Vadodara/Ahmedabad/Surat: Soaring bullion prices are taking a toll on the tradition of awarding gold medals at university convocations across Gujarat, with medal costs more than doubling at some universities, while institutions are discontinuing old medals or raising the corpus required from donors.At Maharaja Sayajirao University (MSU), the cost of a 50-gram medal has more than doubled from around Rs 5,300 last year to Rs 11,500 this year. The medals, made of 999-purity silver and coated with 14-micron gold, will be awarded to 210 students at the university’s 75th convocation on Sept 23, where President Droupadi Murmu will be the chief guest. MSU conferred 354 gold medals at its 74th annual convocation last Nov.The rising cost has prompted MSU to discontinue more than 100 medals instituted 25 years ago, after donors were asked to renew them under the current financial terms.“Earlier, a donor was required to pay Rs 50,000 to institute a gold medal. This was subsequently increased to Rs 1 lakh and then Rs 2 lakh. At present, Rs 2 lakh is required for a medal for a tenure of 25 years,” said MSU chief accounts officer Jigar Joshi.The university approached donors whose medals had completed the 25-year tenure. “We have communicated with the donors. Six to seven have written back saying they are willing to continue, while a couple of donors have already renewed their medals,” Joshi said.At Gujarat University (GU), the corpus required to institute a gold medal has risen from Rs 50,000 to Rs 1 lakh in 2019 and now to Rs 2 lakh. Each medal comprises 30 grams of silver with 24-carat gold plating. GU awards more than 400 medals annually, with the cost met from interest earned on fixed deposits created from donors’ contributions.GU has discontinued around 40 medals after not receiving donors’ consent to continue them.“As silver and gold prices are surging, particularly with the fluctuations in silver prices, we are keeping a watch and will take appropriate steps ahead of the next annual convocation,” a GU official said.At Gujarat Technological University (GTU), the cost of a 50-gram medal has risen from Rs 4,899 in 2025 to Rs 8,299 in January this year and Rs 12,500 now. “Last year, the cost of a 50-gram silver medal was Rs 4,899. It rose to Rs 8,299 in January and now, if you consider the cost of one gold medal, it comes to around Rs 12,500,” said GTU registrar Dr K N Kher.GTU awards around 150 medals annually, of which 55 are donor-sponsored, while the university bears the cost of the remaining medals. It requires a minimum donation of Rs 3 lakh to institute an academic gold medal and has approached existing donors seeking higher contributions in view of the rising cost of precious metals.At Veer Narmad South Gujarat University (VNSGU), the donation required to institute a gold medal has been increased from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 3 lakh, while the corpus for cash prizes has doubled from Rs 50,000 to Rs 1 lakh.“For instituting a gold medal, the donation amount has been increased from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 3 lakh, while for cash prizes, it has been increased from Rs 50,000 to Rs 1 lakh,” VNSGU vice-chancellor Kishorsinh Chavda told TOI.“In the case of old donors, we have written to them requesting to match the new donation amount. If they do not want to donate more, VNSGU will bear the difference in the cost of the gold medal,” he said.VNSGU currently has 165 donors, of whom 107 sponsor gold medals and 58 fund cash prizes. The university holds two convocations annually. At the convocation held last month, 106 students received gold medals, with the university paying the vendor Rs 7,000 per medal.
