The Assam government’s decision to sharply increase MBBS admission and tuition fees in state-run medical colleges has triggered widespread concern among students and parents, particularly those from middle-class and economically weaker families.
Until last year, students pursuing MBBS in government medical colleges paid a government fee of around ₹2,400 annually, while the total amount payable, including institutional charges levied by individual colleges, was approximately ₹24,000 per year. However, under the revised fee structure, the government has introduced income-based categories and substantially increased admission and tuition fees.
Under the new system, students from families with an annual income above ₹9 lakh will have to pay ₹1 lakh as government fees. Those from families earning between ₹4 lakh and ₹9 lakh annually will be required to pay ₹50,000, while students belonging to Below Poverty Line (BPL) families will pay ₹5,000.
In addition to the government fees, students must continue to pay non-government institutional charges determined by individual medical colleges, which generally range between ₹20,000 and ₹25,000. As a result, the total annual cost for many MBBS students is expected to rise significantly.
For students in the highest income category, the total yearly expenditure is now estimated at around ₹1.25 lakh, compared to roughly ₹24,000 earlier. This represents a more than five-fold increase in the overall amount payable. Even for BPL students, the financial burden has increased due to the higher government fee component.
The fee revision comes at a time when Assam has expanded medical education infrastructure, increasing the number of government medical colleges and MBBS seats across the state. While the expansion had raised hopes among aspiring doctors, many students and parents now fear that the steep fee hike could make medical education less affordable, especially for middle-income families who may not qualify for financial assistance schemes.
With 14 government medical colleges offering a combined 1,825 MBBS seats, the revised fee structure is expected to impact thousands of aspiring medical students across Assam. The sharp increase has already sparked debate over the affordability of medical education and the potential effect on deserving students from economically constrained backgrounds.