Government Degree College, R.S. Pura, was established in 2005 as part of the first phase of the state education policy aimed at opening colleges at the Tehsil and Sub-District levels across Jammu and Kashmir with the aim of facilitating quality education at the doorstep of the people residing in the area. The college is located at Ranbir Singh Pura (R. S. Pura), a region historically significant as it bears the name of Maharaja Ranbir Singh, the successor of Maharaja Gulab Singh, the founder of Jammu and Kashmir State. Located approximately 35 kilometres from Jammu City in the proximity of the Indo-Pakistan international border at Suchetgarh, the region is notable for its agricultural wealth, warrior heritage, and historical landmarks, including the Raghunath Temple, established in 1837, and the Bana Singh Stadium, named after Naib Subedar Bana Singh, a Paramveer Chakra recipient.

Initially, the college commenced its operations with 35 students enrolled for the session 2005-06 with only four subjects in the Arts Stream—English, Applied Mathematics, Computer Application, and Education in the premises of Government Higher Secondary School R.S. Pura, as an affiliated institution of the University of Jammu. Presently, the college is functioning in the newly constructed building situated adjacent to the Higher Secondary School and the Bana Singh Stadium whose foundation stone was laid by the Honourable Chief Minister of the state, Mufti Mohammad Sayed, and formally inaugurated by the then Honourable Minister for Higher Education, Thakur Gulchain Singh Charak, on 22nd June 2008.

Over the years, the college has expanded significantly. The Science Stream was introduced in 2010, offering subjects including Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Botany, Computer Application, and Zoology. Subsequently, the college added multiple subjects in the Arts stream such as History, Sociology, Modern Indian Languages, Economics, Political Science, and Sanskrit. In 2014, Geography was sanctioned as an additional subject followed by the introduction of music in 2020, with the current basket of 22 subjects. The college has been NAAC accredited with Grade ‘B’ with a CGPA of 2.49 in its first cycle of Accreditation in 2022 which reaffirms the college’s mission to impart quality education, nurture responsible citizens, and serve as a catalyst for educational and social transformation in the region.

The college has successfully implemented National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 since the academic session 2022-23 in its entirety, aligning its curriculum, pedagogical approaches, and institutional practices with the NEP 2020 framework, adopting a multidisciplinary, student-cantered approach that promotes flexibility and holistic development. Additionally, the college has registered on the Academic Bank of Credits (ABC), a centralized database mechanism under NEP 2020 that allows students to accumulate and transfer credits across institutions, facilitating seamless mobility and multiple entry-exit options.

Currently, the college is running three disciplines, viz., Science, Arts and Humanities, and Social and Behavioural Sciences, with 17 major and 20 minor subjects and has grown to accommodate over 1018 students across all the streams. The college is equipped with 08 classrooms, well-equipped laboratories for science subjects, a library housing approximately 12,300 books, and internet facilities. Additional facilities include an NSS Unit, a Red Cross Unit, a Career Counselling Cell, a smart classroom, and a smart lecture theatre.

Finally, the college lays emphasis on quality education, as the college believes in a value-driven organizational culture that motivates students, staff, and faculty members to think of education as something that helps to unfold and express oneself to be performers and achievers through learning and self-realization.