The NEET UG counselling for 2025 is about to begin, raising concerns for students seeking MBBS seats in deemed universities. The Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) will manage the admission process, but students must prepare for significantly increased fees.
Many deemed universities have raised their annual fees, some by as much as ₹8 lakh. The highest annual fee now stands at ₹30.5 lakh, which totals more than ₹1.5 crore over the course of the 4.5-year MBBS programme. This marks a significant jump from previous years. In 2022-23, only 16 deemed medical colleges had total MBBS fees exceeding ₹1 crore. Now, that number has doubled to 32 colleges, making up over half of all deemed universities in India.
The data comes from a study by Careers360 and Muzaffar Khan, a medical education counsellor. The review focused on the 2025-26 academic year and included 54 private medical colleges. It only considered tuition and annual fees for regular management seats, excluding one-time admission costs and other expenses like hostel, mess, and transport fees.
The high fees charged by private deemed universities have drawn criticism. Unlike government colleges, these institutions operate with minimal oversight, leading to inflated costs. For instance, Tamil Nadu has set fixed MBBS fees at ₹4.5 lakh for general seats and ₹15 lakh for management quota seats, significantly lower than those of deemed universities.
The parliamentary health panel has expressed concerns about the rising costs and has recommended a 50% reduction in fees. According to the analysis, 36 out of the 54 deemed universities have increased their fees for the upcoming academic year, while 18 have kept fees the same as last year.
Among the institutions with the highest fees is Sree Balaji Medical College in Chennai, which has increased its fees to ₹30.5 lakh. This college has now outpaced the Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education, which has kept its fees at ₹30 lakh. Other high-fee institutions include Bharati Vidyapeeth Medical College in Pune, charging ₹28.6 lakh, and DY Patil medical colleges in Pune and Navi Mumbai, charging ₹27 lakh.
Conversely, some colleges have chosen not to increase their fees. Kalinga Institute of Medical Sciences in Bhubaneswar continues to charge ₹18.5 lakh annually, while Hamdard Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi has maintained its fees despite a previous increase.
Khan has called for government intervention in regulating fees at deemed universities, stating, “There seems to be no respite from the fee hike. While the government had earlier talked about bringing down the fees for half of the private college seats to the level of government institutes, nothing has happened.”
In 2022, the National Medical Commission (NMC) proposed capping fees for at least 50% of seats in private and deemed universities at the level charged by government medical colleges. However, this plan has not been implemented. Khan emphasised the need for fee regulation, suggesting that many students are unable to afford the rising costs of medical education.
As the NEET UG 2025 counselling approaches, students must be prepared. Registration starts on July 21 at the official MCC website. It’s crucial for candidates to gather all necessary documents and stay informed about the counselling process and seat matrix.
In summary, the rising costs of MBBS education in deemed universities are alarming. Students must be aware of these changes as they navigate the counselling process. The need for regulatory measures is urgent to ensure that medical education remains accessible to all aspiring doctors.