NEW DELHI: Students at Delhi Skill and Entrepreneurship University (DSEU) in Ashok Vihar have written to various stakeholders to voice their concerns about a significant increase in tuition fees for the academic session 2024-25.
They emphasize that some students are facing financial hardships, exacerbated by the absence of any financial assistance programs or scholarships from the university. According to the students, the university has reportedly raised tuition fees by Rs 63,000 for students already admitted for the session 2024-25.
Addressing the issue, one student stated, “The recent and substantial rise in tuition fees is a serious concern. These increases impose a heavy financial burden on current students and create significant barriers for prospective students who wish to join our courses but are limited by financial constraints.”
“This steep increase is deeply troubling. Many of us come from single-parent households, work part-time jobs to support our education, or hail from families engaged in occupations like vegetable vending, autorickshaw driving, bus conducting, tailoring, etc. It is unclear why our university has chosen to dramatically increase fees for full-time diploma courses, especially when Delhi’s budget over the past three years was approximately Rs 15,000 crore, with a projected Rs 16,575 crore for 2023-24,” shared Mohammad Tauhid, a student.
Echoing similar sentiments, another student emphasized, “We strongly urge a waiver of late fees or penalties for students facing financial difficulties; information on any financial aid programs, scholarships, or payment plans that could alleviate our financial burden; and transparency regarding the reasons behind these fee hikes and how the education budget justifies such changes.”
Madhvi, another student, added, “The financial strain resulting from these fee hikes is causing significant stress and uncertainty about our ability to continue our education. Moreover, prospective students are finding it increasingly difficult to join our programs due to these high costs, which hampers their aspirations for higher education. I’ve been studying here for the past two years, but why such a substantial fee increase now, especially when the infrastructure and facilities remain unchanged from two years ago?”