Telangana engineering colleges levy illegal fees

HYDERABAD: Private engineering colleges in Telangana are allegedly collecting additional fees from students admitted under the convenor quota despite a government order prohibiting such charges for the current three-year fee cycle.

College managements are reportedly demanding ₹20,000 to ₹50,000 from each student over and above the tuition fee approved by the Telangana Admission and Fee Regulatory Committee (TAFRC). Estimates suggest that private colleges may have collected more than ₹200 crore through these additional charges this academic year.

Government order ignored despite fee restrictions

The state has 176 engineering colleges with around 1.25 lakh seats, including 157 private institutions. Nearly 90,000 seats fall under the convenor quota.

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TAFRC fixed tuition fees for the 2025–26, 2026–27 and 2027–28 academic years. Fees remained unchanged in 70 colleges, were reduced in 19 colleges, and increased marginally in 63 colleges.

According to the report, private college managements were dissatisfied with the revised fee structure. Although some institutions approached the courts, they reportedly did not receive significant relief. They are now alleged to be recovering the difference directly from students during admissions.

Several colleges are said to be collecting the money only in cash and are not issuing receipts, making the transactions difficult to trace.

Charges collected under multiple heads

TAFRC determines tuition fees after considering expenditure on laboratories, libraries, training, placements and other student facilities. Colleges also submit these costs while seeking fee revisions.

Despite this, several institutions are allegedly collecting additional amounts separately under heads such as:

Admission fee
Library fee
Laboratory fee
Career development charges
Training and placement fee
Uniform charges
College development fee
JNTU fee
National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) and National Board of Accreditation (NBA)-related charges
Special fees

An example cited in the report shows a college demanding nearly ₹49,900 as additional charges, including ₹18,000 towards career development, ₹14,000 for uniforms and ₹13,400 as admission and special fees.

The report states that these expenses are already factored into the tuition fee approved by TAFRC and that collecting them separately places an additional financial burden on parents.

Cash collections keep transactions off the record

According to the report, many colleges are refusing online payments and cheques, insisting on cash payments instead. While a few institutions accept a small portion online, most of the money is allegedly collected in cash without proper receipts.

Around 75,000 convenor quota seats have reportedly been filled in private engineering colleges so far. Based on an estimated additional collection of ₹20,000 to ₹50,000 per student, the total unauthorised collections are estimated at around ₹200 crore this year.