BENGALURU: The Fee Regulatory Committee (FRC) has acted against more than a dozen educational institutions in Karnataka for charging fees beyond the government-mandated structure. Institutions including Dr Ambedkar Institute of Technology, T John College of Pharmacy, and several others were directed to refund excess fees collected from students, with strict warnings issued to ensure compliance.
Among the cases addressed, Dr Ambedkar Institute of Technology refunded Rs 2.12 lakh to a student after charging excess fees for a COMED-K seat. Despite initially refusing to refund the amount, the institute complied following the FRC’s intervention, according to a release from the committee.
T John College of Pharmacy also refunded Rs 50,000 to a student from the 2022-23 academic year. The amount was collected under the guise of additional training fees for the B.Pharma course. Refunds were secured for two other students as well.
Justice B Srinivasa Gowda, who chairs the FRC, revealed that complaints were received from 25 students enrolled in professional courses like MBA, MCA, and Nursing through the Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) this academic year. The students reported demands for fees above the stipulated amount-- Rs 55,000 to Rs 4 lakh.
The committee acted swiftly on these complaints, ensuring that all students secured admissions without paying excess fees. Over a dozen institutions were named in these complaints, including Presidency University, AIMS IBS School, Acharya Institute of Management and Science, The Oxford College of Engineering, Brindavan College, Alliance University, IFIM College, Christ Academy Institute for Advanced Studies, Daksha First Grade College, and Don Bosco Institute of Management Studies.
Tumakuru and Davangere Universities, both under the Higher Education Department, were also found to have attempted to collect additional fees but later withdrew their demands, said Justice Gowda.
The FRC also served a notice to Acharya Bangalore B-School after it insisted that three MBA students pay additional fees despite the committee’s clear directives.