The COMSATS University Islamabad (CUI), formerly known as COMSATS Institute of Information Technology (CIIT), is a

public university A public university, state university, or public college is a university or college that is State ownership, owned by the state or receives significant funding from a government. Whether a national university is considered public varies from o ...

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

. It is a multi-campus university with its principal seat located in

Islamabad Islamabad (; , ; ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's tenth-most populous city with a population of over 1.1 million and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital Territory. Bu ...

. Comsats was envisioned as Pakistan's first exclusive Institute of Information Technology. In the latest QS University Rankings, CUI ranked 1st in Pakistan and 801–1000 in the world. Nationally it is ranked top-most in Computer Sciences and IT category. COMSATS University Islamabad (CUI) is under the administration of the

Commission on Science and Technology for Sustainable Development in the South The Commission on Science and Technology for Sustainable Development in the South (COMSATS) is an inter-governmental organization, having a membership of 27 developing countries from three continents, Latin America, Africa and Asia. Twenty-five ...

Overview

The university was established by the

(COMSATS) in 1998, while its first charter was granted by the

Government of Pakistan The Government of Pakistan () (abbreviated as GoP), constitutionally known as the Federal Government, commonly known as the Centre, is the national authority of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, a federal republic located in South Asia, con ...

in August 2000. Palestine joined the COMSATS as its 23rd member state in October 2015. S. M. Junaid Zaidi is the Founder Rector of the university and continued to serve the university till March 2017. The position of Rector remained vacant for the period of almost three years and Muhammad Tabassum Afzal assumed charge as Rector in July 2020 and was tasked with leading the university after its transition from an Institute of Information Technology to a full-fledged university having a new governance structure. Comsats was envisioned as Pakistan's first exclusive Institute of Information Technology. Previously, its name was COMSATS Institute of Information Technology (CIIT), which was transformed into a full-fledged university called the COMSATS University Islamabad (CUI) by an Act of Parliament in April 2018. This university was ranked among the top 250 Asian Universities by QS University Rankings in 2014 and nationally it is ranked top-most in Computer Sciences and IT category and 1st overall in the country according to NatureIndex. CIIT is ranked amongst the top 10 universities of Pakistan as per HEC recent rankings. It is also a member of the

Association of Commonwealth Universities The Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) is a charitable organization that was established in 1913, and has over 400 member institutions in over 40 countries across the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth.Islamabad Islamabad (; , ; ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's tenth-most populous city with a population of over 1.1 million and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital Territory. Bu ...

, has over 8,500 students and 30,000 more students in its 6

satellite campuses A satellite campus, branch campus or regional campus is a campus of a university or college that is physically at a distance from the original university or college area. This branch campus may be located in a different city, state, or country, ...

. Its student body also includes international students from over 9 countries. It has 20 departments which combined offer 100 degree programs and has since inception produced over 315 PhDs. It has also established the country's first ever Student Startup Business Center (SSBC) to support and promote entrepreneurship and innovation in its academic environment. In partnership wit
Brookes Pharma
(Private) Limited (Métier pharma), the Career Development Center at Comsats University Islamabad Campus hosted an awareness session on "Women's Health and Hygiene." Young female Comsats students attended the session, which was quite informative for them.

International Rankings

In the

Times Higher Education World University Rankings The ''Times Higher Education World University Rankings'', often referred to as the THE Rankings, is the annual publication of university rankings by the ''Times Higher Education'' magazine. The publisher had collaborated with Quacquarelli Symon ...

2020, CUI has been placed among 801-1000 world's best universities, and ranked 2nd in Pakistan. Besides, it was also ranked at #301-400 in THE Engineering & Technology, #401-500 in Computer Science, and Life Sciences and #501-600 in Physical Sciences subject rankings 2019. CUI was also ranked 159th in THE Emerging Economies Rankings 2020, 131st in THE Asian University Rankings 2019, and was among 150-200 THE top young universities of the world in 2018. · ''Ranked at 301+'' in THE University Impact Rankings 2019, and 5th in Pakistan. Inaugural participant. Besides, CUI was ranked in its 07 SDGS out of 11:
SDG 3 Good Health and Wellbeing (ranked 301+)
SDG 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth (ranked 101–200)
SDG 9

Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure Sustainable Development Goal 9 (Goal 9 or SDG 9) is about "industry, innovation and infrastructure" and is one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015. SDG 9 aims to build resilient infrastruc ...

