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The Hindu
7 days ago
- Health
- The Hindu
Mandatory fee disclosures of self-financing medical, dental colleges published
With the counselling for MBBS/BDS courses in progress in the State, the Selection Committee of the Directorate of Medical Education and Research has put out details of the mandatory fee disclosure by self-financing medical and dental institutions as per a direction of the Supreme Court. Most of the colleges have disclosed the hostel and mess fees, but many have not put out the transportation fee. The Selection Committee said the Supreme Court had directed 'mandate pre-counselling fee disclosure by all private/deemed universities, detailing tuition, hostel, caution deposit and miscellaneous charges'. The institutions were also instructed to publish the fee structure on their websites. In line with this, self-financing medical and dental colleges had furnished the details. While some institutions specified a month-wise fee for hostel and mess, others put up a figure for the entire year. Among self-financing medical colleges, the hostel fee alone ranged from ₹1,250 to ₹25,000 per month, and the mess fee from ₹7,400 to ₹22,500 per month. Some colleges gave a combined fee for hostel and mess charges. In private universities, the hostel fee alone was ₹22,500 per month in two of the four institutions, while the rest put out a combined amount for hostel and mess fee, ranging from ₹2,15,000 (non-air conditioned shared accommodation) to ₹3,25,000 per year (single room with air conditioning facility). Among dental colleges, the hostel fee ranged from ₹20,000 to ₹1,50,000 per year. Some institutions have disclosed the 'other' charges, including student kit, book and uniform fee, laundry fee, and caution deposit. 'Many colleges have not declared many components such as security deposit, university registration fees, book fees, and uniform fees. This seems to be more like a compliance document, rather than a genuine attempt to be transparent. It's not yet clear whether the colleges will collect the tuition fees for 4.5 years or five years. Neither the fee committee nor the colleges have made it clear,' Manickavel Arumugam, education counsellor, said. In mid-July, the Selection Committee put out the revised fee structure for MBBS under government, management, and NRI quota in self-financing medical colleges and private universities for the academic year 2025-2026, as per the order of the Committee on Fixation of Fee in respect of self-financing professional colleges. This included tuition fee, admission fee, special fee, laboratory/computer/internet fee and library fee, and the institutions were directed to submit the details of the hostel, transport, and mess fees to the Selection Committee.
Time of India
18-07-2025
- Health
- Time of India
MBBS tuition fees at deemed univs raised by 200% since 2015
Chennai: Deemed universities in the state have increased the course fee for MBBS courses to 1.5 crore, with an annual fee of up to 30.50 lakh. The yearly hike could turn many aspirants away from pursuing such fields altogether, experts say. Since 2015, tuition fees at deemed universities increased by up to 200% from an average annual fee of 10 lakh. "While self-financing colleges are forced to follow the fee fixed by fee committee, there are no regulations for deemed universities. After a series of court judgments, it was hoped that the govt would come up with some regulation to cap the fee for all deemed universities. But to no avail," said Student Counsellor Manickavel Arumugam. In 2019, the University Grants Commission (UGC) proposed that a fee committee would fix the fee for all deemed universities. It would also impose a fine of 10 lakh along with a refund of the excess fee and penal action if colleges did not comply with the proposals. Parents say in addition to tuition fees, they are asked to pay fees for lab, library, hostel, mess, and other services that can cost an additional 2.5 lakh. "Students and parents should not just go by the announcement on the webpage. They should read the college prospectus carefully," said NEET Coach Sathish Kumar R. You Can Also Check: Chennai AQI | Weather in Chennai | Bank Holidays in Chennai | Public Holidays in Chennai Most parents are opting for a mix of personal and educational loans, besides drawing money from savings and selling properties. "Fresh graduates are not paid more than 40,000 in most hospitals. So, they continue to depend on parents to repay EMI. Students don't opt for PG unless they ace a govt college," he added. Doctors' bodies, including the state wing of the Indian medical association and the TN govt doctors' association, say it is because most fields of medicine have many practitioners. To prevent oversupply, it recommended shrinking the incoming freshman medical classes, a ban on adding medical schools, and restrictions on the admission of foreign-trained physicians. "TN has more than 1.8 lakh doctors registered in the medical council and among them, at least 1.5 lakh are practising. The recommended ratio of doctors is 1:1000. We have 1 per 600," said Former State Medical Council President Dr K Senthil, also President of the TN Government Doctors' Association. With a fertility rate of 1.4, there is a population decline. "In ten years, TN will have 1 doctor for every 350 people because every year 10,000 MBBS graduates and 1,500 foreign medical graduates apply for a medical licence," he said. The southern states must use this as an opportunity to increase PG and super specialty seats, he said. While doctors have opportunities to practice in other states, most doctors say these regions don't have good schooling and healthcare facilities for their families.
