GUWAHATI: Gauhati University has issued a clarification regarding concerns raised over the revised fee structure linked to the implementation of the Four-Year Undergraduate Programme (FYUGP), stating that reports of a “four-fold” increase in fees are misleading and not based on facts.
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In an official statement, the university said the allegation made by the Assam College Principals’ Council (ACPC) does not accurately reflect the regulatory framework and rationale behind the revised fee structure introduced under the FYUGP system.
According to the university, the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) notified for implementation of the fourth year under FYUGP includes a one-time permission fee for the newly introduced academic year. The university clarified that this provision follows the same regulatory principles that have been in force since 2018.
Officials stated that under the fee structure introduced in 2018, every new college had to pay separate one-time permission fees for starting the first, second, and third years of a programme. Following the same principle, a similar fee has now been applied for the fourth year introduced under the FYUGP framework.
The university maintained that since the fourth year is a newly added academic component applicable to all affiliated colleges, the one-time permission fee became necessary within the existing regulatory structure. It also clarified that the fee should not be viewed as an arbitrary hike, but rather as a continuation of existing norms applicable to new courses and programme expansions.
Gauhati University further clarified that colleges are not required to pay any additional affiliation fee for introducing the fourth year under FYUGP. It stated that affiliation fees are programme-specific and are not determined by the number of years or semesters in a course. Therefore, extending a programme from three years to four years does not attract any separate affiliation charge.
The university also pointed out that the revision of affiliation and permission fees has been undertaken after a gap of seven years, with the previous revision having been made in 2018. The revised structure, it said, was implemented following recommendations made by the university’s Finance Committee, a statutory body.
As per the university, the increase in affiliation and permission fees is only around 15 percent over the past seven years and has been introduced keeping in mind growing administrative and academic requirements.
Reaffirming its commitment to the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, Gauhati University said it would continue to work closely with affiliated colleges to ensure academic quality, transparency, and institutional development in Assam’s higher education sector.