urdu poet, philosopher, and politician)
Shahbaz Bhatti (Catholic Pakistani politician and minority rights activist)
Syed Ali Shah Geelani (Pro-Pakistani, Kashmiri-separatist leader)
Yashwant Singh Parmar (founder of the state of Himachal Pradesh in India)
Yousaf Raza Gillani (18th Prime Minister of Pakistan)
Zahoor Ahmed Sajid (former Member of Provincial Assembly of Punjab)

Scientists

Athar Shah Khan (comedian, poet, and writer)
Bilal U. Haq (marine geoscientist and laureate of France's Prestwich Prize in geology)
Faqir Chand Kohli (father of the Indian IT Industry)
Ishfaq Ahmad (Theoretical and Nuclear physicist, chairman of PAEC during the first atomic tests in Pakistan in 1998)
Muhammad Sharif (Relativistic astrophysicist and cosmologist)
Muhammad Tahir Ul Qadri (Pakistani-Canadian Islamic scholar)
Sartaj Aziz (Pakistani economist, strategist and former National Security Advisor)
Satish Dhawan (Indian rocket scientist, chairman of ISRO, and director of the Indian Institute of Science)
Shoaib Mansoor (Pakistani movie director)
Wasiullah Khan (Pakistani-American founder of the East–West University in Chicago)
Yash Pal (Indian educator and scientist known for cosmic ray research as well as popularizing science education in India)

Lawyers

Judges

Javed Iqbal (Son of Allama Muhammad Iqbal)
Mian Saqib Nisar (25th Chief Justice of Pakistan)
Jawwad S. Khawaja (23rd Chief Justice of Pakistan)
Asif Saeed Khosa (26th Chief Justice of Pakistan)
Muhammad Afzal Zullah
Muhammad Munir (2nd Chief Justice of Pakistan)
Nasim Hasan Shah (12th Chief Justice of Pakistan)
Muhammad Yaqub Ali (CJP 1975–1977)
Mansoor Ali Shah
Nasira Iqbal
Irshad Hasan Khan (CJP 2000–2002)
Munib Akhtar
Azmat Saeed
Malik Shehzad Ahmed Khan

Architects

Nayyar Ali Dada (Sitara e Imtiaz)

Literature

Khalid Iqbal Yasir, poet

Noted PU faculty

(Most of the alumni listed above also served in the University of the Punjab faculty, so their names are not repeated here)

Prof. Arthur Compton (Nobel Lauterate- 1927 in Physics for his discovery of Compton's effect)
Anwaar Ahmad (Writer and scholar, Received Pride of performance award for his literary services)
Anna Molka Ahmed (Artist, Tamgha e Imtiaz 1963 and Pride of Performance award 1969)
GF Bruce (Journalist and fashion editor for Town and Country)
Mian Shah Din (Barrister and judge)
Oliver Elton (English literary scholar)
Kanwal Ameen (2010 HEC Best University Teacher Award)
E.M. Forster (Famous English novelist. Nominated for Nobel Prize Awards in 20 separate years)
Omar Asghar Khan (Pakistani economist and founder of National Democratic Party)
Gottlieb Wilhelm Leitner (British Orientalist)
Ishtiaq Hussain Qureshi (Pakistani historian and received Sitara e Imitiaz)
Sir Ganga Ram (Pakistani architect who designed and built Aitchison College, Lahore Museum, General post office Lahore, Hailey College of Commerce and also Model Town and Gulberg)
Alfred Cooper Woolner (ex Vice chancellor of Punjab University)

Vice Chancellors

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "Introduction". University of Punjab. Retrieved 26 May 2013.
^ "University of the Punjab". pu.edu.pk.
^ "In brief". The Nation. 1 June 2018. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
^ "Fact Books" (PDF).
^ ^a ^b "PU campuses". University of the Punjab. Retrieved 26 May 2013.
^ "A History of the University of the Panjab". World Digital Library. Retrieved 26 May 2013.
^ "Affiliation". PU. Retrieved 9 September 2013.
^ "HEC Pakistan Rankings by research quality". Higher Education Commission of Pakistan. Archived from the original on 13 November 2013. Retrieved 26 May 2013.
^ "ACU members". ACU Members. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 9 September 2013.
^ "The University of the Punjab".
^ "Educationist; 'Premiere Education Newspaper of Pakistan'".
^ "Educational & Career Counseling Portal for Pakistani Students'". Archived from the original on 29 August 2023. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
^ Lal, Chaman (26 March 2017). "Panjab University: Journey and evolution". The Tribune. Retrieved 15 March 2023.
^ Bangash, Yaqoob Khan; Virdee, Pippa (October 2022). "Partitioning the University of the Panjab, 1947". The Indian Economic & Social History Review. 59 (4): 423–445. doi:10.1177/00194646221130414. hdl:2086/22269. ISSN 0019-4646. S2CID 253263019 – via SAGE Journals.
^ "Our lost heritage – II – The Friday Times – Naya Daur". 24 May 2019.
^ "University of the Punjab, Adexen.com".
^ Bangash, Yaqoob (6 January 2019). "The Punjab University and Partition-II". The News International. Pakistan. Retrieved 28 March 2022.
^ Lal, Chaman. "Panjab University: Journey and evolution". The Tribune. India. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
^ "Allama Iqbal Campus". University of the Punjab. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
^ "Quaid-i-Azam Campus". University of the Punjab. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
^ "Gujranwala Campus". University of the Punjab. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
^ Campus, University of the Punjab, Gujranwala. "Short Courses". pugc.edu.pk. Retrieved 30 July 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^ "Punjab University opens Jhelum Campus". pu.edu.pk. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
^ "Jhelum Campus". University of the Punjab. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
^ "Academic Ranking of World Universities 2023". shanghairanking.com. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
^ "QS World University Rankings: University of the Punjab". Top Universities. 29 June 2023. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
^ "University of the Punjab". Times Higher Education (THE). 28 September 2023. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
^ U.S. News. "University of Punjab". Retrieved 27 February 2024.
^ "Top Universities QS World University Rankings 2023". Retrieved 20 July 2024.
^ "Rankings & ratings". Retrieved 20 July 2024.
^ "University of the Punjab official website". Pu.edu.pk. Retrieved 1 November 2012.
^ "Punjab University Library Introduction". pu.edu.pk. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
^ "Punjab University Library – History and Introduction". Pulibrary.edu.pk. Retrieved 23 October 2011.

