Chennai Medical College Bars Scholarship Student from Exams Over Fee Demand
Chennai: A fourth-year MBBS student at a self-financing medical college in Chennai was recently sent home in tears after the college administration informed her she would not be permitted to sit for her fourth-year examinations. The student, identified as S Vijaya*, faced this distressing situation when her father approached the college for an explanation.
The college administration demanded that he pay the entire tuition fee for the fifth year in advance, along with hostel, food, and miscellaneous fees, before his daughter could write her exams. This demand was made despite the fact that Vijaya is enrolled under the Post-Matric Scholarship (PMS) scheme of the central government, which exempts eligible students from such payments.
Multiple Complaints Filed with Medical Education Director
Several parents in similar situations, whose children study in self-financing colleges under the PMS scheme, have lodged formal complaints with the Director of Medical Education (DME), Dr R Suganthy Rajakumari. When contacted by media, Dr Suganthy confirmed that the complaint had been forwarded to the office of the chairman of the committee on fee fixation for self-financing professional colleges for redressal.
Parents and activists have expressed outrage over the incident. "The fee fixation committee's role is limited to setting fees for colleges. They can only take action if a college collects extra fees. The responsibility to address other violations, like this one, rests squarely with the DME. This type of violation has been occurring for many years," stated M Bharathan, state organiser of Ambedkar Kalvi Nootrandu Iyakam, who assisted in collating and filing the complaint.
Understanding the Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme
According to the PMS scheme guidelines:
- SC/ST students whose parents have an annual income of less than or equal to ₹2.5 lakh are eligible to study without paying tuition fees for 4.5 years in self-financing colleges for MBBS/BDS courses.
- Any tuition fee collected by colleges, as determined by a fee fixation committee, is reimbursed by the government directly to the students' accounts on an annual basis.
To prevent college managements from collecting fees during the final year of study, the fee fixation committee has explicitly ordered that tuition fees should not be collected in the fifth year, as it is an internship period. A record of the committee's meeting minutes, dated August 12, 2025, explicitly warns colleges against collecting such fees.
Financial Strain on Families and College Responses
Pushed to their financial limits, some parents are considering drastic measures, such as selling their land or taking loans from local money-lenders to pay the demanded fees. Media outlets reached out to three prominent colleges mentioned by parents in their complaints:
- Madha Medical College and Research Institute denied the allegations, stating that no student under any circumstance was being barred from attending exams. "We are conducting an internal review to ensure no administrative misunderstandings exist regarding fee structures for these students," the college said.
- Dhanalakshmi Srinivasan Medical College (DSME) management staff declined to share information on record without consent from their legal team.
- Indira Medical College did not respond to inquiries.
The situation highlights ongoing tensions between scholarship students and private medical colleges over fee collection practices, raising concerns about accessibility and fairness in medical education for economically disadvantaged students.
