The online admission process for undergraduate programmes at the Lucknow University (LU) began on Friday. However, this time there is a 50% hike in the admission form fee compared to last year.
The admission form fee for candidates of general, OBC and EWS categories for UG conventional courses will be ₹1,200, which was ₹800 last year, while for candidates from the SC, ST and persons with benchmark disabilities (PwBD) it will be ₹600 compared to ₹400 last year.
Similarly, in UG professional courses namely BBA, BCA, BHM&CT, and D Pharma candidates from general, OBC and EWS categories will be required to pay ₹1,500 for a form (up from ₹1,000 last year), while candidates from SC, ST and PwBD categories will pay ₹750 (up from ₹500 last year).
The university announced that all students seeking admission in any course at Lucknow University or its affiliated colleges must complete a mandatory registration (LURN) for which the fee remains ₹100.
Any candidate wanting to seek admission should visit the official website of Lucknow University – lkouniv.ac.in and click on the LURN link available on the website popup or admission page. On the registration page, they must click on ‘New Registration’ (right side) to create a login ID and complete the profile. Applicants must have a valid email ID, as the OTP will be sent there for verification.
After completing the profile, they must pay ₹100 through the payment gateway. Once LURN registration is complete, candidates seeking admission on the Lucknow University campus or colleges under the centralised admission process must fill out the programme-wise online application form and pay the required fee.
LU spokesperson Mukul Srivastava said, “The university has revised its admission form fee after a gap of 16 years. It was last increased in 2010. Over the past decade-and-a-half, there has been a substantial rise in academic resources, digital infrastructure and operational costs. We remain committed to providing the best education at the lowest fees compared to other institutions.”
Meanwhile, student leaders from various organisations condemned the university’s decision to raise the admission form fee for undergraduate courses. Vishal Singh of the National Students’ Union of India said: “Education should be subsidised for students and not hit them financially. The government should provide universities with enough funds so that the burden does not fall indirectly on the students. We condemn the university’s decision and if the form cost is not reduced, we will call for a protest,” Singh added.
Aryan Sharma, vice president Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (LU unit) said: “We will talk to university authorities about the significant hike in the admission form fee and try our best to safeguard students’ interests.”
Last session, Lucknow University set a new benchmark in higher education admissions, recording its highest enrolment in the last five years, with a total of 1,83,350 students taking admission in the university and its affiliated colleges, according to official data released by the university administration.
