Spread over 1200 acres of land, University of Karachi was established through the parliament as a Federal University in 1951. However, through another act of the parliament in 1962 its status was redefined as university of the province of Sindh. On 23rd October, 1950 the Karachi University Act was passed and after an amendment in 1951, it was enacted and Prof A. B. A Haleem was appointed as its first Vice Chancellor. For the first two years, the University of Karachi remained as an examination University for the affiliated colleges. In the year 1953, it started its teaching and research activities at two Faculties of Arts and Science. Opened with an initial intake of 50 students, the university is now a sprawling structure of 53 Departments and 20 world class and highly reputable Research Centers and Institutes, under eight faculties of Arts, Science, Islamic Studies, Pharmacy, Management and Administrative Sciences, Law, Education and Medicine. At present, the enrolment of regular students at the Campus is slightly over 41,000 (Approximately) as on 30/06/2018. There are over 700 teachers and more than 2100 supporting staff.
The Karachi University today is the biggest university in the country. It comprises eight faculties with which all the colleges of the city are affiliated. B.S., M.S., M.Phil. and Ph.D. classes under five of these faculties Arts, Science, Pharmacy, Management and Administrative Science and Islamic Learning are conducted on the campus, while under the Faculties of Medicine, law and Education it examines the students admitted to their affiliated colleges. Research programmers leading to M.Phil and Ph.D Degree are offered under all the faculties.
