Delhi University plans to hike PhD thesis evaluation fees by over Rs 2,500

According to official documents, Delhi University intends to raise the fees for PhD thesis evaluation by more than Rs 2,500 for all students. The thesis submission fee, which was previously Rs 5,000 for students with fellowships, is expected to increase by 50% to Rs 7,500. Fees for students without a fellowship are expected to rise by more than 80%, from Rs 3,000 to Rs 5,500.

According to a university official, the fees will now include charges for thesis submission and provisional certificates.

He claimed that previously, students were required to pay for thesis submission as well as provisional certificates at a later stage. The new rules would combine all fees into a single payment.

Dean of Examinations DS Rawat defended the increase, saying it was not a significant increase and that the entire system was being shifted online.
“Previously, students had to pay Rs 500 for a thesis submission certificate and a provisional certificate, which have now been increased to Rs 750 each and will be submitted along with the thesis submission fee,” Rawat told PTI.

“Moreover, the thesis submission fee is only being raised by Rs 1,000, which is not a significant increase; the entire process is being smoothed out, and the students will benefit,” he added.

A resolution in this regard will be presented at the November 22 Academic Council meeting.

In October, Vice-Chancellor Yogesh Singh used his “emergency power” to approve a revision to the honorarium for thesis evaluation.

The remuneration for thesis evaluation for Indian examiners is expected to rise from Rs 1,500 to Rs 5,000, while it will rise from Rs 1,500 to Rs 8,126.33 for foreign examiners. The remuneration for conducting vivas will be increased from Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,000 for Indian examiners and from Rs 1,000 to Rs 4,063.16 for foreign examiners.

However, an Academic Council member has called the hike unreasonable.

According to Naveen Gaur, the university must first provide a reason for raising the fees.

“As a public-funded university, they should first explain why the fees are being raised, and whether they sought funding from the government before raising student fees,” Gaur said.