SMSIMSR’s decision to charge ₹22 lakh fee for private quota medical seats comes as a shock to students

Sri Madhusudan Sai Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Muddenahalli, Chickballapur district, has been allotted 50 medical seats. 
| Photo Credit: File Photo

Sri Madhusudan Sai Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (SMSIMSR), Muddenahalli, Chickballapur district, which did not charge any fee for government and private quota medical seats last year, is extending the offer only for government quota seats (40%) this year. For the private quota seats (40%), an annual fees of ₹22 lakh is being been charged.

Unable to pay the fees for private quota seats, 15 students have surrendered their seats to the Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA). While only eight students were admitted to the institution in the first round of seat allotment, nine have decided to participate in the second round of allotment.

The National Medical Commission (NMC) has allotted 50 medical seats for the SMSIMSR, which started in 2023-24 — 40% government quota (20 seats), 40% private quota (20 seats), 15% Non-Residential Indian quota (seven seats), and 5% management quota (three seats).

Last time, the SMSIMSR charged zero fees for those who got seats under government and private quotas with certain conditions. For the management and NRI quota seats, a fee of ₹40 lakh was charged.

However, this year the SMSIMSR has decided to charge no fee only for government quota seats and a proposal was submitted to the State government by fixing an annual fee of ₹25 lakh for private quota seats. The government, however, fixed a fee of ₹22 lakh for private quota seats. Management and NRI quota seats will cost ₹40 lakh.

Medical colleges should enter the fee structure in the KEA portal before students enter their options. However, the SMSIMSR was not allowed to enter the fee structure in the portal as it did not get permission from the government to fix the fee for private quota seats. In this regard, the college management wrote to the KEA on August 19, 2024, requesting permission to enter the fee structure.

Meanwhile, the KEA allowed option entry for the first round of seat allotment from August 20. At this time, for the students who chose the SMSIMSR, only ₹750 fee was mentioned on the portal for private and government quota seats. Hundreds of students opted for it.

The SMSIMSR submitted a proposal to the government on August 21 seeking permission to offer medical education under the special free reservation for 2024-25 and charging ₹25 lakh fee for private quota seats. After scrutinising this proposal, the government issued an order on August 26 fixing the fee for government quota seats as zero, ₹22 lakh for private quota seats, and ₹40 lakh for management quota and NRI quota seats per annum.

Shock for students

When the KEA announced the results of the first round of seat allotment on August 30, students who had secured seats under the private quota in the SMSIMSR were in for a shock.

“I studied in Kannada medium in a government PU college, scored 97% in II PU and got a good score in NEET as well. Being economically and socially backward, we chose the SMSIMSR to get free medical education but I got a seat under the private quota. A fee of ₹750 was shown during the option entry. However, when the seat was finally allotted, it showed that we had to pay ₹22 lakh. I opted for the second round of seat allotment and the seat has been allotted in the same college in the provisional list of this round as well,” lamented Tanvi from Kundapur.

Prasanna H., Executive Director of the KEA, said, “Some students have complained about the confusion regarding the fees for private quota seats in the SMSIMSR. This will be discussed with the government. However, such problems can be avoided if students choose their preferred course and college carefully during the option entry.”