Daijiworld Media Network- Mumbai
Mumbai, Apr 11: In a move that could bring relief to aspirants and ensure greater transparency, the Fee Regulating Authority (FRA) of Maharashtra is likely to fix the upper limit of fees charged from students admitted under the NRI and management quota seats in private unaided colleges offering professional courses like engineering, MBA, pharmacy, law, BEd, among others.
Currently, while FRA regulates fees under these quotas for medical education institutions, such a cap does not exist for colleges affiliated to the higher and technical education department. This regulatory vacuum has led to inconsistency in fee structures across non-medical professional programs.
In medical, dental, and allied health sciences, FRA allows colleges to charge up to three times the regular fee for management quota seats, and up to five times for NRI quota seats. These higher fees, once accounted as institutional income, are used to cross-subsidise the fees for students admitted on merit.
A government official confirmed that the FRA has been asked to examine the possibility of applying similar fee capping norms to other professional courses. However, the issue is yet to be tabled for official discussion in the quasi-judicial body’s meetings.
A senior FRA official remarked that no such income-equalisation model currently exists for engineering or management colleges. However, several colleges voluntarily refrain from charging exorbitant fees despite the absence of a statutory upper limit.
A principal of an engineering college shared that while institutions seek approval for NRI quota seats from the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) every year, market dynamics often limit the actual fees charged. “If the approved FRA fee is Rs 2 lakh, charging Rs 10 lakh under the NRI quota is unlikely to attract enough students,” he said.
He added that around 5% of seats from the 20% institutional quota are earmarked for NRI students, depending on infrastructure availability. Some institutions also apply for supernumerary seats beyond their intake capacity, especially when they offer hostel facilities.
Since the implementation of the Maharashtra Unaided Private Professional Education Institutions (Regulation of Admissions and Fees) Act, 2015, no formal policy has been put in place to regulate NRI or management quota fees in non-medical professional courses. Stakeholders are hopeful that the FRA’s impending intervention will standardise practices and make higher education more equitable across disciplines.
The education fraternity and students alike now await the FRA’s decision, which could pave the way for structured fee guidelines and greater financial clarity for thousands of aspirants eyeing professional courses in the state.