Tamil Nadu caps hostel, mess charges for medical students
While tuition fee is regulated, private colleges levy a hefty charge for hostel, food, transport, and laboratory
Representative image (IANS)
CHENNAI: In a move that would offer relief for medical and dental students, the selection committee has, for the first time, published detailed fee structures for non-tuition charges applicable to MBBS and BDS students in private colleges.
This announcement comes at a time when online counseling is under way for the current admission cycle.
This is part of the mandatory pre-counselling fee disclosure by self-financing medical and dental institutions as directed by the Supreme Court. The institutions concerned have been instructed to publish the fee structure on their individual websites.
While tuition fees are regulated separately by a State-appointed committee - the amount is revised every three years - private medical and dental colleges often levy a hefty charge for hostel accommodation, food, transport, and laboratory facilities. The government has now revised and standardised these non-tuition fees into four categories following the Supreme Court directive.
The government has clarified that fee ceiling for dental colleges is slightly lower than that specified for medical colleges. All private institutions, including 22 medical colleges, 4 medical universities, and 20 dental colleges, in the State have been instructed to prominently display these revised fee structures on their official websites.
This standardisation aims to bring transparency to charges levied beyond tuition fees, which have been a persistent source of complaints. Despite previous government advisories against excessive levies, private institutions have often charged high amounts under these heads.
However, while the fee details are now publicly available online, the notification reportedly does not include information on where students or parents should lodge complaints if colleges demand fees exceeding these prescribed limits.
The publication of these specific charges is a new step in fee regulation for professional courses in Tamil Nadu, even as the admission process for the 2025-26 academic year is going on. The committee advised prospective students to carefully review the official fee structures on college websites.
Revised charges (annual fees)
Hostel fees: From Rs 60,000 to Rs 2.5 lakh
Food (mess) fees: From Rs 70,000 to Rs 1.35 lakh
Transport fees: From Rs 50,000 to Rs 1.75 lakh
Other fees (lab, etc.): From Rs 36,000 to Rs 3 lakh
