After criticism, Telangana govt issues fresh tuition fee reimbursement guidelines

The Telangana government has issued fresh guidelines for tuition fee reimbursement under the DBT model, specifying timelines for fund release and auto-renewal of scholarships. The move follows criticism from students, colleges and the High Court over the earlier policy

Hyderabad: After drawing criticism from students, colleges, civil society organisations and even the High Court, the Telangana government has rolled out new guidelines detailing timelines for the tuition fee reimbursement scheme, under which funds will now be credited directly to students through the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) system in four phases.

Through GO Ms No. 8, the government has superseded GO Ms No. 7, which did not specify a schedule for the release of tuition fee reimbursements through DBT. The recently issued GO Ms No. 8 lays down detailed guidelines for implementation of the scheme from the 2026–27 academic year.

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According to the new order, tuition fee reimbursements will be released throughout the academic year, and the ePASS portal will remain open year-round. For eligible students registering between April 1 and July 31, the government will release its share by August 15. Similarly, students registering between August 1 and November 30 will receive their tuition fee reimbursement by December 30.

For students registering between December 1 and January 31, the tuition fee reimbursement will be transferred by February 28. For applications received between February 1 and March 31, the amount will be released within 75 days. Following the State government’s release, the Central government will release its share.

Earlier, the High Court stayed Clause XII of GO Ms No. 7, which introduced DBT payments to students instead of educational institutions without specifying a timeline for the release of funds. Colleges, as per the order, had been instructed not to insist that students pay fees upfront at the time of admission.

The new order now mandates that students pay tuition fees to the concerned institution within seven working days of receiving the amount from the government. Students who fail to pay fees to their respective institutions will be liable for action under the provisions of law, including the Revenue Recovery Act.

Further, for students admitted from the 2026–27 academic year onwards, scholarships will be auto-renewed in subsequent academic years. However, colleges must confirm eligible renewal applications for students who are promoted to the next class and continue their course.

The government has asked colleges to comply with the DBT model and admit eligible students on the understanding that tuition and hostel fees will be paid from the scholarship amounts credited to the students’ accounts.