Thiruvananthapuram: The Fee Regulatory Committee has recommended a hike in the annual tuition fees for BTech programmes in self-financing engineering colleges across Kerala. The proposed increase will apply only to management quota seats, with fees likely to go up by as much as 33 per cent. 

At present, students under the management quota pay Rs 99,000 in tuition fees and Rs 25,000 in special fees annually. With the proposed 33 per cent increase, the total annual fee would rise to approximately Rs 1.31 lakh.

Despite mounting pressure from college management, the state government remains firm in its stance that fees for merit seats will not be increased, particularly since it is an election year. As a result, merit quota students are expected to continue paying the existing fee structure.

Meanwhile, the admission process following the KEAM entrance exam results remains stalled, even six days after the results were released. The delay is due to the state government not yet issuing a formal order on the revised fee structure.

The Self-Financing Engineering College Management Association has strongly pushed for a fee revision, citing the non-implementation of a 2019 resolution that proposed a 5 per cent annual hike in fees. The association claims that no significant increase has been allowed for the past decade, adversely affecting the financial stability of self-financing institutions.

In response, the association has now demanded a 60 per cent hike in fees, not only for management seats but also for the 50 per cent merit seats allocated to the government in these colleges.

While the government has tasked the Fee Regulatory Committee with reviewing and recommending a new fee structure for management seats, it has made it clear that the merit seat fees will remain unchanged. A final decision will be taken based on the committee’s report, following which the Higher Education Department will issue an official order.