BU slashes fee for PhD programmes by 50%

Wanting to lure more students into research, Bangalore University (BU) has slashed the fees for PhD programmes by 50%, applicable from the current academic year.

While the reduced fee was offered only to the SC/ST students, the varsity decided to open it up for the general category as well after feedback from students suggested that a reduction across the board would encourage more admissions.

The decision was passed at a recent Syndicate meeting and sent to the Finance Department for approval. “We’ll issue the notification as soon as we get the approval. The reduction will be applicable from the current academic year,” said a senior official of the university.

The fee reduction would cut the PhD and thesis submission fee from Rs 17,765 to about Rs 8,000 for the general category students. The existing laboratory fee will also drop from Rs 7,620 to Rs 3,900.

“Admissions for the PhD programmes for the current academic year are yet to be completed. The entrance exams are expected to be held in the second week of October,” the official said.

BU Vice-Chancellor Prof K R Venugopal clarified that the 50% reduction will apply to the whole PhD process from registration to the final submission of the thesis.

“We’ve taken this decision to lure more students from economically backward families to take up PhD programmes. The proposal has been cleared by the Syndicate and is with the Finance Department (for approval). Once we get the approval, we’ll issue the revised fee structure,” the vice-chancellor said.