History
&
Kashmir led by
Ghulam Ahmad Ashai, the registrar. He is followed by the vice-chancellor, Wazir Janki Nath (chief justice),
Sheikh Abdullah (prime minister of J&K),
Pandit Nehru (prime minister of India),
C. Rajagopalachari (the governor-general of India) and
Karan Singh (the yuvraj at the time). The inception of the University of
Kashmir dates back to the establishment of Jammu and
Kashmir University in 1948. Contribution of academics of various faculties needs special mention. Notable alumni are spread around globe, have made a name for country and for the university. In 1969, it was made into two full-fledged universities: University of Kashmir at
Srinagar and
University of Jammu at
Jammu. The University of Kashmir, since its establishment, has been focused at
Hazratbal and encompasses three adjacent areas: Amar Singh Bagh,
Naseem Bagh and Mirza Bagh. This campus is spread over . It is the largest university by a number of full-time students in the union territory of
Jammu and Kashmir. A major part of Amar Singh Bagh and
Naseem Bagh constitute the Hazratbal campus which is laid out on the northeastern bank of
Dal Lake. Earlier, many postgraduate departments, research and other centres were housed in Naseem Bagh Campus. But the university resolved to develop Naseem Bagh into a heritage site and, thereafter, many departments were shifted to other areas of the Hazratbal campus. which offers four-year B.Tech courses in Civil, Mechanical, Electronics and Communication, Electrical Engineering, 2 year M.Tech in E&C, Electrical and Mechanical and 4-Year B.S. through Design Your Degree, followed by other campuses which are also providing several PG/Integrated/UG Courses. Mirza Bagh or "University Town" constitutes buildings housing quarters for the university staff. The North Campus on 559 kanals at Delina, Baramulla was started in December 2009. One Campus at Kupwara is also established and functional, as of 2025. Post-2019, Kargil and Leh Campuses were merged with the
University of Ladakh. == Present form ==
Present form
There are 14 schools, more than 50 academic departments, 21 centres, 36 colleges and six (privately managed) recognised institutes spread all over the state. The two largest departments in student enrolment include the School of Law and the School of Business Studies. The School of Law, being one of the oldest academic departments, runs four full time academic programmes 3-Year LL.B (Hons.), 5-Year Integrated B.A.LL.B (Hons.), 2-Year LLM and Integrated Ph.D. The School's student body, "Law Society," actively organises debates, seminars, and moot court competitions. The School publishes a refereed research journal, Kashmir University Law Review (KULR). The School of Business Studies consists of four academic departments, the largest one being the Department of Management Studies, which offers academic programmes like Integrated MBA, MBA-FM and MBA. The other academic departments/research centers offer a variety of academic programmes through PG/UG/Integrated at Main and other satellite sampuses to meet the demand of the student community. ==Campus==
Campus
The university has 247 acres campus in
Hazratbal. To make education more accessible to people living in remote areas of
Kashmir Valley, the university has established satellite campuses at Zakura Campus (Zakura, Srinagar), North Campus (Delina, Baramulla), South Campus (Fatehgarh, Anantnag) and Kupwara Campus (Wayan, Kupwara).
Library The university has a central library called Allama Iqbal Library. It is headed by the university librarian. It has a collection of over 600,000 books including 415 rare manuscripts. It was established to cater to the needs of scholars, researchers and students of the university. With the split of the university in 1969, the library was shared by the two universities (University of Kashmir and
University of Jammu).
Hostels The university provides residential facilities on a first-come-first-served basis to the teaching and non-teaching staff at Main Campus and Mirza Bagh Campus, as well as to students at the following-mentioned places. The hostels (boys'/girls') located at the Main as well as Zakura Campus, are directly supervised by the concerned Provost Office, while as those falling under the other satellite campuses are supervised and managed by the Hostel Allotment Committee of the concerned satellite campus. In 2020, the varsity enacted a new hostel accommodation-cum-residential policy, superseding the previous 2018 policy.
