LAHORE: The University of the Punjab has released a two-year performance overview highlighting changes in admissions, research, student support, digital services, financial management, governance, campus security, sports and protection of university assets since Prof Dr Muhammad Ali assumed charge as vice chancellor on September 23, 2024.
Admissions and Digital Services
According to figures shared by the university, fall admissions increased from 11,112 in 2025 to 14,126 in 2026, with the 2026 admission process continuing until September 28. The university said its latest admission campaign attracted 147,913 applications, of which 113,185 were finalised.
Punjab University currently offers 209 undergraduate programmes and admission options across its faculties and campuses.
The university also highlighted the introduction of a 24/7 Admission Assistant Chatbot, saying the service handled 115,915 conversations during a 65-day period. Other digital initiatives included digitisation of affiliation records, an online affiliation portal and digital hostel allotment.
Research and Academic Activities
In research, PU said six projects secured Rs56.89 million under the Higher Education Commission’s National Research Programme for Universities. The university also reported restoration of Research Incentive Awards and continuation of academic selection boards and other research activities.
According to the university’s two-year overview, PU ranked first in Pakistan in the Nature Index Current Index by research output share for the March 2025-February 2026 period.
Scholarships and College Affiliations
Student financial support was another area highlighted in the report. PU said more than 14,000 scholarships involving over Rs500 million in disbursements were provided to meritorious and financially deserving students through university, government, international, corporate and private-sector programmes.
The university said 35 additional colleges — 10 public and 25 private — were affiliated during the two-year period, taking the total number of affiliated colleges to more than 400. Revenue generated from affiliated colleges increased from Rs67.7 million to Rs142.2 million, according to the figures provided by PU.
Financial Management and Energy Savings
On financial management, the university reported that its deficit declined from Rs2.86 billion in 2023-24 to what it described as a working deficit of Rs1.67 billion in 2025-26.
Energy-saving measures also formed part of the university’s performance report. PU estimated that interventions had helped avoid consumption of around five million electricity units by June 2026, representing an estimated avoided electricity cost of Rs286 million. Solar photovoltaic systems with a combined capacity of more than 600kW were also inaugurated at different university institutes.
Governance and Hostel Administration
Governance measures cited by the university included one-account oversight, rotation of heads, implementation of a one-person-one-post approach, asset management reforms and changes to hostel administration.
PU said student accommodation measures included merit-based hostel allotment, biometric entry and expanded facial-recognition access. Two boys’ hostels were also converted into accommodation for female students.
Sports Achievements
In sports, the university said it received the HEC Intervarsity General Trophy for 2024-25 and secured first overall position in the presented university sports ranking, recording 18 combined points from men’s and women’s competitions.
Recovery of University Land
The university also reported recovering land worth billions of rupees from alleged encroachments at its Old Campus and New Campus. PU described the action as part of efforts to safeguard university property and institutional assets.
Future Priorities
Looking ahead, the university identified sustainable public funding, pension and reserve sustainability, additional revenue pathways, quarterly financial transparency and continued rule-based institutional reforms among its priorities.
