LLB fees vary by campus, students express dissatisfaction

For admissions, campus fees range from 9,500 to 41,300.

Ashad 25, 2083

Sudeep Kaini

LLB fees vary by campus, students express dissatisfaction

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It has been found that admission and tuition fees for the three-year LLB program under the Faculty of Law vary from campus to campus. Students have expressed dissatisfaction after discovering that even among constituent campuses of Tribhuvan University, fees differ by up to three times. According to lists obtained from various campuses, Bhaktapur Multiple Campus has set the highest admission fee at 41,300 rupees. The lowest fee is at Mahendra Multiple Campus, Dharan, at 9,500 rupees. This is the fee charged during the first year of admission.

Based on the first-year fees, it appears that completing the LLB over three years will cost between 30,000 and 90,000 rupees. After finding discrepancies in fees across campuses, LLB student Keshav Sawad said that the attention of the government, university, and campuses has been drawn to the issue.

The Dean's Office of the Faculty of Law at Tribhuvan University has authorized 12 campuses to run the LLB program. These are Nepal Law Campus, Kathmandu; Padma Kanya Multiple Campus, Kathmandu; Bhaktapur Multiple Campus; Surkhet Multiple Campus, Surkhet; Ramsworup Ramsagar Multiple Campus, Janakpur; Prithvi Narayan Campus, Pokhara; Mahendra Multiple Campus, Nepalgunj; Mahendra Multiple Campus, Dharan; Hari Khetan Multiple Campus, Birgunj; Degree Campus, Biratnagar; Butwal Multiple Campus, Butwal; and Mahendra Bindeshwari Multiple Campus, Rajbiraj. These campuses have been allocated a total of 3,800 seats for student admissions. The Dean's Office has conducted an integrated entrance exam and published the results. Sawad said that after encountering fee discrepancies during the admission process, memorandums were submitted to the respective campuses.

According to the obtained list, Nepal Law Campus charges 13,000 rupees, Padma Kanya Multiple Campus charges 35,000, Prithvi Narayan Campus charges 11,500, Degree Campus charges 15,000, and Surkhet Campus charges 33,000. Rupesh Pahadi wrote on social media, "Even though it is the same university, the same Faculty of Law, and the same LLB academic program, the lack of uniformity in fees across campuses has created confusion and financial pressure for students." He has demanded that minimum and maximum fee standards be set. Students at Surkhet Multiple Campus have submitted a memorandum to the campus chief, stating that the fees are excessively high and should be reduced.

Bhaktapur Campus has set fees under headings such as admission, tuition, internal exams, library, campus development fund, Free Student Union, student welfare, registration, ID card, and Tribhuvan University fees. Campus Chief Kavita Luintel claimed that the fees were determined after discussions with concerned students. "Tribhuvan University has authorized the LLB program as a private program. Accordingly, the fees have been set," she said. "We have to run the program from our own resources. That is why it is more expensive compared to Law Campus and others." This year, Tribhuvan University granted permission to conduct classes only to campuses charging more than 15,000 rupees. After quotas for student admissions were set at Law Campus and other campuses, Tribhuvan University expanded the program elsewhere.

Law Campus has a quota of 600 students, while other campuses have a quota of 300 students each. Campus Chief Luintel said that students were informed about the fees before admission. "Students complained that it was expensive. Therefore, we have arranged for payment in installments. If fees are to be reduced, Tribhuvan University must provide support, including teacher positions," she said. "Students who do not want to pay higher fees can go to whichever campus is cheaper."

Dean of the Faculty of Law, Dinanath Parajuli, stated that although students have complained about the fees, the Dean's Office cannot make any decisions on the matter. "The fees set by the campuses are implemented after approval by the Executive Council. The Dean's Office only looks after academic matters. The Dean's Office is not authorized to handle financial aspects," he said.

He stated that since there are two types of colleges authorized to teach law, the fees also differ accordingly. "There are two types of campuses: those run by Tribhuvan University and those run from internal resources. Colleges operating from internal resources charge higher fees to manage teachers and other financial needs," said Dean Parajuli.

Registrar Mahananda Chalise said that the fees set by the colleges have been submitted to the Executive Council for approval and are under review. "We have requested details of the fees set by all campuses. Students have complained. I have also scheduled a meeting with stakeholders for discussions," he said.

He stated that since some faculties at constituent campuses do not have sanctioned teaching positions, fees tend to differ. "Efforts are underway to make fees as uniform as possible among campuses of the same type," he said.

Sudeep

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