M. Catalina Alliende
PhD, University of Wales, the UK


It was summer 1992 when the plans for establishing University College of Islamabad were finalized. The best brains and minds of the country were involved in, with the ultimate objective to provide quality education of the British standards at an affordable cost in Pakistan.

Our hardwork of 15 years has resulted in not only in establishing our credibility, but also setting high standards for the delivery of British-type of education in Pakistan. The college has tried throughout to get the best teachers and to provide an academic college environment conducive to learning. I believe in nurturing knowledge in an open and liberal environment. Further, I always urge and facilitate our teachers to avail opportunities for upgrading their knowledge and teaching skills.

During 1996-1997, UCI was granted provisional recognition to teach Diploma in Economics by the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). The LSE inspection team visited UCI during February 1999 and granted permission to continue teaching the Diploma - a big boost to us and a step forward to further establish the credibility of UCI. In July 2001, UCI launched ACCA & CAT. UCI has also introduced a new programme of the Organization of Tourism & Hospitality Management (OTHM), UK.

In March 2007, I participated in the Diploma Providers’ Meeting held in London. It was an interesting gathering of institutions from all over the world teaching the same programmes. I also have had the honour of attending convocation of University of London. It was a great event for me to see UCI students getting their degrees there.

The results of the different sessions greatly depend on the students’ abilities and dedication to their studies, besides the environment of the college. Our students have been producing outstanding results, there were 51 distinctions and more than 55 merits in 2006. Maria Jamshaid got examiners’ awards for two consecutive years and in her final year she obtained the first position in the world in Scheme B. Besides, excelling on the academic front, UCI students have also established traditions of organizing excellent social and sports events.