Video Editor: Ashutosh Bhardwaj
Video Producer: Saradha Natarajan
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In June 2020, students of Amity University, Lucknow received a mail from the university regarding the start of a new semester (5th semester). The mail also stated that students will have to pay the fees as per the university fee structure, including hostel charges, even though the classes were to be held online.
The institution demanded full payment of academic fee from all the students, even though some of us are entitled to an academic scholarship.
“I am a scholarship holder. The university pays 25 percent of my fee each semester. They didn’t even give me the scholarship for the previous semester, saying it will be adjusted in the next one. Even though it’s my last semester now, they haven’t deducted the scholarship amount.”3rd Year Student
At the time, scholarship students asked the university management how the fees will be adjusted, to which the administration said that the extra amount will be refunded in the next semester or adjusted along with the fee around the year. To comply with that, we paid the full amount. Gradually, time passed with no notice of fees getting adjusted anywhere.
Come November, we were asked to pay the full fees for the sixth semester again.
Students immediately wrote mails to their respective HODs, asking why the scholarship amount was not adjusted in both the semesters.
“My HOD forwarded the mail to the Vice Chancellor and other academic heads. It has been more than 12 days and students have not received any reply from the institution.”3rd Year Student
How does the university plan to adjust fee for those in their final year?
“If the scholarship amount is not adjusted in the sixth semester, how will I get my money back?”3rd Year Student
All the students who are entitled for a scholarship have requested the administration to consider the concession that we were awarded at the time of admission. We also request the college to refund a percentage of the amount we have paid for the hostel fee, WiFI and labs as we are not using any of these facilities.
We all know that the pandemic is still on and we are facing financial issues. I am expecting a positive response from the institution regarding this issue.
(Amity University, Lucknow did not comment on the issue.)
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