Multan has always remained a centre of excellence in education. Hazrat Bahauddin Zakariya (1172 - 1262 A.D.), a Muslim religious scholar and saint, established a school of higher learning in theology in Multan; where scholars from all over the world came for studies and research. Multan has maintained its central position and centuries old cultural heritage and therefore suited ideally to become a center of learning. Thus the University of Multan was established in 1975 by an Act of the Punjab Legislative Assembly. To pay homage to the Great Saint, the name was changed from University of Multan to Bahauddin Zakariya University in 1979.
The University is located at a distance of 10 km from the city center. The main Campus is spread over 960 acres of land. The University has a fleet of 45 buses and 3 coaches which provides transport facilities to students and staff. The University started functioning in 1975 in rented buildings with 8 departments. Presently, it has more than 51 departments/institutes/colleges. Out of its 630 faculty members, 389 hold doctoral degrees and among its around 26659 students, half are female.
The University offers a wide range of programs: M.A., M.Sc., MBA, M.Com., MCS, M.Phil, and Ph.D. Additionlly, in recent years, the University has taken a lead in introducing 4-Year Undergraduate programs in Science, Commerce, Business, Pharmacy, Engineering, and English Literature and Linguistics. Various short-time courses and diplomas have become popular with the general public and are offered from time to time. The University is widely known as an institution of strong performance and high ambition because it has continued to make excellent progress toward its goals. It plays a significant role in developing indigenous human resources through its highly productive achievements, both in sciences and humanities.
