Display of fees outside college now mandatory

Fees displayed on hoardings must include all compulsory charges levied under heads such as development fees, laboratory fees, library fees and gymkhana fees, higher and technical education minister Chandrakant Patil said while speaking to reporters on Wednesday

Mumbai: Following numerous complaints from students and parents about colleges across the state levying hidden charges during admission, the state government has made it mandatory for all higher educational institutes to display their complete fee structure on large hoardings outside the main gate of their premises.

Display of fees outside college now mandatory

Fees displayed on hoardings must include all compulsory charges levied under heads such as development fees, laboratory fees, library fees and gymkhana fees, higher and technical education minister Chandrakant Patil said while speaking to reporters on Wednesday.

“Official letters will be sent to colleges soon and no institute will be allowed to collect additional sub-head charges separately once the approved fee is declared,” Patil said.

The higher education department has brought all such charges under a single “fee” category as per the Fee Regulatory Authority Act, Patil said. The state government had introduced a 100% fee waiver for girls from families with annual income below ₹8 lakh so that more female students could pursue higher education, he noted.

“But many colleges were giving concessions only on tuition fees while continuing to collect development fees, laboratory charges and other amounts separately. To stop such practices, we have now brought all these different charges under one single fee category,” Patil said.

The government has also expanded the scope of the Panjabrao Deshmukh scholarship scheme for females in higher education, the minister said. It will now cover 814 courses across the state instead of the earlier 600, while students who cannot stay in hostels will receive a monthly allowance of ₹6,000.

The minister clarified that optional services such as hostel accommodation, transport facilities and swimming pool would continue to remain separate charges, and students using these facilities would have to pay for them separately.