(ranked 201–300)
SDG 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities (ranked 201+)
SDG 13 Climate Action (ranked 201+)
SDG 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions (ranked 201+)
SDG 17 Partnerships for goals 301+.

QS Rankings

CUI was ranked 801-1000 among the world's best universities as per the QS World Universities Rankings 2020. Besides, it was ranked 135th in the QS Asian Universities Rankings 2019. In 2013, it also received the prestigious 3-Stars Rating by QS.Postgraduate Overview, Academic and Research Profile of COMSATS University Islamabad
QS Top Universities website, Retrieved 3 September 2020

Shanghai Rankings

CUI was ranked first in Pakistan and amongst 501-600 ranked university in the world by the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) prestigious Shanghai Rankings 2019.

Campuses

COMSATS university is a multi-campus university. Apart from the main campus in Islamabad, the university also has sub-campuses located in

Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

Attock Attock ( Punjabi, ), formerly known as Campbellpur (Punjabi, ), is a city in Punjab, Pakistan, not far from the country's capital Islamabad. It is the headquarters of the Attock District and is 36th largest city in the Punjab and 61st largest c ...

, Vehari,

Abbottabad Abbottabad is a city in the Hazara Division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan. It is the 40th largest city in the country and 6th largest in the province by population, and serves as the headquarter of its namesake tehsil and district ...

, Wah and

Sahiwal Sahiwal ( Punjabi / ; ; ), formerly known as Montgomery, is a city in central Punjab, Pakistan. It is the administrative capital of both Sahiwal District and Sahiwal Division. It is the 19th largest city of Pakistan by population accordin ...

as well as one virtual campus. COMSATS University has seven campuses, 100-degree programs, 36000 enrolled students, 700 Ph.D. students, 500 Master's students, 1077 Ph.D. instructors, and is ranked second in

research Research is creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge. It involves the collection, organization, and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular attentiveness to ...

and first in IT.

Islamabad

The main campus in Islamabad was established in 1998. During the first year of its establishment, the institute offered only a few certificate courses and a postgraduate diploma in computer studies with a single classroom and limited resources. The Islamabad campus is situated at Chak Shahzad, Islamabad. Currently, more than 9000 students are enrolled in various degree programs at this campus.

Abbottabad

The Abbottabad campus became functional in July 2001 through the initiative of founder director Haroon-ur-Rasheed and the first academic session started in September 2001. This campus is ideally situated in the vicinity of the

Pakistan Military Academy Pakistan Military Academy (PMA) is a military academy located nearby Kakul village in Abbottabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Established in October 1947, it is the only service academy in Pakistan that trains cadets to serve as army of ...

Kakul Kakul (Kakol) is a village situated in the Tehsil and District Abbottabad, at an elevation of 1300 metres, 5 km northeast of center of Abbottabad city near the Thandiani Hills. Abbottabad is a District of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pa ...

. The campus is built on 308 Kanals of land leased from GHQ by the

Pakistan Army The Pakistan Army (, ), commonly known as the Pak Army (), is the Land warfare, land service branch and the largest component of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The president of Pakistan is the Commander-in-chief, supreme commander of the army. The ...

at Tobe Camp. The abandoned army barracks were converted into a living campus within a short period of two months by the university team. The first academic session started with a student strength of 121 and only three undergraduate programs.

Attock

The Attock campus was established in 2004. There are 4 departments, 9 undergraduate, and 6 graduate programs that are being offered. More than 2,650 students are enrolled with a qualified faculty strength of 179 including 55 PhDs. More than 500 research papers are published.

Vehari

Established in 2008, the Vehari campus started with 45 students enrolled in one program and now it has more than 2,432 students, more than 148 faculty members, 14 programs, and three functional academic blocks.

