II PU exam, marks card fee and others up by 50% from this academic year in Karnataka

After eight years, the examination, admission, marks card and related fees for II PU students in Karnataka's government and private colleges increased by 50% this academic year. The Department of Pre-University Education and Karnataka State Examination and Assessment Board (KSEAB) proposed these fee hikes. KSEAB officials explained that the fee increase was needed due to rising paper and printing costs.

The admission fee for exams rose from ₹400 to ₹600, while the migration fee increased from ₹480 to ₹720. Repeaters must pay more for subjects they retake, with costs jumping from ₹140 to ₹210 for one subject, ₹270 to ₹405 for two, and ₹400 to ₹600 for three. Exam fees for practical exams also saw a hike from ₹110 to ₹165 for one subject.

For the first time, students must pay ₹2,000 for verification of their marks card by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and for foreign universities. Students are unhappy with the decision. A student in a government PU college in Rajajinagar expressed financial strain, while another from a private college in Vasanth Nagar found the fee increase burdensome given her family's limited income.

There is also a push to raise the evaluation fees for lecturers, who currently earn ₹36 per answer script evaluation, a rate unchanged for five years.