Karnataka Hikes Private Medical College Fees by 10% Amid Rising Operational Costs

The Karnataka government has authorised a 10% rise in undergraduate tuition fee for private medical institutions beginning in the 2024-25 academic year. According to the Times of India, this decision was agreed upon during a meeting with private medical college administrators on August 17, 2024, and was implemented to address these schools’ growing operational expenditures.

Under to the new fee structure, the fee of government quota seats in private medical institutions would increase to Rs 1,40,621, while private seats are estimated to cost Rs 11,88,161. This is a considerable hike from last year, wherein fees for government quota seats were Rs 1,28,746, and private seats were Rs 9,94,906. Initially, private institutions demanded a 15-20 per cent price rise, but the government agreed to a 10 per cent hike in order to balance institutional demands with student affordability.

This MBBS fee adjustment is noteworthy since government medical college fees have remained fixed at Rs 50,000 per year from 2021-22. While rejecting higher tuition fee hikes for other institutions, the government last year only granted a 10 per cent rise for minority medical colleges.

According to Times of India, the Minister for Medical Education, Dr. Sharan Prakash Patil, was initially opposed to the tuition rise but consented after private institutions cited rising expenditures for upkeep, staff salaries, and other operating expenses. Although the fee rise is deemed essential for private universities, government colleges are exempt from it, indicating the government’s cautious stance to preserve student affordability.

On the other hand, earlier this month, the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) reported that Miranda House at Delhi University has raised its hostel fees by Rs 6,000 per semester. The SFI raised the cost for odd semesters from Rs 27,090 to Rs 33,090, while even semesters climbed from Rs 26,750 to Rs 32,750, as revealed via social media.

In response, Principal Bijayalaxmi Nanda of Miranda House defended the raise by citing growing maintenance expenses and inflation as the key explanations. She emphasised that the decision was taken after extensive consultations, taking into account the inflation during the previous 5 to 6 years. Nanda further emphasised that the increase was not significant and that the college maintained strict measures for assisting students.