Private Medical Colleges In Karnataka Hike Fees For Management, NRI Quota Seats By Up To Rs 6 Lakh

Private medical colleges across Karnataka have sharply raised annual fees for management and Non-Resident Indian (NRI) quota seats for the 2025–26 academic year with reported hikes ranging between Rs 1 lakh and Rs 6 lakh compared to last year. This move comes in open defiance of a state government directive that caps fees for these quotas at Rs 45 lakh per annum.

Seat allocation in Karnataka’s private medical colleges follows a structured pattern: 40% government quota, 40% private quota, 15% NRI quota, and 5% management quota. While the fee structure for government and private quota seats remains regulated and unchanged this year, several institutions have unilaterally increased charges for NRI and management categories, where uniform fee norms were meant to apply, as per a report on PTI.

Karnataka Hiked Fees For Select Medical Colleges In 2024

In 2024, a 10% fee hike was approved for minority-run medical colleges following discussions between the government and college management representatives. Government quota fees in private colleges were fixed at Rs 1,40,621, while private quota seats were priced at Rs 11,88,167. Other colleges, despite lobbying for a 15–20% increase, were denied similar approvals. Fees at government-run medical colleges have remained steady at Rs 50,000 per annum, reported Deccan Herald.

The current round of fee hikes—introduced without official approval—has sparked alarm among students and parents already burdened by rising education costs. Many fear that the growing cost of medical education is increasingly placing it out of reach for middle-class families.

Education rights groups have called for immediate government intervention, demanding strict enforcement of fee regulations and punitive action against colleges violating the cap. 

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