Agents flood students with offers of postgraduate seats

COMED-K dental counselling on Apr 21; medical on Apr 22, 23

As the counselling for admissions to postgraduate medical and dental seats approaches, students are flooded with SMSes and e-mails from ‘agents’ promising them seats.

The Consortium of Medical, Engineering and Dental Colleges of Karnataka (COMED-K) PGET counselling is scheduled for April 21, while the dates for admissions to government quota seats are yet to be announced. 

One e-mail sent to students reads: “We deal with admission in all private colleges in Karnataka, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, MP, Uttarakhand, Kerela (sic) and Tamil Nadu. If interested come and take the admission if you will delay the options of the good colleges will go out of your hand.”

The e-mail further assures, “With us you are safe...” Another SMS stated: “Hurry up confirm and direct management quota admission medical PG 2014 batch in Karnataka and Maharashtra.” (sic).

The seat rates start only above Rs one crore and go up to Rs 3.5 crore. Nishanth (name changed), one of the PG aspirants in the State who has appeared for the entrance test this year, said, “My cousin has already booked a seat for Rs 1.25 crore for MD (general medicine).” 

Students said the agents share their visiting cards at the time of entrance test itself. Once the candidate approaches them, a token amount of minimum Rs 6 lakh has to be paid to the agent. The seat prices are then fixed based on the subject and the demand.

A PG seat aspirant said, “The agents are sent by colleges into the market to hunt for students. Otherwise, how can an outsider be so sure of getting us a seat? Those who have influence can directly approach the chairmen of the institutions and can save the Rs 6 lakh paid to the agent.”  

The competition is stiff. In the COMED-K PGET counselling 2013, the cut-off rank for MD (radiology) in M S Ramaiah College was 1. There was only one seat available here. For the same course, the cut-off rank in JJM Medical College, Davangere, was 6. Similarly, for MD (Obstetrics and Gynaecology), the cut-off rank was 200 in Adichunchanagiri Institute of Medical Sciences (AIMS), Mandya. 

‘Do not entertain agents’

COMED-K has clarified on its website that no agents have been appointed by the consortium. Candidates have been advised to refer to the cut-off rank of PGET 2013 to evaluate their seat prospects. Comed-K Executive Director A S Srikanth told Deccan Herald: “In the first place, COMED-K is not concerned with filling up NRI seats. However, even for regular admissions, there is no reason why students should approach an agent. It amounts to malpractice.”