The National Medical Commission (NMC) has issued a directive to all medical colleges under its jurisdiction, asking them to charge MBBS students fees only for the prescribed academic duration of four and a half years. The Commission has warned that any violation of this instruction will attract strict action under existing laws and regulations.
The Commission noted that some medical colleges and universities have been charging students for the entire duration of five years or five and a half years. According to the NMC, such practices go beyond the approved academic period of the MBBS course.
"It has been brought to the notice of the National Medical Commission (NMC) that certain Medical Colleges / Institutions / Universities, under the purview of NMC, are charging fees for the entire duration of five (5) years or five and a half (5½) years from the MBBS students. Such practices are not consistent with the prescribed academic structure of the MBBS programme and result in charging fees for periods which do not constitute academic teaching," the notice read.
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The Commission referred to provisions under the National Medical Commission Act, 2019, along with the Competency Based Medical Education (CBME) Guidelines, 2024 framed under the Graduate Medical Education Regulations (GMER).
It stated that the MBBS course consists of 4½ years (54 months) of academic study, followed by one year of compulsory rotating internship (CRMI). The internship period is not part of the academic teaching duration for which fees should be charged.
The Commission also cited interim directions issued by the Supreme Court of India in the case of Abhishek Yadav v. Union of India, where issues such as non-payment of stipends and charging fees during internships were examined.
Further, it referred to earlier rulings in cases including T.M.A. Pai Foundation v. State of Karnataka, Islamic Academy of Education v. State of Karnataka, and P. A. Inamdar v. State of Maharashtra. These judgments emphasised that fee structures must be reasonable, transparent, non-exploitative, and aligned with the academic services provided.
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"Accordingly, levy of fees for periods beyond the prescribed academic study duration, where no corresponding academic instruction is imparted, would be inconsistent with the aforesaid principles," the Commission said in the notice.
Following these observations, the Commission has instructed all medical colleges, institutions, and universities to strictly limit fee collection to the 4½-year academic period of the MBBS programme.
"All Medical Colleges / Institutions / Universities are hereby directed to strictly comply with the statutory provisions contained in National Medical Commission Act 2019, applicable Regulations and Judgements passed by the Hon'ble Courts. Any instance of non-compliance shall be viewed seriously and appropriate action initiated by the Commission, as per the extant statutory & regulatory provisions," the notice further added.
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The NMC has made it clear that any failure to follow this directive will be treated seriously, and action will be taken in accordance with existing statutory and regulatory provisions.
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