There are now a total of 317 educational institutions, representing 25 percent of the country’s 1,280 colleges and universities, that reported an increase in tuition for this coming schoolyear, according to the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) yesterday.
The national average in the increase in fees from the 317 colleges and universities that applied for an increase in tuition was 11 percent.
According to CHED figures, the University of Asia and the Pacific in Pasig City remained the higher education institution (HEI) with the highest fee per unit in the country at a whopping P1,888.13 per unit. Last year, the fee per unit at the university was P1,731.75.
Little-known Gov. Andres Pascual College, located in Navotas, Metro Manila, on the other hand, is the HEI with the lowest rate per unit at P198.24 this year, up from last year’s P172.39.
Of the 317 HEIs that hiked tuition, the highest was that of the Divine Word School of Technology in Tagaytay City with a 200 percent increase from an average tuition per unit of P200 last year to P600 per unit this school year.
Second highest was the Asian Institute of Journalism and Communication (AIJC) with a 125 percent increase — from last year’s P353.78 to P796.01 per unit this year.
Based on HEIs per region, the National Capital Region still has the highest average tuition per unit at P589.37. Lowest per region is the CARAGA region with P200.60.
CHED said 70 percent of schools with higher tuition cited an increase in the salaries of teachers and staff as their reason for the hike while 20 percent said the increase was needed to fund upgrading of facilities.
While HEIs are mandated to file an application for tuition increase with CHED, the agency has no authority to deny or reject any such application, Dr. Roger Perez, CHED executive director, said earlier.
Perez said this was due to Batas 232 or the Educational Services Act of 1982 that provided for the deregulation of tuition rates.
Bro. Rolly Dizon, newly-installed CHED chairman echoed Perez’s statements, saying CHED has no authority to stop HEIs from imposing tuition hikes, but only to oblige them to conduct multi-sectoral consultations with students, parents and teachers before imposing them.