New Delhi: Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) are likely to increase the tuition fee for undergraduate courses up to 80%. As per sources, the decision to hike fees for undergraduate (UG) courses from Rs 50,000 to Rs 90,000 annually will be taken at an IIT Council meeting, to be held shortly.
Reportedly, the last raise had occurred in the year 2008-09, when the fees were doubled from Rs 25,000 to Rs 50,000 annually. According to sources, the new increase in the fee had been recommended by the IIT standing committee, last November. At the UG level, the IITs admit around 10,000 students every year after a national-level entrance that tests around 500,000 students annually.
Sources informed that the government panel has recommended an increase in tuition fee for IIT students from an annual Rs 50,000 to Rs 2 lakh-2.5 lakh (Rs 8-Rs 10 lakh over four years) to help the premier schools improve their standards — both in terms of physical and intellectual infrastructure.
In the same context, Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD ministry) officials said that the revision was overdue and was required to bring the IIT fee structure on par with other top central government institutions like the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs), which charge at least three times the fee of the IITs.
Also, even second-rung deemed universities have fee structures ranging from Rs 1.2 lakh to Rs 2 lakh annually. The IITs, on the other hand, continue to charge Rs 50,000 for an intensive course, the officials said. Another recommendation by the panel is of setting up a green office which will include carrying out a green audit and ensure inclusion of green technology-related courses in the curriculum.
With this proposed fee hike, it seems that IITs aspiring students will now have one more hurdle i.e. finances, to overcome.
