Ludhiana: Exam fee hiked by ₹8k, claim tech varsity’s foreign students

Representing a cohort of approximately 500 foreign students in the district, learners from countries including Zambia, South Africa, and Tanzania said the sudden escalation had severely increased their financial burden

International students enrolled in colleges affiliated with IK Gujral Punjab Technical University (IKGPTU) across the Ludhiana district have raised serious concerns over a nearly threefold increase in their semester examination fees, which have jumped from INR 4,600 to INR 13,400.

With the deadline to deposit fees set for October 22, the students still await an official response from the university administration. (HT)

Representing a cohort of approximately 500 foreign students in the district, learners from countries including Zambia, South Africa, and Tanzania said the sudden escalation had severely increased their financial burden.

They alleged that the revised charges applied exclusively to international students, while domestic students were exempt from the hike, and questioned why the new rates were introduced for the 2025 and 2026 batches while older batches continued paying the previous amount.

A 26-year-old Zambian MBA student at the PCTE Group of Institutions said the portal initially displayed the standard INR 4,600 fee before updating to the higher amount after a few days.

“I completed my bachelor’s degree here and am now pursuing my master’s. Earlier, the examination fee was INR 4,600 per semester with no additional university charges. Now, the total has gone up to INR 13,400. This is almost three times the earlier amount, and only international students are being asked to pay it,” she said.

Seeking clarity, a group of international students recently travelled to the main university campus in Jalandhar to meet the dean (academics). However, they said they had not received a satisfactory explanation for the hike or why it was restricted to international students.

A 20-year-old South African BBA student said although officials promised to review the matter following discussions, no formal communication had been received since.

“We met the Dean (Academics), who told us that we would be contacted shortly after discussions with other university officials. However, we have not received any call or message so far. Such a steep increase is difficult for students to bear,” he said.

With the deadline to deposit fees set for October 22, the students still await an official response from the university administration.

Repeated calls and messages made to contact dean (academics) Neel Kanth Grover could not elicit a response.