HRD Ministry hikes fees in NITs, IISERs

This week, the HRD Ministry approved a fee hike of 79 per cent and 127 per cent for NITs and IISERs, respectively. Currently, there are 31 NITs and six IISERs in the country.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and HRD Minister Smriti Irani leave PMO on Wednesday. (Source: Express photo by Anil Sharma)

STARTING THIS year, students aspiring for a seat at the National Institutes of Technology (NITs) and Indian Institutes for Science Education and Research (IISERs) will have to shell out more money to study there.

This week, the HRD Ministry approved a fee hike of 79 per cent and 127 per cent for NITs and IISERs, respectively. Currently, there are 31 NITs and six IISERs in the country.

Undergraduate and postgraduate students at NITs will have to pay Rs 1.25 lakh annually, up from Rs 70,000.
Candidates seeking admission to the BS-MS Dual Degree Programme at IISERs will have to pay Rs 25,000, instead of Rs 11,000 every year.

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However, in case of NITs, the fee hike is applicable only to students admitted under the general category. The government has decided to waive the annual fees in full for SC/ST students and those who are differently-abled or from economically weaker sections.

Students from families with an annual income of less than Rs 1 lakh will also study in the NITs for free. But those belonging to families with annual income of less than Rs 5 lakh will be entitled to a waiver of two-thirds of the fee irrespective of their category.

All students will be able to apply for interest-free loan under the ‘Vidya Lakshmi Scheme’. NITs have begun their admission process for the new academic year. At the moment, it is not clear if these exemptions also apply to students at IISERs.