Pune: SPPU Exam Fee Hike Sparks Backlash from Student Groups Over ‘Unfair Burden’
Pune: SPPU Exam Fee Hike Sparks Backlash from Student Groups Over 'Unfair Burden'
Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) has announced a 20% hike in examination fees for the 2025–26 academic year, drawing strong criticism from student unions. The revised fee will be applicable to all courses under both the 2019 pattern and the newer National Education Policy (NEP) framework. The university stated that the increase comes after a gap of seven years and is necessary due to changes in the exam and evaluation system introduced under the NEP.
As per a notification signed by Professor Prabhakar Desai, officiating director of the Board of Examinations and Evaluation, and posted on the university’s official website on September 18, the university had previously approved a 15% hike in exam fees every two years starting from 2018–2020. However, the hike was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. University officials claim that while a 55% increase was pending, they chose to raise fees by only 20% to balance the financial load.
Student groups have sharply opposed the decision. Siddhant Jambhulkar, president of the NSUI unit at SPPU, called the fee hike a form of financial exploitation. He said the university is slowly turning into a private institution, citing additional fees introduced this year for entrance exams, extra credit courses, and even during professor recruitment. Rahul Sasane from the University Student Struggle Action Committee echoed the criticism, slamming the administration for burdening students. However, the RSS-backed ABVP has not issued a comment.
The updated fee structure is available at: http://sppudocs.unipune.ac.in/sites/news_events
