Gujarat Vidyapith has several practices for student support as its tradition over the years. A student pursuing graduate and post-graduate degree courses at Gujarat Vidyapith stays in a hostel. Since most students come from rural areas these facilities are beneficial for them as staying in a city is too expensive. The accommodation charges are in the range of Rs 2500 to 5000 per month including meals. In Gujarat Vidyapith, the total fee including tuition fee, hostel stay, and food is in the range of Rs. 18,000 to 24,000 per year. Hence, the monthly expense is in the range of Rs. 1500 to 2000. This is an immense support to the poor students. Moreover, students belonging to disadvantaged sections get government scholarships and the Vidyapith also extends more scholarships. Even though the fee is relatively less, yet very often teachers lend financial support to very poor students. Vidyapith has recently begun a novel program called Swabhiman Fellowship. Under this fellowship, a range of opportunities is made available to those students who want to work manually and earn enough to pay for their fees, hostel stay, and food. Qualitative medical support is provided free of cost. Vidyapith provides the necessary infrastructure and material support like a set of utensils for cooking, stoves and water heaters for bathing, etc. Students are also taken for study and excursion tours. Vidyapith provides subsidies for using institutional vehicles like buses and jeeps. Vidyapith also tries to provide access to internet facilities in the hostel in all its campuses with a clear priority to post graduate, M.Phil. and Ph.D. courses.

By: Geetu Katyal