Bhubaneswar: The higher education department has refunded Rs 69.23 crore in admission fees to 1,11,678 undergraduate students who paid fees during the first phase of admissions for the 2026-27 academic session.The refund followed the govt’s announcement of Gyanodaya – Shiksha Ru Samruddhi scheme, under which the govt provides free education from kindergarten (KG) to postgraduate (PG) levels to students in eligible govt and govt-aided institutions. The scheme was announced after the first phase of admissions.On Wednesday, the department asked students to check bank accounts provided in their common application forms (CAFs) to verify whether the refund had been credited. It said a dedicated link would be made available shortly on the student academic management system (SAMS) portal for students who have not received their refunds because of incorrect bank account details or failed transactions. They would be able to use the facility to correct their bank details and facilitate the refund.