IIMs may hike fees for flagship courses

Long accused of providing subsidised education for landing top corporate jobs, at least three IIMs "" Ahmedabad, Bangalore and Lucknow "" are contemplating 15-20 per cent fee hikes for their flagship courses.

The board of IIM Ahmedabad is meeting on April 2 to discuss the proposed hike in fees for its post-graduate diploma course, among other things. "It is on the agenda. A decision will be taken in the meeting," institute officials said.

If it happens, the revision will come after a gap of three years. "If we factor in 5 per cent inflation for three years, the increase in cost will be 17 per cent," a member of the IIM-Ahmedabad faculty explained.

While IIM-Lucknow is mulling a 15 per cent fee hike, IIM-Bangalore, too, is revising its fee structure.

"The director has made a statement saying that despite opposition from some board members, the institute is going in for a fee hike," an IIM-Bangalore official said. The fee is expected to be raised by Rs 25,000 from Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 1.75 per year.

At the April 2 meeting, the IIM-Ahmedabad board is also expected to discuss ways to augment its research activities, which will help it leapfrog into the ranks of top 20-30 global business schools.

The government's plan to raise reservation from 22.5 per cent to a maximum 49.5 per cent in IIMs may also be discussed at the meeting.