One of the largest universities in the world in terms of enrollment rates, Allama Iqbal Open University is an extremely popular university in Pakistan. It is a distance learning university with an enormous enrollment rate of students across the country.
Allama Iqbal Open University is a great higher education institution for students who cannot afford highly expensive education in Pakistan’s private universities. Online learning is mostly offered free or at a minimal tuition fee.
For intermediate students who are interested in getting admission in Allama Iqbal Open University, here’s everything you need to know.
The Allama Iqbal Open University was established in May, 1974, with the main objectives of providing educational opportunities to masses and to those who cannot leave their homes and jobs. It was first named People’s Open University, before becoming renamed to Allama Iqbal Open University in honor of the national poet and philosopher, Allama Muhammad Iqbal.
It is considered to be a pioneer in the field of distance learning higher education. In fact, when the Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) was first established in 1974, it was the second Open University in the world and first in Asia and Africa.
AIOU’s system of Distance Education has opened up new opportunities for millions, particularly women, and supplemented the efforts of the federal and provincial governments in a big way and that too without becoming a burden on their resources.
The head campus of AIOU is located in Islamabad, Pakistan, However, the university has 44 regional campuses and centers throughout the entirety of Pakistan, including in Faisalabad Millat Road, Multan, Dera Ghazi Khan, Bahawalpur and Rahim Yar Khan.
Our mission is to continuously improve the quality of University’s programs to the highest standards through strategic planning, assessment and continuous monitoring, reviewing the progress of teaching and research activities under Higher Education Directives to ensure that quality standards are being met.
To attain excellence in providing quality education and services to our nationwide students, we are determined to set the landmark in the Distance Education System of International competitive education sector and emerge as a trend setter institution.
The Allama Iqbal Open University is accredited by the Higher Education (HEC) of Pakistan, and considered an official degree awarding institution. As a public sector university, it is funded by the government. Moreover, the President of Pakistan is the Chancellor of the Allama Iqbal Open University. The Federal Minister for Education is the Pro-Chancellor and the Vice-Chancellor of the University is its principal executive and academic officer.
AIOU is also accredited by the Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC) for its engineering department and programs. The program of Agriculture has also been accredited from Agricultural Council of Pakistan
In terms of rankings, AIOU is internationally acclaimed as one of the largest and best distance learning higher education institutions in the world.
Allama Iqbal Open University offers four unique faculties, each of which consist of a range of departments that offer programs for undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral studies.
Keep in mind that some programs may not be offered in a certain academic session, so students are advised to visit the official AIOU website in order to determine which programs are available for admission at the time of application.
Below are the faculties and departments offered by AIOU:
Arabic Language and Literature
Hadith and Seerah
Islamic Law (Fiqh)
Islamic Thought, History and Culture
Qur’an and Tafseer
Adult and Continuing Education
Distance and Non-Formal Education
Educational Planning and Management
Science Education
Special Education
Teacher Education (Secondary)
Teacher Education (Elementary)
Agricultural Sciences
Biology
Botany
Chemistry
Information Technology
Computer Science
Engineering and Technology
Environmental Sciences
Home and Health Sciences
Mathematics and Statistics
Physics
Telecommunications
Business Administration
Management Sciences
Commerce
Economics
English Language and Applied Linguistics
History
Iqbal Studies
Library and information sciences
Mass Communication
Pakistan Studies
Pakistani languages
Sociology, Social Work and Population Studies
Gender and Women’s Studies
As a distance learning higher education institution, students who get admission in a program can study from their homes. However, Allama Iqbal Open University has one head campus located in Islamabad. In addition to this, AIOU offers library facilities to support its students.
The Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) has libraries in its 49 regional campuses across Pakistan. The Central Library is the focal of these libraries. The Central Library has state of the art systems and has over 137,000 books on a variety of subjects. In addition to this, there are digital libraries available for student convenience.
Intermediate students who are interested in getting admission into Allama Iqbal Open University can easily do so thanks to its inclusive admission policies.
AIOU has introduced a wide range of undergraduate, graduate, Master’s, M.Phil. and Doctoral programs. The University also offers basic functional courses for illiterates and semi-literates. These programs have given distinction to AIOU as compared to other educational institutions of Pakistan as it caters to the needs of all age groups and levels of education.
This means that all students, regardless of age, gender, income class, and level of literacy can get admission into a program at AIOU, as long as they meet basic eligibility criteria.
Students can apply for admission in the Fall semester, generally starting from September of each year and admission opens in July, or the Spring semester whereby admission opens in January or February of each year. Students can find the application information on the official AIOU website. Intermediate students must submit the application form and relevant educational documents before the deadline to gain admission.
For undergraduate programs, intermediate students must produce their SSC and HSSC certificate with any grade, or the equivalence certificate for O and A-Levels students. For the best exam preparation, students can take help from tutoria.pk’s ultimate exam preparation resources such as solved past papers, book notes, and practice MCQs for all educational boards such as Karachi Board and Lahore Board.
In addition to its bachelor’s programs, AIOU also offers programs for matric, intermediate, master’s, M.Phil, and Ph.D. studies. All students who meet the basic eligibility criteria are granted admission into the programs.
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