Assam Govt Waives Admission Fees for Over 1.85 Lakh Undergraduate Students

The Assam government has waived admission fees for over 1.85 lakh undergraduate students in the state this academic year, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced on Friday. The initiative is part of the state's welfare programmes aimed at reducing financial barriers to higher education.

Speaking about the scheme, Sarma said the fee-waiver reflects the government's commitment to strengthening society through education. Officials stated that the policy is designed to encourage higher enrolment by easing the burden on students and their families.

Education Minister Ranoj Pegu provided further details, noting that a total of 2,28,943 students secured admission to the first semester of four-year undergraduate programmes through a dedicated government portal. Of these, 1,85,796 students availed the fee-waiver scheme. Notably, 55.65% of the admitted students are female, indicating growing participation of women in higher education across the state.

Pegu also mentioned that a final mop-up round of admissions will be conducted from July 29 to 31 after the declaration of the Common University Entrance Test results and completion of the admission process.

Providing context, Pegu cited the latest All-India Survey on Higher Education data, which placed Assam's gross enrolment ratio (GER) at 16.9%, well below the national average of 28.4%. The GER measures the number of enrolled students relative to the population aged 18-23 years. The New Education Policy aims to achieve a 50% GER by 2030.

Assam has more than 800 government and private higher education institutions. Despite these numbers, the transition from school to higher education remains a challenge. According to the Unified District Information System for Education Plus data for 2024-25, the dropout rate at lower and secondary levels improved, but 71.9% of students drop out before completing classes 11 and 12.