The Tamil Nadu government has written to the National Medical Commission (NMC) and University Grants Commission (UGC) seeking appropriate action against Saveetha Medical College for collecting additional fees from undergraduate medical students and for disabling access to the students’ attendance portal, Health Minister K.G. Arunraj said.
In a press release issued on Wednesday, he said that NMC, in a public notice issued on April 7, had said the fees for MBBS course should be collected only for the prescribed academic duration of four and a half years.
He said students and parents had complained that Saveetha Medical College in Thandalam, demanded ₹24,75,000 as the tuition fee for the entire academic year from students belonging to the 2022 batch of MBBS, who are currently pursuing their final year, and that the college had disabled the students’ attendance portal for those who had not paid the fee.
The State government took the complaints seriously, and the Directorate of Medical Education and Research constituted a three-member committee to conduct an inquiry. A total of 17 students and seven parents participated in the inquiry conducted on October 12. The management of Saveetha Medical College, which was called for the inquiry, did not attend it.
The inquiry found that the college did not follow the NMC guidelines on collecting tuition fees from students, the Minister said. It was also found that the college had disabled the attendance portal for students who had not paid the full annual fee for the fifth year from September 30.
As Saveetha Medical College is a deemed-to-be university, its fee structure falls outside the purview of the State Fee Fixation Committee. As the institution is regulated by the NMC and UGC, the State government wrote to them on October 21, urging them to take action against the college for collecting additional fees and to direct it to collect only half the annual fee for the fifth year, Dr. Arunraj said.
The State government also urged the Commission to direct the college to restore students’ access to the attendance portal and ensure that no student was denied attendance, clinical training, or eligibility to appear for examinations for failing to pay the additional amount.
It also sought directions to refund or adjust the amount collected in excess and to ensure that no student or parent faces consequences for filing a complaint or participating in the inquiry.
The Minister said the State government was firm that no student’s education should be affected over fee issues.
Published - October 23, 2026 04:00 am IST