The National Testing Agency (NTA) has increased the fees for Common University Entrance Test (CUET) postgraduate programmes by up to ₹200 for different categories, according to a notification by the agency.
For the unreserved category, it was increased from ₹1,000 to ₹1,200; for OBC and EWS from ₹800 to ₹1,000; for SC/ST/transpersons category from ₹750 to ₹900; and from ₹700 to ₹800 for PwD category.
Similarly, for additional test papers, the general category fee was ₹500, which has been increased to ₹600. For OBC, EWS, SC/ST/transpersons and PwD candidates, it has been increased from ₹400 to ₹500.
CUET forms for the academic year 2024-25 were out on December 26 and candidates can now fill them out online.
Meanwhile, the fee hike sparked outrage from the Students Federation of India (SFI) — the student wing of CPI(M) — which termed it a “blatant attack” on students and urged the NTA to reverse its decision. SFI said that it met with NTA which cited “insufficient funds” from the Centre as the reason behind the hikes.
HT reached out to NTA director general Subodh Kumar Singh who said that the “statement by SFI is not the correct version of what ensued.”
{{/usCountry}}HT reached out to NTA director general Subodh Kumar Singh who said that the “statement by SFI is not the correct version of what ensued.”
{{/usCountry}}“The fee, even though increased, remains lower than fees for exams like JEE, JEE Advanced, or CAT. NTA incurred losses last year but it’s still lower compared to other exams conducted by NTA or other bodies. This fee isn’t generating profits for NTA and doesn’t rely on government funds. It’s self-sustained through student fees,” said Singh.
In 2023, over 833,000 students took the CUET examinations and a total of 195 universities participated across the country.