The steady and steep increase in engineering college fees has been a cause for concern in recent years. However, the skewed demand-supply equation in this sector has forced many private colleges to reduce their annual fee, some charging as low as Rs. 35,000.

While the Government allows private colleges to charge up to Rs. 1.25 lakh a year for a private quota seat (accounting for 55 per cent of total seats), several colleges have voluntarily lowered their fee in order to attract more students.

Barring around 50 colleges — of a total of around 180 private colleges in the State — that are able to command Rs. 1.25 lakh a year for all their courses, all other colleges have significantly lowered their fee.

A review of the fee structure notified by Consortium of Medical, Engineering and Dental Colleges of Karnataka (COMED-K), which commences admissions on July 26, reveals that a majority of colleges have slashed their fee by 50 to 60 per cent. The average fee in a college outside Bangalore hovers around Rs. 60,000 to Rs. 80,000.

Not so attractive

The Bangalore tag too seems to have lost its sheen; several Bangalore-based colleges are charging around Rs. 75,000 for their courses. This is because a large number of engineering seats have found no takers in recent years. Unfilled seats rose from around 9,000 in 2009 to 15,000 last year, resulting in at least 21 colleges this year handing over all private quota seats to the government quota at a subsidised fee of Rs. 30,000 to Rs. 35,000.

COMED-K sources say that last year no less than 30 colleges had zero admissions in the private quota.

Few takers

Even in the bigger colleges, there is less demand for courses such as Information Science, says an education consultant.

Just five years ago, touts made between Rs. 2.5 lakh to Rs. 4 lakh per seat. “Today, nobody will pay Rs. 4 lakh for a seat unless it is in the top five colleges,” he adds.