Sri Pratap College, the oldest and premier institute of higher education in Kashmir, embodies a history of one hundred and nineteen years of its glorious past. It was established in the year 1905 as an intermediate college through the upgradation of the famous Hindu High School, Srinagar. Through the personal effort of the noted British social reformer and educationist, Dr. Annie Besant, the Central Hindu College Trust, Benares (to which the college was affiliated) was directed to appoint Mr M.U. Moore, a noted Irish scholar, as the institution's first principal. Starting with a modest roll of eight students and only six teachers on its staff, in a few years, the college rose to the Degree level in Arts and by 1911, the state government took it over and renamed it Sri Pratap College after the name of the then ruler of the State, Maharaja Pratap Singh. In 1912, the college was affiliated with the Punjab University, Lahore, and its growth was fostered by the remarkable patronage from the State government during its very nascent days. Ever since, the development of the college has been a steady process persisting through the entire span of the 20th century.
During the tenure of Prof. I. K. Sharga (1911-1921), the science stream up to the intermediate level was introduced in the college curriculum. The dynamic and resourceful academicians and administrators like Prof M.U. Moore, Prof Vinamali Chakarvati, Prof Jia Lal Kaul, and Prof Saif-ud-din have served the college and contributed to its development immensely. The diligence and sincerity of the administration and faculty are evidenced in the successful careers of hundreds of the college alumni who rose to eminence in different professions and occupied important positions in the state administration.
The history of S.P. College is, in fact, the history of the progress of higher education in Kashmir. For about the first half of the 20th century, S.P. College had the distinction of being the only institution to provide facilities for imparting higher education in Arts and Science disciplines in the valley. Despite a good number of colleges coming into existence in the valley after 1947, the college continued to maintain its primacy and academic excellence. However, with the delinking of Arts stream from it in 1975, S.P. College is now an exclusively science college imparting science education at undergraduate and postgraduate level in a broad spectrum of subjects like Botany, Biochemistry, Biotechnology, Bioinformatics, Chemistry, Clinical Biochemistry, Environmental Studies, Geology, Geography, Zoology, Information Technology, Electronics, Physics, Mathematics and Statistics with as many as 37 subject combinations.
In a significant stride forward, the college started offering postgraduate programmes in Environmental Science and Chemistry in 2003, affiliating with the University of Kashmir. In the year 2017, the College offered Integrated P.G. courses affiliated with the Cluster University Srinagar. The college also started more P.G. level programmes in Botany, Zoology, and Physics in 2018. In 2022, the College has made significant progress towards a multidisciplinary arena, implemented NEP 2020. The college is on its way to broadening the entire spectrum of science education in light of modern perspectives in education specified by NEP-2020, which is governing the entire education system today. In coherence with the National Education Policy, the college has proposed to start the emerging skill-based courses like B.Sc. in Forensics and B.Sc. in Human Genetics, which shall interest many students from the present generation and make a significant impact on the enhancement of the employability of the youth.

Vision:

• The vision of the Institute is to provide high-quality education to undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral students.
• The Institute also aspires to contribute to society through teaching and research to help achieve global sustainability.
• Further, the Institute aims to produce leaders in science and related disciplines.

Mission:

• To enable students to think logically, analytically, and critically, to inculcate a scientific temper among them.
• To realize one’s potential for self-development in terms of physical, emotional, intellectual, aesthetic, and moral attainments through educational experience.
• To contribute towards the research ecosystem by providing a suitable, effective platform for interaction between academia, industry, and R&D establishments.