The Fee Desk sent out invoices for the 2024-25 academic session to the student body in the months of July and August 2024. These invoices, besides reflecting an increase in annual fees, and the introduction of a ₹10,000 acceptance fee for the undergraduate batch of 2028 (UG’28) included a new component; listing out medical insurance and laundry as chargeable elements of an Essential Services (E.S.) fee.
Ashoka’s fee structure provides a breakdown of the residence cost components to students after they receive a firm offer of admission from the university. Until 2023, this included room charges and utilities such as water, electricity, pantry, gymnasium, and laundry facilities. However, the 2024 invoice lists laundry service and health insurance under the new Essential Services cost, which is separate from the residence fees. The E.S. Cost is separately listed to be ₹2700 per semester.
Additionally, the residence fee for an incoming undergraduate has increased by 5.1% from ₹90,500 per semester in the academic year 2023-2024 to ₹95,500 in the academic year 2024-2025. The lack of explanation regarding the introduction of this new fee component left students confused, leading many to reach out to members of the administration and Ashoka University Student Government (AUSG) to seek clarification regarding the same.
The present fee hike is nothing out of the ordinary, Harshit Takkar, Director of Strategic Initiatives Pro-VC’s Office, told The Edict. As per university policy, the annual increase in fees inclusive of the residence cost is subject to inflation and has increased by 5-8% annually in the last three years. In the interview, Harshit drew light on the specific conditions under which these changes take place.
According to Harshit, the break-up of essential services charges from residence cost in the fee structure serves internal account-keeping. It is not indicative of students being charged for anything they were not already implicitly paying for within the residence fees; including insurance premiums. Harshit further confirmed that the E.S. cost is still a derivative of the residence cost. This is reflected in the fee structure of students on financial aid receiving the same percentage of waiver in residence and E.S. cost.
When probed about the magnitude of the increase this semester (Monsoon 2024) not accounting for financial aid, Harshit assured The Edict the hike was still within the boundaries laid out on the university website. "The bigger quantum of the payment i.e. the tuition fees accounts for more than 80% of your fee falls comfortably within the expected percentage increase range, being rather on the lower end of it (~5%)". The percentage of increase in resident cost (including the E.S. Cost) is just over the upper bound of 8%, but taken together the annual rate of fee increase is still well within the 5-8% range.
However, Harshit acknowledges the insufficient official communication to the student body regarding the specifics of this semester’s fee break up was less than ideal, and mentioned conversations being undertaken with Samarth Jain, Vice-President, AUSG and Urja Hansraj, Campus Life Minister to institute smooth communication measures moving forward.
Ashoka's Functionally Dysfunctional Medical Insurance
Harshit further explains that insurance premiums are structured as per age bracket, Ashoka students come under a separate insurance package from its employees. Undergraduates aged between eighteen and twenty-three on average face relatively lower health risks, and are not charged the same premiums as older, corporate employees— faculty and staff—of the university. The package, Harshit said, “is customised for Ashoka students, aligning with the university’s overarching goal of student well-being”.
The last official email regarding Health Insurance by Ashokan Authorities was sent on 11th November, 2022, by Bhaskar Mishra, Vice President of Operations (VPO). It notified the student body of the enhancement of the health insurance cover from a sum of ₹1 lakh to ₹1.5 lakh. The email stated that insurance eligibility begins 24 hours after hospitalisation and will not be applicable in dental or cosmetic cases.
All emails since then have been sent by the Care Health Insurance. These emails include posters talking about potential benefits that customers could avail of alongside QR codes and links to download their mobile app. Some examples of the potential benefits include - “Consult India’s Top Doctors,” “Maximise savings on your Health Bill with Discount connect.”
The Edict understands that the insurance is renewed every year for all students. For the last academic year, coverage began on 24th August 2023 and terminated at midnight of 23rd August 2024. The coverage for this academic year began on 24th August 2024 and will end at midnight of 23rd August 2025.
The Edict tried to get access to the policy documents; on the insurance website, navigating to the ‘Map Existing Policy’ option demanded the policy number. The pop-up was unresponsive after being filled. ‘Download Soft Copy’ option downloaded a ‘cashless card’ only mentioning the coverage by the insurance. ‘My policy’ option on the application mentions ‘no documents available’ and the ‘Show policy Details’ option prompts a server error after providing the policy number.
Further, contact was made with the WhatsApp Customer Service tab, where a member of The Edict selected the ‘Download Soft Copy’ option for the ‘Policy Usage Guide.’ After entering the policy number, they received a message stating, 'There is a technical glitch on our end.' A link was provided to raise a request, following which we received an email confirming that our request for the soft copy had been resolved, the link redirected us to their Self-Help Portal. Upon entering the required details, we encountered a 'server error’.
Attempting to avail of the potential benefits; “Consult India’s Top Doctors” redirects to a mobile insurance application, on which attempts to book an appointment were unsuccessful.
