Can You Pay IITM BS Fees in Instalments? How Payment Works

Not in the usual sense. IITM BS does not offer an instalment plan, but you also never pay the whole fee at once. Each term you pay only for the courses you register for in that term. So the total fee is spread over the years you study.

What the official FAQ says

The DS and ES FAQ pages answer this directly. The whole programme fee is not paid in one go. Each term, you pay in proportion to the number of courses you register for. If you take 2 courses in a term, you pay for those 2 courses only.

A second FAQ answer is written for students who cannot pay the full foundation fee at once and do not get a waiver. It says the same thing. It also says the fee structure section of the website lets you pick your goal and see a PDF with the fee broken down term by term.

The FAQ does not describe splitting one term's payment into parts. Plan to pay each term's course fees in full when you register.

How much one term costs

For a Data Science student who joined from January 2026, each foundation course is 4 credits at Rs 1,500, so Rs 6,000.

You can take up to 4 courses in a term. In your first term, your qualifier score sets the limit. See how many courses you can take after qualifying.

Going slower has limits

Taking fewer courses lowers each term's bill, but you cannot stretch forever. In Data Science, students who joined the foundation level from May 2024 must finish at least 4 courses within 4 terms, 6 within 6 terms, and all 8 within 9 terms. Otherwise they are removed. Terms with no courses still count. See the foundation level checkpoints.

A term with no courses also costs money. You pay a Rs 1,000 RKA (Registration Keep Alive) fee for it, or Rs 1,100 if you pay late. Details are in the RKA and readmission fee guide.

How you pay

The DS FAQ says:

• Fees are paid online only. Demand drafts are not accepted.
• Debit cards cannot be used.
• You can pay by credit card, net banking from any Indian bank, wallets or UPI.
• You get a confirmation email from Razorpay after a successful payment.
• If a payment fails, the money takes 3 to 4 weeks to come back to your bank account.

If your credit card company offers to turn a payment into monthly EMIs, that is a loan from the card company, not an IITM plan. Check its interest and charges first.

If one term's fee is still too much

• Fee waiver: 50% or 75% off, based on category and family income. See who gets the fee waiver.
• Education loan: the handbooks describe an SBI loan. See education loans for IITM BS.

Common questions

Can I pay half now and half later in the same term?

The official answers do not offer this. You pay for your courses when you register. Once the registration window closes, you cannot add more courses that term.

If I cannot finish a course, does my fee carry over to the next term?

No. The FAQ says a course registration is valid for one term only. If you do not clear the course, you register again later and pay again. Only a drop within the first 4 weeks gives part of the fee back, to your student wallet.

Is the qualifier fee also paid per term?

No. The qualifier application fee is a one-time payment for each application, and it is not refunded. After you qualify, course fees are paid term by term.