About Us

Karakoram International University (KIU) is the first public university of Gilgit-Baltistan. From its main campus in Gilgit it serves students from across the region through degree programmes, research centres and an examination system that conducts secondary and higher-secondary board examinations for affiliated schools and colleges.

History and Establishment

KIU was established in 2002 under a charter granted by the Federal Government of Pakistan, with the aim of widening access to higher education in Gilgit-Baltistan. The Higher Education Commission (HEC) lists the university as a recognised public-sector institution chartered on 28 August 2002, and the President of Pakistan serves as its Chancellor.

Before KIU, students of the region had to travel to other parts of the country for university education. The founding of a university at home was therefore a landmark for education in the mountain districts of the north.

Location: A Gateway to Mountain Knowledge

The main campus sits on University Road in Gilgit, close to where the Gilgit and Hunza rivers meet, with the peaks of the Karakoram range as its backdrop. The university describes itself as a “gateway to mountain knowledge”, and much of its teaching and research focuses on the people, environment and development of the Hindu Kush–Karakoram–Himalaya region.

Campuses

KIU was chartered as a multi-campus university so that higher education could reach the districts of Gilgit-Baltistan. Its campuses include:

• Main Campus, Gilgit – home to most faculties and departments.
• Engineering and Technology Campus, Gilgit.
• Hunza Campus – began academic programmes in 2016.
• Ghizer Campus and Diamer (Chilas) Campus – both established in 2018 to bring degree programmes to the district level.

A Skardu campus opened in 2011. It later developed into a separate institution, the University of Baltistan, established in 2017.

Faculties and Academic Programmes

According to the university’s 2024 institutional brief, the main campus has four faculties and around two dozen departments. Together they offer more than 100 programmes to over 7,500 students, and roughly half of the students are women. Programmes range from undergraduate (BS and associate degrees) to MPhil and PhD levels across the natural and life sciences, engineering, social sciences, management and the humanities.

Research, Publications and Student Services

• Office of Research, Innovation and Commercialization (ORIC) supports research projects, industry links and the commercialisation of research.
• Journal of Mountain Areas Research (JMAR) is the university’s HEC-recognised research journal on mountain regions.
• The Karakoram is described by the university as the region’s first English-language magazine.
• National Freelance Centre and entrepreneurship courses help students build digital and business skills.
• A Lincoln Corner at the main campus supports English-language learning and preparation for international tests.

KIU Examination Section (External Examinations)

Besides university teaching, KIU runs an Examination Section that acts as an examination board for schools and colleges of Gilgit-Baltistan. It held its first board examinations in 2003. Today it conducts:

• Secondary School Certificate (SSC) Part-I and Part-II examinations;
• Higher Secondary School Certificate (HSSC) Part-I and Part-II examinations;
• examinations for associate degree programmes of affiliated colleges.

Each examination is normally held in a 1st Annual session, followed by a 2nd Annual (supplementary) session for compartment, improvement and re-appearing candidates. Regular students are registered through their affiliated institutions. Private candidates apply directly through the online examinations portal, where they can also print admit cards and fee challans.

How results are announced

After each examination the Examination Section announces results together with the names of position holders. Candidates check their results online by selecting the examination year, examination and session and entering their roll number. Official result notifications and detailed marks certificates (DMCs) remain the authoritative record of a candidate’s result.

Role in Gilgit-Baltistan

As the region’s oldest university and a major examination authority, KIU plays a central part in education in Gilgit-Baltistan. It educates the region’s teachers, engineers, scientists and administrators. It conducts research on the mountain environment and economy. Through its examinations, it shapes the academic path of thousands of school and college students every year.