Karnataka drops late admission fines in govt PU colleges

Bengaluru: To improve access to higher secondary education, the department of pre-university education abolished late admission penalties for students enrolling in first and second PU at govt pre-university colleges for 2026-27 academic year.An order issued on July 6 withdrew the penalties introduced in 2018, under which students were required to pay Rs 670 for admissions delayed by up to 10 days and Rs 2,220 for delays of up to 20 days.The decision follows a proposal from the directorate of school education (pre-university), which pointed out that a majority of students enrolling in govt PU colleges come from rural areas and economically and socially disadvantaged backgrounds.

The department argued that the penalty often became a barrier to education for students unable to complete admissions within the stipulated time because of financial or family-related difficulties.With the latest order, students taking late admission to first and second PU in govt PU colleges will now be required to pay only the regular govt-prescribed admission fee, with the late admission penalties waived until further orders.

The department also directed that students who already paid late admission penalties before the order came into effect be refunded the amount by their respective govt PU colleges.Govt PU colleges have seen an enrolment of 1.64 lakh students thus far. The department is on a mission to increase the enrolment in its colleges. It kept a target of 2.5 lakh admissions this year.As per the schedule, the last date for registration without penalty was June 30, with a penalty of Rs 670 until July 10 and Rs 2,220 until July 30.