The State government has increased the medical and dental fees in private colleges by 15% for the 2019-20 academic year. The hike will be applicable to both institutional and government quota seats in these colleges.

After a meeting with various associations on Thursday, Medical Education Minister E. Tukaram said the decision was made as the cost of infrastructure had risen. “Colleges are adopting new technologies and purchasing advanced equipment. In addition, the salaries of faculty are also being increased,” he said.

With this hike, a government quota seat in a medical college will cost ₹1.11 lakh, while institutional quota seats will cost ₹7.85 lakh. In dental colleges, the fees will be ₹72,484 and ₹5.32 lakh for government and institutional quota seats respectively. The same hike will also be applicable to minority institutions.

The Karnataka Professional Colleges Foundation had sought a hike of 20%, while the Karnataka Religious and Linguistic Minority Professional Colleges’ Association was looking at a 25% increase. The fees in both government medical and dental colleges will remain the same at ₹50,000 and ₹40,000 respectively.