Chennai: Students allotted govt-quota seats on merit at Sri Venkateswaraa University said they were asked to pay an annual fee of ₹20 lakh, more than three times the ₹6.4 lakh fee published before the first round of seat allotment.Admissions to medical colleges in the state — govt-quota seats in govt colleges and all seats in self-financing colleges and state private universities — are conducted by the state selection committee through single-window counselling, based on NEET merit and reservation rules. Private universities and self-financing colleges surrender 50%-65% of their seats for admission under the govt quota.Under the present structure, annual MBBS tuition, fixed by the fee committee, ranges from about ₹4.35 lakh to ₹5.40 lakh for govt-quota seats in self-financing colleges and state private universities. For management-quota seats, annual fees range from ₹15 lakh to ₹16.20 lakh.Before the first round of counselling in the second week of Aug, the selection committee listed Sri Venkateswaraa University’s total fee at ₹6.4 lakh, with an additional ₹2.25 lakh to ₹3.35 lakh for students opting for hostel accommodation. Students said they locked in their choices based on this amount.However, after students locked in their choices and before the first-round results were announced, the selection committee revised the fee structure to ₹11.5 lakh, excluding hostel charges. The university subsequently revised the fee twice on its website: to ₹21.9 lakh on Sept 30 and to ₹23.9 lakh on Monday. This is yet to be updated on the selection committee portal.In an advertisement announcing a uniform fee for govt and management-quota seats, the university said it was authorised, under a Supreme Court order in SLP No. 29551/2026 dated Sept 31, to collect ₹20 lakh as MBBS tuition from govt and management-quota students and ₹25 lakh from NRI-quota students for 2026-27, as fixed by its fee committee.Students admitted in the first two rounds were asked to pay the additional fee or opt for an upgrade and seek a seat in another college in subsequent rounds. “I joined this college because I could not afford fees in deemed universities. Now, the fee is on a par with them. I do not know if I will get a seat in round 3 or 4,” said a student.Several students said they had taken education loans based on the initially displayed fee. Banks had sanctioned loans for that amount and were unwilling to increase the limit after the revision, they said.Student counsellor Manickavel Arumugam said the selection committee must intervene. “It must either tell the college that the order cannot be implemented retrospectively or place students in colleges of their choice before the third round,” he said. He added that the Selection Committee’s webpage carried no mention of the revised fee.State health department officials said they were working with the legal team to move the Supreme Court.
