24,745 to 18,312. That is the fall in government degree college enrolment across J&K between 2023-24 and 2025-26 — 6,433 fewer students, or 26% — according to Higher Education Department data tabled in the Legislative Assembly on 30 September and reported by Greater Kashmir.
Jammu fell harder than Kashmir
- Jammu division: 12,625 to 8,644 (down 3,981, or 31.5%)
- Kashmir division: 12,120 to 9,668 (down 2,452, or 20.2%)
Where Jammu's students went missing
District by district in the Jammu division: Jammu 5,930 to 3,906; Udhampur 1,716 to 895; Rajouri 1,593 to 728; Doda 874 to 534; Kathua 1,211 to 1,001; Poonch 671 to 474. Three districts went the other way, from small bases: Ramban (22 to 205), Reasi (145 to 284) and Kishtwar (211 to 319).
What the department says it is doing
The department has set up a committee on rationalising subjects and introducing new programmes, with a focus on areas such as AI and data science. Education Minister Sakina Itoo separately said earlier in September that first-year admissions this year were up 18%, even as new colleges struggled to draw students. The two figures are measured over different periods, and the report does not reconcile them, so treat them as separate data points rather than a contradiction.
Why it matters to you
If you are choosing a college seat in Jammu, enrolment tells you which courses and campuses are actually running full classes. Our earlier piece, 145 Colleges, 30,000 Graduates a Year, looked at the other end of the pipeline: what happens after graduation. The data tabled does not say why students are choosing elsewhere.
Sources: Greater Kashmir, 30 Sept; Greater Kashmir on the 18% admissions claim.
