Telangana Admission and Fee Regulatory Committee warns medical colleges against demanding fees upfront

The Telangana Admission and Fee Regulatory Committee has warned private medical colleges against forcing students to pay five-year tuition fees upfront. The panel also flagged harassment over fee disputes and directed colleges to follow prescribed instalment-based fee collection.

Hyderabad: The Telangana Admission and Fee Regulatory Committee (TAFRC) on Friday issued a stern warning to private medical colleges in Telangana following mounting complaints from students and parents about instances of college managements forcing them to pay the entire five-year tuition fee upfront.

In a circular on Friday, the TAFRC condemned coercive practices by a few private medical colleges forcing students to pay the entire five-year tuition fee upfront. The TAFRC received representations highlighting severe harassment of MBBS students admitted from the 2020 block period onward.

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According to the TAFRC, medical colleges allegedly demanded full tuition fees for the entire five-year duration instead of spreading them across the prescribed academic instalments.

Private medical college fee structures in Telangana are a heavy financial burden on students, with total Category B course fees ranging from approximately Rs 51.97 lakhs to Rs 63 lakhs for 4.5 years, depending on the institution. For a single academic year, students face annual tuition charges typically spanning between Rs 11.55 lakhs and Rs 14.50 lakhs.

The TAFRC also noted that the managements of private medical colleges were barring students from attending classes, withholding examination hall tickets, blocking biometric attendance and restricting entry onto campuses over fee disputes.

The Fee Regulation Committee also said that the managements of medical colleges were collecting amounts towards student stipends without actually disbursing them, or forcing students to return stipend amounts either partially or fully after payment.

Calling these actions a ‘matter of serious concern’, TAFRC warned that stringent action would be initiated against guilty private medical college managements.

The TAFRC clarified that the MBBS programme spans 4.5 years, divided into nine semesters. Since internship years do not constitute academic teaching, tuition fees must be collected strictly for the 4.5-year academic span only.

To reduce financial burdens, total course fees must be divided into five equal instalments across the duration, rather than lumped together.

Colleges that have already collected excess tuition fees for a fifth year should immediately refund the amount to the affected students.