Guwahati: Assam govt has increased annual govt fees for MBBS courses in state-run medical colleges by nearly five to six times, with students from families earning over ₹9 lakh a year now required to pay ₹1 lakh annually. The maximum annual fee for BDS courses has been fixed at ₹75,000.The hike stands in sharp contrast to AIIMS, where the entire five-and-a-half-year MBBS course costs ₹5,856.The revised fee structure introduces income-based slabs, placing a higher financial burden on students from affluent families while offering concessions to those from economically weaker backgrounds.MBBS students from families earning more than ₹9 lakh annually will pay ₹1 lakh a year, compared with ₹5,000 for students from BPL and low-income families. Those in the ₹4 lakh–₹9 lakh income bracket will pay ₹50,000 annually.For BDS courses, students from families earning ₹9 lakh or more will pay ₹75,000 a year. BPL and low-income students will pay ₹3,750, while those in the middle-income category will pay ₹37,500 after a 50% waiver.Officials said the income-based slabs mark a shift from the earlier uniform fee regime, with students from affluent households bearing a larger share of the cost.Fees for MBBS, BDS and other medical courses had remained unchanged since 2022. Until now, there was no income-based differentiation.MBBS students staying in hostels paid ₹21,500 as non-govt fees at admission, while non-hostellers paid ₹15,500. These charges cover hostel fees, security deposits, union fees and student welfare funds, among other expenses. The corresponding charges for BDS students were ₹13,000 for hostel residents and ₹11,000 for non-hostellers.Students also paid a one-time govt admission fee of ₹2,400. From the second year, the annual non-govt fee was ₹8,000 for MBBS and ₹4,000 for BDS.“The revised structure therefore represents a departure from the earlier uniform fee regime, linking the financial burden of medical education more directly to family income, with the highest-income category paying substantially more and economically weaker students receiving significant concessions,” an official said.Two rounds of admissions to Assam’s medical colleges have been completed, while the third and final round is pending. A govt medical college official said students admitted in the current academic session would soon be charged the revised govt fees, which have not yet been collected.Students admitted in the first two rounds have already paid the one-time non-govt fee of ₹21,500, which has remained unchanged for the past few years. Officials said the revised govt fee structure would apply to students admitted from the current academic session.Medical education department sources said the hike was necessary to meet rising maintenance and operational costs.“Given the rising cost of maintaining medical colleges and the increase in related expenses, revision of the govt fees was considered necessary. The fees collected by the govt will go entirely to the state exchequer,” said a source.The govt, however, has not issued a specific justification for the revised fee structure.The notification also authorises principals of govt medical and dental colleges to waive up to 50% of the applicable govt fee for students facing extraordinary circumstances that could force them to discontinue their MBBS or BDS studies.
