Higher Education Fee Structure Raises Concerns In Madhya Pradesh; MBBS Seems Out Of Reach
In a written reply to the legislature, Inder Singh Parmar, the Higher Education Minister, disclosed the fee regulation process and hightened fee structures for higher educational institutes in the states. As per the information given by the minister, the Admission and Fee Regulatory Committee fixed fees for a staggering 1,437 institutes in just 14 meetings in 2025.
The fees was determined for 370 institutes in a single meeting held on May 20, 2025. On June for another 293 institutes, on June 15 for 244, on June 9 for 224 and 178 more institutes on December 10.
The major highlight have been the fee structure in medical institutes, particularly MBBS, where the increase is quite significant. For 2025-26, the minimum annual MBBS fee stands at Rs 9 lakh, while the maximum reaches Rs 12.60 lakh. This means a five-year course can cost over Rs 60 lakh in tuition alone, excluding other charges such as hostel, books, equipment, and other expenses. For thousands of aspirants who clear competitive exams like NEET after years of preparation, the bigger hurdle now appears to the financial sustainability.
Apart from the MBBS fee hike, the MD (Ayurvedic) Non-Clinical courses have a minimum annual fee of around Rs 1.91 lakh, stretching up to Rs 6 lakh. BAMS courses range from Rs 2.20 lakh and Rs 6 lakh per annum. Dentistry reflects a similar pattern, with BDS fees ranging from 2.60 lakh to Rs 6 lakh annually.
Between 2017-18 and 2-25-26, the minimum course fees increased by 8% to 13%, but maximum fees rose by 80% to 120%. In several cases, particulary MBA and BE courses, the maximum fee in 2025-26 remain over 20% higher than in 2024-25.
For other programs such as MBA, the minimum fee is Rs 40,000, while the maximum reaches to Rs 1.90 lakh. For BE and technical courses, the minimum is nearly Rs 42,000 and the maximum goes to Rs 1.44 lakh. Law courses show a similar pattern with LLB programmes start at Rs 23,000 but can go up to Rs 98,000, while LLM courses range between Rs 25,000 and Rs 82,500.
Teacher education has also not remained behind with BEd fees, stood at Rs 82,000 in 2017-18, rose to over Rs 1.09 lakh in 2020-21 and crossed Rs 1.19 lakh in 2024-25. Physiotherapy courses such as MPT and BPT range from Rs 42,000 to Rs 1.44 lakh and Rs 40,000 to Rs 1.90 lakh, respectively. Across sectors, medicine, management, engineering, law, and teacher education, professional education now firmly sits in the lakhs bracket.
Minister Parmar said that the variation in fees, is due to that each institution’s income and expenditure statement forms the basis for calculation. According to him, salary expenditure, including faculty and staff payments, is a significant component and can naturally result in higher fee structures in certain institutions. However, the explanation has not silenced critics.
While, MLA Pratap Grewal questioned how fees for the same course can vary four to five times between institutions when faculty qualifications, pay norms, and course standards are regulated by central and state authorities. He pointed out that the committee’s meeting minutes list only institution names and final approved fees, without detailing expenditure components or whether any physical verification was conducted.
Grewal further alleged that the committee’s framework clearly states students should not be charged for development costs, building construction, capital investments, or loan interest unrelated to education. He claimed that before approving any hike, the committee or its representatives are required to physically verify institutional expenditures. However, according to him, there is no mention of such verification in the meeting records.
