The admission fees for postgraduate programs at Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology (CUET) have increased fourfold, leaving aspiring students in a difficult situation. According to a notice published on January 17th, the admission fee for the 2022-23 session was set at BDT 2,700. However, a new notice on September 25th revised the fee to BDT 10,600 for the 2023-24 session, which has caused disappointment and frustration among students. Many are reconsidering their decision to enroll at postgraduate programme on CUET due to the sudden rise in costs.
Ishteyak Ahmed Sajid, a recent graduate, expressed his frustration: "We were not informed about this fee hike in advance. The sudden increase has made it impossible for many of us to proceed with admission. For those of us who have just completed our undergraduate studies, bearing this extra cost is extremely challenging."
Other students also raised concerns about the lack of adequate facilities despite the sharp fee increase. Arithra Arhan Sabbir, a prospective postgraduate student in the Disaster Engineering and Management Department, said, "The admission fee for CUET’s master’s program has been increased fourfold compared to previous years. However, there are no residential halls or sufficient facilities for postgraduate students at CUET. We are questioning the rationale behind various fees like library, lab, athletics, and union fees. Especially, considering that we don’t even have any sessional classes, yet we are being charged a substantial lab fee. As middle-class students, it’s difficult to come up with such a large sum of money. Since we couldn't find any reasonable solution from the university administration, many of us had no choice but to take loans to pay the admission fee. We hope the university authorities will reconsider the fees and come up with a fair solution.
University Registrar Sheikh Mohammad Humayun Kabir stated that a committee was formed to determine the admission fee, which reviewed fees at various universities and submitted a report. Based on their recommendations, the Academic Council set the new fee in its 150th meeting. However, he noted that several written appeals from students have been received, and future decisions may be made after further review.
Acting vice chancellor and Dean of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Sudip Kumar Pal, who is temporarily in charge of administrative affairs, said, "Students have contacted me regarding this issue. The current fee structure was decided by the Academic Council during the tenure of the previous Vice-Chancellor. I have advised students to submit a formal request outlining the areas where they believe the fees are excessive or unreasonable. Since there is no permanent Vice-Chancellor at present, we are unable to convene the Academic Council to resolve this immediately. However, once a Vice-Chancellor is appointed, we will bring this issue to the next Academic Council meeting. If a decision is made to reduce the fees, adjustments will be made for the next semester.
