Prized seats in some private medical colleges in the State are up for grabs already, much before the II PU exam and entrance exams — Common Entrance Test (CET) and the Consortium of Medical, Engineering and Dental Colleges of Karnataka (COMEDK) Undergraduate Entrance Test — are held.
Middlemen or “consultancies” as they call themselves, are going all out to get prospective clients “direct, confirmed admission” through the management quota in reputed and not-so-reputed colleges. Incidentally, postgraduate (PG) seats in the management quota have almost been filled for the next academic year, said some agents. The PG seats in radiology and surgery reached a whopping Rs. 1.3 crore. This is even though the government and private college managements are yet to arrive at a consensus on seat-sharing as the Karnataka Professional Educational Institutions (Regulation of Admission and Determination of Fee) Act, 2006, is due for implementation in the coming academic year.
In a market that sees aspiring medical students coming from across the country, there are greater chances of parents or students falling into a trap. Warning against such “scams and touts,” the agents offer medical seat aspirants “packages”, which basically involves paying the full amount for tuition fee (for four and a half years) and the ‘donation’ amount.
When The Hindu contacted some agents, multiple options were laid out, depending on our “budget.” One was to opt for a deemed or autonomous college at a lower cost, which translated to a “donation” of Rs. 24 lakh. This was apart from the tuition fee and “miscellaneous” fee that a student is expected to pay later.
‘Eligibility criteria’
Some well-known colleges have fixed ‘eligibility criteria’ for the management quota, such as a minimum of 50 per cent marks in II PU exams and the CET. There are others, which do not require the student to write any entrance exam. The only requirement they have is that you should have passed II PU.
Location is also an important factor. “If you want a college in Bengaluru, it will cost you more. We can also help you get a government-quota seat, but those details cannot be discussed over the phone,” an agent categorically said.
“You can pay with cash, cheque or demand draft directly to the college after negotiations. You will be given a receipt,” one agent said, as an added assurance.
Agents are going all out to get prospective clients ‘direct, confirmed admission’ under management quota
