Karnataka's ₹20 Crore SC Fee Refund Remains Unpaid, Students Allege Fund Diversion
A year after the Karnataka government issued an order to refund tuition fees for Scheduled Caste (SC) students admitted under management and NRI quota in professional courses, no student has received any reimbursement, leaving many in financial distress.
The Social Welfare Department released ₹20 crore in the first quarter of the current financial year for this purpose, but the funds have not reached the intended beneficiaries. Students and parents have alleged that the grant has been diverted to other projects, such as purchasing hostel supplies.
“My son was admitted to Ambedkar Medical College in Bengaluru last year under the management quota by paying ₹12 lakh. I took a bank loan to pay the fees. Despite multiple requests, the government has not reimbursed the amount. We also had to take a loan for the second-year fees,” said Suresh, a parent from Vijayapura district.
Under the scheme, the Social Welfare Department refunds fees for SC students with an annual family income up to ₹2.5 lakh for government seats and government quota seats in private colleges. For students with family income between ₹2.5 lakh and ₹10 lakh, funds from the Scheduled Caste Sub Plan (SCSP) and Tribal Sub-Plan (TSP) are used to cover tuition fees for medical and engineering courses.
On May 9, 2025, the state government issued an order to fully refund tuition fees for SC students with family income up to ₹10 lakh who secured seats in private engineering and medical colleges under management and NRI quota. However, the order has not been implemented.
In the current budget, the Social Welfare Department allocated ₹80 crore for SCSP/TSP programmes in the first quarter, covering fee reimbursements, hostel expenses, and other costs. Of this, ₹20 crore was released, but students claim none has been used for fee refunds.
“The released funds have been used to purchase cots, beds, and other hostel materials instead of reimbursing fees. The department must refund the fees immediately, or we will launch a protest,” warned Venugopal Maurya, state convener of the Democratic Dalit Student Federation.
The Commissioner of the Social Welfare Department was unavailable for comment.
