DoCA facilitated over ₹1 crore in reimbursements for 656 coaching students

The Department of Consumer Affairs (DoCA) has facilitated refunds of over Rs 1 crore to over 656 students of various coaching institutes offering courses for UPSC Civil Services, IIT, Medical Entrance Exams, CA and Management Studies. The refunds were processed after students lodged complaints through the National Consumer Helpline (NCH) over issues such as unfulfilled promises, inadequate teaching quality and cancellations of classes. The action follows a growing number of complaints from students regarding unfair practices by coaching centres, including refusal to refund registration fees. “Following numerous complaints registered with the National Consumer Helpline regarding unfair practices of various coaching centres, particularly non-refund of registration fees of students/aspirants, NCH has launched a campaign to resolve these grievances in mission mode to facilitate a total refund of Rs 1 crore to the affected students out of the total refund sought of Rs 2.39 crore so far,” the ministry said in a statement.

According to official data, between 2023 and 2024, the NCH received 16,276 complaints, a sharp increase from 5,351 in 2022-23 and 4,815 in 2021-22. “In 2024, 6,980 students have already contacted the NCH seeking prompt resolution of their complaints at the pre-litigation stage,” the statement read.

The ministry pointed out that a student from Bengaluru got a refund of ₹3.5 lakh after delays in the start of his management course, and another from Bharuch, Gujarat, who got back ₹8.36 lakh after an intervention, were two of the many who received relief.