UGC received several complaints against private or self-financing educational institutions who failed to refund fees to students. This action by rule, is a violation of fee refund norms.
The University Grants Commission (UGC), has asked colleges to refund fees to students who have withdrawn or cancelled admission within the end of November. The commission has even cautioned colleges of punitive actions if they violate fee refund regulations.
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It issued a letter to VCs and heads of higher education regulators asking for full refunds of admissions fees. The letter states that colleges need to refund full fees with minimal deductions of not more than INR 1000 for withdrawing admission, within the threshold date, December 31, 2020.
The notice reads: “The Commission has taken a very serious view of such complaints. Most of these complaints have come from the students who have taken admission in private or self-financing universities and deemed to be universities and later opted out for one or the other reasons.”
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In the letter, UGC also mentions, students’ parents might have cancelled admission on account of economic crisis amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Hence, students who submitted cancellation requests by November 30, 2020, are required to be fully refunded as a special case.
It further adds, “The entire fees including all charges be refunded in totality (zero cancellation charges) on account of cancellation/ migration up to 30.11.2020.”
However, students who submitted cancellation or withdrawal requests between December 1-30, 2020, will be refunded with nominal deductions below INR 1000. UGC has issued the letter after receiving several complaints from students as colleges refused to refund their fees after they cancelled or withdrew admission.
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