Hindustan Times
13-07-2025
- Health
- Hindustan Times
Three senior citizens, all above 60, qualify for NEET from Tamil Nadu: Report
Three senior citizens, including two lawyers, have passed the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) and have applied for MBBS admissions in Tamil Nadu. The three senior citizens are aged 68, 67, and 60.(Getty Images/iStockphoto) According to a Times of India report, the three citizens are aged 68, 67, and 60. The National Eligibility cum Entrance test is a nationwide entrance exam conducted by the National Testing Agency. According to the National Medical Commission, the apex body regulating medical education in India, there are no restrictions on age or the number of attempts to take the qualifying examination. The three have applied under a special quota in the state, which reserves 7.5% of seats for students from government schools. Under this, students can pursue medicine in private or government institutions free of cost. Also Read | Power failure during NEET exam not a valid ground for re-test: Rajasthan HC According to the newspaper, officials, however, questioned whether this special quota should extend to all graduates, regardless of age. Student counsellor Manickavel Arumugam questioned whether senior citizens would be able to cope up with the strenuous course. 'Will a senior citizen be able to complete the strenuous course? Will they be able to work 24-hour shifts during house surgery? ' he was quoted as saying by the Times of India. 'If people quit the course in between, they must be asked to pay a fine of 10 lakh and the entire non-subsidised course fee." Highest number of middle-aged applicants An unidentified official said that this year witnessed the highest number of middle-aged and older applicants since 2017. "This year, we see many graduates and professionals aspiring for a medical or dental seat. It's the highest number of middle-aged and older applicants we have seen since 2017," the official said, according to The Times of India. The official said that most of these applicants have documents that may be equalbut don't match the requirements mentioned in the prospectus. "Most of them have documents that may be equal but don't match requirements mentioned in the prospectus," an official said. "Some people have given pre-university course scores instead of a Class XII mark sheet. In some cases, a Class XII subject is mentioned as natural sciences; instead of biology, botany or zoology. We don't know if we must allow them to appear for counselling, reject their applications or give them time to get equivalence certificates."
Time of India
20-06-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Lower cut-offs fuel hope as MBBS applications surge
Chennai: The state selection committee received nearly 60,000 applications for undergraduate medical and dental admissions on Friday, marking a 39.5% increase compared to the 43,000 applications received in 2024. Officials expect at least 5,000 to 10,000 more applications before the June 25 deadline. Of the 1,35,715 candidates who appeared for the medical entrance test this year, 76,181 (56%) qualified. While the number of students who qualified was fewer than in 2024, more students applied for admissions this year as lower NEET scores are likely to pull down cut-offs by at least 100 marks in almost all categories. As many students with similar scores are clustered between 451 and 550 marks, more candidates with fewer scores have applied for counselling this year. "Students with a score of 450 – 500/720 marks in NEET 2024 did not stand a chance if they applied in the general category last year. This year, students are hopeful," said R Naveen, a student counsellor. "The govt's decision to open admission portal early has had its impact. Many people have applied because there was time," he added. The admission, however, is likely to be tougher because of the clustering. Also, there have been no additional seats in existing colleges or new medical colleges in the state. The TN health policy note in 2025 stated that Tamil Nadu has an annual admission capacity of 11,700 MBBS seats, with 5,050 seats in govt medical colleges. There are 22 self-financing private medical colleges, four private universities, and 13 deemed-to-be universities. "This means the number of students getting admissions is unlikely to change. Also, if the performance is not similar to that of candidates from other seats, students from Tamil Nadu will find it difficult to get seats under all India quota seats," said student counsellor Manickavel Arumugam.
Time of India
11-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
MBBS/BDS admission prospectus keeps students, parents guessing
Chennai: The prospectus for MBBS/BDS admissions for 2025, available on the selection committee's official webpage, is riddled with errors, leading to confusion on several issues such as the application fee, admission process, and penalties for violations. For instance, on page 8 of the management quota application form, it states the application fee is 500, but on page 16, the fee mentioned is 1,000. For registrations, pages 28 and 31 say fresh registration is permitted in round 2 and round 3, while page 43 says registration is not allowed before round 2 but allowed in round 1, round 3, and the stray round. Page 9 says the security deposit will be forfeited if the candidate discontinues the allotted course in any round, but the tabular column on page 50 says there will be no forfeiture if the student discontinues in round 1. "There are so many contradictions that it is difficult to understand the process," said student counsellor Manickavel Arumugam, who compiled a six-page document of errors in the prospectus. "It is good the state started the admission process ahead of NEET results to give students time, but they had a whole year to review and edit the prospectus. It's sad to see so many glaring errors," he said. Parents and students have also complained about inconsistencies in the admission process. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like This Device Made My Power Bill Drop Overnight elecTrick - Save upto 80% on Power Bill Pre-Order Undo While page 24 states that the signature file should be between 4KB and 20KB, the online application asks for a file size of 10KB to 40KB. "We've called the help desk at least 12 times to get these clarified. The person at the desk also gives different versions every time we call," said Kumeresan K, whose son is aspiring for a medical seat this year. "The entire admission process is going to be online. At least in face-to-face counselling, we can seek clarification. If the prospectus is so unclear, how do we make smart choices?" he said. Students also said that it's not clear if they are allowed to reject the offer in round 2 without penalties. "While some pages (9 and 45) say candidates exiting round 2 must forfeit the security deposit, the instructions on other pages (30 and 50) say round two has a free exit," said a candidate aspiring for a medical seat this year. "The entire admission process is going to be online. At least in face-to-face counselling, we can seek clarification. If the prospectus is so unclear, how do we make smart choices?" he said. The state has also given two different timelines on when they would refund the security deposit. While page 15 says the security deposit will be refunded within two months after the completion of counselling, pages 7 and 47 say it will take three months. But what have students and parents worried are redundant rules. The prospectus states that in case candidates get equal marks, the rank of such candidates may be determined on the basis of seniority in age. When NTA gives an all-India ranking – a unique rank for all candidates – this becomes redundant, experts said.
