At least 11 percent of UP Diliman (UPD) undergraduate students are no longer covered by the 2017 Free Tuition Law, further revealing the policy’s inadequacies just as the government’s economic managers mull over the landmark legislation’s repeal.

Some 1,522 out of 16,137 students must already pay school fees to finish their undergraduate program, according to data from the UPD Office of the University Registrar. 

The exclusions to the law are students who opted out of the policy, those who are unable to complete their degree more than a year after the normal duration of the program, already bachelor’s degree holders, and law and medicine students, according to Section 6 of Republic Act (RA) 10931 or the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act. 

Garnering the highest percentage of students ineligible for free tuition is the School of Library and Information Studies, where 32.8 percent, or 60 of its 183 undergraduate students, are not covered by free tuition. Coming in second is the College of Music (CMu), where 26.7 percent, or 81 out of its 303 undergraduate students, already pay tuition fees (see sidebar 1).

Moreover, the College of Engineering has the greatest number of students no longer covered with free matriculation, with 286 ineligible students. The College of Arts and Letters and College of Fine Arts came in second and third, having 180 and 154 students not covered by Free Tuition Law, respectively. 

“Common sa [practical-based fields] yung nahihirapan makapagtapos. Based [on OUR], hindi afford ng students yung mga equipment and resources para makapagpatuloy sa pag-aaral kaya tumitigil muna yung iba o kaya pinagsasabay sa work,” said Sean Latorre, the UPD University Student Council vice chairperson and a former convenor of Rise for Education alliance. 

This year’s number of students ineligible for free tuition is a percent higher than in past years. In 2021, 10 percent of UPD students were not covered by RA 10931, according to a previous report by the Collegian.  

A total of 1,662 students out of the 14,502 population in UPD were ineligible for free tuition in the first semester of the academic year 2019-2020. During that year, the College of Education saw the highest number of students who paid tuition fees for their formative teaching years, with 154 students unable to receive free tuition. CMu Music came in second, with 98 undergraduate students not covered by the Free Tuition Law.  

Those who are unable to avail themselves of the Free Tuition Law can apply for other financial aid, such as the Student Learning Assistance System (SLAS). The SLAS is UP’s program for undergraduate students, including law students, that bridges them to financial grants and other learning assistance programs. This allows for 33 percent up to 100 percent discount on tuition, while some even receive stipends. 

Launched as the highlight of UP’s aid to students during the pandemic, SLAS succeeded the Socialized Tuition System (STS). Like STS, SLAS classifies students based on their socioeconomic capacity.

While the SLAS aims to bridge the gap that the Free Tuition Law leaves, in recent years, it saw a dwindling number of students accommodated by financial aid. 

In the Academic Year (AY) 2021-2022, 2,818 students benefited from the program, then in AY 2022-2023, the numbers shrunk to 2,240 students. In the current academic year, only 1,960 students are being aided by SLAS (see sidebar 2).

Over the past two years, more than half the number of students who availed of the full discount with subsidy and full discount aid has diminished. From last year’s 567 students, now, only 261 students are accommodated by the aid. 

Many students, despite the Free Tuition Law, must still pay for matriculation or hope to get financial aid because of the law’s limitations. Amid such challenges, Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno even deemed the free tertiary education “unsustainable”, and proposed a national test to determine a student’s validity to access education. 

“Dapat salagin natin at patuloy nating bakahin yung type of thinking [ni Diokno], na kahit na may changing demographic, kailangang kilalanin pa rin na education ay isang karapatan and dapat free, quality, and accessible education ang natatamasa ng lahat,” said Latorre. 

Diokno’s statement goes against the very mandate of the Free Tuition Law to “provide all Filipinos with equal opportunity to quality tertiary education in both the public and private institutions”.

Education groups and advocates continue to campaign for the Free Tuition Law to cover all students of all levels, but lawmakers have not made any amendments to RA 10931.  

“Patuloy sana natin i-lobby yung expansion ng Free Tuition Law. Nais naming student leaders na makasama ang sangkaestudyantehan sa mga pagkilos at marinig sila. Nais namin magpalawak ng hanay nang makita ng estado na marami tayong nananawagan para sa free, scientific, and mass-oriented education,” said Latorre. ●

First published in the November 13, 2023 print edition of the Collegian.