Lucknow University students protest against hostel fee hike, demands rollback

Lucknow University students on Tuesday (September 1, 2026) protested against an alleged steep hike in hostel fees after the annual fee at Ranveer Singh Bisht Hostel was raised roughly four times.

Students alleged that hostel fees in all 18 hostels of the University have increased in recent times. Agitated students gathered outside the Vice-Chancellor’s office and proctor’s office, demanding a rollback of the hike.

The students alleged that most of the students living in the hostel come from ordinary families. In such a situation, an increase in the fee by nearly four times would create difficulties for them.

They alleged that the fee had been brought on par with that of private colleges. The students have demanded that the university administration intervene in the matter and restore the old fee.

“University administration arbitrarily increased the hostel fee nearly four times. Hostel fee in all 18 hostels of the University has increased in recent times. We students are left with no option other than protesting and demonstrating. The sudden increase in hostel fees will place an additional financial burden on the students. The students were not consulted before the fee was increased and that the charges were raised arbitrarily. We demand immediate rollback of the decision and formation of a University body which would include student’s representative to regulate fee related issues, the University cannot shift financial burdens onto students,” said Vishal Singh, a student at Lucknow University.

Another student, Ravi Pandey, accused the administration of attempting to privatise the public university.

“Quality of faculty is going down at the University. Once, this Lucknow used to give top tankers in the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) and other top examinations; now the quality has dropped, but the University is yearly increasing different kind of fees; it seems an stepping stone to privatise University,” he said.

Congress alleged the hike is an attempt to push the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) agenda of damaging the traditional affordable education models.

“Public universities are synonymous with affordable education. Raising hostel rent or other charges breaks traditional affordable education models; the BJP's whole agenda is to damage the affordable public university model and bring in big corporate players. The other nefarious plan is to prevent people from marginalised sections out of the higher education system. As public universities’ affordability helps youth from vulnerable and poor backgrounds to achieve upward social mobility, we condemn any attempt to increase the fees in the public university,” said Anil Yadav, a senior U.P. Congress leader.