Undergrad medical courses at private colleges in Maharashtra to cost 25% more
State caps minimum fees at ₹7 lakh, allows hike for equipment upgrade at institutes
Students of undergraduate medical courses will have to pay 20-25% more fees in the upcoming academic year ( 2019-2020), as the state Fee Regulating Authority (FRA) has fixed the minimum fees at private institutes to ₹7 lakh.
The FRA had slashed the fees for various colleges by 10-50% in 2017-18, to bring in uniformity in the fee structure.
The regulator, however, has revoked the decision, for 2019-2020, stating the institutes need the funds to upgrade the equipment to meet the Medical Council of India (MCI) standards.
The fees at KJ Somaiya Medical College and Research Centre in Sion have gone 23%, which means students will have to pay ₹9.25 lakh, compared to ₹7.5 lakh in 2018-19.
In 2017-18, the authority had asked Palghar’s Vedanta Institute of Medical College to bring down their fees to ₹6 lakh an annum from ₹14 lakh an annum.
After a series of petitions, Vedanta was allowed to charge ₹10.5 lakh from the 2017-18 batch. Their fees have now been hiked to ₹14.5 lakh.
“Any additional income generated by an institute owing to this hike will have to be shown as surplus in the institute’s balance sheet,” said a senior member of the regulating body.
He said FRA will closely monitor all institutes.
The Terna Medical College in Nerul, Navi Mumbai will charge ₹7 lakh an annum, from ₹5.61 lakh in 2018-19.
Similarly, the fees at MIMER Medical College in Talegaon have risen to ₹9.25 lakh an annum, from ₹7.3 lakh the previous year.
Established in 2004, the FRA or Shulka Niyamat Samiti (earlier known as Shikshan Shulka Samiti), is a quasi-judicial body responsible for regulating fees of all unaided private professional colleges in the state.
Every year, institutes submit proposals to change their fees structure to the authority.
The regulatory body considers a number of indicators such as nature of the course, number of students, teaching and non-teaching staff, infrastructure and other facilities before fixing the fees.
Colleges are usually allowed a 10% fee hike every year.
The FRA updates fees of private medical colleges every year and releases the final fee structure in batches.
Many private institutes are still waiting to hear from the FRA about their final approved fee for 2019-20.
Government institutes are not under the purview of the FRA.
