Tuition fees at Jadavpur University are set to be hiked, though there will be “enough provisions” for poor but meritorious students to study free.

The university, among the best five on the UGC list, now charges Rs 2,450 a year as tuition fee from students in all three streams — arts, science and engineering. Those studying self-financed courses, however, are required to pay much more, up to Rs 30,000 a year.

A proposal for raising the fee was recently placed before the executive council and the court, the highest decision-making bodies of the university. On the basis of the proposal, the authorities have started revising the fee structure, said an official.

Though registrar Rajat Banerjee pointed out that the authorities are yet to decide on the issue, sources in the executive council and the court said the proposal has been accepted in principle.

“The revised structure will have enough provisions to enable poor but meritorious students to study free. The final decision will be taken after examining all aspects and consulting the students,” said the official.

“Jadavpur University — especially the engineering faculty — has been identified as one of the best in the country. But the tuition fee is much lower than what most institutions, including Besu and the IITs, charge,” pointed out a council member.

The tuition fee on the Jadavpur campus was last revised in 2000, when it was hiked from Rs 180 a year to Rs 2,450, triggering students’ protests.

During the last hike, the authorities had decided to revise the fee again in 2006. “A revision is long overdue. There is no reason why we should not rationalise our fee structure,” said a senior official.