NEET PG Counselling: Maharashtra body orders medical college to admit student it refused over fees

The Maharashtra Admission Regulating Authority (ARA) on Tuesday asked a private medical college in the state to adhere to the prescribed fee structure, after a post graduation (PG) medical candidate complained that the college refused him admission and demanded an excess amount.

The aspirant had alleged that Dr Rajendra Gode Medical College in Amravati asked him to pay Rs 60 lakh for the MS (ENT) seat allotted to him in the third round of state-level NEET PG counselling, under the institutional quota. That is Rs 18 lakh more than Rs 42 lakh approved by the Fee Regulatory Authority (FRA). The authorities refused to confirm his admission unless he agreed to pay the amount, says the complaint.

Following the complaint, an online hearing was carried out by ARA's grievance redressal committee. The college, according to ARA, stated that the amount being referred to was an ad-hoc fee and that the final fee for the academic year 2025-26 would be determined by the FRA.

“The concerned college has been instructed to complete the admission process by charging only the fee determined by the FRA and not to collect any additional amount. The college has been directed to inform the student accordingly and submit a report of the admission to the state CET Cell. The committee has further recommended that if these instructions are not followed, appropriate action should be taken against the concerned college as per the provisions of the Act,” ARA said in a statement.

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The student has been instructed to confirm his admission on February 18. ARA said that the student has resolved a "misunderstanding" about the fees after speaking to the college officials. The Maharashtra CET Cell – or, Maha CET Cell – is responsible for NEET PG counselling in the state.

NEET PG Counselling 2025: Medical college fees

The fees for all private unaided colleges in Maharashtra are fixed by FRA based on the institutes' income and expenditure. For the new colleges and courses -- like the PG programme at the Amravati college -- an ad-hoc fee is fixed, which is later revised following a proposal from the institute.

There have been similar complaints about capitation fees and admission denials during the UG admissions in the state as well. In some of these instances, ARA had offered relief to the aggrieved students, including a Dalit aspirant, who was allowed to participate in the stray vacancy round of NEET counselling after a private medical college in Sindhudurg allegedly deprived him of his allotted seat.