FRA: No fee hike for repeaters in colleges

The fees applicable to a student at the time of admission shall continue to apply even if she/he does not complete the course within the specified course duration. FRA CIRCULAR

MUMBAI: Following complaints from several students and requests for clarity from institutes, the Fee Regulating Authority (FRA) has stated that students who fail to complete their course in the stipulated period, will not be required to pay any hike in fees.

Following a meeting held in the city earlier this week, officials from the FRA said all candidates repeating a course will pay the same fees as approved at the time of admission.

“In April 2013, the Shikshan Shulka Samiti (later rechristened to FRA) had decided that in case a student enters the fifth year for a four year course, she/he will have to pay the fees approved by the fee regulating authority in the new academic year,” said a senior official from FRA.

On October 16, the FRA called for a meeting to discuss this matter, among others. In the meeting, it was decided to change the existing rule.

“If a student is required to attend classes in subsequent years after the stipulated period of the course, the fees initially applicable to the particular student at the time of admission shall continue to apply even if she/he does not complete the course within the specified course duration,” said the circular released on the FRA website this week.

Students are happy with this move by the FRA.

“Many students clear their engineering course in the fifth year instead of the fourth year and the difference of fees between the year they enrolled for the course and the fifth year is huge because most colleges are allowed a certain fee hike every year by the FRA. It is unfair that someone has to pay the difference of fees just to clear few subjects in order to obtain a degree,” said Suchit Sawhney, one of the students who had written to the FRA about this problem.