In a press statement, the institute said it revised the fee after seven years, and the increase for students is Rs 8,900 per semester.
"This has been made to support enhanced student welfare and activities, including increased allocations for hostel-level events, cultural and sports festivals, and Gymkhana-led initiatives beyond just Inter-IIT participation. After the fee increase was announced last month, a group of PG and PhD students requested an open-house meeting seeking clarification on the increased components of the fee," the institute said.
The protests erupted after the authorities allegedly did not keep their word on what was agreed upon over the increased fee structure in an open house session on July 17, led by the director of IIT-G, along with the deans of student affairs, academic affairs, and senior officials of the IIT-G administration.
"An open house discussion was held last week, and the administration said that they are there to listen to us, but it appears that they were there to buy time. Tuesday (July 22) was the day of registration for the July-November semester. However, you cannot register without paying the fee, and the premier institute did not communicate properly on the status of registration because, after the open house, we were promised a revision of the fee," said a PhD scholar on the condition of anonymity.
On Tuesday, when research scholars reached their respective departmental officers, they were allegedly prohibited from registering for the semester, citing non-payment of the semester registration fee. This led to protests, sources added.
Some of the students say they had no option but to pay the amount "imposed" on them. Most of the students are protesting and have refused to pay till the fee hike is rolled back.
"With their research stalled, the students have come out and are protesting in the heat."
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According to sources at IIT Guwahati, the fee for PhD students increased by Rs 10,900 for the July-November semester, from Rs 34,800 in the January-May 2025, and rose to Rs 45,700.
"The incoming students are expected to pay an exorbitant amount of Rs 92,000. Besides, each semester, their total fee with the current revision will be around Rs 57,000 (because of the new tuition fee applied to them). That is 20k more than their stipend," scholars allege.
From Rs 2,500 to Rs 25,000 per semester, the fee for the part-time scholars has also seen a steep rise.
The PhD students also allege that IIT Guwahati does not release HRA (house rent allowance) to scholars, provided by the centre. Additionally, the students are charged a hostel fee.
"This means, IIT-G is pocketing the money twice from us," the scholar said.
What the revised fee structure looks like:
There are stronger allegations that despite IIT Guwahati's annual fest being one of the most revered events in Northeast India, authorities have imposed a Rs 1,300 per student per semester 'fest fee.'
BTech students are expected to join the protests today.
IIT Guwahati has not made any official statement over these allegations and the ongoing protests on the campus at the time of filing this report.
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