A government medical college in northern Tamil Nadu has reportedly withheld “No Due” certificates to Scheduled Caste (SC) postgraduate medical students who completed their course a month ago, insisting that they pay tuition fees from which they are officially exempt.
This is not a case in isolation. Despite regulations exempting SC/ST/converted SC Christian candidates from annual tuition fees of ₹30,000, several government medical colleges continue to collect the amount and later refund it, a process that has become cumbersome for students, and is often marked by delays or non-payment.
Doctors said orders from the Adi Dravidar Welfare Department on fee exemption and retrospective refunds from 2021-2022, as well as directions from the Directorate of Medical Education (DME) and Research not to collect tuition fees, were not being implemented properly.
At the Government Medical College, Cuddalore (formerly Rajah Muthiah Medical College and Hospital attached to Annamalai University), PGs have been waiting for the “No Due” certificates – mandatory for the provisional certificates – for a month.
A source said, “The students paid tuition fees for the first two years. After learning about the exemption order issued by the DME, they paid only the special fee of ₹1,030 and not the tuition fee for the third year. Exams were conducted and results released, but when they approached the office for the ‘No Due’ certificate, staff refused to issue it, citing unpaid tuition fee.”
Doctors said the administrative staff were often “disrespectful” and made the students wait for hours. “The fees collected for the first two years have still not been refunded. It has been over six months since they submitted documents for the refund,” a doctor said. Juniors, too, continue to pay the fees despite being exempt.
Confirming this, official sources said this was due to administrative issues. The State government took over the college in 2021. They noted the need for clear instructions from the government reaffirming that SC/ST students should not be charged tuition fees, and hand over accounts to the college dean.
A doctor who completed his PG in 2023 in Chennai said his batch was still waiting for refunds. “We have checked several times, but there was no proper response. They even claimed there was no order from the DME or the government. During the third year, we submitted the official communication instructing colleges not to collect fees from SC/ST candidates, yet we were made to pay, along with late fees,” he said. This was the case in many government medical colleges across the State, another doctor added.
A senior doctor who has repeatedly taken up the issue said the tuition fee exemption was reinstated nearly six years after it was withdrawn. In 2023, the government issued fresh instructions to exempt SC/ST candidates and to refund fees collected in 2021-2022 and 2022-2023. “Unfortunately, most colleges have still not refunded the money,” he said. A number of candidates have filed complaints with the Chief Minister’s cell, but in vain.
A DME official said instructions had been issued to colleges, and they had stopped collecting fees.
Published – December 07, 2025 11:08 pm IST
