CHENNAI: If sources are to be believed, pursuing a PhD at the University of Madras has become a costly affair, as the varsity has hiked various fees enormously without prior announcement. As per a screenshot shared by a part-time PhD candidate with TNIE, the fee for submitting a thesis has been hiked to Rs 35,000 from the earlier Rs 5,000. Sources said full-time PhD scholars, who previously paid only the application fee of Rs 100, will now have to pay an additional Rs 25,000 for submitting their thesis.
While a senior official from the university confirmed the fee hike, saying it was passed by the syndicate and senate in June, vice chancellor of the university S Gowri denied it saying it was only a proposal. Additionally, the fee for submission of a synopsis has allegedly been raised by Rs 2,000. “I recently submitted my synopsis at the university and was told the fee has increased to Rs 6,000 from the earlier Rs 4,000. The university staff told me the fee hike came into effect from July 1,” said a PhD candidate.
Moreover, the university has also introduced a plagiarism fee of Rs 1,000 and increased the tuition fee by Rs 2,000 for candidates. “When candidates go to pay the fees for submitting their thesis, they are directed by the university staff to pay the revised fee which is significantly higher than the fee mentioned in the PhD thesis submission application on the university’s website.
They also increased the continuation of PhD registration fees from Rs 2,000 to Rs 3,000 for part-time candidates and Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,000 for full-time candidates in 2022,” said a former PhD scholar. An academic council member criticised the alleged hike as unreasonable. Though he acknowledged the university’s financial crisis, he said a seven to 250-fold increase is unacceptable.