The University of Okara (UO) was established under the Government of Punjab Act 2016 (XIII). The 204-acre lush green campus is surrounded by the outlandish Lower Bari Doaab Canal and forest belt at one side while the mighty National Highway and Railway Tracks at the other end. The UO currently has 29 academic departments and 07 new are on the cards. These departments are offering 80 BS Programs, 35 MPhil/MS Programs, and 10 PhD Programs. There are 12,000 students and 131 regular faculty members currently embellishing the academic life of the university.

The UO offers various state-of-the-art facilities to its students including scientific laboratories, computer laboratories, libraries, sports complex, and transportation among others. The central library has not only been equipped with books and journals but it has also been linked up with the digital database of the Higher Education Commission (HEC). Now, students can easily access the entire world's e-books and research articles through their mobile phones or laptops. All processes including admissions, fee collection and examinations have been automated with the help of state-of-the-art software. Now, the UO has totally become a Smart University.
The University of Okara has become the first Pakistani university, established after 2016, that has been recognized and ranked by the United Kingdom-based world's most credible ranking organization, Quacquarelli Symonds (QS). In the newly released QS Asia University Ranking 2024, the UO has been placed at 212 in Southern Asia and 681-700 in Asia. The QS evaluates universities based on their academic reputation, employer reputation, faculty/student ratio, citations per faculty, international faculty ratio, and international student ratio. The UO is also ranked 502 by the UI GreenMetric World Ranking.
The UO administration has also taken up the task of preserving the endangered flora and fauna of this region and for this purpose, a Center for Sustainability has been established. To conduct research on the educational needs and other concerning social problems of the region, a Social Science Research Center has also been carved out.
With the vision of reducing the gender gap and boosting socioeconomic development in the region, the UO administration is focusing on providing higher education opportunities to all segments of society. For this purpose, a comprehensive Community Outreach Program has been initiated.
In order to acclimatize the students, teachers, and local community to the global academic culture and discourses, the UO administration has developed certain international linkages as well. With all these interventions, the UO is casting a significant and longstanding impact on the culture, development, and social system of Okara and its vicinities.