BENGALURU: The maximum annual fee for a first-year Indian student of an undergraduate MBBS course in a private medical college in Karnataka cannot exceed Rs 6.8 lakh a year. For a dental course, it’s capped at Rs 4.6 lakh. The Fee Regulatory Committee allowed a maximum of 8% increase over the previous year’s fee. The maximum fee last year was Rs 6.3 lakh. Many private colleges had sought a hike as high as 30%.
The committee has, for the first time, capped the maximum fee for Indian students and decided to charge NRI students 10 times the fee of Indian students. The committee was constituted under Section 6 of the Karnataka Professional and Educational Institutions (Regulation of Admission and Determination of Fee) Act 2006. It’s headed by Justice DV Shylendra Kumar.
MBBS fee in private colleges capped at Rs 6.8 lakh per year
The general category includes pan-India students under the general merit category as well as from SC, ST and OBC (all minorities) quotas.
Exorbitant fees: Panel warns pvt colleges of fine up to Rs 10 lakh
Bengaluru: The Fee Regulatory Committee that has allowed Karnataka private medical colleges to hike a maximum of 8% over the previous year’s fee has warned colleges against charging more than what’s stipulated.
Committee chairman Justice DV Shylendra Kumar said NRI seats are, by default, converted into management quota seats. “During inspection if we find any college charging more than the stipulated fee, we’ll take action. The government may levy a fine up to Rs 10 lakh or double the excess amount collected, whichever is higher,” he said.
According to the fee committee, an NRI student will have to pay 10 times the fee an Indian student pays.
The committee also fixed the maximum fee for super-speciality PG medical and dental courses for the first time. The annual fee for Indian students for a super-speciality course in medical colleges has been capped at Rs 14,25,600, and Rs 7,60,320 for dental courses.
ComedK executive secretary S Kumar said, “The KME judgment in 2004 reiterated that it’s a sin if one student has to pay for another’s education. Year on year, the fee has been fixed such that it subsidizes government students. All private colleges have to follow this. If a uniform fee is applicable for all categories of students, I don’t see why private colleges should be upset. For some colleges, it may be difficult to improve infrastructure and facilities for students. Although the NRI student fee will be 10 times the fee for Indian students, hardly any NRI student studies in our colleges. All these seats are eventually converted to management quota seats.”
