Medical, dental fee hike may hit middle class hard

The hike in the fees for MBBS and BDS courses, particularly in the private colleges, has left the dreams of many aspiring medical and dental students shattered.

Ranjitha (name changed) a student from Bengaluru was shocked when she was told that the fees for MBBS seats in private colleges was increased by 34.97%.

“My ranks are not as good that I can get a seat in a government college. I was pinning hopes for a seat at least in a private college. Such an increase in the fees would make it impossible for someone like me. I come from a lower middle class family and will not be able to afford this," she added.

Vaishnavi Prakash, a student from Little Rocks Indian School, Brahmavar, Udupi district, said that it was a relief to hear that private colleges were giving 40% of their seats to the government. "Our batch has gone through a really bad phase. Right from the exams till date, the problems have been plenty. This is the only good news I am hearing after long," she remarked.

However, Vaishnavi said that such a hike in fee would leave many of her friends dejected. "It is just not fair if you take the meritorious students into consideration. Not all will be able to pay such a huge amount. If not for the trauma of the NEET seats allocation and medical seats availability, we would have gone against this. However, most of us are now in a stage where we just want those seats and not worried about the rest," she added.

Another student Karthik, is in a state of confusion. "We are told that the fees for a seat allotted under NEET would also be as much. I am very confused. It would be a little tough," he said.

Parents, however, have a concern of their own. Subhash Shetty, a parent said that for someone from a lower middle class family, it is an exorbitant amount to pay. "When I enquired with the colleges, they had told me that I might have to pay in several lakhs for the management seat. After this hike, it appears that it amounts to the same. So, parents of meritorious students would nearly pay as much as those seeking a management seat."