Strict Fee Regulations in the State: Private Medical Colleges Can No Longer Act Arbitrarily

In an order issued by the Directorate of Medical Education and Research, private medical, dental, nursing, physiotherapy, and paramedical colleges in Haryana are now required to strictly adhere to a prescribed fee structure.

This comes as a major relief for students enrolled in private medical and health education institutions in Haryana. Private medical, dental, nursing, physiotherapy, and paramedical colleges will no longer be permitted to charge fees at their own discretion. The Directorate of Medical Education and Research has issued stringent directives to all such institutions regarding the collection of fees, aimed at preventing the charging of amounts exceeding the prescribed limits from students and their parents.

The order, issued by Director Dhirendra Khadgata, clarifies that these institutions must strictly follow the fee structure mandated by the government. In other words, colleges cannot, on their own accord, charge any student an amount higher than the prescribed fee. Under these new guidelines, institutions must also provide students with a clear breakdown of the charges, specifying the purpose for which each amount is being collected.

Prohibition on Charging Fees Beyond Prescribed Limits

According to the directives, no private institution may collect any amount—under any guise or heading—from a student or their parents that exceeds the prescribed fee. Any demand for additional charges under other categories will also fall under the scope of these regulations. This will directly benefit students enrolling in medical and other health-related courses. Often, at the time of admission, students and parents are presented with various, sometimes unclear, fee components. The new system mandates that institutions charge only the prescribed fees and maintain a transparent record of all such collections.

Mandatory Public Disclosure of Fee Information

The Directorate has instructed all relevant institutions to prominently display full details of the prescribed fees on their official websites and notice boards. This will enable students to verify the official fee structure for their respective courses before proceeding with admission or making any fee payments. Making fee-related information public will enable students and parents to easily verify the amounts requested by an institution. If a student is asked to pay an amount exceeding the prescribed fee, they can cross-check it against the officially available fee structure.

Mandatory issuance of receipts for every payment

The new guidelines also emphasize maintaining records throughout the fee-payment process. Institutions are required to issue a receipt for every fee collected from students. Furthermore, they must maintain comprehensive and organized records of all fee-related transactions. Receiving a receipt provides students with official proof of payment. This system is not limited to medical colleges alone; the scope of these guidelines also extends to private medical, dental, nursing, physiotherapy, and paramedical colleges.