Srinagar, Oct 8: A severe shortage of hostel accommodation at the University of Kashmir has left a large number of girl students struggling to find affordable and secure accommodation near the main campus, with hundreds of students left out of the university’s hostel allotment despite having applied for accommodation.
The university currently has five girls’ hostels with a combined carrying capacity of around 1,100 students, against an estimated requirement of nearly 2,500 beds. The shortage has become particularly acute following the 2026 admissions, when around 1,500 girl students applied for hostel accommodation.
The university as per the news agency Kashmir News Trust had invited online applications from students residing more than 50 kilometres from the campus. However, accommodation in the latest selection process was provided only to students residing more than 80 kilometres from the university, leaving a substantial number of applicants between the two distances without hostel facilities.
The selection list was issued on September 27, following which students who could not secure accommodation have been left to make their own arrangements in areas surrounding the university campus.
For many of these students, private accommodation comes at a considerable financial cost. Students and their families are reportedly paying more than Rs 10,000 a month for rented accommodation in areas adjacent to the university, adding significantly to the overall cost of higher education.
The shortage also raises concerns beyond affordability, particularly for female students who have to commute or live in private accommodation away from university-managed facilities. Students facing the situation have raised concerns over security and other difficulties associated with arranging accommodation outside the campus.
The hostel shortage assumes greater significance because the University of Kashmir is one of the region’s oldest higher education institutions, having been established in 1948 and spread across a vast campus. Despite the expansion of academic programmes and a substantial increase in student enrolment over the years, the availability of girls’ hostel accommodation at the main campus has not kept pace with demand.
The present capacity of around 1,100 students leaves a gap of approximately 1,400 beds against the estimated requirement of 2,500, highlighting the scale of the accommodation shortage.
The affected students have urged the university administration to expand girls’ hostel capacity and explore immediate interim arrangements for those who have been left without accommodation, particularly students coming from distant areas.
For students who have travelled to Kashmir University to pursue higher education, the absence of adequate hostel facilities has turned accommodation into an additional challenge, with many now facing higher expenses and concerns over security while continuing their studies. [KNT]
