Students, accompanied by parents, at the Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) office for document verification, in Bengaluru.
| Photo Credit: MURALI KUMAR K
As admissions to professional courses, including engineering and others, are in progress, students have complained that some reputed private engineering colleges in Karnataka are charging fees over the prescribed amount for government quota seats in the name of ‘processing’ and other fees.
As announced by the private engineering colleges on the Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) portal, the fee for a government quota seat for the academic year of 2024-25 is around ₹1.7 lakh. However, some reputed colleges are charging an additional ₹1.27 lakh to ₹1.3 lakh.
As a result, students have to pay up to ₹2.35 lakh even for government quota seats in private engineering colleges this year.
The KEA has allotted the 2nd round of seats for admission to professional courses. This year, the government has increased the fee for government quota seats in engineering and architecture courses in private engineering colleges by 10%.
According to the consensual agreement with private engineering colleges, a total fee of ₹84,596, excluding university and other fees, for 45% of government quota seats was fixed. However, there were no guidelines by the government about additional fees, and the government has not clearly mentioned the margin of other fees.
Before allowing the students the option entry, all private colleges declared the details of the courses available and the total fee, including university and other charges, on the KEA portal, which is mandatory.
According to this, the private colleges have declared a fee of ₹1,07,495 for a government quota seat and fee of ₹1,15,956 in minority colleges this year.
But when students go for admission to colleges after allotment of seats through KEA, managements are telling students and parents to pay additional fees.
“The government has not given any clear guidelines regarding the fixation of additional fee and has left it to the discretion of the governing body of the colleges. So, colleges are charging excess fees in the name of tuition fee and others. There seems to be no limit to this,” a parent said.
In addition, as per government rules, students who have got SNQ seats should be exempted from tuition fees. However, most private colleges are charging tuition fees for them as well, students alleged.
“I got an SNQ seat and qualified for post-matric scholarship. However, the college demanded ₹51,110 as ‘other fees’. In addition, college fees are paid through scholarship. However, the State Government recently issued an order that Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe students will need to pay the additional fees charged by private colleges. I don’t know whether the additional fee of ₹51,110 received from me will be refunded after the scholarship is sanctioned,” said a student.
“Earlier, private colleges used to charge only ₹20,000 to ₹50,000 as processing and other fees. However, this year, they are getting more than 110% of the fee fixed by the government. They are charging extra fees on the pretext of infrastructure development and others. Even if you get a government quota seat, you have to pay the management quota seat fee. The government should immediately put a curb on the excess fees being charged by private colleges,” a parent said.
Published – September 26, 2024 04:58 pm IST
