Mumbai: The Fee Regulating Authority (FRA) has allowed fee revisions in at least eight private medical colleges in the state after the institutes sought a review of the fees fixed earlier for the ongoing academic session. The revised fee hike has been allowed from Rs 50,000 to up to Rs 4.5 lakh.Several private medical colleges in Maharashtra had decided not to increase MBBS and postgraduate medical fees for the academic year, bringing some relief to students.However, the latest development, as reported by TOI, shows that a few institutes later approached the FRA seeking a review of the fees fixed for them. After examining documents submitted by the colleges, the authority approved limited fee hikes in some cases.Among the eight medical colleges, Vedantaa Institute of Medical Sciences in Palghar proposed an annual fee of Rs 22 lakh in its submission to the FRA for its MD/MS programmes. The authority first fixed the fee at Rs 13.11 lakh for the 2025-26 academic year. After the college sought a review, the fee was revised to Rs 17.62 lakh based on an empowered group’s recommendation.Also read- Overcharging Complaints! Maha FRA to Conduct Surprise Inspections at Private Medical CollegesAs per a TOI media report, Smt Kashibai Navale Medical College also filed for a review and received approval for a fee revision. According to the FRA official, the institute argued that the number of staff members considered while fixing the fees was lower than the actual strength. After reviewing the documents, the authority allowed a hike of about Rs 1.4 lakh.With the revision, the annual MBBS fee at the college increased from Rs 10.94 lakh to Rs 12.34 lakh, while the MD/MS fee was revised from Rs 12.95 lakh to Rs 14.23 lakh. In its original proposal, however, the institute had demanded much higher fees, Rs 22 lakh for MBBS and over Rs 25 lakh for postgraduate programmes.Apart from these two colleges, six other institutes also obtained fee revisions after submitting additional documents. These include Dr NY Tasgaonkar Institute of Medical Science in Karjat, Parbhani Medical College, ACPM Medical College in Dhule, NKP Salve Medical College in Nagpur, and SMBT Institute of Medical Sciences in Igatpuri.Dr NY Tasgaonkar Institute had sought a fee of Rs 20 lakh, but the FRA had fixed it at Rs 6.21 lakh. Following the review, the fee was revised to Rs 7.65 lakh. In the remaining colleges, the fee has been revised to Rs 1 lakh.Parent representative Sudha Shenoy called the whole admission process flawed. She said, “The state govt should ensure that the fees are mentioned next to the college’s name on the CET cell’s portal when students fill their choices. And FRA should fix the final fees much before admissions start as many colleges seek extra money in the name of review.”Regarding the fee hike at Vedantaa Institute of Medical Sciences, an FRA official said, “There was a govt order issued when the institute was established under the Companies Act, which we had to follow in this case. It also claimed its admissions were delayed in a particular year, due to which expenses were carried forward to the following year’s accounts. Based on this, the revised fee was allowed, although it is still lower than the fee for the previous academic session, which was around Rs 18 lakh.”Also read- Not More than Rs 50,000 as Caution Money for MBBS: FRA Warns Private Medical Colleges over Exploitative Fees