Cluster University of Srinagar 

Cluster University of Srinagar (C-U, CUS) is a collegiate state university located in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India. It is a cluster(group)  of five colleges of Srinagar city. It has been established under The Srinagar and Jammu Cluster Universities Act, 2016 together with the Cluster University of Jammu and is an initiative of the centrally sponsored scheme, Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA), to create new universities through upgradation of the existing colleges and conversion of colleges in a cluster. 

The institute offers undergraduate, postgraduate, integrated master's and research degrees in humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, applied sciences (engineering), management, commerce and professional courses. 

The 5 constituent colleges of the university include Amar Singh College,

Sri Pratap College,

Government College for Women, M.A. Road, Srinagar, Government Degree College, Bemina and

The  Institute of Advanced Studies in Education, Srinagar. 

The Cluster University concept, first of its kind in India introduced by the Jammu and Kashmir governments in year 2016. It is expected to give an impetus to academics and research in the state. The Minister of Education has shown keen interest by reviewing the preparedness and the progress for the establishment of the Cluster Universities in Kashmir and Jammu. Introduction and development of Cluster Universities in Srinagar and Jammu will not only boost the existing higher education facilities in J and K, but help the diversification of the academics with introduction of the latest job-intensive courses at the graduate and postgraduate levels. The 2 Cluster Universities are being established in the state under centrally-sponsored Rashtriya Ucchtar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) to run series of the additional and novel courses in the existing city colleges, with one of the colleges each in Srinagar and Jammu acting as the lead college. The Minister has announced that an amount of Rs 55 crore each has been provided under RUSA for the development of additional infrastructure for these Cluster Universities. The Cluster University in Srinagar comprises of Amar Singh College, SP College, Women’s College MA Road, GDC Bemina and the College of Education, Srinagar. In Jammu GGM Science College will be the Lead College for the new University while in the Srinagar Amar Singh College will be the Lead College. 

The procedure for building the required infrastructure has been set into motion in the concerned colleges at both the cities and the admissions would start from the current academic session.  The Cluster University will offer post-graduate and diploma study courses in social sciences, liberal arts, humanities, engineering, science, teacher education, languages, entrepreneurship development, management and other job-intensive courses. Initially, the 2 universities will be granted one hundred and twenty-four posts to meet the exigency of the working or starting. 

These institutes will be independent entities with their own Acts and each will be headed by a Vice-Chancellor. The 5 colleges each of Jammu and Srinagar will break away from the Jammu University and the Kashmir University. Other colleges will continue to be a part of the Jammu University or the Kashmir University.  The Islamia College, Srinagar and Government College for Women, Parade, Jammu, are already working as independent colleges and will not be a part of the cluster universities. These Cluster independent Universities will be administered by an establishment comprising the Chancellor, Pro Chancellor, Vice Chancellor, Financial Adviser, Educational Adviser, Registrar and Controller of Examinations. 

The concept of Cluster Universities will provide an opportunity to the candidates to join higher education within the state instead of getting trapped in the hands of the unrecognized institutes outside, which becomes problematic for them. The government is committed to making education an around-the-clock affair and starting evening classes, which will help in expanding access to the higher education by increasing the gross enrolment ratio. As stated by the Minister of Education, ‘Life comes to a halt after evening, especially in Srinagar, and colleges have not given back to the society in the way they should have. The cluster university concept is a step towards giving motion to the education’. 

The concept of cluster universities is expected to improve the quality of state universities and colleges and enhance capacity to become dynamic and in demand drive. It aims to promote cutting-edge research and to create outstanding conditions for young scholars at the universities, to deepen cooperation between the disciplines and institutions, to strengthen national or international cooperation of research. It shall serve as a platform for communication, collaboration and cooperation that will optimise scarce resources as well as free candidates from the autocracy of boundaries and the constraints of the location using emergent IT tools. The concept combines the best in the traditional systems with the new opportunities for the knowledge enhancement. The plan will bring benefits to all stakeholders with its expected outcomes. 

Mushroom growth of the institutions in the shape of colleges and Universities emerged in the past in the State of J and K. If we take a look at the past, 18 new colleges were established in year 2005 and 18 in year 2008 in the state to make higher education accessible to the remotest areas. Another more than 20 colleges have been realised as well as established. The institutes established already and the new ones are offering traditional courses to pursue, which have lost relevance in the emerging economic scenario of the world. Moreover, the majority of the already established institutes are still under-staffed, without buildings, infrastructure and other necessary facilities and it is vexing to believe the condition of these colleges. The two Central Universities and particularly, the Central University of Srinagar (which is shifted yearly from one rented accommodation to another) established five years ago, are yet to be realised into reality. 

Innovative steps to the higher education are the need of the hour and the Institute Grants Commission has come up with new suggestions to cluster colleges in groups to share their resources for the better prosperity of the candidates and teaching community. The University Grants Commission of India is of the opinion that higher education is not a luxury affair for academia as well as for the policy makers and it has to be pursued earnestly with a lot of application oriented research and development. 

Courses Offered- 

Political Science        

Business Administration (BBA / MBA)

History

Commerce     

Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA)

Political Science

History

Commerce

Economics     

Geography     

English           

Bachelor of Computer Applications (BCA)

Computer Applications (BCA / MCA)

Journalism and Mass Communication          

Bachelor of Computer Applications (BCA)   

Electronics and Communication Engineering           

Bio-Medical Engineering

Electrical and Electronics Engineering

Electrical Engineering

Mechanical Engineering

Civil Engineering

Computer Science and Engineering 

B.Ed-M.Ed

B.Ed & M.Ed Courses

Chemistry

Botany

Bio-Chemistry

Environmental Science

Information Technology

Physics

Geography

Zoology