Revised Engineering And Architecture College Fees Aim To Alleviate Financial Burden

In a significant step towards ensuring equitable access to higher education, the higher education department has undertaken a comprehensive revision of the fee structure for engineering and architecture colleges across multiple departments within the state. This initiative follows the recent announcement made by Higher Education Minister MC Sudhakar, wherein he emphasized a reduction in the engineering college fee hike from 10 percent to a more moderate 7 percent for the upcoming academic year, 2023-24. A newly issued Consensus Order, dated August 6, marks a collaborative effort between government and private engineering colleges to streamline the allotment of government seats for the approaching academic term. The key development in this order is the determination of a maximum fee cap for different institutions. For Mysore University, which boasts 504 seats, the set fee limit stands at Rs 40,110. Meanwhile, other institutions like Visvesvaraya Technical University will implement a fee structure of Rs 40,110 for the first year and Rs 22,260 for the subsequent years. Similarly, Visvesvaraya College of Engineering will have a fee of Rs 45,000 for first-year students and Rs 43,500 for the subsequent academic years. Significantly, the recalibration of fees extends to privately aided engineering colleges as well, where the fee has been tailored to Rs 40,110, a strategic measure to facilitate the educational aspirations of 95 percent of government quota students, meticulously reserved by the Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA). For non-minority, private unaided colleges, the fee structures have also been recalibrated to ensure fair access. The fee for government seats, amounting to 45 percent of the total, is set at Rs 69,214. For a broader range of categories, the fee ceiling has been established at Rs 76,905.
This forward-looking revision in fee structures represents a collaborative effort to ensure that higher education remains accessible and affordable for aspiring engineers and architects.