Deemed medical universities auction seats to highest bidders despite cap on fees

Deemed medical universities auction seats to highest bidders despite cap on fees

TNN | Jan 16, 2021, 04.48 AM IST

MUMBAI: Wanted: NRI candidates. Deemed medical colleges have been hunting for genuine NRI aspirants who will shell out premium rates for seats.

This year for the first time, Government of India has not permitted deemed universities to charge NRI seat fees to Indian students. That has not changed much for these colleges, though, as the cash component or donations have made a comeback this admission season.

This year, when online admissions by the medical counselling committee closed, a total of 2,463 (1,090 MBBS) seats in deemed universities remained vacant, most of them, 764, under the NRI quota. Compare that with 2019 when fewer seats, 1,112, remained untaken.

“Financial constraints have not permitted candidates to opt for the NRI quota. While we allowed colleges to convert their NRI seats to management quota (three times the regular fees) so that students are saved from travelling to various campuses, we did not see that conversion happening,” said an official from the Directorate General of Health Sciences.

Students camping outside deemed universities for the stray (college-level) admission round were told they are “shortlisted”. The final admission result would largely depend on their “financial submission” at 4.45pm on Friday, January 15, the last day for admissions.

Interestingly, vacant seats were allegedly auctioned to highest bidders. “My daughter will take the exam next year now,” said Mulund’s Mrinalini P who applied to every college where the fee was in the range of Rs 15 lakh a year. “At one college, the management told us the total package is Rs 1.16 crore, with Rs 50 lakh cash component,” she alleged. With a score of 475, and a budget of about Rs 70 lakh for the MBBS programme, she held no chance of getting a seat. Similar is the case with OBC candidate Pratik P who scored 505. “Clearly, they gave seats to the ones who quoted the highest rate,” he told TOI. “College officials said the overall package is Rs 1.6 crore. One parent said he quoted Rs 1.05 crore. Someone else offered Rs 1.25 crore,” said a student.

Former DMER head Dr Praveen Shingare said, “There is a dichotomy as state governments are allowing private colleges to charge NRI fees from Indian students. If deemed universities charge merit fees, how will they sustain themselves?”