Sikkim University records Rs 3.62 crore deficit in FY 2025-26, income falls by over Rs 11 crore

Sikkim University, the state's only central university, recorded a deficit of Rs 3,61,98,760 in its pre-audit annual accounts for the financial year 2025-26, marking a sharp reversal from the Rs 3,63,13,354 surplus reported in the previous fiscal year.

According to the accounts, the university's total income during 2025-26 stood at Rs 97,47,41,550, compared with Rs 1,08,75,68,055 in 2024-25 — a decline of more than Rs 11 crore.

Grants and subsidies, the university's principal source of income, fell to Rs 85,37,14,000 from Rs 93,06,45,397 in the previous year.

Academic receipts also declined to Rs 2,90,24,704, compared with Rs 3,24,94,056 a year earlier, indicating lower collections under tuition fees, examination fees and other academic heads.

Expenditure declines but remains higher than income

The university's total expenditure stood at Rs 1,01,09,40,310 in 2025-26, down from Rs 1,05,12,54,701 in the previous year.

Staff payments remained the largest expenditure component at Rs 60,91,28,449, although this was lower than the Rs 65,93,23,060 recorded in 2024-25.

Other major expenditure heads included Administrative and General Expenses of Rs 16,03,43,914 and Depreciation of Rs 12,35,88,885.

Balance sheet expands to Rs 655 crore

Despite the operational deficit, the university's total balance sheet size increased to Rs 6,55,29,92,490 as of March 31, 2026, from Rs 5,84,99,75,056 a year earlier.

The Corpus/Capital Fund increased to Rs 5,10,44,20,350 from Rs 4,46,28,03,264, supported by UGC and Government of India capital grants of Rs 61,58,35,000 utilised during the year.

Capital work in progress stood at Rs 2,66,14,90,414, reflecting substantial ongoing infrastructure development.

The university's investments under the 'Others' category, primarily term deposits with banks, rose to Rs 1,99,31,42,843, compared with Rs 1,83,14,01,052 in the previous year. Earmarked and endowment fund investments stood at Rs 3,09,07,951.

However, cash and bank balances declined to Rs 13,29,88,359, from Rs 16,13,95,351 a year earlier.

Permanent campus delay remains a challenge

The financial figures come amid continuing infrastructure challenges at the university, nearly two decades after its establishment.

Sikkim University continues to operate from 22 scattered rented buildings across Gangtok, while its permanent campus at Yangang remains under construction.

The prolonged delay in establishing the permanent campus, spanning the tenures of three vice-chancellors, has resulted in academic operations being spread across multiple locations.

The university has also faced postgraduate seat vacancies. During a recent admission round, more than 300 of the 840 sanctioned postgraduate seats reportedly remained vacant, raising questions among observers about student intake, infrastructure planning and the institution's long-term academic competitiveness.

The latest annual accounts, however, are pre-audit accounts, and the figures remain subject to the completion of the audit process.