Did you know that this coming academic year 2018-2019, free tertiary education will be implemented nationwide? Last Aug. 2017, President Rodrigo Duterte signed into law the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act, or Republic Act 10931.
This means that high school graduates can go get a college education for free. Here are 5 things to know about this new law.
5 Things To Know About RA 10931
1. The act covers free higher education, which does not only cover tuition fees but also covers miscellaneous expenses and other school fees. This is different from the free tuition order of Pres. Duterte, wherein he instructed all state universities and colleges to charge no tuition fees starting Academic Year June 2017 to March 2018.
The list of miscellaneous fees include fees for library, computer use, laboratory use, school ID, athletic, admission, development, guidance, handbook, entrance, registration, medical/dental and cultural. Fees not on this list are not included.
2. Unlike the free tuition order of 2017, this act widens the list of institutions covered. It now includes state universities and colleges (SUCs), local universities and colleges (LUCs) recognized by CHED, state-run, and local-government run technical vocational institutions (TVIs).
3. Who are qualified for free higher education?
- For higher education (college): Graduates of secondary education who pass the entrance test and fulfill admission and retention policies of the tertiary institution; those who are currently enrolled in courses towards a bachelor’s degree. They must not be a bachelor’s degree holder yet.
- For technical vocational education and training: Learners enrolled in a TESDA-registered program, so long as they fulfill the admission and retention policies. They must not already be holding any national certification level 3 certificate or higher.
4. What if there are no SUCs or LUCs or government-run TVIs where a student lives? The act also provides for a Tertiary Education Subsidy (TES) which will cover tuition, miscellaneous fees and special expenses in private colleges and universities. This will only be available to those who have no direct access to SUCs, LUCs and government-run TVIs in their areas.
5. To further support tertiary education, the act also creates a Student Loan Program which will offer short-term and long-term loans. All tertiary-level Filipino students who are qualified or currently enrolled in any program and institution, public or private may avail of this loan program. It not only covers undergraduate degrees but also graduate studies and review studies for licensure exams, subject to certain limitations. Details of the loan program are still being ironed out.
In order to implement this law and the programs under it, the Unified Student Financial Assistance for Tertiary Education (UniFAST) was created, under the Commission on Higher Education.