Boys' hostels • International Gani Kashmiri Hostel (Main Campus) • Mehboob-ul-Aalam Hostel (Main Campus) • Maulana Anwar Shah Kashmiri Hostel (Main Campus) • Gani Kashmiri Hostel for Research Scholars (Zakura Campus) • Shaikh-ul-Alam Boys (A) and (B) Hostels (Zakura Campus) • Syed Meerak Shah Hostel (Zakura Campus)
Girls' hostels [https://pghostels.uok.edu.in/Main/Default.aspx • Habba Khatoon Hostel (Main Campus) • Rabia Basiri Hostel (Main Campus) • Qurat-ul-Aen Hostel (Main Campus) • Bibi Amina Hostel (Main Campus) • Lal Ded Hostel (Main Campus) ==Affiliated colleges==
Organisation and administration
Core administrative officers Section 9 of the Kashmir and Jammu Universities Act, 1969 (Act. No. XXIV of 1969) enumerates the university officers, namely the chancellor, pro-chancellor, vice‑chancellor, pro‑vice‑chancellor (if any), financial advisor, registrar, controller of examinations, joint registrar (if any), and other officers the statutes may prescribe • Chancellor: The university is headed by the lieutenant‑governor of the UT of J&K, who presides over University Council and convocations, and confirms honorary degrees. • Pro-chancellor: The chief minister, Government of J&K, acts as ex-officio pro‑chancellor. In the chancellor’s absence, he/she presides over Council/convocations. He/she holds inspection/inquiry powers into university affairs and may direct corrective actions. • Vice-chancellor (VC) The vice-chancellor is the principal executive and academic officer of the university, who is appointed by the chancellor in consultation with the pro‑chancellor from names recommended by a selection committee. Section 13 establishes the vice‑chancellor as the university’s principal executive and academic officer, chairing the Academic Council and other bodies in the absence of the chancellor and pro‑chancellor, and vested with authority to convene meetings, ensure compliance with all statutes and regulations, make necessary appointments, manage discipline, take emergency action, enforce decisions of statutory bodies, and delegate powers as prescribed. • Pro-vice-chancellor (PVC): Section 15 and related provisions confer on the pro‑vice‑chancellor such powers as may be assigned by the VC or can be prescribed in the statutes and regulations, always under the VC’s control. For a very long time, no one has been appointed as the PVC; the position has been remained vacant. • Financial advisor: Section 16 designates the Administrative Secretary, Department of Finance, Government of J&K (or his/her nominee), as the ex-officio financial advisor to the University, who supervises university finances, advises on budgetary policy, presents annual estimates and accounts, and may undertake additional duties prescribed by statutes. • Registrar (Reg) The registrar is appointed by the University Council on the recommendation of a selection committee. As a full‑time officer, the Registrar acts as the secretary to all major university bodies (Council, Syndicate, Academic Council, faculties, boards, etc.), controls ministerial and technical staff under the VC’s sanction, handles university records and property, manages financial transactions (collecting funds, disbursing payments, signing cheques), issues meeting notices, and supports the vice‑chancellor in all administrative duties. The statutes and regulations may allow further duties, and the registrar may delegate powers with VC approval. To keep it simple, the registrar is the chief of administration of the university. • Controller of examinations (COE or CE): Section 18 empowers the controller of examinations, also appointed by the University Council upon a selection committee’s recommendation, as a full‑time officer responsible for the complete conduct of examinations. He heads the Examination Wing of the University which includes setting, printing, and safeguarding question papers, overseeing examination logistics (dispatch, evaluation, result publication), managing complaints and unfair means cases, and performing statutory duties under the VC’s direction. The Act also enumerates the key administrative Authorities of the universities - the University Council, the Syndicate, the Academic Council, Schools (formerly "Faculties"), Boards of Studies, Board of Inspection and Board of Research Studies, and other Statutory bodies. Section 22 establishes the University Council as the supreme policy-making body, endowed with powers to draft statutes (in consultation with the Syndicate), approve financial estimates and developmental plans, review annual reports, appoint senior officers and teachers, establish committees, delegate powers, and execute any additional functions provided under the Act or Statutes. Other than those mentioned in the Act, the university has: • Dean of Academic Affairs (DAA): Under the overall direction of the Vice‑Chancellor, the DAA is the senior most teacher of the University and acts as the nerve centre for all matters concerning academic environment and activity