The Vijayanagara Sri Krishnadevaraya University (VSKU) on Wednesday (August 5) announced a reduction of ₹1,100 in the recently revised admission fee following a protest staged by the All India Democratic Students’ Organisation (AIDSO), which claimed the decision as a major victory for the student movement.

Hundreds of students from over 10 colleges participated in the “University Chalo” protest, marching from the university’s main gate to the Administrative Block and demanding the withdrawal of the recent fee hike.

Addressing the protesters, AIDSO State Treasurer Subhash Bettadakoppa said that the university had increased the admission fee by ₹550 for first-year undergraduate students and by ₹1,300 for second and third-year students for the 2026-27 academic year without any reasoning.

He said the admission fee, which was ₹3,490 in 2024-25 and ₹3,739 in 2025-26, had been increased to ₹5,039 this year, including a ₹100 University Development Fee. According to him, the total admission fee at Ballari City Degree College had risen to ₹6,439.

Referring to the drought situation in Ballari and Vijayanagara districts, Mr. Bettadakoppa said many farming families were facing severe financial hardship and that the fee hike would make higher education unaffordable for economically weaker students. He demanded that the university would withdraw the increase. He also appealed to the government to provide adequate financial assistance to universities instead of passing the burden on to students.

AIDSO Ballari district president K. Eranna said public universities were facing financial difficulties due to inadequate government grants and argued that students should not be made to bear the additional financial burden through repeated fee hikes.

Several students participating in the protest shared their concerns, stating that the steep increase in admission fees had placed additional pressure on families already struggling due to drought and economic hardship.

As the protest continued, Vice-Chancellor Muniraja met the students and initially stated that the university could not revise the fee structure without the government’s approval.

However, after discussions with the protesters, he announced a reduction of ₹1,100 in the enhanced admission fee and assured that the excess amount already collected from students would be refunded, the organisation said.

Following the announcement, the protesters withdrew their agitation, describing the decision as a significant success while reiterating their demand for affordable and accessible public higher education.

AIDSO District Secretary Kambali Manjunath, District Vice-President M. Shanthi, District Office Secretary Niharika and student representatives from various colleges were among those who participated in the demonstration.

Published - August 05, 2026 08:46 pm IST