The escalating issue of expenses of education in Madhya Pradesh after it was disclosed that the Admission and Fee Regulatory Committee set fees for an incredible 1,437 institutions in just 14 sessions in 2025. During a single session on May 20, 2025, fees were established for 370 institutions.
Another 293 institutions received approval on June 17, while 244 were authorised on June 15, 224 on June 9, and 178 more on Dec. 10. The writing on the wall is the expense of medical education, especially MBBS, where the statistics are remarkable. For the academic year 2025-26, the lowest annual MBBS fee is set at Rs 9 lakh, with the highest reaching Rs 12.60 lakh.
This translates to a five-year programme potentially costing over Rs 60 lakh in tuition alone, not including hostel fees, textbooks, equipment, and other costs. For countless candidates who pass competitive examinations like NEET after years of hard work, the considerable challenge now appears to be financial viability.
These figures were revealed by Higher Education Minister Inder Singh Parmar in a written response to MLA Pratap Grewal, sparking a political and public discourse over transparency and equity.
Increase in fees over time
The increase becomes even more hefty when examined over time. From 2017-18 to 2025-26, the lowest course fees climbed by 8% to 13%, yet the highest fees skyrocketed by 80% to 120%. In numerous instances, especially for MBA and BE programmes, the top fee in 2025-26 surpasses that of 2024-25 by more than 20%.
All medical education in 6 figures
The sky-high fees are not just for MBBS. Education in Ayurvedic medicine has also crossed into the '6-figure bracket'. MD (Ayurvedic) non-clinical programmes have a baseline annual fee of about Rs 1.91 lakh, reaching as high as Rs 6 lakh.
BAMS courses range from Rs 2.20 lakh to Rs 6 lakh yearly. Dentistry mirrors this trend, with BDS fees varying from Rs 2.60 lakh to Rs 6 lakh each year. In practical terms, training to be a doctor, whether in contemporary or traditional medicine, now necessitates an investment comparable to urban real estate in some areas.
Fee increase in courses out of medical education
For MBA courses, the lowest fee is Rs 40,000, while the highest ascends to Rs 1.90 lakh. For BE and related technical disciplines, the minimum is approximately Rs 42,000 and the maximum approaches Rs 1.44 lakh. Legal studies reflect a similar contrast: LLB programs begin at Rs 23,000 but can escalate to Rs 98,000, while LLM courses fall between Rs 25,000 and Rs 82,500.
The teacher education has experienced a consistent increase. The fees for BEd programs, which were at Rs 82,000 in 2017-18, escalated to over Rs 1.09 lakh in 2020-21, and surpassed Rs 1.19 lakh by 2024-25. Physiotherapy courses, including MPT and BPT, span from Rs 42,000 to Rs 1.44 lakh and Rs 40,000 to Rs 1.90 lakh, respectively. In various sectors, medicine, management, engineering, law, and teacher education, professional education has firmly established itself in the lakhs range.
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