Telangana government imposes steep financial burden on students, hikes diploma courses fee

The Telangana government increased private diploma college fees but capped reimbursement at Rs 14,900, burdening BC students with up to Rs 24,000 in out-of-pocket expenses. Full aid goes only to SC, ST, minorities, and high POLYCET rankers. Seat allotment for 2025 is underway

Hyderabad: Under the pretext of fee reimbursement reforms, the State government has imposed a steep financial burden on students, particularly from the BC community, wanting to pursue diploma programmes offered by the private polytechnics in the State.

The government, after hiking diploma courses fees in the private polytechnics by a staggering 161 per cent, has now set a limit on fees that will be reimbursed.

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The tuition fee has been enhanced from Rs 14,900 to Rs 39,000 in the private polytechnics. However, the government capped the fee reimbursement at just Rs 14,900, leaving eligible students, particularly from the BC community, to bear the rest.

A recent memo from the Social Welfare department states that Rs 14,900 will be reimbursed to BC and OC students who have not studied from a government-run school or secured a POLYCET rank within 1,000.

This new change is applicable from the academic year 2025-26, even though full reimbursement had been previously extended to all those eligible candidates, irrespective of their community.

As per the memo, which details four eligibility categories, all the SC, ST and minority candidates will be given full reimbursement.

Secondly, students other than SCs, STs and Minorities who studied in government and local body schools, Navodaya Schools, and Residential schools run by the Welfare and Education department will also be given full fee reimbursement.

Further, the government decided to extend full reimbursement to all students other than SCs, STs and Minority communities who obtained an integrated rank up to 1,000 in the POLYCET.

However, students, most of whom are from BC community who do not fall into the above-mentioned categories, will be eligible for reimbursement up to a maximum of Rs 14,900 or actual fee, whichever is less, regardless of fee charged by private diploma colleges, under the fourth category.

According to GO MS No 38, among 55 private polytechnics in the State, 43 institutions have fees of Rs 39,000, while fees in 12 other colleges range from Rs 14,900 to Rs 36,000. Depending on the institution, students, particularly from the BC community, now have to face an out-of-pocket expense ranging from Rs 10,000 to Rs 24,000.

Meanwhile, the Technical Education department released the first phase POLYCET seat allotment, which was earlier delayed due to the fee reimbursement issue.

POLYCET 2025 seat allotment

Total institutions: 115

Total seats: 28,996

No. of seats allotted: 18,984

No. of seats vacant: 10,012

Government colleges: 59

Total seats: 13,964

No. of seats allotted: 11,455

No. of seats vacant: 2,509

Private colleges: 56

Total seats: 15,032

No. of seats filled: 7,529

No. of seats vacant: 7,503

* Students qualified in TG POLYCET 2025: 80,949

* Candidates exercised web options: 20,811

* 100 per cent seats allotted to institutions: 6

* Deadline to self-report online and pay the tuition fee: July 18

* Reporting at allotted college between July 28 and 30