Medical Colleges Can Charge MBBS Fees Only For 4.5 Years, Says NMC

NEW DELHI: The National Medical Commission (NMC) has directed all medical colleges, institutions and universities to charge MBBS fees only for the prescribed academic duration of four-and-a-half years, and not for the entire five or five-and-a-half-year course period.

The NMC said it has received multiple complaints that some medical institutions are collecting fees from students for the full duration of the MBBS programme, including the compulsory internship period.

Such practices are not aligned with the academic structure of the course and lead to students being charged for periods that do not involve formal teaching, said the NMC.

As per the prescribed norms, the MBBS programme consists of 4.5 years, or 54 months, of academic study. This is followed by a one-year compulsory rotating medical internship (CRMI), which is a mandatory training phase but does not fall under the academic teaching period.

The NMC said that fees must be limited strictly to the academic component of the course.

It noted that charging fees beyond the defined academic duration amounts to collecting money without providing corresponding educational instruction.

It underlined that fee structures must be reasonable, transparent, and proportionate to the facilities and teaching services actually provided to students.

“Levy of fees for periods beyond the prescribed academic study duration, where no corresponding academic instruction is imparted, would be inconsistent,” said an official notification.

To view the detailed official notification, click here.

In its notice, the NMC has instructed medical colleges and universities to strictly comply with these guidelines and ensure that students are not overcharged.

Any non-compliance in this regard will be viewed seriously. Appropriate action will be taken against institutions that fail to follow the directions, in accordance with existing statutory and regulatory provisions, the NMC said.