Students sitting for MBBS exams (Representative image.)
Credit: iStock Photo
Bengaluru: The fees for undergraduate medical courses at private colleges will go up by 10 per cent in the current academic year.
The decision was taken at a meeting between the government and private medical college managements where an agreement was signed on Saturday. According to the agreement, government quota seats at private medical colleges will cost Rs 1,40,621 and a private seat in private colleges will be Rs 11,88,167.
Though private college management representatives demanded a fee hike from 15 to 20 per cent, the government agreed for a 10 per cent hike. During the 2023-24 academic year, the government increased fees by 10 per cent only for minority medical colleges and refused to consider the fee hike demanded by other colleges.
However, there is no change in the fees at government medical colleges, which is Rs 50,000 a year. Before the 10 per cent hike, government quota seats at private colleges were Rs 1,28,746 last year and Rs 9,94,906 for private seats at private colleges.
Sources from the department revealed that Minister for Medical Education Dr Sharan Prakash Patil was against hiking fees but relented after college managements cited increase in maintenance costs, staff pay hikes and other expenses.
No decision was taken on seat sharing as private medical colleges filed an appeal in the high court against the recent judgement asking colleges to give NRI seats to the government. “We can decide on NRI seats only after the court order,” said a management representative of a private college.