Aga Khan University

Since 1983, AKU has been making a difference in the developing world by enabling promising young men and women of all backgrounds to realise their potential and by creating innovative solutions to pressing problems.  With nearly 2,500 students spread across campuses and programmes in six countries, the University is both a model of academic excellence and an agent of social change.

In all of the societies in which it works, AKU is:  

Educating leaders. Because a single leader can have an enormous impact, we equip our graduates with the expertise, outlook, values and skills needed to become effective agents of change.  

Embodying excellence. In places where resources are scarce, we meet the highest quality standards and demonstrate that excellence is a transformative force.  In Pakistan, we are the #1 ranked health sciences university.  

Discovering what works. One of the developing world’s leading sources of health and education research, we are creating new knowledge with the potential to save and enhance millions of lives.  

Serving the community. Over the last 30 years, our Patient Welfare Programme has provided 1.1 million patients with reduced-cost care worth more than $89 million.  Our influential Urban Health Programme, which has helped improve life in squatter settlements in Karachi, is just one of many examples of our community service.

Providing access to all. We believe poverty should not prevent anyone from receiving a quality education, which is why admission to AKU is based on merit, without regard to financial need.  We also work to find talented students from disadvantaged backgrounds and to prepare them for a rigorous, English-language university education.

Empowering women. Nearly half of our faculty and three of every five AKU students are women.  Moreover, our leadership in maternal and child health research is internationally renowned.  Providing girls and women with opportunities to thrive will always be one of our top priorities.  

Fostering pluralism. Through our research, curricula, admissions and culture, we build respect and understanding across religious, ethnic, communal and national boundaries.  

Always connecting. AKU has a long record of partnering successfully with other institutions, and goes out of its way to forge connections between the private and public sectors, the developed and developing worlds, urban and rural areas, ideas and faiths.  Our supporters and partners include the governments of Canada, France, Germany, Norway, the United States and the United Kingdom; the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation; the University of California, San Francisco; Johnson & Johnson; the World Bank; the World Health Organization and many others.