Maharashtra considers FRA fee regulation for private universities, autonomous colleges, PGDBM courses

The Maharashtra government is considering bringing self-financed private universities, autonomous colleges and Post Graduate Diploma in Business Management (PGDBM) courses under the Fee Regulatory Authority (FRA) to determine their fee structures. The proposal aims to protect parents from financial exploitation through various fee heads and bring transparency to the fee-fixation process.

Higher and Technical Education Minister Chandrakant Patil said the government intends to entrust the responsibility of determining fees for these institutions and courses to the FRA, keeping in view students' interests and parents' demands. The proposal is currently under consideration, and a policy decision will be taken soon.

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In a latest development, the Maharashtra government has constituted a committee to examine proposed amendments to the Maharashtra Professional Educational Institutions (Regulation of Admission and Fees) Act, 2015. According to a government resolution dated November 6, 2026, the committee will study amendments proposed by the Directorate of Technical Education, the Admission Regulating Authority and the Fee Regulatory Authority, along with other provisions of the existing Act.

The committee will prepare a draft of the revised Act and rules and submit it to the state government along with its recommendations within 10 days.

Maharashtra FRA fee regulation: Committee members and responsibilities

The committee is chaired by Rajendra Bhagwat, Principal Secretary. Its members include the Secretary of the Fee Regulatory Authority, Maharashtra State; the Secretary of the Admission Regulating Authority, who also serves as Commissioner of the State Common Entrance Test Cell; the Director of the Directorate of Higher Education, Maharashtra; D P Gomare, retired Legal Adviser-cum-Joint Secretary in the Law and Judiciary Department; and the Deputy Secretary (Technical Education) in the Higher and Technical Education Department. The Director of the Directorate of Technical Education, Maharashtra, will serve as the member secretary.

The Director of the Directorate of Technical Education, Maharashtra, will serve as the committee's secretary. The committee has been asked to comprehensively examine the proposed amendments and other provisions of the 2015 Act, prepare the draft revised legislation and rules, and submit them to the government with recommendations within 10 days. Its work will be conducted at the Directorate of Technical Education office in Mumbai.

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Maharashtra private university expansion and fee concerns

The latest proposal comes after Maharashtra expanded its private university framework and approved changes involving medical colleges. On July 8, 2026, the Maharashtra Assembly passed the Private Universities Bill, which approved three new private universities. During the debate, opposition members raised concerns about affordability, reservation in faculty recruitment and the need for stronger regulatory oversight.

On August 24, the Maharashtra Cabinet approved private university status for NKP Salve Medical College, Nagpur, and Dr Vithalrao Vikhe Patil Foundation's Medical College, Ahilyanagar. The institutions were to operate under Lata Mangeshkar University and Balasaheb Vikhe Patil University, respectively. Two months after becoming private universities, an increase in postgraduate medical fees at the two colleges for the 2026-27 academic year was recorded. At NKP Salve Institute, the estimated three-year cost of MD Radiodiagnosis increased from Rs 30.24 lakh under the earlier FRA-approved fee structure to around Rs 1.77 crore under the new interim structure.

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At Vikhe Patil Medical College, the annual tuition fee for several MD and MS specialities increased from Rs 9 lakh to Rs 17.95 lakh for state-quota seats and Rs 35.9 lakh for All India Quota seats.

The government's latest proposal to bring self-financed private universities, autonomous colleges and PGDBM courses under the FRA is aimed at ensuring transparency in fee determination and addressing parents' concerns over different fee components.