Many have alleged that college managements are asking students to cough up a ‘fee’ for getting internships in companies.

The All-India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) made internships mandatory recently. While students have welcomed the move, many have alleged that college managements are asking them to cough up a ‘fee’ for getting internships in companies.

Different companies charge varied fees, ranging from ₹3,000 to ₹8,000, say students. While startups charge nominal fees, other firms impose a higher rate. Moreover, students say they are not paid a stipend for the duration of the internship.

The companies prefer to term it ‘training-cum-internship’, where they impart practical knowledge and hands-on experience to students for four weeks. Faculty members point out that though the majority of the fees goes to the company, college managements get a share as well. Increasingly, companies are now coming to college campuses to conduct training. “This defeats the purpose of the internship,” said a student.

A final-year engineering student of RNS Institute of Technology paid ₹5,000 for her internship at a private company in Bengaluru. The training-cum-internship programme was conducted on college premises. “I had to ask my father to pay the fees. We worked on several projects and it was a good learning experience. So, although we had to pay for it, we had no other option if we wanted to work on projects. What I paid was relatively cheap when compared to what other companies were charging,” she said.

Not everyone is happy with the experience. A third-year student of SJB Institute of Technology, who also paid ₹5,000, said her experience was not worth the sum she shelled out. “We did not learn much during the four-week period,” she said.

Students also expressed concern over the lack of transparency in how the internship fee is divided between colleges and companies. A fourth-year student from Dayananda Sagar University said, “Colleges do not encourage us if we find internships on our own. They prefer to set it up for us,” he said.

College managements state that they arrange internships to make it easier for students. “In fact, we provide internships with reputed companies so that they immediately give students offers and recruit them later,” said the placement officer of a city-based engineering college.

Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU) authorities, however, do not agree with this practice. A senior VTU official said that if students are forced to pay for internships, they can complain to the varsity and action would be taken. However, few students are willing to take this course either for fear of missing out on a good opportunity or that it would work against their career.