BHUBANESWAR: Professional education is all set to get costlier in the state from this academic year, with the Odisha government hiking the fee structure for around 63 engineering, pharmacy and management colleges and institutions.
The fee hike ranges from 21 per cent to 100 per cent across BTech, MTech, diploma, BPharm, MBA, MCA and other courses. There has also been a reduction in the fee structure for different courses in eight technical and management institutions.
The Skill Development and Technical Education (SDTE) department issued a notification on the revised fee structure for professional colleges and institutions. It said the revision was effected on the basis of the recommendations of the Fee Structure Committee at its 18th meeting held on June 25 this year.
The department also stated that the revised fee structure will be binding on all students admitted during the academic sessions 2026-27, 2027-28 and 2028-29 and will remain unchanged until completion of their courses.
The new fee structure has been announced for around 160 institutes, with hikes across 63 institutes and reductions across eight institutes for different courses.
There is no change in the existing fee structure of another eight institutes, while in 74 cases, the department did not mention the previous fee against which the hike or reduction could be calculated.
The biggest hike of 100 per cent has been effected for the MBA course at Gurukula Institute of Technology, Jamujhari. The fee for the BTech course at the institute has witnessed a hike of over 77 per cent.
Among diploma courses, Rajdhani Engineering College, Bhubaneswar, witnessed the biggest jump of 97.7 per cent, while in MTech, Gandhi Institute for Education and Technology, Baniatangi, recorded the maximum increase of 61.3 per cent.
There has also been a fee hike of up to 78.5 per cent in MCA and over 20 per cent in BPharm courses.
Overall, the fee hike was effected across 20 institutes for diploma courses, 18 institutes for BTech, 13 institutes for MBA and five each for MCA and M Tech.
Odisha Private Engineering Colleges Association secretary Binod Dash welcomed the fee hike but criticised the state government for determining reduced fees for some institutions.
Dash alleged that once revised, the fee structure remains effective for nearly six years and that reduced fees in such cases severely affect the operation of professional colleges and institutions. He said the association has already obtained stays from the Orissa High Court in at least six to eight such cases.
Cost of Education
63 institutes get fee hikes
8 institutes get fee cuts
Max MBA fees hike: 100%
Highest Diploma fee hike: 97.7%