NMC orders refund of excess fees allegedly collected from MBBS students in Kerala

New Delhi: Despite strictly directing all medical colleges to charge fees only for the prescribed academic duration of four-and-a-half years, the National Medical Commission (NMC) received a complaint that MBBS students in Kerala were allegedly made to pay an extra six-month fee by medical colleges.

Taking note of the complaint, the Commission has directed the Kerala Directorate of Medical Education to take immediate steps to refund the excess fees allegedly collected from MBBS students in the state.

In an official letter on June 6, 2026, the Undergraduate Medical Education Board (UGMEB) of the NMC referred to complaints received from parents and students regarding the collection of illegal fees by medical colleges in Kerala.

The letter, accessed by the Medical Dialogues team, mentioned that the complaint was submitted through an email dated April 28, 2026, by Rajesh Aravind, General Secretary of the Combined Association of Medicos & Parents, Kozhikode, on behalf of Parents and students of the medical colleges in Kerala.

It was alleged that several medical colleges in the state collected fees for an extra six months from MBBS students, reportedly in violation of provisions under the NMC Act, 2019. He urged the NMC to take action against the colleges and direct them to refund the excess amount collected from students.

As a result, the NMC has instructed the Director of Medical Education, Kerala, to ensure refund of the excess fees in line with the NMC Public Notice issued on April 7, 2026.

The Commission also asked the state authorities to submit a compliance report at the earliest for review by the competent authority in the NMC.

On April 7, 2026, NMC issued a notice after noting that certain medical colleges under its purview are charging fees for the entire duration of five years or five and a half years from the MBBS students. As a result, it directed all medical colleges to charge fees only for the prescribed academic duration of four and a half years.

The Commission 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. It also said that such practices are not consistent with the prescribed academic structure of the MBBS programme and result in charging fees for periods that do not constitute academic teaching.

Drawing the attention of the medical colleges, institutions and universities to Section 10 and Section 24 of the National Medical Commission Act, 2019 and the Competency Based Medical Education (CBME) Guidelines, 2024 framed under the Graduate Medical Education Regulations (GMER), the Commission stated that these provisions clearly state that the duration of the MBBS course comprises 4½ years (54 months) of academic study, followed by one (01) year of compulsory rotating internship (CRMI).

The Commission had referred to the interim directions issued by the Supreme Court of India in the case of Abhishek Yadav v. Union of India, where concerns such as non-payment of stipends and the imposition of internship-related charges or fees were examined and taken seriously.

Also read- NMC directs medical colleges to charge MBBS fees only for 4.5 years, warns against non-compliance