External links

Official website

31°17′34″N 74°10′29″E / 31.29278°N 74.17472°E / 31.29278; 74.17472

[pu_intro-1] "Introduction". University of Punjab. Retrieved 26 May 2013.

[2] "University of the Punjab". pu.edu.pk.

[3] "In brief". The Nation. 1 June 2018. Retrieved 12 February 2019.

[pu_fact_book-4] "Fact Books" (PDF).

[PU_campuses-5] "PU campuses". University of the Punjab. Retrieved 26 May 2013.

[wdl-6] "A History of the University of the Panjab". World Digital Library. Retrieved 26 May 2013.

[PU-7] "Affiliation". PU. Retrieved 9 September 2013.

[HEC_Rankings-8] "HEC Pakistan Rankings by research quality". Higher Education Commission of Pakistan. Archived from the original on 13 November 2013. Retrieved 26 May 2013.

[ACU_Members,-9] "ACU members". ACU Members. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 9 September 2013.

[10] "The University of the Punjab".

[11] "Educationist; 'Premiere Education Newspaper of Pakistan'".

[12] "Educational & Career Counseling Portal for Pakistani Students'". Archived from the original on 29 August 2023. Retrieved 5 October 2020.

[13] Lal, Chaman (26 March 2017). "Panjab University: Journey and evolution". The Tribune. Retrieved 15 March 2023.

[14] Bangash, Yaqoob Khan; Virdee, Pippa (October 2022). "Partitioning the University of the Panjab, 1947". The Indian Economic & Social History Review. 59 (4): 423–445. doi:10.1177/00194646221130414. hdl:2086/22269. ISSN 0019-4646. S2CID 253263019 – via SAGE Journals.

[15] "Our lost heritage – II – The Friday Times – Naya Daur". 24 May 2019.

[16] "University of the Punjab, Adexen.com".

[17] Bangash, Yaqoob (6 January 2019). "The Punjab University and Partition-II". The News International. Pakistan. Retrieved 28 March 2022.

[:0-18] Lal, Chaman. "Panjab University: Journey and evolution". The Tribune. India. Retrieved 27 June 2021.

[Allama_Iqbal_Campus-19] "Allama Iqbal Campus". University of the Punjab. Retrieved 22 November 2012.

[Quaid-i-Azam_Campus-20] "Quaid-i-Azam Campus". University of the Punjab. Retrieved 22 November 2012.

[Gujranwala_Campus-21] "Gujranwala Campus". University of the Punjab. Retrieved 22 November 2012.

[22] Campus, University of the Punjab, Gujranwala. "Short Courses". pugc.edu.pk. Retrieved 30 July 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

[23] "Punjab University opens Jhelum Campus". pu.edu.pk. Retrieved 3 October 2017.

[Jhelum_Campus-24] "Jhelum Campus". University of the Punjab. Retrieved 22 November 2012.

[25] "Academic Ranking of World Universities 2023". shanghairanking.com. Retrieved 24 February 2023.

[26] "QS World University Rankings: University of the Punjab". Top Universities. 29 June 2023. Retrieved 29 June 2023.

[27] "University of the Punjab". Times Higher Education (THE). 28 September 2023. Retrieved 28 September 2023.

[USNWR-28] U.S. News. "University of Punjab". Retrieved 27 February 2024.

[29] "Top Universities QS World University Rankings 2023". Retrieved 20 July 2024.

[30] "Rankings & ratings". Retrieved 20 July 2024.

[31] "University of the Punjab official website". Pu.edu.pk. Retrieved 1 November 2012.

[32] "Punjab University Library Introduction". pu.edu.pk. Retrieved 3 October 2017.

[33] "Punjab University Library – History and Introduction". Pulibrary.edu.pk. Retrieved 23 October 2011.

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