Central universities like Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and Banaras Hindu University (BHU), among many others, will see a hike in course fee, reports The Indian Express.

Reports suggest that these varsities had agreed with the University Grants Commission (UGC) and the ministry to raise internal revenues under the autonomy scheme.

However, the government had earlier this year insisted that greater autonomy granted to these institutions would not result in free tuition fees.

Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar in March had assured that universities are being granted greater autonomy to function in a better way and does not amount to “privatisation of higher education”.

Reports suggest that the central universities are insisted upon by the ministry to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on managing finances, which mandates universities to introduce a gradual annual increase in fees for various courses and facilities. The ministry has warned that universities which fail to sign the MoU would lose out on grants.

IE reports that the MoU had already been signed by many central universities such as the Vishwa Bharti University, Hyderabad Central University, Dharmshila University and Aligarh Muslim University, apart from JNU and BHU. However, Delhi University has expressed its inability to do that anytime soon.

JNU and Hyderabad University are reported to be contemplating a fees hike of around 20 per cent every two years. The ministry had set a deadline of June 2018 for these universities.