CHENNAI: The University of Madras has proposed revising the processing fees for issuing equivalence certificates to MPhil and PhD holders seeking employment. The proposed charges are yet to receive final confirmation.

According to the agenda of a recent syndicate meeting, the proposal seeks to revise the processing fees for issuing equivalence certificates to candidates holding MPhil and PhD degrees for employment purposes.

The proposed fee for MPhil candidates is around Rs 2,500, plus 18 per cent GST, while PhD candidates may have to pay Rs 3,500, plus 18 per cent GST. However, the university is yet to finalise and officially announce the revised fee structure.

The development comes amid controversy over the university's earlier hike in PhD thesis submission fees in 2023. The charges were increased from Rs 100 to Rs 25,000 for full-time scholars and from Rs 5,000 to Rs 35,000 for part-time scholars.

The earlier revision came under scrutiny after RTI applicant Shankar Prakash questioned the university's failure to disclose documents related to the fee revision for three years.

On October 11, 2023, Shankar Prakash filed an RTI application seeking 11 details about the revision of PhD fees, including thesis submission charges and evaluation fees.

After receiving a partial response, he approached the Tamil Nadu State Information Commission, which directed the university to provide the requested information.

Following a delay of nearly three years, the university furnished the minutes of the decision in October 2026. The records indicated that the earlier fee revision had been approved by the Syndicate, Academic Council and Senate before being implemented in July 2023.

The latest proposal to revise the processing fees for equivalence certificates has once again brought the university's fee revision process under scrutiny.

The University of Madras is yet to officially confirm the proposed charges for MPhil and PhD equivalence certificates.