Free Tuition Fee 2017 Frequently Asked Questions

Qualified incoming freshmen and currently enrolled college students will be able to enjoy the recently approved Free Tuition program of the government through “Affordable Higher Education for All Act”.

The Free Tuition program will be available for all students studying in State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) nationwide and will be available for Academic Year 2017-2018.

1. All students enrolled in SUCs nationwide are qualified to apply for the program.
2. The program will be available for AY 2017-2018.
3. Tuition will be free in all SUCs.
4. No tuition fee shall be collected by the SUCs.  However, SUCs are allowed to collect other school fees like Miscellaneous Fees, Laboratory Fees, etc.

Here are the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) that we should know about the Free Tuition 2017 Program:

All students studying in State Universities and Colleges nationwide will benefit from this program.StuFAP beneficiaries will be the first ones to benefit. StuFAP beneficiaries who receive P15,000 or below shall be included in the program. The tuition of those who are getting more than P15,000 will still be charged against their existing StuFAP.Non-StuFAP beneficiaries can still be covered by the Free Tuition program as long as the SUC still has remaining budget. For non-StuFAP beneficiaries, the students will be prioritized according to their economic status.The existing enrollment procedures of the SUCs shall be observed. This means that students will have to go through the SUC’s assessment process to find out if they can be accepted into the program/course they have chosen. Once a student is accepted by the SUC, his/her tuition fee is free for the year.StuFAP beneficiaries are automatically covered by the program. Tuition fee of those getting more than Php 15,000 in benefits will be charged to their StuFAP allocations, while the tuition fees of those receiving Php 15,000 or less will be covered by the Free Tuition program.

Non-StuFAP beneficiaries will be ranked according to their economic status and will have to present ONE proof of income: Income Tax Return of family members responsible for financing the student’s education, BIR Form 2316, BIR Certificate of Exemption from Filing of ITR, OR any other government-issued document that indicates income earnings.The Free Tuition Program of 2017 will only be implemented for Academic Year 2017-2018.The SUCs cannot collect tuition fee. Instead of paying tuition, the SUC shall charge the tuition of the students to the Higher Education Support Fund. However, other outstanding fees, which includes miscellaneous and other school fees due to the SUCs, can be collected from the students.The Free Tuition 2017 covers only State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) and does not include private Higher Education Institutions (HEIs).It depends on the number of enrollees, the capacity of the school and the budget allotted for the SUC.Source: Commission on Higher Education