St Xavier’s University has decided to offer a 20 per cent concession on semester fees for all undergraduate and postgraduate courses for the next six months, vice-chancellor Father Felix Raj said on Saturday.

Students using the university hostels will pay less for the months they don’t stay in the hostels.

The vice-chancellor said the university decided to reduce the fees for the July-December semester to offer some relief to guardians who are going through financial problems because of the lockdown.

“The decision has been taken with a humanitarian approach…. We believe in helping our students. But we also have to think about the problems of our guardians…. The Covid-19 and the lockdown created an unprecedented situation. Many people are going through a very difficult situation…. We have decided to reduce the semester and hostel fees to give some relief to such guardians,” Felix Raj said.

In addition to reducing the semester fees by 20 per cent, the university will allow students to pay the semester fees in two installments. The last date to clear the second installment for all students, including old and new students, is December 15.

The last date to clear the first installment for intermediate semester students is August 31. New students will have to pay the first installment as per notification.

In the normal situation students are required to pay the entire semester fees at the start of the semester.

The waiver in the semester and hostel fees will be offered to existing students as well as to new students.

Set up in 2017, the Jesuit-run university offers undergraduate and postgraduate courses and runs a business school and a law school.

The relaxation in the fees will apply to all students.

The vice-chancellor said the hostel fees for the current semester (July to December) will be reduced by Rs 5,000 a month.Normally, students have to pay the full hostel fees even if they don’t avail themselves of the facility for a long time during the semester.