Calcutta University Tightens Rules to Eliminate Hidden Admission Charges

In an effort to curb undisclosed or inflated admission costs, Calcutta University (CU) has decided to make it compulsory for all its affiliated colleges to share a complete breakdown of their fees. These details must be submitted to the university and displayed on each college’s official website before the admission process begins.

Initially, this directive will apply to the 14 law colleges under CU, which are set to start their long-delayed admissions early next month. University officials have stated that the same rule will be implemented for other affiliated colleges from the following admission session. For government-funded colleges, the prescribed fee structure is already in place, and no institution is permitted to exceed it. The new rule ensures that even privately managed CU colleges cannot impose any additional or hidden charges for undergraduate or postgraduate courses.

The move follows the discovery of financial irregularities that came to light after the July incident at a south Kolkata law college. Investigations revealed that some colleges were collecting extra money under vague categories such as “miscellaneous” or “union” fees, sparking concerns that these funds might have been diverted for unofficial campus activities.

During a recent meeting with law college principals, CU directed all institutions to make the total cost of admission completely transparent to students. Colleges have been asked to clearly specify each component of their fee structure and to avoid collecting lump-sum payments beyond the approved amounts. Private institutions, in particular, were told to charge only the first-semester fee and the admission fee at the time of enrollment, following complaints that some had been demanding payment for multiple semesters in advance.

Acting Vice-Chancellor Santa Datta De explained that CU will directly supervise the entire law admission process. If a student decides to transfer to another college, the initial institution will be required to refund the admission fee through the university’s system.

CU has also introduced a one-time seat-booking fee, which will remain valid even if a student shifts to another college during the admission process.

According to university officials, these reforms aim to ensure financial transparency and protect students from being overcharged—a problem that had persisted for years due to inadequate monitoring of private law colleges.