The main purpose of the current research was to examine students' perspectives on the role of higher education in women's empowerment and development, as well as the issues and barriers associated with this role in public sector universities. A descriptive research design was employed to achieve the study targets. The study population consisted of total 4647 students. The study sample consisted of 300 female students selected through a simple random sampling technique from public sector universities in district Multan, Punjab, Pakistan. The descriptive statistics mean and standard deviation, and inferential statistics (ANOVA) were utilized to analyze all data provided by the students. The results revealed that higher education institutions are playing an effective role in women's empowerment, but barriers such as economic, social and cultural impede their access and success. The study recommended giving women equal opportunities to pursue higher education, as this can significantly contribute to a nation's progress.