In July, the state government had announced revised fee structure for government quota, management quota, and NRI quota seats. The annual fee for government quota seats was increased from Rs 3.30 lakh per year to Rs 5.50 lakh, marking a 66.66% increase. The management quota fee surged from Rs 9 lakh per annum to Rs 17 lakh, signifying an 88.88% rise. For NRI quota students, the annual fee was raised from $22,000 to $25,000, representing a 13.63% increase.
However, on Tuesday, the committee announced the withdrawal of the fee hike and the reinstatement of the previous fee structure. This sudden change has led to the cancellation of admissions for approximately 6,000 students who had been allotted seats in the initial round of admissions. The committee will now have to reconduct the admission process and is expected to release an updated schedule shortly.
The 13 medical colleges under GMERS offer a total of 2,100 medical seats in the state. Following regulations, 75% of the seats are reserved for the state quota, 10% for the management quota, and the remaining 15% for the NRI quota. Across all GMERS medical colleges, there are 1,500 state quota seats, 210 management quota seats, and 315 NRI quota seats. Any unoccupied NRI quota seats are converted into management quota seats.
The initial announcement of the fee hike prompted immediate backlash from student unions, including the All-India Democratic Students Organisation (AIDSO), Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) – the student wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), and the National Students Union of India (NSUI) – the student wing of the Congress party. These groups protested vehemently and called for a retraction of the fee hike.