
The Union HRD Minister on Wednesday said the University Grants Commission (UGC) will release a notification on refund of fees and non-retention of original certificates by institutions to facilitate students in their admission.
The higher educational institutions will be penalised with a withdrawal of affiliation, deemed status and barred from receiving any assistance from the UGC if they fail to follow the directive.
“No student will be required to submit any original academic and personal certificate like mark sheet and school leaving certificate at the time of submission of admission form. No institution can take any original certificate into their custody. They can only ask for self-attested copies of the documents,” HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar said.
Here are the new refund rules:
— In case a student withdraws the admission 15 days before the notified last date of admission, he or she shall be entitled for a 100 per cent refund. Some colleges which deduct a processing fee can not deduct more than 5 per cent paid by the student, subject to a maximum of Rs 5000.
— In case a student decides to withdraw within 15 days before the last date of admission, he will be entitled for a 90 per cent refund of the fees and if the withdrawal happens 15 days after the last date, the amount supposed to be refunded will be 80 per cent.
— While the refund amount will be 50 per cent if the admission is withdrawn between 16 to 30 days after the last date of the admission, no refund will be given for admissions withdrawn after the prescribed timeline.
— The institute can charge fees in advance only for the semester/ year in which a student wants to engage in academic activities. The education institute collecting advance fees for the entire programme of study is prohibited.
— The varsity can’t force a student to submit their original academic and personal certificates like mark sheets, school leaving certificates, et, at the time of submission of admission form. In case required, the institution concerned will only ensure verification of the same with the original certificates and these certificates shall be returned to the students immediately.