IIMs may hike fees for flagship courses

Long accused of providing subsidised education for landing top corporate jobs, at least three Indian Institute of Managements - Ahmedabad, Bangalore and Lucknow - are contemplating a 15-20 per cent fee hike for their flagship courses.

The board of IIM Ahmedabad is meeting on April 2 to discuss the proposed hike in fees for its post-graduate diploma course, among other things. "It is on the agenda. A decision will be taken in the meeting," institute officials said.

If it happens, the revision will come after a gap of three years. "If we factor in 5 per cent inflation for three years, the increase in cost will be 17 per cent," a member of the IIM-Ahmedabad faculty explained.

Meanwhile, IIM-Lucknow is mulling a 15 per cent fee hike, IIM-Bangalore, too, is revising its fee structure.

"The director has made a statement saying that despite opposition from some board members, the institute is going in for a fee hike," an IIM-Bangalore official said. The fee is likely to be raised by Rs 25,000 from Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 1.75 per year.

During the April 2 meeting, the IIM-Ahmedabad board is also expected to discuss ways to augment its research activities, which will help it leapfrog into the ranks of top 20-30 global business schools. The government's plan to raise reservation from 22.5 per cent to a maximum 49.5 per cent in IIMs may also be discussed at the meeting.