7 institutes with Center of Excellence status to decide their fees, courses, and admissions independently

Gandhinagar: Seven educational institutes, which have been granted the status of Center of Excellence, will be able to decide their fees due to their exemption from the Gujarat Professional Technical Educational Colleges Act.

The state education department has issued a notification exempting these institutes from the Gujarat Professional Technical Educational Colleges or Institutions Act 2007. The seven institutes, namely DAIICT, Nirma University, PDPU, Marwadi University, CEPT University, Changa University, and Ahmedabad University, will now have the power to determine their fees, courses, and admissions independently.

According to the notification issued by the education department, colleges, institutions, or private universities that receive the status of Center of Excellence in 2023-24 and 2024-25 will also be able to decide fees for listed courses by themselves. However, the institutes will have to conduct admissions as per the admission guidelines and standards of the All India Council for Technical Education, Pharmacy Council of India, and Council of Architecture. They will also have to strictly follow the academic calendar of the respective authority.

Out of the total seats, 33 percent will be considered as government seats, while these institutes will now have 67 percent of the seats instead of 50 percent. They will have to reserve a maximum of 15 percent of the seats for NRIs. The institutes must convey the fees decided by them and any changes in it, to the students prior to admission. They will have to declare that they do not make a profit, do not charge capitation fees, and do not accept donations.

If a student cancels their admission or withdraws from the course, the institutes will have to follow the AICTE and UGC guidelines for fee refunds. The institutes must keep 3 to 5 percent of the amount of the fee collected by them as a scholarship and provide 20 percent of the scholarship to Gujarat-domicile students. Moreover, these institutes must adopt at least three institutes and provide them support with all facilities, mentorship, and development. DeshGujarat