Lahore

The Lahore Campus is located on 01 km, Defence Road, Off Raiwind Road and is a 30-minute drive from the main city. This campus was established in January 2002. * Campus Established: 2002 * Total Area: 185 Acres * Total no. of faculty: 482 * Total no. of PhD faculty: 240 * Total Programs Offered: 54 (27 Graduate, 17 MS, 10 PhD) * Enrolled Students: 7148 * Total Graduates till Spring-2024: 21,584

Wah

The opening of COMSATS University in the historical and industrial town of Wah was a joint effort of the university and

Pakistan Ordnance Factories The Pakistan Ordnance Factories (POF) is a major firearms and a defence contractor headquartered in Wah Cantt, Punjab, Pakistan. Described as "the largest defence industrial complex under the Ministry of Defence Production, producing convent ...

(POF) which is located in Wah

Cantonment A cantonment (, , or ) is a type of military base. In South Asia, a ''cantonment'' refers to a permanent military station (a term from the British Raj). In United States military parlance, a cantonment is, essentially, "a permanent residential ...

. The university management started campus at Wah in a record period of 70 days. The then-Minister for Science and Technology and Chancellor of the university formally inaugurated the institute on 14 September 2001. Initially, the Wah campus started its operation in the small guest house of POF. In 2003, two purpose-built academic blocks were handed over to the university on a long-term lease period by the POF. The Wah campus extended its academic facilities by purchasing land contiguous to the existing campus in 2012 measuring 96 Kanals. The campus has also acquired 20 Acres of land near Brahma Bahtar Interchange on the

M1 motorway The M1 motorway connects London to Leeds, where it joins the A1(M) motorway, A1(M) near Aberford, to connect to Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle. It was the first inter-urban motorway to be completed in the UK; the first motorway in the count ...

to meet its future academic requirements.

Sahiwal

The

campus situated at

was formally inaugurated in September 2007. It has 7 academic departments and 10 other services departments. It has 3800 students from different departments.

Virtual Campus

The CUI virtual campus was established in July 2008 and started its regular functions in January 2012. The campus was established in offices, laboratories, and studios located in Islamabad having approximately 20,000 sq. ft. of covered area. State-of-the-art servers, dedicated PERN ( Pakistan Educational Research Network) bandwidth, as well as the latest audiovisual equipment, was acquired to set up laboratories, studios, and a data center. The virtual campus started its first academic session in Fall 2012 offering four undergraduate level degree programs in computer science and management science subjects. The Virtual Campus was stalled in 2016 due to an absence of a Virtual Education Policy by the

Higher Education Commission of Pakistan The Higher Education Commission (colloquially known as HEC) is a statutory, statutory body formed by the Government of Pakistan which was established in 2002 under the Chairmanship of Atta-ur-Rahman (chemist), Atta-ur-Rahman. Its main functions ...

Academics

The university is offering undergraduate and graduate programs in different disciplines, different programs available at different campuses.

Undergraduate programs

COMSATS offers undergraduate programs for BS and bachelor's degrees.

Bachelor of Science

Accounting Accounting, also known as accountancy, is the process of recording and processing information about economic entity, economic entities, such as businesses and corporations. Accounting measures the results of an organization's economic activit ...

Finance Finance refers to monetary resources and to the study and Academic discipline, discipline of money, currency, assets and Liability (financial accounting), liabilities. As a subject of study, is a field of Business administration, Business Admin ...

Bioinformatics Bioinformatics () is an interdisciplinary field of science that develops methods and Bioinformatics software, software tools for understanding biological data, especially when the data sets are large and complex. Bioinformatics uses biology, ...

Biotechnology Biotechnology is a multidisciplinary field that involves the integration of natural sciences and Engineering Science, engineering sciences in order to achieve the application of organisms and parts thereof for products and services. Specialists ...

* Biosciences *

Business Administration Business administration is the administration of a commercial enterprise. It includes all aspects of overseeing and supervising the business operations of an organization. Overview The administration of a business includes the performance o ...

Chemical Engineering Chemical engineering is an engineering field which deals with the study of the operation and design of chemical plants as well as methods of improving production. Chemical engineers develop economical commercial processes to convert raw materials ...

Civil Engineering Civil engineering is a regulation and licensure in engineering, professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including public works such as roads ...

