Mumbai: Over 50% of private unaided professional colleges miss fee proposal deadline

Mumbai: Over 50% of private unaided institutions offering professional courses in the state are yet to submit their fee revision proposals to the Fee Regulatory Authority (FRA), even as the deadline ended on Oct 31. Some of the colleges claimed they were unable to process the proposals due to exams and Diwali vacation.While FRA had given more than one extension in the past, this year, it had decided to stick to the deadline. The last circular reminding the colleges about the deadline was issued on Oct 27, addressing colleges who did not submit their fee revision proposals for the academic year 2026-27. The online link was made available to all colleges since Sept 19. It added that no extensions will be given by the govt.FRA member Dharmendra Mishra said, "Last year, less than 2% colleges applied on time, before the deadline as per law. This year, the numbers have increased, it is a positive sign. There are over 3,000 applications that we receive every year from colleges. This year, 700 have not gone for any upward revision of fees and we have received over 1,000 applications so far seeking a hike". Mishra said the FRA would not want to deprive any stakeholders. "We will decide on the extension of deadline, with or without fine, in due course of time," he added.According to a source, a complaint against the FRA for giving extensions to private institutions to submit their proposals in last year's cycle, prompted the authority to put out multiple warnings this year. However, the delays in seeking proposals does not have any impact on the fee regulation process followed by the authority, said a college principal. This year, traditional colleges offfering courses such as BMS, BBA, and BCA will also be part of the process, as they were brought under the All-India Council of Technical Education and were given professional status. A college principal said the authority has always given an extension in the past.