Karnataka raises II PU exam and marks card fees by 50% after eight years

Examination and related fees for second-year pre-university (II PU) students in Karnataka have been raised by 50% from the current academic year, marking the first revision in almost eight years. The increase applies to students in both government and private colleges across the State.

The revision follows a proposal from the Department of Pre-University Education and the Karnataka State Examination and Assessment Board (KSEAB). An official said the hike had first been proposed two years ago but was deferred for various reasons, leaving the earlier fee structure in place since 2018. Rising paper and printing costs were cited as the reason for the increase.

Under the revised structure, the fee for admission to examinations has risen from ₹400 to ₹600, while the migration fee has gone up from ₹480 to ₹720. Repeaters will pay ₹210 for a single subject instead of ₹140, ₹405 for two subjects instead of ₹270, and ₹600 for three subjects instead of ₹400. The practical examination fee has increased from ₹110 to ₹165 for one subject.

For the first time, the department has introduced a fee of ₹2,000 for verification of II PU marks cards for the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and for foreign universities.

The hike has drawn criticism from students. Karthik M, who studies at a government PU college in Rajajinagar, said his parents are flower vendors and the increase would burden the family. Likitha, a student at a private college in Vasanth Nagar, said her father is a private bus driver and her mother a homemaker, and that her annual college fee is ₹95,000. She said the higher exam and marks card charges would add to her parents' financial strain, and that as a private college student she could not oppose the move or ask the administration to wait until she paid.

Separately, lecturers have sought a revision in evaluation fees. A.H. Ningegowda, president of the PU Lecturers Association, said remuneration depends on the number of answer scripts evaluated and has stayed at ₹36 per script for five years. He added that lecturers across the State have not yet received any payment for the second round of II PU answer script evaluation conducted recently.