Students protest over fee hike fears as govt plans to merge colleges with Bangalore City University

A wave of protests has broken out among graduate students following the Karnataka government’s proposal to merge two prestigious government colleges — Ramanarayana Chellaram (RC) College and Government Arts College (GAS) — with Bangalore City University. Students fear the move will double their fees and severely impact access to affordable higher education.

Both RC and GAS colleges have long served as lifelines for economically disadvantaged students. Currently, tuition fees in these government institutions range from ₹3,000 to ₹5,000. However, if absorbed as constituent colleges of Bangalore City University, students claim fees could surge to ₹15,000–₹20,000 annually — a steep rise many cannot afford.

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Similar patterns have been observed in other universities. Fees at Maharani Cluster University and Tumkur University now hover around ₹11,500, far higher than when the colleges were under direct government control.

Students allege that once government grants are withdrawn post-merger, universities will resort to fee hikes to cover operational costs. With the government reportedly allocating only ₹50 crore of the ₹250 crore needed annually to run universities, concerns are growing about sustainability and affordability.

Adding fuel to the fire, the government recently announced the closure of seven universities citing lack of funds. Students are demanding immediate withdrawal of the merger plan, warning that this move will derail the educational aspirations of thousands of poor students.