IITs Fee Hike from Rs 90,000 to Rs 2 Lakh Per Annum for General Students

From the upcoming academic session the IIT fees is going to surge high like the summer temperature in the nation, making it a whooping  Rs. 2 lakh per annum, from its present Rs. 90000 per annum. The HRD minister Smriti Irani approved the increase recently, of 122 percent, which was recommended by the panel of IIT. However, the fee hike will be applicable to only general category students with annual income more than 5 lakh per annum of their parents.

The SC/ST students and differently-abled students will get a 100% fee waiver from the government. The students who belong to economically weaker sections and whose family income is less than Rs. 1 lakh, will be able to study at the IITs for free. Those candidates belonging to families with annual income of less than Rs. 5 lakh, would get a two-third waiver in the total fees, irrespective of the category of the students. The students would also be able to apply for loan under the ‘Vidya Lakshmi Scheme’, without paying any interest.

The IIT fee hike took place in the year 2013, when the fees were raised from Rs. 50000 to Rs. 90000. The proposal to raise the fees in 2015 couldn’t reach consensus among the IIT council members, and thus it was stalled. As a result a committee was formed, consisting IIT directors from various states, in order to make sure that the IIT receives more financial autonomy. The committee recommended a hike of over 300% and makes the fee Rs. 3 lakh per annum. The standing committee of the IIT Council (SCIC) accepted the recommendation on March 17, and forwarded the same for clearance to the HRD ministry. In the ministry the amount was broiled down to Rs. 2 lakh per annum along with giving fee waiver to the needy students.

In an order signed by Smriti Irani, she said, “The logic of the SCIC recommendation arises from the fact that the cost of maintenance of the IITs shall largely be met from the student fee. It was felt that government is spending on average about Rs. 6 lakh per year on each student in the IITs and a revision of student fee would help in building the IITs better. However, keeping in view the interest of students, I am unable to agree to the proposed hike. It would serve the interest of the institution and the students if the increase is capped at Rs. 2 lakh a year.”