COMSATS University Islamabad

COMSATS University Islamabad is a multi-campus public university based in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, and a number of other cities. It was founded by the Commission on Science and Technology for Sustainable Development in the South, an inter-governmental organisation tasked with helping developing countries grow sustainably through science and technology. Established in 1998, it is among the most well-known universities in Pakistan and has been ranked well against its peers in Asia. Its computer science and IT provision has also been commended, as has its research productivity.

The university has eight campuses in total. Home to the main campus, Islamabad is a relatively small capital for such a major country in a densely populated part of the world, although its wider metropolitan area, including its more populous neighbour Rawalpindi, is about 10 times the population of the city itself. But the meticulously planned grid city, which some come to for its relative tranquility, is becoming more and more of a cultural hub, with lots of greenery, a range of museums and art galleries, and growing nightlife and shopping quarters.

A 185-acre campus completed in 2002 can be found in Lahore, Pakistan’s intellectual and artistic capital, and the city with the country’s second highest population after Karachi. Further campuses operate in Vehari, Sahiwal, Attock and Wah Cannt, all also in the province of Punjab, and Abbottabad, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, to the north. Programmes vary from bioinformatics to business administration and earth sciences to electrical engineering, with some campuses offering more courses than others. Teaching is in English, and low tuition fees are complemented by a low cost of living in the country, making the university a fairly affordable study option for international students.