The National Medical Commission (NMC) has issued a clarification directing all medical colleges and institutes to charge MBBS fees for a fixed academic period of 4.5 years, and not for the entire 5 or 5.5 years of the program.The directive follows complaints that several institutions were charging fees for the full duration of the course, including the internship period, despite it not including formal academic instruction.
Fees cannot be charged for the duration of the internship
The Commission reiterated that the MBBS program consists of 4.5 years (54 months) of academic study, followed by one year of compulsory rotating medical internship (CRMI). Since the internship does not involve classroom-based teaching, charging a fee for this period is not consistent with the prescribed educational structure.The NMC noted that such practices impose an unnecessary financial burden on students and are not in line with the regulatory framework laid down under the NMC Act, 2019 and the Competency-Based Medical Education (CBME) Guidelines, 2024.Check the official notification issued by NMC here.
Referred to the observations of the Supreme Court.
In its notice, the Commission referred to the interim directions in Abhishek Yadav v. Union of India, where the concerns of non-payment of internship stipend and enforcement of internship-related charges were taken seriously.He also referred to landmark judgments such as TMA Pai Foundation v. State of Karnataka, Islamic Academy of Education v. State of Karnataka, and PA Inamdar v. State of Maharashtra to indicate that the fee structure should remain reasonable, transparent, and non-exploitative, and should be commensurate with the educational services actually rendered.
Strict compliance is mandatory.
NMC has directed all medical colleges and universities to strictly follow the statutory provisions and applicable regulations. It has clarified that the fee should be levied only for the 4.5-year academic period and not more than that.The Commission warned that any instance of non-compliance would be viewed seriously, with appropriate action initiated under the existing regulatory framework.
What does this mean for students?
For students, the clarification brings much-needed relief, as it clearly establishes that no fee should be charged for the internship year. It also provides a strong legal basis for students to question or challenge additional fee demands by institutions.
