Osmania University hikes academic service fees by up to 100 pc

Osmania University has increased academic service charges for 2026–27, with hikes ranging from 20% to 100%. Fees for condonation, certificates, and admission transfers have been revised, drawing criticism from students and faculty over rising financial burden.

Hyderabad: Osmania University (OU) students seeking academic services, including equivalency/eligibility certificates and condonation, have to shell out more, with the university sharply increasing the service charges ranging between 20 per cent and 100 per cent from the academic year 2026-27. The hike did not go down well with the student community.

The university, as per the letter sent out to campus, constituent and affiliated colleges informing them about revised academic services charges, has doubled condonation fee (UG and PG) from Rs 500 to Rs 1,000, which is 100 per cent.

---

Similarly, the condonation charges for professional programmes – engineering, pharmacy, technology, MBA, MCA, Law and Education – have been raised from Rs 2,000 to Rs 3,000. Generally, students with attendance shortages are allowed to sit for the semester-end examination by paying a condonation fee.

ABVP state media convener and ABVP OU former president Ch Druhan criticised the new charges, stating that the university is shifting the burden of its financial crisis onto students. “Instead of seeking adequate block grants from the State government, the university chose to increase academic services fees to generate revenue and meet staff salaries. The university has also increased faculty registration fees, submission fees, and biometric charges without a system in place,” he said.

The attestation of UG and PG syllabi fee saw a steep hike from Rs 1,000 to Rs 3,000, a 200 per cent increase. Among exemption-related services, the university revised the Part I exemption fee from Rs 3,000 to Rs 5,000, a 66.7 per cent hike. The university has also increased charges for obtaining equivalency/ equivalency certificate as well as second language exemption fees from Rs 2,000 to Rs 3,000 each.

The admission transfer charges have gone up substantially, with the fee for non-professional programmes admission transfer within the State has been hiked from Rs 3,000 to Rs 5,000, a 66.7 per cent increase. Similarly, fee for transferring admission within the University and outside the State has been increased from Rs 2,000 to Rs 3,000, and from Rs 5,000 to Rs 8,000, respectively.

Furthermore, professional course admission transfers within the university, within the State, and outside the State went up from Rs 5,000 to Rs 7,000, Rs 7,500 to Rs 10,000 and Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000, respectively.

Speaking to ‘Telangana Today’, OU Registrar Prof G Naresh Reddy said the university revises academic service charges once every one or two years, and latest charge hike was made on similar lines.