5% tuition hike pending CHEd approval

The administration’s proposed five percent increase in tuition is pending approval from the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd), according to Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administrative Services (VCFAS) Mary May Eulogio.

“The compilation [of application for tuition hike] was submitted last March 31 [to CHEd], but up to this time, we’re still waiting for [the] notification from CHEd,” Eulogio said.

She mentioned that months before DLSU-D submitted their tuition hike application to CHEd, their office released instructions to start discussing among student constituents and servicing units the plans for new and major expenditures or any intended adjustments on fees.

Fee increase

“The agreed upon increase is five percent and the actual amount in peso, actually it’s of varying amount between 50 pesos to 104 pesos per unit,” Eulogio explained.

She furthered that the amount will vary depending on the academic program or course and level of the students, as well as the corresponding units to be enrolled.

Meanwhile, information regarding the corresponding increase in tuition fees for each course will be released after receiving the notification of approval from CHEd.

“Kasi kung ngayon tayo magre-release tapos ay hindi pa naman ‘yon approved ng CHEd, baka magkaroon lang ng confusion sa community, so we rather wait for the notification of CHEd,” she said.

Justifications

Furthermore, Eulogio stated the external and internal justifications mentioned during the negotiation panel of the multisectoral committee that discussed the tuition hike.

“First and foremost, the rate is actually an anticipation of the education deflator rate to be used by CHEd Region IV-A in monitoring or regulating increases in tuition,” said Eulogio.

She explained that that rate is not revealed to any institution and if the proposed increase is below the education deflator rate, then it is automatically approved.

However, if it is higher than the education deflator rate, CHEd will still notify the school to make adjustments.

“Second, the other justifications are actually internal to the University. One, to help augment the significant reduction in University cash inflow brought about by K-12 transition,” she said.

Moreover, she mentioned other justifications such as sustaining the compensation and benefits for the University’s employees, providing support services for the maintenance of the campus environment and facilities, and continuously addressing the recommendations of accreditation agencies.

“We simply need to keep the operations of the University at the same level as it used to be despite the attrition,” Eulogio added.