Computer Engineering Computer engineering (CE, CoE, or CpE) is a branch of engineering specialized in developing computer hardware and software. It integrates several fields of electrical engineering, electronics engineering and computer science. Computer engi ...

Computer Science Computer science is the study of computation, information, and automation. Computer science spans Theoretical computer science, theoretical disciplines (such as algorithms, theory of computation, and information theory) to Applied science, ...

Development Studies Development studies is an interdisciplinary branch of social science. Development studies is offered as a specialized master's degree in a number of reputed universities around the world. It has grown in popularity as a subject of study since the ...

Economics Economics () is a behavioral science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interac ...

Electronics Electronics is a scientific and engineering discipline that studies and applies the principles of physics to design, create, and operate devices that manipulate electrons and other Electric charge, electrically charged particles. It is a subfield ...

Electrical Engineering Electrical engineering is an engineering discipline concerned with the study, design, and application of equipment, devices, and systems that use electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. It emerged as an identifiable occupation in the l ...

Electrical Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter possessing an electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described by Maxwel ...

(Electronics) Engineering * Electrical (Power) Engineering * Environmental Sciences * Food Sciences and Nutrition *

Geology Geology (). is a branch of natural science concerned with the Earth and other astronomical objects, the rocks of which they are composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Earth ...

Geophysics Geophysics () is a subject of natural science concerned with the physical processes and Physical property, properties of Earth and its surrounding space environment, and the use of quantitative methods for their analysis. Geophysicists conduct i ...

Mathematics Mathematics is a field of study that discovers and organizes methods, Mathematical theory, theories and theorems that are developed and Mathematical proof, proved for the needs of empirical sciences and mathematics itself. There are many ar ...

Mechanical Engineering Mechanical engineering is the study of physical machines and mechanism (engineering), mechanisms that may involve force and movement. It is an engineering branch that combines engineering physics and engineering mathematics, mathematics principl ...

Physics Physics is the scientific study of matter, its Elementary particle, fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge whi ...

Psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Its subject matter includes the behavior of humans and nonhumans, both consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, and mental processes such as thoughts, feel ...

Software Engineering Software engineering is a branch of both computer science and engineering focused on designing, developing, testing, and maintaining Application software, software applications. It involves applying engineering design process, engineering principl ...

Statistics Statistics (from German language, German: ', "description of a State (polity), state, a country") is the discipline that concerns the collection, organization, analysis, interpretation, and presentation of data. In applying statistics to a s ...

* Media and Communication Studies * English * Data Sciences *

Artificial Intelligence Artificial intelligence (AI) is the capability of computer, computational systems to perform tasks typically associated with human intelligence, such as learning, reasoning, problem-solving, perception, and decision-making. It is a field of re ...

Cyber Security Computer security (also cybersecurity, digital security, or information technology (IT) security) is a subdiscipline within the field of information security. It consists of the protection of computer software, systems and networks from thr ...

Bachelor

Architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and construction, constructi ...

Design A design is the concept or proposal for an object, process, or system. The word ''design'' refers to something that is or has been intentionally created by a thinking agent, and is sometimes used to refer to the inherent nature of something ...

Interior design Interior design is the art and science of enhancing the interior of a building to achieve a healthier and more aesthetically pleasing environment for the people using the space. With a keen eye for detail and a Creativity, creative flair, an ...

Fine Arts In European academic traditions, fine art (or, fine arts) is made primarily for aesthetics or creativity, creative expression, distinguishing it from popular art, decorative art or applied art, which also either serve some practical function ...

PhD

Pharmacy Pharmacy is the science and practice of discovering, producing, preparing, dispensing, reviewing and monitoring medications, aiming to ensure the safe, effective, and affordable use of medication, medicines. It is a miscellaneous science as it ...

(Pharm-D)

Graduate programs

Department of Computer Science

* MS in Computer Science * MS in

Information Security Information security is the practice of protecting information by mitigating information risks. It is part of information risk management. It typically involves preventing or reducing the probability of unauthorized or inappropriate access to data ...

* MS in Software Engineering * MS in Artificial Intelligence * PhD in Computer Science

Department of Health Informatics

* MS in

Health Informatics Health informatics combines communications, information technology (IT), and health care to enhance patient care and is at the forefront of the medical technological revolution. It can be viewed as a branch of engineering and applied science. ...

