The university is the first multi-campus university in Pakistan, having five modern campuses based in different cities These campuses are located in Chiniot-Faisalabad, Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, and Peshawar, providing a standard educational environment and recreational facilities to 11,000 students, out of which 500 are faculty members and a quarter is covered by female students. Founded as Federally Chartered University, it was inaugurated by President Pervez Musharraf in July 2000. It is consistently ranked among the leading institutions of higher education in the country and ranked top in computer sciences and information technology by the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan in 2020. Its engineering programs are accredited with the Pakistan Engineering Council. FAST is a not-for-profit educational institution charging subsidized fees from its students. Besides this, FAST offers different financial assistance programs for deserving students in the form of loans.