The separation of the E.S. Cost from the residence cost regardless of reason, spotlights the laundry and health insurance component of the fee. The official channel for Ashoka students to retrieve more information about insurance is to access their health insurance profile on the website. Additionally, they can contact Ms. Ruchika Mehrotra, Assistant Director - Administration (as mentioned in Mr. Mishra’s November 2022 e-mail).
The Edict tried to utilise the health insurance portal but failed to retrieve information about the policy. Ms. Mehrotra was contacted through email and phone calls for clarification, but no response was received.
The process of attempting to retrieve information from the website was rather cumbersome and ineffective for The Edict as mentioned previously in the article. Additionally, the emails sent by Care Health Insurance focus on promotional content and seldom have any mention of policy details. This paired with the issues in the portal, alongside the lack of information about the subject from the Ashoka authorities via email and student-related documents, initially led to doubts regarding the efficiency of the insurance claiming process.
However, The Edict interviewed a student who went through the process of claiming their insurance on a medical expense in December 2023. They were admitted to the Ashoka Infirmary first and were then taken to Tulip Hospital in Sonipat. The student, recalling a relatively smooth and hassle-free experience, said, “I was admitted, then Anil Sir [E/N: Anil Kumar, operations employee Blue Circle Medi-Services] called me and … [asked] me for my mobile number and registered email ID. Then I received an email [which] I just needed to verify . . . and then I verified it and I got the claim.” However, it remains essential to improve the functionality of this health insurance student portal.
The Edict also found contradictory information about tie-ups between Ashoka University and Max Hospital. ‘Policy on Campus Services’ document mentions tie-ups between the university and Max Hospital, Shalimar Bagh. However, the Ashoka infirmary website mentions tie-ups with Max Hospitals pan India and local tie-ups with FIMS, Tulip and Nidaan hospital, also offering discounts on Outpatient Department (OPD) consultation.
The Edict subsequently contacted Mr. Anil Kumar, an operations employee at Blue Circle Medi-Services (third-party organisation hired to manage the Ashoka infirmary). Mr. Kumar confirmed that the ₹1.5 lakh sum insured corporate policy is applicable upon 24 hours of hospitalisation. He further elaborated on the process of claiming the insurance. After the twenty-four hours of hospitalisation, one has to get their file from the hospital counter and provide an official identification proof (Aadhaar or PAN card), and Ashoka ID. The request will be lodged for initial approval by the Care Health Insurance team. Upon discharge, the bill shall be uploaded to the insurance portal for further approval.
Students have the option of going through the process of claiming the insurance (provided the case meets the set requirements) by themselves without involving the Ashoka infirmary staff. This may be in cases where a student is not physically residing on university premises. In cases, where the Ashoka infirmary is involved, a staff accompanies the student to the hospital and shall only leave when the parents/guardians have reported to the hospital and an email sent by the parents to the Residence Life Office has been verified. He further added that different institutions are also eligible to purchase this corporate student insurance package offered by Care Health Life Insurance.
The Insurance Claim Specifics
According to the terms and conditions document of the Care Health Life Insurance student package, which The Edict accessed, insurance is claimable in cases of hospitalisation or daycare treatment, provided that both are undertaken on the advice of a medical practitioner. If costs exceed the specified limits, the member must pay the additional expenses.
There are also waiting periods: no claims are valid within the first 30 days of the coverage start date, except for injuries, and insurance claims for certain illnesses will only be eligible after the insured member has been covered for 24 months. Moreover, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), pregnancy and associated complications, experimental treatments, corrective devices like wheelchairs or braces, cosmetic surgery, preventive vaccinations, and laboratory examinations such as X-rays etc. are not covered, “unless expressly stated to the contrary elsewhere in the Policy terms and conditions”.
In the event of an emergency that qualifies for coverage, the insured must notify the call centre or submit a written notification immediately. For planned hospitalizations, a notification should be sent 48 hours before the scheduled admission date. Several details, which the students may not be able to reproduce at such short notice, are required, including policy number, nature of illness, name and address of attending medical practitioner and hospital, and “any other information, documentation, or details requested by the insurance officer.”
Care Health Insurance offers two facilities for claiming insurance. First, a cashless facility for treatment at designated hospitals, where students can receive care without upfront payment by presenting a health card and valid ID. Emergency cases require immediate notification, while planned admissions need 48 hours notice. If approved, the insurer covers expenses directly; otherwise, students must pay and seek reimbursement for eligible costs. Second, the reimbursement facility requires the same procedure of notification. The documents required to claim insurance include a signed claim form, a referral letter advising hospitalisation and a medical prescription by a Medical Practitioner alongside pathological/diagnostic test reports with the original bills of the reports, medical appointment and pharmacy.
Note: The Edict reached out to various stakeholders seeking clarification for the introduction of the acceptance fee for the incoming batch, but is yet to receive a response. The article will be updated if and when we receive a response.
(Edited by Keerthana Panchanathan and Aditya Roy)
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