St Stephen’s College accused of overcharging first-year students, bypassing DU’s single-fee system

Delhi University’s St Stephen’s College has come under scrutiny after reportedly instructing its first-year students to make two separate payments, one to the college and another to the university, in apparent violation of DU’s unified online payment mechanism, The Times of Indiareported.

According to the report, the college’s fee notice listed the ‘DU fee’ as ranging between Rs 11,551 and Rs 11,630 for most undergraduate courses, over three times higher than the university’s official annual charge of Rs 3,500.

This discrepancy suggests that students were collectively overcharged by more than Rs 32 lakh, given the college’s intake of around 400 first-year students.

The issue has reignited tensions between St Stephen’s and Delhi University over questions of administrative control and adherence to university norms. The college has long maintained that it has the autonomy to set internal processes, including its controversial practice of holding separate interviews for admissions.

For students under the Persons with Disabilities (PwD) category, the alleged overcharge continued. St Stephen’s listed Rs 1,150 as DU’s fee instead of the official Rs 875, reflecting a 31 per cent hike.

The college’s fee notice stated that students must pay the university fee through DU’s admission portal, while the college fee is to be paid separately after joining. 

It read, “All UG & PG applicants are hereby notified that the DU fee (annual fee) is to be paid through the DU Admission Portal/Website, while the College fee (semester fee) is to be paid after joining the College.”

Currently, the semester fee at St Stephen’s ranges between Rs 17,000 and Rs 19,000, which, when combined with the university’s charge, brings the total cost for a regular BA or BSc student to around Rs 30,000 per semester.

College cites ‘student convenience’

St Stephen’s College bursar and public relations officer, Chinkhanlun Guite, acknowledged the dual-payment system but claimed it was introduced solely “for the convenience of the students.”

Guite added that the college did not require DU’s permission for the arrangement.

The Times of India report highlighted that other prominent DU colleges have significantly lower fee structures. At Miranda House, annual fees for first-year students range between Rs 16,000 and Rs 20,000, while at Ramjas College, the range is Rs 15,000 to Rs 17,000, both inclusive of DU’s Rs 3,500 component.