The second round of seat allotment of the Kerala Engineering Architecture Medical (KEAM) admission process is on. Candidates need to be really careful in this stage as a simple mistake could harm their entire admission prospects and may even result in financial loss. Several candidates are often confused about the regulations regarding fee payment.
Allotment memo
The Commissioner for Entrance Examinations (CEE) would publish the details of every round of the KEAM 2022 allotment on the notifications link on the website www.cee.kerala.gov.in.
The candidate should take the printed copy of the allotment memo that appears on his/her home page. The allotment memo would have the candidate’s name, roll number, allotted course/ college/ category and the amount to be paid as fees. The last date for the fee payment is mentioned in the notification.
Fee payment
The candidates must note that the fee is being paid, not to the respective colleges, but to the CEE's account. The fee could be paid online or via the head post offices in Kerala. Those who do not pay the fee on time would lose that allotment and the higher options in that stream. They wouldn’t get another chance to retain these.
However, if a candidate who has lost his/her chance in the Engineering stream has applied in the Medical stream, he/ she will be considered for that. If they have sufficient rank to be considered for the course, then they will get allotment in the medical stream.
Additional amount
Those who paid fees in the first round often get confused about the fee structure if they get another allotment in the second round. If the second allotment has greater fee than in the first round, the instructions in the allotment memo would suggest you to pay only the additional amount.
That amount should be paid in the CEE's name at the right time. However, if the fee in the second round is less than what the candidate had paid in the first round, then he/she need not pay any additional amount.
If this is your final allotment, then the extra amount would be refunded after completing the admission process. This procedure would be applicable if there are more rounds after the second one. The candidate needs to pay only the fee for the course that he/ she chooses and opts to join. The CEE would then pay this amount to the college where the candidate has joined.
The candidate need not submit separate application for the refund of additional fee amount.
The same procedure would be followed even if the candidate has been allotted a self-financing private college in the first round as the fee is being paid, not to the respective colleges, but to the CEE's account. The fee that was paid for the allotment to private colleges would be transferred in case the candidate get allotment in government /aided college in the next round. Then, the candidate only needs to pay the additional amount.
Refund norms for courses
A) AICTE- approved courses: Engineering and pharmacy-related courses come under this category.
If the candidate leaves the college before the classes begin, then the fee would be refunded after deducting Rs 1,000 as processing charges. The institutions wouldn’t seize the certificates of the students. In case the student leaves after the classes begin and another student has joined that seat, then the fee would be refunded after deducting Rs 1,000 and other additional expenses.
No matter when the student chooses to leave, the college has no right to ask for the fees for the following years too. The colleges should return the certificates and refund the fees within seven days after the student has applied to leave the institution.
B) Courses that do not have AICTE’s approval: Those who cancel their admission and seek Transfer Certificate (TC) before the CEE issues notification are eligible for full refund. However, those who leave the course after this date will not get the refund; besides, they have to pay compensation too. Those who did not join after accepting the final allotment too would lose their fee and has to pay the compensation.
Hefty fine
Those candidates who join a government MBBS seat at government/aided medical college and then leave the course after the final allotment, in the same academic year, should pay a fine of Rs 10 lakh. This is Rs 5 lakh for BDS. These candidates will not be allowed to attend any entrance exams or allotment conducted by the CEE for the next two years.
In case the candidate does not pay the fine, then the amount would be recovered through government's revenue recovery proceedings. The candidate’s caste or income wouldn’t be considered in such cases.
However, the stipulations aren’t this hard in the case of other subjects. No matter what type of college, the student needs to pay Rs 75,000 as fine if he/she leaves the course after the finale allotment in the same academic year. However, candidates from Scheduled Castes/Tribes, Other Eligible Communities (OEC) and Keralites who are leaving the course to join another course need not pay the fine if their annual family income is less than Rs 75,000.