The Supreme Court has ruled that private professional colleges can't increase fees midway through a course except in exceptional circumstances, offering relief to students and families struggling to plan for the rising cost of higher education. The court said colleges must provide clarity on the fees students will have to pay for the entire duration of a course before they take admission. Any increase after admission should be permitted only in exceptional situations, such as an unforeseen rise in expenditure, a TOI report state.
The ruling came while the court struck down a 37 percent fee hike imposed on BTech students enrolled in the 2023-27 batch at Dr BC Roy Engineering College in West Bengal. The institution had also introduced a new development fee. A bench comprising Justices PS Narasimha and Alok Aradhe said uncertainty over fees could place a significant financial burden on students and their families. It stressed that the authorities responsible for regulating professional education must establish a system that ensures students know their financial commitments before joining a college.
