In a groundbreaking development for Pakistan’s higher education system, Arizona State University (ASU) has officially launched the National Institute of technology (NIT) in Lahore marking the first physical campus of US university in the country.

This is the first time a US university has established a physical campus presence in the country.

The university is set to start classes in Fall 2025. NIT features two primary schools: the School of Management Sciences and the School of Data Sciences and Information Technology.

The university will follow the American academic curriculum, following Pakistani culture and educational context in parallel.

The initiative was superheaded by a University of London-trained lawyer, Shahzeb Awan and a Harvard-educated finance expert Jahanzeb Burana, are leading the initiative.

A formal agreement was signed at the Tempe campus of ASU in Arizona, in April 2025.

According to the ASU officials, the new institute will offer an empowering learning experience to the students, preparing them to succeed in global markets.

The main benefit students will have from this initiative is a dual degree pathway, letting them earn ASU and NIT’s degrees at the same time.

Students will also be able to avail opportunities to study abroad at ASU campuses in Washington DC, California, and through the ASU-Cintana Alliance, which includes over 30 partner institutions worldwide.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif hailed the partnership as a “milestone” for Pakistan’s education sector, after meeting with the representative of ASU, stating, “NIT will be a world-class institution that allows our youth to succeed in global markets”.

The launch of Arizona State University Pakistan is expected to generate new learning paths, boost employment prospects, and strengthen Pakistan’s reputation in the global academic community.

The campus will include advanced labs, innovation hubs, and incubators to support entrepreneurship and green technology research.

Committed to accessibility and affordability, NIT plans to allocate 30% of the seats for students from under privilege background through need based scholarships.