Students eyeing degrees through correspondence courses would have to shell out more money with the directorate of distance education, Muzaffarpur, deciding to hike fees from the academic session beginning in August.

The decision comes after Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar Bihar University, Muzaffarpur, delinked the directorate in March. Fees of degree and postgraduate courses would be doubled to cope up with the directorate’s new system of examinations.

The academic council of the Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar Bihar University is expediting the process to bifurcate the directorate of distance education from the institute.

The director of distance education, Kumar Ganesh, said his office would also supply study material to the students. The hike would include fees for admission, registration, assignment and course material.

The hike would be implemented from the new session beginning from August. Ganesh said: “Three-year degree course students would have to pay Rs 10,500. Earlier, the fee was Rs 4,800. Postgraduate students would pay Rs 8,600 against the previous fee of Rs 5,000.”

He added: “The directorate of distance education is contemplating to start a semester system. It is completing necessary formalities in the connection.”

The directorate of distance education, Muzaffarpur, plans to introduce nine professional courses from the 2012-13 session. Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad has cried foul over the fee hike. General secretary of the Bihar wing Ramashankar Sinha said a delegation would meet Ganesh to press him to reconsider the decision of fee hike.

Ganesh told The Telegraph that the advisory body of the distance education had pleaded to bifurcate the directorate from the university.

The academic council of the varsity headed by vice-chancellor Bimal Kumar had moved the modalities of bifurcating the directorate of distance education. Once the academic council of the university approves the bifurcation, the distance education department of the university will be affiliated to the Distance Education Council, New Delhi. Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar Bihar University will monitor the department.