GUWAHATI: Gauhati University has clarified that there has been no fee hike in its Five-Year Integrated Master’s Programme (FYIMP), dismissing some recent media reports as “factually incorrect.”
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The university stated that the FYIMP was introduced in May 2023 as part of the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. The programme was formally launched in the presence of the Chief Minister and Education Minister of Assam.
According to the university administration, the FYIMP was designed to provide students with a seamless academic pathway from undergraduate to postgraduate studies under the multidisciplinary framework of NEP 2020. One of the major features of the programme is that students enrolled in it can directly continue to the Master’s level without appearing for a separate entrance examination.
The university said the programme was introduced with a self-financing fee structure as it required the creation of additional academic and infrastructure facilities for undergraduate teaching under the NEP framework. It added that no separate grants, infrastructure support, or additional manpower were provided for launching the programme.
To accommodate FYIMP students, the university converted an unused hostel into classrooms using internal resources soon after the current Vice-Chancellor assumed office. It also informed that two additional floors have been completed in the existing NEP Coordination Centre building and will be operational from the upcoming academic session. Besides this, a new academic block is currently under construction to meet future space requirements for undergraduate programmes.
The university emphasised that these infrastructure projects are being developed using its own resources and that the costs are not being transferred to students.
Clarifying the fee structure, the university stated that during the 2023–24 academic session, semester fees for FYIMP were fixed at Rs. 16,500 for Science stream subjects and Rs. 14,500 for Arts stream subjects. It further pointed out that the fees remain comparatively lower than those charged by several other universities in Assam offering similar programmes.
Despite describing the programme as self-financing, the university said the collected fees cover only a fraction of the actual expenditure. However, in an effort to reduce the financial burden on students and their families, the university reduced fees by Rs. 2,000 from the 2025–26 academic session onwards for even and subsequent semesters.
The university also announced that eligible students from Below Poverty Line (BPL) families enrolled in FYIMP will now receive fee waiver benefits from the current semester onwards.
At the same time, the university cautioned that any further reduction in fees could strain its already limited internal resources and potentially affect the continuation of some FYIMP programmes.
The university also clarified that from the seventh semester onwards, FYIMP students will be treated at par with regular postgraduate students and the fee structure applicable to postgraduate programmes will apply.
Reaffirming its commitment to quality higher education, Gauhati University said it remains dedicated to the objectives of NEP 2020 while ensuring affordability, inclusiveness, academic excellence, and student welfare.
The university further urged the public and media organisations to verify facts with the university administration before circulating information related to the programme.