SFI Stages Protest Against HP University’s Fee Hike

The SFI unit of Himachal Pradesh University is furious. And today, they made their anger clear.

On March 28, 2026, the university’s Executive Council decided to hike fees. SFI says this is a blatantly anti-student move, and they are not going to sit quietly.

Here’s what’s happening: Fees have been increased by 10 to 15 percent at the university level, and affiliated colleges have seen even steeper hikes. Exam fees? Up by 40 percent. SFI argues that these decisions aren’t about improving education—they’re about pushing students out of classrooms.

“We’re not fools,” an SFI student leader said. “The university was meant to make higher education accessible. Today, it’s doing the exact opposite.”

The university’s defense? They claim the state government has slashed their budget, leaving them no choice but to raise fees to generate revenue. But SFI isn’t buying it.

“The university collects around ₹90 crore annually just from fees,” SFI points out. “Yet they can’t even provide basic facilities like proper classrooms. Where is that money going?”

For poor and middle-class families, this fee hike is a crushing blow. Many students will now have to choose between paying rent, buying books, or staying enrolled. Education, SFI argues, is a right—not a business. But the university, they say, has turned it into a money-making machine, looting students’ pockets under the name of fees.

And here’s the warning: If the university doesn’t roll back this decision immediately, SFI will mobilize students not just from this campus but from across the state. A major movement is coming—against the university administration and the state government. And if things spiral, the responsibility will rest squarely on their shoulders.