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

* MS in Computer Engineering * MS in Electrical Engineering * PhD in Computer Engineering * PhD in Electrical Engineering

Department of Chemical Engineering

* MS in Chemical Engineering * MS in Energy & Environmental Engineering * PhD in

Department of Civil Engineering

* MS in Environmental Engineering * MS in Civil Engineering

Department of Mechanical Engineering

* MS in Mechanical Engineering

Department of Management Sciences

* MS in Management Sciences * MS in

Project Management Project management is the process of supervising the work of a Project team, team to achieve all project goals within the given constraints. This information is usually described in project initiation documentation, project documentation, crea ...

MBA A Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a professional degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration; elective courses may allow further study in a particular a ...

* PhD in Management Sciences

Department of Economics

* MS in

Department of Development Studies

* MS in Development Studies * MS in Conflict, Peace and Development Studies * MS in Water, Sanitation, Health and Development * PhD in Development Studies

Department of Humanities

* MS in International relations * MS in English (Linguistic and Literature)

Department of Environmental Sciences

* MS in Biotechnology * MS in Environmental Sciences * PhD in Biotechnology * PhD in Environmental Sciences

Department of Mathematics

* MS in Mathematics * PhD in Mathematics

Department of Chemistry

* MS in Chemistry * PhD in Chemistry

Department of Pharmacy

* MS in Pharmacy * PhD in Pharmacy

Department of Biosciences

* MS in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology * MS in Bioinformatics * MS in Biosciences * MS in

Microbiology Microbiology () is the branches of science, scientific study of microorganisms, those being of unicellular organism, unicellular (single-celled), multicellular organism, multicellular (consisting of complex cells), or non-cellular life, acellula ...

and

Immunology Immunology is a branch of biology and medicine that covers the study of Immune system, immune systems in all Organism, organisms. Immunology charts, measures, and contextualizes the Physiology, physiological functioning of the immune system in ...

* MS in

Molecular Genetics Molecular genetics is a branch of biology that addresses how differences in the structures or expression of DNA molecules manifests as variation among organisms. Molecular genetics often applies an "investigative approach" to determine the st ...

* MS in Molecular Virology * PhD in Biochemistry and

Molecular Biology Molecular biology is a branch of biology that seeks to understand the molecule, molecular basis of biological activity in and between Cell (biology), cells, including biomolecule, biomolecular synthesis, modification, mechanisms, and interactio ...

* PhD in Biosciences * PhD in Microbiology and Immunology * PhD in Molecular Genetics

Department of Meteorology

* MS in

Meteorology Meteorology is the scientific study of the Earth's atmosphere and short-term atmospheric phenomena (i.e. weather), with a focus on weather forecasting. It has applications in the military, aviation, energy production, transport, agricultur ...

* MS in

Remote Sensing Remote sensing is the acquisition of information about an physical object, object or phenomenon without making physical contact with the object, in contrast to in situ or on-site observation. The term is applied especially to acquiring inform ...

& GIS * PhD in Meteorology

Department of Physics

* MS in Physics * PhD in Physics

Department of Earth Sciences

* MS in

Earth Sciences Earth science or geoscience includes all fields of natural science related to the planet Earth. This is a branch of science dealing with the physical, chemical, and biological complex constitutions and synergistic linkages of Earth's four spheres ...

( Applied Geology/Applied Geophysics

Department of Statistics

* MS in

* PhD in Statistics

Notable alumni

* Sadia Bashir - Foundress and CEO of PixelArt Games Academy, the first game training academy in Pakistan. She is the first Pakistani to represent at the Game Developer's Conference. * Asif Bashir - Pakistani Rescue Worker and recipient of Sitara-e-Shujaat, Jeevan Raksha Padak and Kings Gallantry Medal * Aisha Mughal - Pakistani transgender rights expert and researcher.

References

External links

CUI official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:COMSATS University Universities and colleges established in 1998 1998 establishments in Pakistan Public universities and colleges in Pakistan Universities and colleges in Abbottabad Universities and colleges in Islamabad Capital Territory Engineering universities and colleges in Pakistan