Education is Key to Development. A country cannot develop economically unless her literacy rate is accelerated. This is one of the important factors regarding being less developed in the world. Pakistan is one of the countries in the world, which invest a lot in education sector with vast human resources base with abundance of talents. Efforts had been made and are ongoing to boost up literacy rate to capitalize the human resources through the economic tools of efficiency of labour to make breakthrough in the vicious circle of poverty.

Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Women University Peshawar is the First Public Sector Women University in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Women University is named in commemoration of the contributions made by the significant ladies of Pakistan who bestow their life for the cause of women emancipation and for the betterment of the country. Mr. Akram Khan Durrani, Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at that time inaugurated the campus on 1st September, 2004. The first ever female university was established in accordance with the Frontier Women University Act 2004 (N.-W.F.P. ACT NO. VI OF 2005) No. PA/NWFP/Legis: 1/2005/2677— The Frontier Women University Bill, 2004 having been passed by the Provincial Assembly of North-West Frontier Province on the 5th October. 2004 and assented to by the Governor of the North-West Frontier Province on 7th February, 2005 is hereby published as an Act of the Provincial Legislature of the North-West Frontier Province. (First published after having received the assent of the Governor of the North-West Frontier Province in the Gazette of the N. W.F.P. (Extraordinary), dated the 11th February, 2005).

The founder Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr. Syeda Farhana Jahangir was appointed in 10th June, 2005. The Camp Office of the University was Established at the Department of Psychology, University of Peshawar. Funds were available by November 2005. The University became functional in the hostel building of Government Frontier College for Women, Peshawar. In February 2006 that the first academic activities were launched at the university with the opening of eight Departments i.e. Arabic, Psychology, Computer Science, Islmaiyat, Mathematics, Statistics, Economics & English with and initial enrollment of 240 students.

First PC-I of the university worth Rs. 456 million was approved. Land measuring 400 kanals was allotted to the University in 2007 at Charsadda Road by Provincial Government, but was still occupied by the locals. Clearance of site for the construction work was done in mid 2008 after which construction was initiated. In 2007 Two new academic disciplines were introduced in a rented building in the University Town where 4-years B.S (4-Year) Program was offered i.e. Bio-Informatics & Microbiology. An advanced and research oriented 1 year post Graduate Diploma in Clinical Psychology was for the first time initiated in the Province by the Psychology Department of the University, which has also been declared as the Flagship department along with Women Development Center by the Chancellor in 2007. For the very first time in the Province, a Psychotherapeutic clinic was established by the University to provide Psychotherapeutic services to Women and Children of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. In 2008 Women Development Centre and Department of Education were established, which included: B. Ed & PD, Certificate and Diploma in Women Development, Certificate in English Language. Further M. Phil/Ph. D Programs started in the discipline of English, Islamiyat & Psychology. Ten Government Girls’ Colleges were affiliated with the University. M o U was signed with Surrey, Glasgow, Bradford and Hudersfield Universities of UK. HEC-BC Linkage Program was established with University of Leicester, UK. In 2009 M. Phil was initiated in Mathematics. Three other colleges were affiliated.

In 2010 five new disciplines of Law, Political Science, Urdu, Management Sciences, Art & Design were established. M. Phil Program started in Statistics. Furthermore it was notified by the Provincial Assembly Secretariat, Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa vide Notification No. PA/KP/Bills/2010/35076, dated Peshawar, the 17th September, 2010 that the Frontier Women University (Amendment) Bill, 2010 has been passed by the Provincial Assembly of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on 6th September, 2010 and assented to by the Governor of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on 9th September, 2010 published as an Act of the Provincial Legislature of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to be called as the Frontier Women University (Amendment) Act, 2010, wherein Sub-Section-1 of Section 3, the word “Frontier” has been substituted by the words “Shaheed Benazir Bhutto” and had come into force at once. The Frontier Women University has been renamed as Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Women University accordingly. In 2012 MS program in Management Sciences, Computer Sciences and M.Phil leading to Ph.D in Economics has been initiated. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Universities Act, 2012 , passed by the provincial assembly of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on 29th May 2012 | Act No.10 of 2012 , the University is named as Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Women University.

Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Women University has been functioning since 2005. The University provides an environment which enables students to develop their academic, moral, physical, professional and spiritual potential. Envisaged initially as a caterer to the education of female population of the Province, the University has earned much more than it had initially conceived. The primary objective of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Women University Peshawar is to accomplish the assigned mission of providing quality education to the female students in accordance with the latest syllabi and modern trends so that it can emerge as the leading public sector female university of the country. This enrollment has exponentially risen to 4600 students in 18 different departments by 2012. In addition to this, 16 colleges have become affiliated with the University with more than 5000 registered students. In a short span of three years, i.e. in 2012, 4 academic blocks, 3 hostel buildings, 1 catering block, an administration block, and a multipurpose Hall have been constructed. Seven Departments have been shifted to this since February, 2012 main campus with students accommodated in the hostels. An Information Technology Centre (ITC) has been established at the Main Campus. The entire network is built on One Gbps at access Layer, providing Gigabit connectivity to end users and on 10 Gbps at Core Layer. Also, Wireless Network is built on latest 802.11 nano Technology. All active IT equipment around the campus is on UPS and Generator-Powered with no down time.

The University has been ranked at 9th position by HEC among 27 nascent Universities nation-wide. It is pertinent to mention that this status was achieved while functioning under unusual circumstances, with major security threats and lack of basic infrastructure required for academic growth. Departmental programs are aimed at training students so as to become productive and contributing members of their professions and future leaders of the society, human resource industry and the academic world. Our mission is to educate the women masses of this province and their educational requirements in remote and far-flung areas of the province are catered for bringing higher education to their door-step. The student population is drawn from a variety of backgrounds, with students attracted from throughout Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Students from far off areas of the university studying in the university.

The University is expanding its horizon by introducing new disciplines from time to time since 2005. New Disciplines of Law, Management Sciences, Political Science, Fashion and Design & Urdu have been introduced in 2010. In recent years, substantial investment has been made in the University estate, including the expansion of life sciences facilities, recent development of an office of research, innovation and commercialization and a new academic building for in town for the field of Art & Design. Unusually for a civic university, most of the University’s student residential accommodation is within easy walking distance of lecture theatres, library, thus saving our students time and money. Networked computers offering a wealth of software applications are available to every student. Importance is attached to ensuring that Women University graduates have the personal and intellectual skills demanded by employers, and these results in graduate employment. The University is the largest provider of female education in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The University’s lifelong learning activities also encompass the professional development work carried out by departments. Academic expertise and research facilities are used to advantage by industry and commercial partners, government bodies and other organizations. These contracts, combined with the provision of professional updating courses and the provision of sophisticated equipment and specialist skills, enable the University to help improve the efficiency, competitiveness and profitability in job market.