JNU Faces 36% Academic Budget Cut: Sharp Decline in Women and Research Students, Warns JNUTA

Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), long regarded as one of India’s leading research institutions, is facing a severe academic and financial downturn.

A new ‘State of the University’ report released by the JNU Teachers’ Association (JNUTA) reveals that academic expenditure has fallen by 36%, while the proportion of women and research students has dropped to nearly 40% — reversing decades of progress in inclusivity and academic excellence.

Funding Collapse and Academic Impact

According to the report, JNU’s total academic expenditure fell from ₹30.28 crore in 2015–16 to ₹12.78 crore in 2021–22, marking an overall cut of 57.8%.

Core academic functions have suffered the most:

“The biggest cuts have hit core academic activities — fieldwork, seminars, and labs — the very areas that sustain research and innovation,” the JNUTA report warns.

The outsourcing of entrance exams to the National Testing Agency (NTA) has worsened the financial strain, with JNU now losing admission fee revenues while bearing additional exam-related costs.

Fall in Women and Research Enrolment

The report highlights a sharp decline in the number of women and research scholars, traditionally JNU’s academic backbone.

The decline is attributed to the scrapping of JNU’s in-house entrance exams and deprivation points system, which previously ensured gender and regional equity. With CUET-based admissions managed by the NTA, JNUTA argues that “academic diversity is being replaced by administrative convenience.”

Autonomy and Governance at Risk

The JNUTA accuses the administration of reducing statutory bodies like the Academic Council and Executive Council to mere formalities, curbing academic autonomy.

“Since 2022, JNU has held only four Academic Council meetings, each lasting barely an hour,” the report says.
“Executive Council meetings are often called on short notice, without detailed agendas or discussions.”

The report also flags discretionary appointments of deans and chairpersons that bypass seniority norms, replacing deliberation with administrative control.

Faculty Frustration and Infrastructure Woes

While 276 faculty members are eligible for promotion, only 90 cases have been processed so far. The rest remain stuck in procedural delays.

On campus, laboratories lack funds, hostels await repairs, and the JNU crèche remains closed since the pandemic — despite legal requirements mandating day-care facilities.

“Other central universities like DU and Jamia continue to run crèches,” JNUTA notes, calling JNU’s neglect “a symbol of misplaced priorities.”

A Shrinking Vision

For decades, JNU was India’s model of public higher education, combining accessibility, diversity, and excellence. But the latest data reflects a gradual dismantling of that legacy.

“Unless funding, autonomy, and academic freedom are restored,” the report concludes,

“a great national university risks slow destruction — death by a thousand cuts.”