Chennai Medical Colleges Compress MBBS Fees to Bypass NMC Internship Charge Ban

Following an April 2026 National Medical Commission (NMC) order, several medical colleges and deemed universities in Chennai have restructured their MBBS tuition fees. The institutions are compressing the traditional five-year fee totals into 4.5 years to bypass the commission's ban on charging tuition for the mandatory one-year internship period. While the overall cost of medical education remains identical or has increased, the annual tuition instalments have risen significantly, increasing the yearly financial burden on students and their parents.

The restructuring comes after the National Medical Commission issued a directive in April 2026 that barred all medical colleges from levying tuition charges for the mandatory internship year. In response, institutions have adjusted their billing cycles to ensure that the total payout from students remains unchanged or higher, spread over a shorter duration of 4.5 years instead of five.

A revised fee chart published by a deemed university in Chennai for its 250-seat MBBS programme illustrates this new payment pattern. The institution's annual tuition fee now stands at ₹25 lakh, which is billed every year for 4.5 years, resulting in a total cost of ₹1.12 crore. Under the previous structure, students paid ₹21.97 lakh across five annual instalments, which totaled ₹1.09 crore.

For students admitted under the NRI quota at the same deemed university, the fees have also been compressed. These students now pay USD 52,000 per year over 4.5 annual cycles, compared to the USD 46,800 per year they previously paid over five instalments.

Other associated costs at this university have not changed from prior years. Hostel fees are maintained at ₹1.9 lakh for non-AC accommodation and ₹2.6 lakh for AC accommodation. Transport charges for air-conditioned buses remain at ₹1 lakh, and the refundable caution deposits for both the college and the hostel remain at ₹25,000 each.

Another university in the region has implemented a similar fee adjustment. This institution previously allowed students to pay ₹28 lakh per year for five years, amounting to a total of ₹1.40 crore. The university has now informed parents that because the same total amount must be paid over 4.5 years, the revised annual instalment will exceed ₹31 lakh.