KIU is a federal university, founded in 2002, and located in Gilgit town the administrative capital of the Northern Areas of Pakistan. It offers Bachelors and Masters degree courses in  the following fields:

• Faculty of Applied and Pure Sciences
• Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
• Faculty of Mountain Area Development Studies (under development)

Currently the following departments are functional:

• Department of Mathematics and Computer Sciences
• Department of Food, Agriculture and Chemical Technology
• Department of Biological Sciences
• Department of Physics
• Department of Business Management and Economics
• Department of Educational Development
• Department of Modern Languages
• Department of International Relations and Political Sciences
• Department of Mountain Earth Sciences
• Department of Physics
• Institute of Professional Development for Vocational and Technical Training
• With a newly added Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Flora and Fauna.

An Institute of Hotel Management and Mountain Tourism and college of nursing are being actively pursued.

At present it has just over 2000 students  with one third female population. Senior faculty and supply of drinking water are the major problem areas.

The university has offered help to local NGOs in areas of wildlife research (snow leopard, ibex, markhore, etc.) plant studies, fruit processing and preservatives, environmental studies, watershed management and areas of Earth Sciences.

Although KIU is in its development phase, it is a permanent seat of learning and research which has increasingly sophisticated infrastructure, a satellite based internet and access to a Digital Library, facilities provided by the HEC.