The document summarizes information about the cost of private tertiary education in the Philippines. It notes that 313 private institutions received approval to increase tuition and fees by an average of 6.48% for the 2015-2016 school year. The National Capital Region had the most schools increase fees. It also provides data on tuition costs per unit at universities in Metro Manila, with the Polytechnic University of the Philippines having the lowest at 12 pesos per unit. The document discusses that tertiary education in the Philippines has low priority and government financial assistance programs only help a small percentage of students.

3. Cost of Private Tertiary
Education

4. • The Commission on Higher Education
(CHED) has approved the requests of 313
private higher education institutions (HEIs)
to increase their tuition and other school
fees for school year 2015-2016.

5. • The increase is at a nationwide average of
P165.45 (6.48%) per unit.
• National Capital Region has the most
number of schools (51) that will increase
fees, followed by Calabarzon and Davao
Region or Southern Mindanao (33 schools
each), Central Visayas (32), and Central
Luzon (31).

6. • The Commission did not allow schools in
Eastern Visayas to increase fees, as the
region is still undergoing rehabilitation in
the aftermath of Super Typhoon Yolanda
(international name: Haiyan).
• CHED cited Memorandum Order 3, s.
2012 in approving the increase in the
tuition and other school fees. The
Commission took into consideration the
following factors:

7. • Regional inflation rate
• Financial standing of the institution
• Financial capacity of the general studentry
• Impact of force majeure or calamities
• Quality track record of the school
• Mission and vision of the institution

8. • "CHED ensures that HEIs meet the
guidelines provided by law, especially the
requirement of consultation, the allocation
of tuition fees, and strict adherence with
the processes that seek to make tuition
and other school fee increases
transparent, reasonable, and affordable,"
CHED said.

9. INFOGRAPHIC: Tuition per
unit of Metro Manila
universities

10. Tuition of freshman’s undergraduate degree program (per unit)
in various schools in Metro Manila
Ateneo de Manila University P3,276.55
University of Asia and the Pacific P 3,056
De La Salle University P2, 363
Mapua Institute of Technology P 1,545
University of the Philippines P1,500
Far Eastern University P1,410
University of Santo Tomas P1,348
Technological University of the Philippines P150
Polytechnic University of the Philippines P12

11. • As tertiary education costs higher every
year, tuition per unit at state-run
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
has been unchanged, making the
university the cheapest school in the
country.

12. • For more than 30 years, PUP charges
their students P12 per unit with a
maximum of total fees of P1,000 every
semester.

13. Low Priority Given to Tertiary
Education

14. • many impoverished Filipino families
remain unable to send their children to
school and afford them a proper college
education

15. • Even with the government's numerous
student financial assistance programs, a
recent study commissioned by the
Commission on Higher Education (CHED)
on the different assistance programs
being implemented revealed that the
student financial assistance programs
(STUFAPS) are meager and fragmented.

16. • The study showed that STUFAPs have
assisted only around 60,000 students in
2011 or about 2% of approximately 2.7
million students.
• National government spending on
STUFAPs mostly goes to education,
accounting for about 62 % of the budget
and only 23 % and 15% go to higher
education and technical-vocational
education, respectively.

17. • Moreover, the study uncovered that these
STUFAPs are increasingly being enjoyed
by student beneficiaries from higher
income families, therefore defeating the
purpose of STUFAPs to assist students
who are in fact in dire need of financial
assistance.

18. • The study further showed that the reason
behind low college students enrollment
and completion rates among the poor and
near poor is due to their incapacity to pay
for the initial entrance fees and expenses
required by higher education institutions
(HEls), therefore stifling these students'
opportunity to even begin their higher
education career.

19. Financial assistance for
students

20. • Students in need of financial assistance can
apply for CHED's Student Financial Assistance
Programs, which has 123,882 slots for school
year 2015-2016. The slots amount to more
than P1.5 billion ($33.7 million).

21. • More than 40,000 students under
the PantawidPamilyang Pilipino
Program (4Ps) who are enrolled in selected
state universities and colleges will also be
provided financial assistance under the
Expanded Student Grants-in-Aid Program for
Poverty Alleviation, which has a budget of
P2.5 billion ($56.14 million).

22. • CHED also called for the passage of the
proposed Unified Student Financial
Assistance System for Higher and Technical
Education or UniFAST bill, which seeks to
"harmonize, reform, strengthen, expand,
rationalize, and re-focus" all ongoing student
financial assistance programs of the
government.

23. Thank you!
GOD BLESS!!!
-Cristina Marie Juanzo