University of Hyderabad Students Protest Over ePASS Scholarship Fee Deadlines

Students belonging to several organisations at the University of Hyderabad continued their protest on Thursday, August 20, 2026, demanding that students covered under the Telangana ePASS scholarship scheme be permitted to complete semester registration without paying tuition and hostel fees upfront.

The agitation was organised by the Ambedkar Students’ Association (ASA), Bahujan Students’ Front (BSF), Dalit Students’ Union (DSU), Students’ Federation of India (SFI), and Tribal Students’ Forum (TSF). The organisations highlighted that hundreds of students depend on TS ePASS scholarships to pursue higher education at the university.

With August 20 set as the final date for semester registration and no concrete resolution offered by the university administration, the student groups stated that the protest would continue until their grievances are addressed.

According to a statement from the protesting students, the scholarship covers both tuition and maintenance fees, which are reimbursed by the State government through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT). The groups pointed out that students who cannot afford to pay tuition and mess fees out of their own pockets are being prevented from completing semester registration while they wait for the scholarship disbursal.

The dispute revolves around the implementation of the State government’s guidelines on post-matric scholarships. The students noted that the Telangana government issued G.O.Ms.No. 6 on September 6, 2024 for SC students and subsequently expanded the framework to ST, BC, EBC, minority, and differently-abled students across post-matric courses from the 2026-27 academic year through G.O.Ms.No. 9 dated June 6.

Under this DBT model, tuition and other eligible fees are to be remitted by the student to the educational institution within seven working days of receiving the scholarship funds in their Aadhaar-seeded bank accounts.

The protesting students have demanded the formal implementation of the seven-working-day fee remittance window after scholarship amounts are credited, alignment of the university's semester registration schedule with the DBT disbursal timeline, and an immediate extension of the registration deadline.