The Bahauddin Zakariya University is a general University, providing instruction in both Arts and Science subjects. The main objective of the University is to provide facilities of higher education and research to the population of the southern region of the Punjab, covering the Civil Administrative Divisions of Multan and Dera Ghazi Khan. The University fulfils the triple function of teaching, affiliation and an examining body, and has 79 affiliated colleges which include such old and prestigious institutions as the Government College, Bosan Road, Multan (formerly known as Emerson College), the Government College, Sahiwal and the Nishtar Medical College, Multan, and NFC college of technology, Multan.