IIT Council Increases M.Tech Course Fees to Rs. 2 Lakh Per Year

The premier engineering colleges of India, i.e. IITs have decided to increase the M.Tech course fees by up to almost ten times to Rs. 2 lakh per year. In the official statement by the IIT Council on Friday, 27th September 2019, it has been declared that the hike will be introduced over a three-year period, in a staggered manner from the upcoming 2020 session. As of now, the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) charge somewhere between Rs. 20,000 to Rs. 50,000 for the M.Tech courses annually.

Another point of discussion that is still in process at the apex IIT decision-making body is that all the 23 IITs are also contemplating on restricting the monthly stipend of Rs. 12,400 which is paid to all the M.Tech students who secure admission in the IITs through the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE exam) . As per statistics, in the year 2019, more than 9,000 students of first-year M.Tech courses at IITs, out of the total 12,000+ students were granted admission on the basis of their performance in the GATE exam.

Apart from the increase in the M.Tech course fees at IITs, the Council is also planning to introduce a unique evaluation system for the faculty members with an aim to exclude the non-performers from the system. The mechanism will be such that the new faculty will be reviewed after five and a half years of their joining and in the process the good performers will be made permanent while the poor performers will be asked to leave. This will help improve the teaching-learning environment. IITs will also hire professors from abroad on a contract basis.

Also Read: M.Tech vs MBA Degree

According to the Ministry of Human Resources and Development (MHRD), the decisions of the IIT Council are basis the recommendations of an internal committee which was constituted to suggest reforms in the M.Tech system at IITs. As per the committee, the fee structure of M.Tech courses at IITs should be uniform and almost similar to that of the undergraduate course in engineering or B.Tech.

Key Recommendations by the Internal Committee for IITs:

• Increase of M.Tech course fees at IITs to Rs. 2,00,000 per year.
• Discontinuing the monthly stipend of Rs. 12,400 for the students of M.Tech through GATE exam.
• Disbursing 50% of fee hike among competent M.Tech students who would willingly take up the roles of teaching assistants.
• Offering a five-year fellowship to the top one percentile students if they pursue a Ph.D. from a top Indian institute.
• Introduce a mechanism to encourage the IITs to take sponsored students from the industry for M.Tech courses at their campuses.

IITs Revised M.Tech Fee not Applicable for Current Students

There will be no fee hike for existing students. For new admissions, the hike will be gradual and spread over a period of 3 years or more. This will be decided by the respective Board of Governors of IIT as per the HRD. Students who do not belong to financially sound backgrounds will be given financial assistance.

Also Read: Pros & Cons of Pursuing M.Tech or MBA after B.Tech Course

By increasing the M.Tech course fees at IITs, these engineering institutes will be able to use more funds towards the improvement of education and research standards and will also help restrict and dissuade the students who come with a GATE score from discontinuing the M.Tech course as several PSUs hire them even before they complete their first year, ultimately resulting in vacant seats.

With the fees hike in M.Tech courses at IIT, only serious students will consider taking admission in the course rather than just opting for it for the sake of risk mitigation.

Stay tuned for more updates on M.Tech course fees at IITs.