Tamil Nadu seeks NMC, UGC action against private medical college over alleged additional fee
Chennai: The Tamil Nadu Government has urged the National Medical Commission (NMC) and the University Grants Commission (UGC) to take action against a private medical college for allegedly collecting additional fees from students and blocking the attendance website of MBBS students for non-payment of fees, in violation of the NMC norms.
The State wrote to the NMC after receiving a complaint from MBBS students of the 2022 batch, enrolled at Saveetha Medical College, and their parents in this regard. Allegedly, the college administration is demanding Rs 24.75 lakh tuition fees for the entire year from these students, who are in their final year of study.
Highlighting this, the State wrote a letter to the Apex Medical Commission on Wednesday and requested the Commission to reopen the student attendance website to ensure that no student is denied attendance, internship, or eligibility to appear in the examinations for non-payment of the additional fee.
Further, the State has also sought an order for refunding or adjusting the excess amount collected from the students. NMC has also been urged to ensure that no student or parent is affected for filing a complaint or taking part in the investigation.
Also Read: MBBS fees only for 4.5 years: TN DME reiterates NMC directive to medical colleges
According to a TNIE report, a press release from the Health Department quoting Health Minister KG Arunraj mentioned that since Saveetha Medical College is a part of a deemed-to-be university, it falls outside the purview of the State Tuition Fee Fixation Committee.
The release further mentioned that the MBBS students of the 2022 batch, who are currently in their final year, along with their parents, have complained that the college administration is demanding Rs 24.75 lakh as tuition fees for the entire year, and the college has allegedly disabled the attendance registration website (VStudy) for the students who have not paid the fees.
It has reportedly been revealed in the investigation that the college did not follow the guidelines of the NMC in charging the tuition fees from the students. Further, it came to light that access to the attendance website for students who have not paid the tuition fee for the full year has been suspended since September 30.
Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that, taking cognisance of instances where certain medical colleges are charging fees for the entire duration of five years or five and a half years from MBBS students, the National Medical Commission (NMC) had strictly directed all medical colleges to charge fees only for the prescribed academic duration of four and a half years.
Issuing a public notice in this regard on April 7, 2026, the Commission had stated that any instance of non-compliance with the directive will be viewed seriously, and appropriate action will be taken as per existing statutory and regulatory provisions.
Consequently, the Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DME), Tamil Nadu, circulated the NMC's clarification directing the medical colleges and universities not to charge MBBS course fees for 5.5 years.
Sharing the NMC's public notice with medical institutions in the State, the DME informed stakeholders that MBBS fees should be collected only for the prescribed academic duration of 4.5 years, which involves academic teaching and not for the one-year Compulsory Rotating Medical Internship (CRMI).
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