IIT-Bombay may double fees from next year

The Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, plans to double its fees for the next academic year now that the government has given a nod for fee hikes in India's premier technology institutes.

"We have not received any official communication from the government as of now. Once we get it, the fees would be doubled. But for those who cannot afford this fee, we would have scholarships and bank loans in place. I don't think this hike would be effective this year as the academic year starts in June, but maybe next academic year," said Ashok Mishra, Director of IIT Bombay.

The fees at IITs are currently Rs 25,000 per annum. IITs spend nearly Rs 2 lakh per student. "Fees amount to just 4-5 per cent of our revenues at present and will go up to around 8 per cent after the hike," clarified Mishra.

IIT Bombay is gearing up its infrastructure — in terms of classrooms, hostel rooms, etc. — to accommodate the 9 per cent quota from other backward classes in the coming year.

It will increase the quota numbers by 9 per cent every year. "We will start with 9 per cent, move to 18 and reach 27 per cent in the third year," added Mishra.

Meanwhile, as a part of its initiative to take the IIT curriculum to as many students and industry professionals, IIT-B is increasing its distance-learning focus.

The institute has already tied up with the Indian Space Research Organisation and connected to 100 colleges and is planning to expand this further. It has also extended its Continuing Education Programme to Gujarat through its satellite campus. The extension centre in Gujarat offers 12 short courses.

The institute plans to take CEP into the international market as well. IIT-B may take the programme, already available in Dubai, to Singapore as well.

"We might take this to Singapore. It all depends on how much time the faculty has for such initiatives. But we can clearly double the revenues from CEP in the next 2-3 years if we are able to take it to more countries," Mishra said. The CEP contributed Rs 4-5 crore to revenues this year.

Mishra said that 200 students would be awarded the doctorate at the upcoming convocation, which is a record by itself.

"The high number is because we have increased the enrolments. We have almost doubled the number of enrolments from 650 in 2001," Mishra said.

He disclosed that many of these doctorate students have already been accepted by the industry.