MBBS Fee Hike for NRI and Management Seats in 21 Tamil Nadu Private Medical Colleges

The fee-fixing committee of Tamil Nadu has announced a hike in MBBS fees for 21 self-financing medical colleges, effective from the academic year 2025–26.

The decision, announced on Monday, comes in response to rising infrastructure and operational costs in medical education. To maintain advanced teaching facilities, recruit better faculty, and ensure access to updated medical equipment, many institutions had cited the need for a fee revision.

No Change for Government Quota Students

According to the revised fee structure released by the Tamil Nadu Directorate of Medical Education, MBBS fees for management quota seats will see a hike of ₹1.5 lakh, bringing it to ₹15 lakh per year. For NRI quota seats, the fee has increased by ₹2.5 lakh, making it ₹27 lakh annually.

However, fees for government quota seats remain unchanged across all self-financing medical colleges.

Meanwhile, students joining state private universities under the NRI quota will now pay ₹30 lakh per year, a ₹60,000 increase. For the management quota in these universities, the revised fee is ₹16.2 lakh per annum.

Full List of Colleges Affected

The revised structure applies to the following 21 self-financing colleges:

1. PSG Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Coimbatore

2. Karpaga Vinayaga Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre, Chengalpattu

3. Karpagam Faculty of Medical Sciences and Research, Coimbatore

4. Annapoorna Medical College and Hospital, Salem

5. Velammal Medical College Hospital and Research

6. Trichy SRM Medical College Hospital and Research Centre

7. Panimalar Medical College Hospital and Research Institute, Chennai

8. Madha Medical College and Hospital, Chennai

9. Sri Muthukumaran Medical College Hospital and Research Institute, Chennai

10. Dhanalakshmi Srinivasan Medical College and Hospital, Perambalur

11. Sree Mookambika Institute of Medical Sciences, Kanyakumari

12. Tagore Medical College and Hospital, Chennai

13. Melmaruvathur Adiparasakthi Institute of Medical Sciences and Research

14. Swamy Vivekananda Medical College Hospital and Research Institute

15. Arunai Medical College and Hospital, Thiruvannamalai

16. St. Peter’s Medical College Hospital and Research Institute, Hosur

17. Indira Medical College and Hospitals, Thiruvallur

18. PSP Medical College Hospital and Research Institute, Kancheepuram

19. KMCH Institute of Health Sciences and Research, Coimbatore

20. Nandha Medical College and Hospital, Erode

21. Annaii Medical College and Hospital, Kancheepuram

Key Guidelines and Changes

The committee, headed by Justice Pongiappan, released an official notification outlining additional rules:

• This fee structure will remain in effect for three academic years: 2025–26, 2026–27, and 2027–28.

• Colleges can collect an additional ₹60,000 as development fees from all students.

• The revised fee does not include hostel, mess, or transport charges, which are optional. Colleges must submit these details in advance to the selection committee before counselling begins.

• All students must be covered under a group insurance scheme.

• No other fees, including capitation or recurring/non-recurring charges, may be collected.

Penalty: The committee also warned that failure to comply with these guidelines may result in a recommendation to the NMC for de-affiliation, and financial penalties will be imposed.

NRI Lapse Category Abolished

In a major move, the committee has also removed the NRI lapse category. Earlier, vacant NRI quota seats were converted into a special category with an annual fee of ₹21.5 lakh. Now, from this year onwards, all unfilled NRI seats will be directly moved to the management quota after the third round of counselling.

Looking Ahead: Need for Oversight

Tamil Nadu currently has an annual intake of 12,050 MBBS seats, with self-financing colleges making up a significant portion. Thousands of medical aspirants choose the state each year for its education quality.

The revised structure aims to bring greater transparency and financial predictability for the students. However, several healthcare professionals have raised concerns about unregulated additional charges, especially during the fifth year of MBBS or in the name of hostel and miscellaneous fees.

Experts have called on the state selection committee to actively monitor these institutions and prevent exploitation of students under the guise of extra costs.

(Rh/Pooja Bansal/MSM/SE)