Gujarat Govt reverses fee hike for undergraduate medical courses, following widespread protests

In response to widespread protests by students, parents' associations, the Indian Medical Association (IMA), and political opposition, the Gujarat government has decided to reverse the recent fee hike implemented by the Gujarat Medical Education and Research Society (GMERS) for undergraduate medical courses.

The new fee structure significantly lowers the annual costs for both government and management quota seats. According to the latest notification, the fee for government quota seats will now be Rs 3.75 lakh, while the fee for management quota seats will be Rs 12 lakh.

On June 28, GMERS announced a steep hike in annual fees for undergraduate medical courses across all 13 state colleges. This increase affected state and all-India quota seats, raising fees from Rs 3.3 lakh to Rs 5.5 lakh annually—a 66% increase. For management quota seats, fees surged by 87%, going from Rs 9.075 lakh to Rs 17 lakh. Additionally, the yearly fees for NRI quota seats rose by 13%, from $22,000 to $25,000.

The initial fee hike by GMERS had sparked widespread protests and discontent among students and their families, who argued that the steep increase was unjust and would make medical education unaffordable for many.

The recent decision to lower the fees has been welcomed by various student organizations.