JNU nurtures and encourages its students to grow and excel in all fields. Besides academics, it provides opportunities for extra-curricular activities that are regularly organized.
The university has numerous clubs like Mountaineering and Trekking, Photography, Nature & Wildlife, Literary, UNESCO, Drama, Music, Fine Arts, Dance, Wellness, Yoga, Taekwondo, Badminton, Cricket and other sports Clubs some of which hold awards and recognition at National and International level tournaments. For instance, JNU won 11 medals at the National Para-Athletics Meet held at Panchkula, Haryana in 2016. These clubs help in the all-round development of an individual by enhancing their skills and personality. Some glimpses are shown below.
JNU provides excellent infrastructure for outdoor and indoor sports activities such as cricket, football, badminton, volleyball, basketball, table tennis, lawn tennis, and so on. Students participate in different games and also play inter-university, state level, national and international level tournaments. Some of the glimpses and achievement of students are shown here.
JNU is engaged in welfare services through the National Service Scheme (NSS). It is a public service program institutionalized under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. Under this umbrella, students participate in various community service activities, such as blood donation, plantation drive, gender empowerment, disaster management programmes, social defense training programmes, etc. In addition, JNU has also adopted a Slum/Basti named Cooli Camp, JJ basti, situated near the campus, where students voluntarily involve in many activities such as teaching, career counseling, dance and music classes along with various sports activities. These programmes foster not only social awareness but also social responsibility and imbibe in them a sentiment of contributing towards the betterment of the society.
JNU is responsible for conducting student union elections every year to elect student representatives from amongst the students at University and School levels who form an integral part of the Students Union. JNU campus is politically vibrant where students regularly invite journalists, politicians, and academicians for debates and discussions. Regular debates and discussions instill confidence among students, develop communication and leadership skills and help them to make informed decisions. In addition, JNU also provides different platforms such as NSS, NCC, and Cultural & Sports Clubs that helps students to enhance their leadership skills.