RGUHS Issues Notices to Nursing Colleges Over Excess Fee Demands

The Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) and the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS) have been hit with numerous complaints against nursing colleges demanding excessive fees from students following the completion of the second round of seat allotment for professional courses in Bengaluru.

Under government rules, the annual fee for nursing courses cannot exceed Rs 10,000 for seats allotted through the government quota. Management quota fees are capped at Rs 1 lakh for Karnataka students and Rs 1.4 lakh for non-Karnataka students. However, several colleges have been demanding an additional Rs 50,000 from students admitted under the government quota.

In response, the Admission Overseeing Committee at RGUHS has issued notices to the implicated nursing and allied health science colleges. An RGUHS official noted that in one instance, a student allotted a government quota seat was asked to pay Rs 1.5 lakh.

RGUHS has warned that colleges found charging excessive fees face disciplinary action and risk losing their affiliation. According to a circular issued by the university, all affiliated nursing, allied health sciences, and physiotherapy colleges are barred from charging any amount beyond the government-prescribed fee structure, and admissions must be conducted exclusively through KEA counselling.

The university also directed institutions not to collect excessive fees in the first year to adjust over subsequent years, and explicitly stated that residing in hostels must not be made a mandatory condition for admission.