Mumbai: Professional course fees won't be hiked this year

Students stand outside an examination centre at Thakur College

In good news for students of professional courses, several colleges in the state have decided not to change the fee structure this academic year. As per information shared by the Fee Regulating Authority (FRA), a total of 1,024 colleges have opted for the "no-upward revision" option while deciding the fee structure for the academic year 2021-22. These include 929 colleges, 95 of which had originally planned to continue with the fee structure that was valid for the academic year 2019-20.

While school fees remains a major topic of debate amid the pandemic, this information comes as a relief for students seeking to pursue professional courses. These courses include streams such as medicine, engineering, architecture, pharmacy, nursing and management.

Last year, only 95 colleges had opted for no-upward revision. This year, 929 more have joined the group. Out of total colleges, those offering technical courses stand at 797, followed by 117 medical colleges. While for technical courses, the fee structure varies from Rs 50,000 to Rs 2 lakh, for medical courses, it varies from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 10 lakh. "Many families are in financial distress. The management of the educational institutions cannot remain oblivious to this ground reality," stated an FRA official.