Bengaluru IISc survey finds academic, financial stress among students

Half of 1,035 respondents to an IISc students’ council survey said mandatory academic workload caused them significant distress, while 80% linked distress to their financial situation.

The survey followed the deaths by suicide of two IISc students in August. It found that 47% of respondents considered psychiatric support on campus inadequate; 84% wanted greater awareness of and access to available support, and 85% sought higher reimbursement for external mental-health care.

Students also pointed to reduced informal recreation spaces, including an open ground now used as a bookable stadium and a drained swimming pool. Some described rigid attendance rules and laboratory work cultures that made medical or mental-health leave difficult to secure.

For the 2026 undergraduate batch, annual tuition has risen from Rs 10,000 to Rs 80,000. Students said mess and amenity charges had also increased, while PhD fellowships have remained at Rs 37,000 since 2023-24. The survey’s leading demands were improvements to the student work environment, more financial assistance and a student-friendly attendance policy.