The Allama Iqbal Open University (popularly known as AIOU) is a public research university located in Islamabad, Pakistan. The university is the fourth world's largest institution of higher learning, with an annual enrollment of 1,121,038 students (as of 2010), the majority of them women, and Course Enrollment of 3,305,948 (2011). It is noted for its cost-effective policy to provide higher education at a minimum cost through a specialized university fund managed by the government.