Suryaa National Desk: An unprecedented situation has emerged in medical admissions as private medical colleges in Karnataka are reducing fees due to a lack of student interest in enrolling in MBBS courses. Despite the completion of multiple rounds of NEET counselling, a large number of management and NRI quota seats remain unfilled. To attract students, several private medical institutions are announcing steep discounts of 40 to 50 percent on their annual tuition fees, with college managements even issuing written agreements to secure admissions.
Typically, private medical colleges charge between Rs 30 lakh and Rs 45 lakh annually for an MBBS seat under the management and NRI quotas. As a result, the total expense to complete the entire course exceeds Rs 1 crore, making it unaffordable for meritorious students from ordinary and middle-class backgrounds. Furthermore, a substantial rise in seats due to the establishment of new colleges across the country, coupled with high fee structures, has resulted in thousands of seats remaining vacant. Even after the Karnataka Examinations Authority conducted a record number of counselling rounds, the vacancies could not be filled, making fee cuts unavoidable for institutions.
Believing it is better to admit students at reduced rates rather than leave seats unused and incur losses, some college managements have cut their fees by half. While several sections are seeking a relaxation in qualifying percentiles to address the disparity in the medical education sector, educationists state that fee affordability is the primary problem. Career experts have also advised students that despite the fee concessions, they should evaluate the infrastructure and patient inflow of the colleges to ensure adequate clinical experience and international standards when making their choices.