Maharashtra’s Fee Regulating Authority (FRA) could soon set upper limits on fees for private college NRI and management quota admissions, aiming for transparency and fairness.
The Fee Regulating Authority (FRA) of Maharashtra is considering a move that could soon bring clarity and financial relief to thousands of students. The regulatory body is likely to introduce an upper limit for fees charged to students admitted through the NRI and management quota in private unaided professional colleges offering courses like engineering, MBA, pharmacy, law, BEd, and more, reported daijiworld.com.
At present, the FRA only regulates NRI and management quota fees in medical, dental, and allied health sciences colleges. There, institutions can charge up to three times the standard fee for management seats and up to five times for NRI seats. This structure also allows surplus income from these quotas to subsidize merit-based student fees.
For other professional streams, no such fee cap currently exists, which has led to widely varying and often unpredictable fee structures. A government official confirmed that the FRA has been asked to explore adopting a similar framework for engineering, management, pharmacy, and other technical courses, though the matter has yet to reach formal discussion.
The proposal, if approved, would close a regulatory gap that currently allows private colleges to charge unregulated fees for NRI and management quota seats outside the medical stream, bringing other professional courses in line with existing medical education fee norms
Interestingly, despite the lack of regulation, many colleges do not exploit the loophole. A senior FRA official noted that many institutions, driven by market forces, avoid charging excessive fees, as inflated costs often deter prospective students. An engineering college principal explained that although NRI quota seats must be approved annually by AICTE, even with permission to charge higher fees, most colleges stick to realistic rates to maintain enrolment.
Typically, about 5% of the 20% institutional quota is earmarked for NRI students, depending on the college’s infrastructure and amenities, like hostel facilities. In some cases, colleges also apply for supernumerary seats if they meet specific infrastructure requirements.
Since the Maharashtra Unaided Private Professional Education Institutions (Regulation of Admissions and Fees) Act, 2015, came into force, no formal policy has addressed fee caps for non-medical professional courses. Students, parents, and educational institutions alike are now closely watching the FRA’s next move, hoping for a more standardized and student-friendly fee structure in the coming academic years.
