A group of six gunmen entered the university buildings early on Wednesday, Daily Pakistan newspaper said, citing Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Minister Shaukat Yousafzai. Four militants were killed, according to Yousafzai. University premises are reported to have been cleared, all students are believed to be evacuated.
At least 25 people, including four security guards and a policeman, were killed in the attack, while at least 50 were reportedly injured, some of them in critical condition.
Some 3,000 students and 600 guests of a poetic competition were in the building at the moment of attack.
Abdul Wali Khan University located in northern Mardan city of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province was closed for an indefinite period after the attack over security concerns, the university's administration said.