59,558 degrees conferred, 239 gold medalists

Srinagar, Feb 26: The University of Kashmir (KU) on Thursday held its 21st convocation in which 59,558 degrees were conferred to the graduates besides 239 gold medals awarded to students of which 186 were bagged by female students.

In her address at the occasion, Vice Chancellor KU Prof Nilofer Khan described the occasion as both institutional and emotional while recounting her journey from a student to becoming the first woman Vice Chancellor of the 78-year-old institution.

“I welcome the Vice President of the worldís largest democracy to the university that shaped my life is a moment of profound emotion and responsibility for me,” she said.

Prof Khan said that established in 1948 as the University of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcated in 1969, the varsity has evolved into a premier institution aligned with national and global standards.

“Its logo reflects the civilisational and secular ethos envisioned by its founders,” she said.

At the convocation, the university awarded 44,910 undergraduate degrees, 13,545 postgraduate degrees, 465 MD, MS, MDS, and MCh degrees besides 638 M Phil and PhD degrees.

The Vice Chancellor highlighted the remarkable academic performance of women students who secured 186 of the 239 gold medals.

“It is a testament to the transformative role of higher education in empowering young women in the region to lead and innovate,” she said.

Prof Khan said the KU presently comprises 14 schools, 84 teaching departments and research centres, three satellite campuses at Anantnag, Baramulla, and Kupwara, an engineering college, and a Regional Centre for Distance Learning at Jammu.

“KU also has 209 affiliated and constituent colleges, including degree colleges and medical and engineering institutions. Through these institutions we expand access to higher education in far-flung areas,” she said.

The Vice Chancellor said that in 2025, the university secured an A++ grade with a CGPA of 3.68 from NAAC in its fourth accreditation cycle.

“In the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) 2025, KU was ranked 34th in the university category and 8th among state public universities,” she said.

Prof Khan said these achievements reflect the collective dedication of the faculty, researchers, administrators, and students,.

“KU has been among the early implementers of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. We introduced integrated programmes and the Design Your Degree initiative to enhance curricular flexibility and multidisciplinary learning,” she said.

About the changing job markets and technological advancements, the Vice Chancellor said that the varsity has launched professional programmes in Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, Cyber Security, Energy Studies and Archaeology, alongside other interdisciplinary and skill-based courses.

“To promote entrepreneurship and self-reliance among youth, KU established centres such as the New Gen IEDC, the Centre for Innovation, Incubation and Entrepreneurship, and the Directorate of Lifelong Learning and Skill Development,” she said.

Prof Khan said that the universityís research ecosystem had witnessed significant growth while the Centre for Interdisciplinary Research and Innovations had been designated as a Centre for Advanced Research in Cancer Biology by ICMR.

“The Department of Earth Sciences has been recognised as a Centre for Excellence in Glaciology,” she said.

The Vice Chancellor said that since 2019, KU had produced over 7700 publications with more than 1,08,000 citations and an h-index of 115.

“KU has also secured major grants under PURSE, DBT-BUILDER and RUSA 2.0,” she said.

Prof Khan said that under the GyanBharatam Mission of the Ministry of Culture, a cluster centre has been sanctioned in the Department of Persian for preservation and publication of manuscripts, with an initial grant of Rs 2 crore extendable up to Rs 12 crore.

She said the university has strengthened its sports culture by hosting major national events, including the All India Inter-University Powerlifting Championship 2025 with participation from over 200 universities.

“KU has adopted e-governance through a comprehensive Administrative Management System, enabling largely paperless operations,” the Vice Chancellor said.

She said the Directorate of IT and Support Services also provides customised digital solutions to government departments and other universities.

“The university is emerging as a destination for international students, enrolling scholars from countries including Nigeria, Ethiopia and Malaysia,” Prof Khan said.

She said when India will mark 100 years of independence in 2047, the university, approaching its centenary, aims to position itself among the top institutions nationally and globally.

The Vice Chancellor asked the graduating students that their degrees symbolise resilience and discipline.

ìAs you step beyond this campus, carry with you not only knowledge, but also compassion, integrity and responsibility towards the nation. You are ambassadors of this universityís legacy,î she said.