Students who aspire to study at the hallowed Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi should now look to spend more money to appear for the university’s entrance examination, Along with this the fees has also been raised by 27% over the previous year for this coming academic session.

Established in 1969, JNU is one of the premier educational institutions in the country, a title which it holds even after being a hotbed for several student protests over the years. In 2012 the National Assessment and Accreditation Council, awarded the varsity a score of 3.9 out of a possible 4, which is its highest grade given to any educational institution in India.

A decision to this effect was taken recently at a meeting organised by the Academic Council and the following Executive council at the university, as reported by officials belonging to the university’s admissions department.

This hike, however, would not apply to students belonging to the reserved categories i.e. SC/ST, the physically challenged or under the poverty line. This move has brought several cautious eyeballs as well as critics who wonder why the change has been made at this juncture.

An official familiar with the matter stated that the entrance examination fee had been increased after thirteen years. The previous restructure of fees had taken place only in 2003. Students belonging to the General, OBC and Foreign Applicant Categories would all be subject to these revisions and would be required to pay their fees in accordance with the renewed fee structure.

The initial application fee for the Bachelor of Arts Programme was Rs. 420 and the fees for choosing one programme were Rs. 630 and Rs. 800 for additional programmes. The same fees have now been increased to Rs. 530, Rs. 800 and Rs. 1000.

The fees for various programmes such as MPhil, PhD, MTech, MSc, MCA and MA were initially Rs. 300. This has now been increased by Rs.100. For adding additional disciplines, candidates would now have to pay to pay Rs. 575 and Rs. 750 respectively.