Originally known as the Gujranwala Institute of Future Technologies, GIFT University was founded in 2002, because there was felt to be a need for a university in the region between Lahore and Islamabad.
There are four academic schools at GIFT University: engineering and applied sciences; humanities and social sciences; fine arts, design and architecture; and business. Each school has specialist facilities, so that degree courses can include relevant practical experience.
Since 2012, roughly half of the university’s students have received a performance-based scholarship.
Campus extracurricular activities include public-speaking, drama, sports, music, poetry recitation and recreational trips. Clubs range from the society for home-economics skills to the yoga health society, the young economists society and the blood-donors society.
GIFT also runs a social-integration programme, intended to ensure that graduates leave with strong social and ethical values.