AMU cuts fee hike to 2–10%, announces to hold student union election in December after 7-year gap

After an 18-day-long agitation by students over the fee hike, Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) announced a series of significant changes following a meeting held on Monday. In a major relief, the university has drastically reduced the fees and capped the hike between 2% and 10%. The long-awaited AMU student union election is scheduled for the first week of December.

A student delegation met with AMU Vice-Chancellor Prof. Naima Khatoon on Monday in the wake of widespread protests on campus. Students have been protesting against fee hikes ranging between 36% and 42%. While the proctor confirmed that the fee for some courses had to be increased by Rs 500 to Rs 1,500, the Bachelor of Life Sciences fee rose from Rs 16,000 last year to over Rs 22,000 this year.

Student groups and political leaders voiced support and opposed the exorbitant fee hike, which would especially affect marginalised and underprivileged students. Earlier, police were deployed on campus after tensions escalated between students and university officials.

AMU fee hike rolled back after 18 days

The students have been protesting for 18 days, demanding a rollback of the hike. Two students – Syed Kaif Hasan and Mohd Rayyan – continued their hunger strike despite deteriorating health.

On August 15, the Academic Council of AMU decided to fix the limit of fee hikes at a maximum of 20% for existing students . However, dissatisfied with the resolution, students continued the protest demanding a complete withdrawal of the decision and the conduct of student union elections.

The AMU student union election, which has not been held since 2018, has been restored after years of student demand. In the meeting held on Monday, the university appointed Asfar Ali Khan as Chief Election Officer of the AMU Students’ Union Election (AMUSU 2025). Notably,

The university announced that the student poll will be held in the first week of December. Additionally, it announced that the refund process will be initiated soon for those students who have already paid the fees.