on the campus, assisted by a Joint/Deputy Registrar and assistantrRegistrar. He looks after the working of various teaching departments. He heads the Academic Section, and chairs certain academic committees in the VC’s absence. He has authority to process proposals for guest speakers, visiting fellows/professors, and faculty improvements. he co-signs academic MoUs and recommends statute amendments related to teaching programs. He oversees PG course affiliations. • Dean of Research (DR): DR plays a central administrative leadership role, overseeing the university’s research agenda. He tracks progress of sponsored and institutional projects, manage budgets, supervise compliance (e.g., IRB, human/animal research, ethics), and coordinate pre/post-award processes. He also fosters ethical practices, research integrity, awareness of COI, safety, training, and overall compliance. • Dean, College Development Council (DCDC): DCDC is another senior-most professor of the university, who is appointed by the vice‑chancellor, to look after the university’s College Development Council (CDC), which bridges the university, and its affiliated and/or constituent colleges, including their timely inspection and recognition. DCDC develops perspective plans for college openings, ensures minimum prescribed standards, and monitors UGC-mandated requirements. • Director Finance/Chief Accounts Officer and Financial Advisor • Proctorial Organization/Office of the Chief Proctor Schools, departments, and research centers • School of Applied Sciences and Technology (SoAST) • Department of Computer Science • Department of Electronics & Instrumentation Technology • Department of Food Science & Technology • Department of Pharmaceutical Science • Department of Information Technology and Support Systems (DITSS) • Institute of Home Science • School of Arts, Language and Literature (SALL) • Department of Arabic • Department of English • Institute of Foreign Languages • Department of Hindi • Shri Pran Kishor Koul Institute of Music and Fine Arts • Department of Kashmiri • Department of Linguistics • Department of Persian • Department of Philosophy • Department of Sanskrit • Department of Urdu • School of Biological Sciences • Department of Biochemistry • Department of Bioresources • Department of Biotechnology • Department of Botany • Department of Clinical Biochemistry • Centre of Research for Development • Department of Nano-technology • Department of Zoology • School of Business Studies (SBS) • Department of Commerce • Department of Economics • Department of Management Studies • Department of Tourism, Hospitality & Leisure Studies • School of Earth and Environmental Sciences (SESS) • Department of Earth Sciences • Department of Environmental Science • Department of Geography & Disaster Management • Department of Geoinformatics • School of Education and Behavioural Sciences (SEBS) • Directorate of Physical Education and Sports • Department of Education • Department of Psychology • School of Engineering (SOE) • Institute of Technology • School of Law (Law) • Department of Law • School of Open Learning (SOL) • Centre for Distance and Online Education • Directorate of Lifelong Learning and Skill Development • Educational Multimedia Research Centre • School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences 1. Department of Chemistry 2. Department of Mathematics 3. Department of Physics 4. Department of Statistics • School of Social Sciences (SSS) • Department of History • Department of Library and Information Sciences • Media Education Research Center (MERC) • Department of Political Science • Shah-i-Hamadan Institute of Islamic Studies • Department of Social Work • Department of Sociology • Institute of Kashmiri Studies • Centers • Bio-informatics Centre • Centre for Capacity Building & Skill Development (CCBSD) • Centre for Innovation Incubation and Entrepreneurship (CIIE) • Centre for Interdisciplinary Research & Innovations (CIRI) • Centre for University Society Interface (CUSI) • Centre for Women's Studies & Research (CWSR) • Centre of Biodiversity & Taxonomy (CBT) • Centre of Central Asian Studies (CCAS) • Centre of Research for Development(CORD) • Educational Multimedia Research Centre (EMMRC) • Iqbal Institute of Culture and Philosophy (IICP) • UGC-Malaviya Mission Teacher Training Centre (MMTTC) • NewGen IEDC ( Incubation Centre) • Population Research Centre (PRC) • Shaikh-Ul-Aalam Centre for Multidisciplinary Studies (SACMS) Directorates and other Important Bodies • Directorate of Information Technology & Support Systems • Centre for Distance and Online Education • Directorate of Lifelong Learning and Skill Development • Directorate of Physical Education & Sports • Directorate of Internal Quality Assurance • Centre for Career-Counselling, Coaching and Placement (CCCCP) • University Landscape Development Division • University Construction Division/Engineering Wing • Directorate of Watch and Ward • Directorate of Convocation Complex ==Academics==