HSNC University

The HSNC University, Mumbai is a collegiate public state university located in Mumbai, Maharashtra. It was established as a joint venture between the Ministry of HRD (erstwhile Education Ministry), the Government of Maharashtra, and the HSNC Board (the parent educational trust). It is the second cluster university in the city of Mumbai.
The HSNC University is a Cluster university comprising a cluster of the existing colleges from the Bombay vicinity; namely, H.R. College (as the lead college), Kishinchand Chellaram College (KC College), and Bombay Teachers' Training College (BTTI) as the constituent colleges with H(S)NC Board as its parent body. It is established under the Rashtriya Uchchatar Shikshan Abhiyan (RUSA) scheme, a funding agency under the purview of the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India.
The University aims to promote skill development and will include courses such as dance, music, and yoga, for which the students will get course credits with an option to avail e-certificate. A dedicated ‘Incubation Centre’ to help students' liaison with associations, and self-learning modules in the curriculum to help students to score marks, are some concepts being offered.
The idea of the Cluster University was a radical initiative by Rashtriya Uchater Shikshan Abhiyan (RUSA), an apex body under the Ministry of Human Resources, Government of India (erstwhile, Education Ministry), and the Government of Maharashtra, in the pursuit to overcome the lacunae in the existing University system of India. The Cluster University also aims at opening up curriculum reforms and bringing in greater autonomy in the designing of syllabi to make them contemporary, multi-disciplinary, and in tune with the highest of global standards.
The HSNC University, Mumbai, is constituted under sub-section (6) of section 3 of the Maharashtra Public Universities Act, 2016 (Mah. VI of 2017), the Government of Maharashtra vide notification no. Rusayo-2019/CR-186/UE-3 dated 30 October 2019 in the official gazette as a Cluster University.
As of 2020, HSNC University has come into existence. It is a cluster university consisting of three prestigious colleges of the board; namely, KC College, HR College & Bombay Teacher's training Institute (BTTI). The University was officially launched on 11 June by Mr. Bhagat Singh Koshyari, the then-Governor of Maharashtra, in presence of Mr. Uddhav Thackeray, the Chief Minister of Maharashtra.
HSNC University is the second cluster university in the city, after Dr. Homi Bhabha State University, which brought together Sydhenham College, Elphinstone College, Secondary Training College and The Institute of Science. The latter, though, was a cluster formed with government colleges alone.
On 25 June 2020, HSNC University joined hands with Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, USA (PSSHE) by signing the Letter of Intent (LOI) for ‘Higher Education Academic Partnership’. The formal signing ceremony took place virtually on 23 June 2020.
The LOI was signed by Dr. Niranjan Hiranandani, Provost of HSNC University Mumbai and Dr Peter H. Garland, Executive Vice Chancellor Emeritus for Commonwealth of Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education.
A LOI was signed between the cluster university and Deakin University.
On 16 March 2021, the cluster university hosted organized its first General Council Meeting at Raj Bhavan, Mumbai. The Governor of Maharashtra (and Chancellor of the universities) along with the Provost of HSNC University, Dr. Niranjan Hiranandani presided over the first General Council Meeting of the newly constituted HSNC Cluster University on Monday along with other University dignitaries. In this GC Meeting, Dr. Hiranandani stated;
The University has also joined hands with TCS iON to design an industry certification that is in-line with the need of the hour.
In addition to the recent collaborations with the university, the founding colleges already enjoy a wide range of national and international linkages in a variety of fields. These are with institutions such as Duke University (Fuqua School of Business), Boston University, Bentley University, Swiss School of Tourism and Hospotality, Jonkoping University, Child Rights & You (CRY India), and many more.