Refund full fee if admission is cancelled, UGC tells colleges

Chennai

In its latest norms, the Commission said fees should be refunded in full on account of all cancellation of admission and migration of students for this academic session as a special case in order to avoid financial hardship faced by the parents due to lockdown and related factors.

The move to issue fresh guidelines came against the backdrop of several references in the form of RTI applications, through public grievances and court cases in respect of non-refund of fee by the universities and institutions in violation of the rules.

“The Commission has taken a very serious view of such complaints. Most of these complaints have come from the students who have taken admission in private or self-financing universities and deemed to be universities and later opted out for one or the other reasons,” the UGC notice said.

Reiterating that the guidelines should be followed mandatorily by all the universities in letter and spirit, the commission said any institution or university found violating them and refusing to refund the fee by giving its own interpretation of the guidelines would face punitive actions as notified in clause 5 of the UGC notification on refund of fees and non-retention of original certificate issued in October 2008.

The UGC also asked the institutions to ensure the compliance its directions in respect of refund of fee in accordance with the guidelines on academic calendar for the first year of under-graduate and post-graduate students of the universities for the Session 2020-21 in view of COVID-19 pandemic.